Flatfire

It's fine to feel that way. It's also fine to have that discussion with folks who may not know what the current state of is. But the bottom line is people don't enjoy being told what they're familiar with isn't good or useful, because to them, it is. If it fulfills their day to day needs and wants, there's very little argument to be had.

Microsoft's business practices are scummy, and Apple's closed ecosystem leads them to punish their customers. But not everyone uses their computer for more than what they absolutely require. Many do not have home computers, and may only interact with them for work. I'm a geek, nerd, whatever. I like to tinker, I like to customize, and I like that I have the freedom to do so. But most people just want something they're familiar with, something that works as they expect it to. They don't want to learn to use something at home that isn't the same as work or school. And honestly I think that's fair. There's more going on in their lives, and these days almost everything they need to do is on the internet anyways.

Frankly, I don't have a problem with anyone who uses linux, I do too. I just get tired of the same stupid circlejerks that paint it as some kind of perfect alternative to existing mainstays. I like it, you like it, Lemmy is a deeply nerdy subsect of diehard FOSS ideologies and the power of the personal computer. But dear god is it kind of insufferable at times when it's preaching to converts, and I imagine even less pleasant for those who just don't have a desire to care.

It is also worth considering that yes, MS and Google have definitely dominated the market through superior products, but the standards they've pushed for and established have also made it difficult for other players to enter. If we wanted to say that the federated nature of email is dead, I think that's a fair argument still.

Hosting your own email server is quite difficult. You have to jump through a lot of hoops to land in anyone's mailbox without assistance. If you want to make a mailing list, you basically need to use a mailing service, lest you get blacklisted by major systems owned by MS and Google. Much of this is a byproduct of spam, by which I don't blame Google and MS for doing their best to protect against, but at the same time they have more or less neutered some core aspects of what made email accessible.

He's got the charisma of a dead skunk, but I somehow doubt he won't still involve himself with Pollievre somewhere in there

I think that's where they put Henry

Makes sense. I've always heard about it being taken a while before finishing highschool so I figured it was engrained in that curriculum.

Wild. We just have pre-requisite courses that typically qualify you for University programs. You overall grades matter, but there's nothing like an SAT

Schools in the US have tests on Saturdays? We don't really have an equivalent to SATs here in Canada, but I figured it was just a summary exam or something you took like anything else.

This absolutely feels like something that would have been on the wall in my public school library

Ah, my bad. I think I misunderstood your point and took you to be gatekeeping rather than just attempting to defend against misinformation or poor comparisons.

You're right, it's not a Windows replacement. It shouldn't be expected that it's analogous to Windows. My previous statement was coming from the expectation that people moving from Windows to Linux as their primary OS of choice was that they were explicitly looking for the advantages offered by it, rather than simply expecting to get away from Microsoft while needing to adjust to nothing new.

This is...kind of stupid? There's such a plethora of options in the Linux space for desktop environments, workflow customizations, configurability, etc. nothing is locked down by taking a Windows-style approach to a DE. Instead it follows a tried philosophy that's only really been hampered by Microsoft's decision to funnel users into an frustrating hole that removes the choice to disable or modify features you don't like. KDE in particular has always been a Windows-style DE, and it's currently one of the best options for modern features and extensive customizability. Hyprland is literally designed for linux enthusiasts. Gnome is the Mac analog, Xfce is your light-weight but functional, etc.

You're upset because people are looking for more options? That's bizarre. I came from Windows, but I guarantee my setup is different than someone else who comes from Windows because that's the flexibility that's offered. No one coming from Windows wants it to be exactly like Windows, they just want to be able to use their computer in a way that allows them to work, to play games, to watch media, etc. It's a computer. It's your computer. It should be able to do what you want.

It sounds to me like your brother may have just taken the wrong approach. Perhaps involving that sister less by means of active participation, but just exposing her to the creative process and using her as a consultant may have improved that outcome. I don't figure you or your brother are expecting advice, but generally I find that it's best not to try and dominate someone else's interest as a means to involve them. Otherwise they may end up feeling dissatisfied or not immersed enough in the game itself.

The toughest part about enjoying TTRPGs is finding a DM that lets you exercise your variety of creativity. If your only experience is with your brother as a DM, it could be you just don't necessarily vibe with his style of doing so.