Comments by "Charlie Kahn" (@charliekahn4205) on "DistroTube" channel.

  1.  @p4trickb4tem4n  Linux, being UNIX, treats everything like a text file or a folder. Every action in Linux is done by moving, copying, creating, deleting, writing, reading, or executing these files and folders. Windows treats your computer like a desk, and programs are seen as tools. They are a separate thing which has its own file type, treated completely differently from all other files. Theoretically on Linux you could make any file executable (it's not a good idea but you could). Windows requires a lot of formatting to do it.
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  2. Like the fact that Linux doesn't treat a computer like a desk at all, and instead it treats a computer like a filing cabinet, which can be really jarring for Windows users.
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  3. I love the idea of configuration you can access directly from the filesystem. It makes it way easier to see what everything on your system is doing and what could be causing problems.
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  4. I partially agree with what you said in this video. However, I do have a counterargument arguing as to why these channels should continue to exist and be watched. Every one of these types of channels has a place in the Linux/Unix/Darwin community. Those who speak about the technical and productive benefits of these operating systems only, in addition to reviewing entire distributions and more general topics, appeal to new users and those thinking of switching. They help newbies to decide their level of involvement and whether or not they wish to switch, when these people would normally not even be thinking about the FOSS community. Those who do not take sides at any costs, instead opting to explain everything in depth, appeal to users with small amounts of experience in computers, who need unbiased reviews and tutorials. Some users actually do have compelling reasons to choose proprietary software as well as their open-source equivalents, and need to know which choice is best for them. Finally, provocateurs act as countermeasures against arguments generally accepted by most people, allowing users to know why they might not make certain choices. Their videos provide compelling concerns about topics no one else argues against. Users with higher experience with computers could be attracted to some of this content, due to the fact that they posses the expertise to be able to look critically at every aspect of their device. Sure, this content can be annoying to someone who is set in their ways, but for someone who is starting out, or is still building their opinion and their workflow, or wishes to know what they are sacrificing and could gain from an alternative, these channels can be invaluable. At least, these channels are invaluable when done well; I have nothing to argue for those who create subpar content.
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  5. vs nix/guix vs port vs deb vs rpm vs git
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  6. Yeah ArchWiki is basically the wiki for Linux in general.
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  7. I recently discovered something called the FVWM Starter Kit, which reorganizes the FVWM config file into several different ones, each with its own instructions. And yet the best thing about FV for me is that you can change which side the titlebar is on.
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  8. You can just install Guix as a secondary package manager, since that's really the entire point of GuixSD (now Guix System) in the first place. It works as secondary, so there's no conflicts with pacman (optimally).
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  9. I like to think of many of these tilers as language interpreters with X bindings. Awesome is a Lua interpreter for X. Stumpwm is a Lisp interpreter for X. Qtile is X bindings for Python. Sawfish is a Rep interpreter for X. Dwm and Xmonad are different because they are written in a compiled language. Xmonad compiles your configuration when you change it. Dwm is recompiled when you change it.
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  10. But wait. Contributions to FOSS communities are most often anonymous, so how would anyone find out about others' race anyway?
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  11. Honestly I think the systemd debate should be the problem of software developers, not distro users. The only thing that really matters about your init system and system-control daemon is whether or not your software requires it, and the question should be whether or not developers should require systemd. On the one hand, you can guarantee that the OS has extensive dbus support, and you know that you can take advantage of systemd-unique features, but on the other hand you're alienating BSD users.
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  12. It's also primarily floating.
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  13.  @bigfennec  Gnome gave us GTK and standardized Dconf, so it's not all bad.
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  14. The one reason I like Arch and it's derivatives: Pacman is so fast. I come from Fedora, and dnf is so slow by comparison. The rpm format is great tho, because you can add as many repos as you want, and even make your own.
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  15. Recently I've gotten into plugin-based window managers and desktop environments, and in the process discovered that the code for Compiz 0.9 is actually really cool. From what I've read of the source you can even turn off compositing.
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  16.  @fuseteam  debian can run on hurd
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  17.  @marioschroers7318  They do mention the fact that they started with suckless as a base in the about section of their website. I checked.
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  18. Speaking of alternative file hierarchies, have you looked at GoboLinux yet?
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  19. We could probably standardize Linux packages using git and make.
