• 0 Posts
  • 265 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
cake
Cake day: June 18th, 2023

help-circle
  • Calling people stupid and lazy in nicer words is still calling people stupid and lazy.

    I think that’s a bit unfair here. What I’m saying is that expectations often seems to be that “Linux should be effortless, but it isn’t, so Linux sucks”, and then we quickly talk past each other on which aspects we are referring to. Let me make up three categories:

    For users transitioning to Linux from Windows, and …

    1. … it shouldn’t be an effort, but unfortunately sometimes is frustrating or annoying
    • Hardware control, e.g. drivers. More often than not it works with less effort than on Windows, except for very new hardware, and hardware that actually requires specific software (RGB led patterns, Gaming mouse profiles, all that stuff)
    • NVidia drivers can be a pain
    • When dual booting and Windows manages to fuck up something in Linux, and it looks like Linux is the culprit. (E.g. restart the computer from Windows, but it doesn’t release claim on hardware, which doesn’t let Linux claim it, so stuff like the WiFi adapter might not work.)
    • Specific software not available, like Adobe, Autodesk, etc.
    1. .… is something you can get someone else to do for you, but it’s just how things are, unrelated to Windows -> Linux or the other way around.
    • Installing the OS – downloading ISO, burning a bootable USB, BIOS, etc…
    1. … it’s expected that you figure out / learn, and if unwilling, Linux isn’t for you
    • Using the OS, which at the very least, cursory knowledge of the software/package manager, and roughly how this works.
    • Familiarizing yourself with KDE / Gnome, etc.

    So, I assume people who just thought I was calling people lazy and dumb thought I meant categories 1. and 2. I just mean category 3. If you expect everything to be the same as Windows, and the effort required to understand the differences is too much, then only Windows will fit your needs. The impression I get is a general unwillingness to “figure stuff out”. Not knowing shit is fine, complaining and not wanting to put in the effort to know stuff… how is that not being lazy?

    It was intended as kind advice without any the implied judgement of calling people dumb or lazy. If you don’t want to have to figure stuff out related to the third category, Linux will likely not be a good experience, or even a productive or good change. If you move to another country, you should make the effort to learn the culture. It’s not a good look to complain that things are different.

    If I were to try to suggest “a point” with all of this: Don’t suggest to people that Linux is effortless for Windows users. Linux is immensely better, in almost every way (though mind examples in first category). But, it requires learning the basics of how shit works. It’s not hard… the information is well put together and available.










  • I’m sort of with you on S1 of the Expanse. Miller is such a good character. But, as you mention, it has a very different focus and vibe, and doesn’t give the right impression for what comes later. The acting also gets a lot better, as it’s sometimes a little bit rough in S1. If I remember correctly, the writers mentioned drawing inspiration from Aliens, which reflects on the more claustrophobic… horror like thematic. None of which stays after S1. So, I tend to plead for people to stick with it though S2.

    If it was the opposite shift, that is, “fantastical” in S1, and detective noir in S2 and onwards, I’d probably say the same thing about sticking through S1 even if it didn’t hit home.

    That said, I do enjoy the more fantastical theme… But Miller… Doors and corners… Mmm, I won’t spoil anything for anyone. I’m confident you know exactly what I mean.

    Thanks for the clarification on the GoT/Expanse. Hadn’t thought about that.



  • Ah, I loved Wheel of Time. I’m making an effort to forget about it so I’m suddenly surprised by season 3 being done. The deviations from the books didn’t ruin it for me, like it seems it did for many. I just found it unnecessary, and mentioned it more as an example of bad writing, and did not mean to imply that all of it was bad. Far from it. Great actors all around, and amazing costume designers and visual direction. They did so many things, absolutely brilliantly.

    I havent watched Rings of Power. Maybe I should, based on what you’re saying.

    I didn’t understand what you meant by drawing on GoT for consolidating characters. Apologies.

    PS: In case I gave the impression of being a miserable piece:

    • I loved S1 of the Witcher, and largely enjoyed S2 and even S3, though that took more effort.
    • 3BP was fine, and entertaining enough. It has the potential to be great, but not with the lack of… insight from D&D.
    • The Expance is one of the best sci-fi series made, and anyone remotely interested should see it, and also keep watching even if the first season isn’t entirely convincing. OK to call it quits if S2 isn’t.
    • GoT went down hill already from S5. The torture porn thing was just… unnecessary, and not my thing.
    • Everything JJ has written is vapid shit.
    • Arcane is a masterclass in… pretty much everything. Especially character development, and nuanced “evil”.
    • The Gentlemen TV series by G. Ritchie is a fun time, and imo underrated.


  • First of all, I agree with everything you said.

    However, I think that deviating from the source, or adding stuff, etc, wouldn’t be so destructive, if the writing was actually good.

    Three Body Problem adapted by D&D, still felt a bit meh, because they made a bunch of changes that were just terrible writing. They didn’t understand source material, so they made the VR stuff alien tech. They made the stars blink, not the cosmic background radiation. The dimension folding fuck up leading to a giant eye over… Earth?.. Why did they think that made any sense? It happened on Trisolaris, and it was such a goosebump inducing thing… Did D&D just think it might look cool, and… Since you cannot easily show it without showing the aliens… They kinda went “let’s just do it on earth”, even though it made no fucking sense whatsoever, because, they wouldn’t have any reason to play a fucking prank on earth. Shits and giggles weren’t their thing… Gah.

    The Witcher suffered because the writing was actually quite bad at times.

    Game of Thrones… I mean… I don’t know why Dumb and Dumber get their hands on any work whatsoever. They have shown they know nothing of the world and systems they write for, nor characters or development. It’s just embarrassing.

    Halo, I haven’t watched. And Fallout, I just know that Nolan and Joy are absolutely amazing writers. The only concern I had was to what extent people like Tod could fuck things up.

    I think what I’m trying to add is that: Good writers can tell very engaging adaptations within the existing constraints of lore and canon. Bad writers need to add contemporary trends. But the fundamental issue might just be a skill issue in writing.

    J. J. Abrams didn’t deviate all that much from canon and lore. But my God what a grade A moron he is when it comes to plots points. Thousands of extremely talented master craftsmen, all coming together to tell a story… that only works if you don’t think about it at all.

    The Expanse TV adaptation is a master class in doing everything right. TV is a different medium, and you cannot tell the story in the same exact way. But the changes they did, still told the same story, and most changes just suited visual medium better. They even had to off a character because of real life reasons, which was a little bit abrupt, but even so, they managed to adapt to that just fine.

    Wheel of Time… weird additions and focus on romantic relationships that detracted from the magnitude and seriousness of the story itself. Maybe I was just a bit too young when I read the books, but I certainly didn’t remember it like that, and it made the characters feel weird, and… immature. Also, somewhat intellectually insulting. Personal sacrifice, and love (? I’m looking for a better word…) for someone, doesn’t require romantic interest.

    I’m rambling.

    TL;DR: Good writing good. Bad writing bad. Bad writing != not 100% aligned with source material. Contemporary tropes for no good reason = bad writing. JJ, please stick to directing. D&D… Maybe take up painting? Pretty please?






  • Urbanisation and deforestation are not the same as enshitification tho.

    It’s a bit unfortunate that “increased degree in which something is shit” sounds like what the word should mean, and I suppose it then sort of does.

    It’s nice to have a word that describes the investor-driven incentives to worsen a service/product to milk out more short-term revenue. The larger a market capture is, the more that can be pushed without an alternative being a threat.

    It’s the cycle of “provide a good quality service that makes everybody happy” -> market capture -> shareholders push for increase revenue at the expense of quality as there is no competition.