I did the same a week ago - First tried Mint Rafaela with Cinnamon and this week I got free time to tryout Arch. Turns out their wiki is amazing and with a little google-fu I managed to install GNOME and any other application I might need.
I honestly don't miss anything from Windows. I used to game a lot but that changed and the few games I still play can either be accessed with Play on Linux or have their own port.
And what's even funnier is that most of apps nowadays have a web version (Skype, Spotify) so I really avoid meddling with emulating Windows for a good while.
>No less so than if your friends, family, coworkers, and society at large may be subtly persuading you in a different direction than what you would've taken if they hadn't been making the suggestions to influence you.
In spite the fact that in the case of friends, family, coworkers I can be the one persuading them in a different direction and I also know a bit about them (you cannot suggest that in the case of person-company relationship both are as strong in influencing each other, maybe in large numbers of people protesting and that's a huge maybe):
The thing is, there are 5 billion people on Earth but far less operating systems. So, when they tell you "my way or the highway" while at the same time more products support their way, you'll eventually end up stuck somewhere in the past, like the old nut in the hut living on top of a mountain, while everyone is throwing their personal data to Microsoft and friends telling me that it's going to be ok because "the functionality provided is convenient". Which makes zero sense.
> In spite the fact that in the case of friends, family, coworkers I can be the one persuading them in a different direction and I also know a bit about them (you cannot suggest that in the case of person-company relationship both are as strong in influencing each other, maybe in large numbers of people protesting and that's a huge maybe)
Companies, in many ways, strike me as amazingly straightforward to manipulate. So easily swayed by the almighty dollar that such trite as "the customer is always right" gets dolled out as actual management policy at times.
We block company ads, our eyes scan past the ads that remain, we spam-list their emails and rip into them on our various review sites when they wrong us.
Companies realize, though, that talk is cheap, and see through our bullshit a little better. And, sadly, there's very little self control by consumers at times.
> you'll eventually end up stuck somewhere in the past, like the old nut in the hut living on top of a mountain
It's not so bad here. I don't even have a Facebook account. There's enough ad blocking options out there to kill several news companies several times over. That's before installing a proper separate firewall box.
> while everyone is throwing their personal data to Microsoft and friends telling me that it's going to be ok because "the functionality provided is convenient". Which makes zero sense.
It makes zero sense if you lack agency and choice. You have an opt out. It makes zero sense if you provide what you didn't will to. Opt ins are superior, I'll certainly grant. It makes zero sense if you haven't recognized the full ramifications and potential impact of sharing the data you share. They don't know what they're getting into.
But it also makes zero sense to dismiss "convenient functionality" as a reasonable rationale to give data freely, by choice, if you understand the impact and potential ramifications of it. There's a reason this stuff works. Ignoring that merely blinds you to the beast, and robs you of taking as much advantage of it, or to defend against it's detriments.
This discussion is such a deja vu. I had this exact back and forth with a colleague the other day (them on the give-away-all-data side). I have a reply based on this comment, thank you.
It is true in Europe. However, the effect is strongly dampened given all of the social and job protection legislation in most European countries.
This means the extend to which an employer can profit from preferring younger employees is very much limited.
Also, young people in Europe are generally less sensitive to promises of future riches because of both cultural differences and the fact that it's simply extremely rare that a European startup strikes gold.
The agism is the same, but it's easier to overcome since there's less profit in it.
Could it be because solitude back then was similar to meditation? That you had no interruptions, no internet to make your mind run around like a puppy chasing the next tasty bone, and this in turn made you listen to thoughts and ideas rising from the subconscious more often?
The problem with that is: Once you build this service, how do you give access to the impoverished people?
For instance, I would be homeless sleeping on benches if not for my parents and my computer is almost 8 years old, my mobile phone is over a decade old. I would seek people who feel like I do but they also look after themselves first, since the conditions are "eat or get eaten". There was also one guy who just surrendered to his fate and all he did was abuse the fact that his parents provide him with a soft pillow to stand, only to play video games day in and day out. The very definition of NEET.
My point being, someone else has to provide them with internet access, and even then, there is not much that you can do.
This quote reminded me of an anime/manga called Attack on Titan, where it's said that its creator draws inspiration for Titan looks from bullies that had in his school years.
>But Miyazaki had a problem: at 29, he was too old to apply for graduate positions and too inexperienced for anything else. “Not a lot of places would take me,” he says. “From Software was one of the few.”
Career switchers who are slow to find their knack in life deserve a fresh start. I say that from the position of being one. Talent does exist among the people who are trapped in mediocre, unfulfilled lives, and all they look for is their chance to shine.
I am considering a career AND industry change, and I'm almost 40. Can you give me some general advice or pointers about career switching. I'm not entirely sure why I would think you might have a basis, just reaching out.
This is not an advice, but just a comment. I think many software engineers would KILL it if they worked for small mom and pop shops, or small practices. They could help turn many $500,000/year businesses into several times that revenue. Plus they would have WAY more autonomy then working at startups and tech companies, which in my opinion are just factories.
I agree with you, but there are a lot of catches when dealing with small businesses. They don't apply to every business, and my experience could be anecdotal. But there is an argument to be made that some of these businesses remain small for a good reason.
The first problem with many of these small businesses is they don't want to pay market rates for people with the skills and talent. If you do generate that much revenue, it's not guaranteed that you'll be brought up to a market rate.
You might not even get credit for achievements, where people view you as a commodity worker. You'll encounter owners or employees who know just enough to be dangerous, and therefore don't value the skills you bring to the table. Their son knows some HTML, how hard can it be? You can't build Facebook or automate all of their business processes in a weekend?
You'll be caught in situations where your time will be micromanaged to the point where you can't be productive. The farther away a business gets from software, the less experience management has with managing software projects and the people who work on them. It's difficult to get autonomy for a project that might take days and weeks for tangible results, when most people are used to being able to see the progress and results more immediately. They won't understand everything or anything you're doing and may doubt you actually know what you're talking about or understand their needs.
Your "maker's schedule" will be sliced and diced into useless microblocks of time. Because you know computers, you'll be tasked with keeping printers and desktops running. You will be the first person people disrupt throughout the day with any issue.
One of the issues with a late career/industry change that is often not discussed is the pain that comes with a (usually?) sharp downward adjustment in lifestyle due to lower wages, similar to Mizayuki's 80% salary cut.
Immediate family concerns and other obligations (e.g. parental care) at a later stage in life may necessitate a more gradual shift through successive job transitions, rather than a sudden career change.
Technically, an "experienced hire" should be attempting to shift into careers that allow for maximum skill transferal, but this isn't always possible, and it certainly isn't easy.
I do this too. Especially if it links to a blog entry that is big. I might even bookmark a thread to check it later in case it's a new thread, just to see if there's going to be an overall positive response down the road.
I honestly don't miss anything from Windows. I used to game a lot but that changed and the few games I still play can either be accessed with Play on Linux or have their own port.
And what's even funnier is that most of apps nowadays have a web version (Skype, Spotify) so I really avoid meddling with emulating Windows for a good while.