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  20. What did it do back then? Did it just immediately ask for admin or did it log keystrokes or what?
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  21. This does not just apply to window managers that exclusively tile. Yes, I can admit that dwm and i3 can get a little gatekeeper-y/elitist about the API and customizing the workflow itself, respectively. But many of these criticisms are also leveraged against floating window managers and compositors, such as Openbox and the box derivatives, FVWM, SOWM, Awesome, Compiz without CCSM, KWin, and others I can't remember. Some people just can't be bothered to edit config.ini, or learn how to not use a panel for everything, or press the super key a lot, or, the horror, enabling and disabling the animations and transparencies. I think it's time that not only more people get acquainted with the power of the text file, Lua, Perl, and XML, but also that more people write graphical applications for basic configuration in order to increase accessibility. If there's only a few options, you might as well make them easy to change.
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  22. It throws a wrench into the whole Unix-verse compatibility thing by relying on Linux-specific features. The code needs a refactoring yesterday. Daemons need systemd-specific files to be recognized. And you can't access the logs without a specific program.
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  23.  @GauteAnimationNorway  maybe you should turn off dxvk.
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  24. Doesn't it just pacstrap and generate documents? Tbh Arch's install was pretty automated already.
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  25. Or just use Make and host all your packages as binary git repos.
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  26.  @HectaSpyrit  I think that instead of making Linux the OS where "you have to build everything from source," we should have Linux be the OS which makes building from source fast and easy for everyone. That is what UNIX is all about, after all.
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  27. I feel like the last person who loves the exe file.
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  28. I would much prefer a package management system where you could install software just by pasting a folder.
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  29.  @skashax777x  Sorta. I was more thinking of GoboLinux or AppImages.
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  30. How to be a Metroid nerd: StartFunction + Exec exec cat ~/media/EnterSamus.wav
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  31. Every distro is tinker-friendly if you know what you're doing.
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  32. Or install Wine, get it to say it's Windows Vista with no SPs, and run most Internet usage through that.
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  33. KDE is a solid compromise. As is XFCE if you like GTK.
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  34. I think there should be a sixth category of distributions, since so many of these have sprung up in recent years and they don't really fit in any other category: crazy distros. Crazy distros are distros like Guix System, NixOS, GoboLinux, Qubes OS, and Damn Small Linux, which are often worked on by a dedicated team which is sometimes international and aren't usually forks of things (like the core distros), but are much lesser known and market themselves based on one key innovation that you don't see in any other distribution. This can be a different hierarchy, a new system utility, a complete redesign of the system paradigm around a certain philosophy, et cetera. Usually these distributions acquire a cult following who can help maintain and extend the operating system, and the distribution is almost never user-friendly, as they aim to fix one problem and they devote all their time to that. Some crazy distros can become meme distros which in turn become core distros, like Arch and NixOS, but usually these distros fade into obscurity aside from their forums, where they will be maintained probably forever, or at least until another distro adopts their technology.
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  35. Linux is a kernel built for Unix compatibility, Unix was a kernel and is now a computing philosophy, and Windows and MacOS are desktop shells. You could (but probably won't) run MacOS over Linux using Unix.
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  36.  @monkev1199  not quite. All Linux-based systems are members of the UNIX family, which is what most programs are written for. But some programs, like gnome-shell, specifically use the features of Linux, like some technical systems other UNIX kernels don't have. So it's really just that you're running a big kind of OS called UNIX, and everything else depends on what programs you have installed.
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  37. A lot of it is good as debugging tools and anti-telemetry.
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  38. Unless you absolutely need a GUI, there are two steps you don't need.
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  39. Well yuo do have to hack your computer to get anything done well in Linux, so to an extent…
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  40.  @brainmind4070  Open beta testers. I'd want to use this is I were testing integral Linux beta code, and anyone can do that. Arch works fine too.
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  41. Compiz can actually do this
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  42. You can do literally anything with FVWM by replacing values and keys. I wonder if a config gui is possible.
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  43. Each person only works on one or two files, and suggests edits/fixes for other people to work with the rest.
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  44. Arch is a fork of nothing.
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  45.  @tibfulv  Yup, there's a lot of OL compatibility options in the manuals. Don't know if they carry over to FVWM3 tho.
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  46. What I'd want would be a gtk+3-based FVWM configurator based on something like the FVWM Starter Kit config format, somewhat like the Sawfish config gui.
