Co-ops are often dismissed as attempts to create islands of socialism. But building democratically controlled tech infrastructure can be part of a wider movement for working-class power.
Co-ops are often dismissed as attempts to create islands of socialism. But building democratically controlled tech infrastructure can be part of a wider movement for working-class power.
I honestly haven’t used a computer in years. I had given up on windows and tried mac, only to confirm my suspicion that it was even worse. Long before that I had tried Ubuntu once but I didn’t give it much effort, and it was when Linux was still pretty rough around the edges. I was also not very tech savvy, so that didn’t help.
Anyway, lately I’ve been reading more about it. I finally understand how operating systems work and what the different components do. So I can actually understand conversations about Linux now.
I’ve read up on lots of different distros, and there are a few I’m excited to try. I don’t currently have a computer though, so that’s on hold for a bit.
So I’ll probably start with either Zorin or Endeavor. I hear they’re both beginner-friendly. But the more I read about Ubuntu and their proprietary blobs, the less interested I am in Zorin. So maybe I’ll try LMDE instead, cause I think something Debian-based will be a good starting point.
Then I’ll probably spin up a few different VM images to try some others. I’m pretty interested in Solus, Mageia, and OpenSUSE. I’ll also try a few different DEs to see which I like the best, and maybe I’ll try something with the linux-libre kernel just for funsies (and to completely eliminate proprietary dependencies).
After that if I still feel like going deeper I might try some greater challenges. Void, Alpine, Salix, Devuan, and Artix, to play around with different init systems and get a feel for the differences. At that point I’ll be familiar with most of the package managers too, and I’d also give musl and busybox a try to see how they compare to glibc and GNU coreutils.
If I still want to challenge myself more I might try Exherbo and/or LFS, but even without that I think the ones above will give me a good overview of what’s possible. I’m sure by then I’ll be able to pick a favorite.
But I’m really excited just to start learning and tinkering, even just on the more beginner-friendly distros. I’ve been bookmarking some open-source software, pages with useful info, etc. I just need to wait till I have a computer to try it on.
Someone should make an MMO for the fediverse. We can have meetings there, with a whiteboard for brainstorming and everything! It will be our headquarters.