Nora, Tech Aspect on Nostr: To be blunt, the idea that using free software is expensive is a falsehood. Windows ...
To be blunt, the idea that using free software is expensive is a falsehood. Windows is not free. If you buy a new computer, it is often included, but buying a new computer is very expensive; if you are, say, a broke college student whose laptop screen got smashed - ask me how I know - you can get up and running with a machine that'll carry you through the rest of school for $300 with a used Thinkpad and an SSD. Windows will not be included. Tell me again how dropping another $100 is less of a sign of privilege than downloading a free OS at the library?
Similarly, I'm very confident in saying that there are few situations where a copy of Windows is available locally when a copy of Linux is not. If you have access to a Best Buy and not a library, that might be the case, but how common is that, exactly? This is not to mention the many mail-order services that will sell you Linux installation media for a pittance.
This might be a reference to bike infrastructure being unavailable, as a metaphor for software or hardware not supporting Linux. This is a pretty good point, if taken very narrowly; to extend the analogy, responding to complaints about public transit with "have you considered a bike?" when the poster lives in rural Nebraska is not particularly helpful. On the other hand, this doesn't make it inherently unreasonable to suggest riding a bike, unless you *already know* that bike infrastructure isn't available! Many people, including non-"tech people," use free desktops just fine for everyday tasks, just as many people, including non-"bike people," use bicycles to get to work and school every single day.
Similarly, I'm very confident in saying that there are few situations where a copy of Windows is available locally when a copy of Linux is not. If you have access to a Best Buy and not a library, that might be the case, but how common is that, exactly? This is not to mention the many mail-order services that will sell you Linux installation media for a pittance.
This might be a reference to bike infrastructure being unavailable, as a metaphor for software or hardware not supporting Linux. This is a pretty good point, if taken very narrowly; to extend the analogy, responding to complaints about public transit with "have you considered a bike?" when the poster lives in rural Nebraska is not particularly helpful. On the other hand, this doesn't make it inherently unreasonable to suggest riding a bike, unless you *already know* that bike infrastructure isn't available! Many people, including non-"tech people," use free desktops just fine for everyday tasks, just as many people, including non-"bike people," use bicycles to get to work and school every single day.