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  47. It is essentially Ubuntu with less bloat, so it's really the opposite of a user-friendly distro. However, their Debian-based edition is a user-friendly distro since it abstracts away many of Debian's more daunting aspects.
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  48. This is a video that needed to be made.
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  49. Do you have to put & after commands in autostart in Lua files? You have to do that in Openbox, and in the Terminal as well. Also, according to r/unixporn, Awesome can create some really cool floating environments as well.
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  50. Their own computers.
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  51. Sometimes, people need tutorials and analysis.
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  52.  @SmallSpoonBrigade  the problem is that Linux drivers only work on Linux, because they use a module system designed only for it.
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  53. Who needs batch files when you can just add to /bin and type the command? You'll still need .desktop files, but those are slightly better.
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  54. It basically simulates Wayland on X.org.
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  55. Specialty. Just like FreeNAS and AV Linux.
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  56. distrowatch.com You're welcome
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  57. Meson/Ninja?
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  58. Arch is a great distro both to use and to fork, since the AUR will always be current. But you could say the same thing about Fedora COPR and Ubuntu's PPAs. And once you have the solid base, you can make your distro do something unique without worrying about outdated repos.
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  59. Somehow.
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  60. Editing, recording, rendering, and compositing video is a textbook usage of a Unix workstation
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  61.  @dogtools1005  In their defense, most Linux users are set in their choice of internals, and only need to choose a good UI.
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  62. Switched to Linux is all three of them. Sort of.
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  63.  @GauteAnimationNorway  it converts directx calls to Vulcan calls. If your gpu doesn't support Vulcan, it is either making the CPU do it with Zink, converting to OpenGL (but I haven't seen any examples of this), or running it on a less-powerful secondary graphics system.
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  64. I wonder if you could compile proprietary driver binaries as Guix packages.
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  65. There are container formats which can share dependencies.
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  66. Practically all distros have Linux in the name
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  67. Which shell? I use Bash, but I'm open to Zsh, and I see the appeal of Csh and Fish if you like C or Lua.
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  68. The directory structure and the fact that it hasn't been updated in decades.
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  69. Does anyone use Bedrock as a daily driver? It's the one distro where repos are a nonissue.
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  70. Never Syu
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  71.  @DMSBrian24  BSD is monolithic
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  72. I checked the website, they do mention the suckless suite, and it does seem that they started by forking dwm, but they forked it so much it's less than 40% original code. Also, I love Nautilus, but I prefer Nemo.
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  73.  @source8093  It was and remains one of the first distros meant to be easy for everyday use.
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  74.  @DistroTube  I knew it was south of North Carolina, but I couldn't tell beyond that.
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  75. They could just provide the binary and a list of dependencies
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  76. @Bob Landers Well then just a few aliases and change all the themes, and suddenly, to everyone else, you're running harmless Ubuntu.
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  77. Or the "garage" is a network of dedicated users.
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  78. I started on Fedora, and installed a whole bunch of DEs just for fun. Say what you will about Ubuntu, it's expanding the user-base of Linux every day, and Dell now ships laptops with it preinstalled to cut down on the Windows surcharge if buyers want to save some money. The only reason I have been reluctant to try Ubuntu is that it has a reputation for being a bit heavy on the preinstalled software, and being comparatively slow. I think I know why people say Ubuntu's tools are slower, because I've recently tried out an Arch distro, and pacman is blazing fast.
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  79. Those can be seen as core by technicality, since core distros are usually unintuitive to use and can be very minimal.
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  80.  @kjullthedemon  no. It's essentially a modern version of BASIC for x86_64.
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  81. It's a very good minimalistic install of a basic systemd-based Linux system
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  82. This is why microkernels are a thing. I'd love for someone to take the code of Linux and reorganize it into a tiny version of itself. It could be called linux-micro or something.
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  83. I'm testing out Wayfire right now, but I like K as much as the next person. Shame about the Qt Company tho.
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  84.  @jlbeeen  I think both GTK and Qt support them in some way, shape, or form. Both KDE and Budgie have native desktop widgets, and Conky works too, but I don't know if Conky is interactive.
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  85. I'm used to Fedora, and I like the selection of DEs, but I am currently tinkering with Wayfire Linux, a Manjaro spin that comes with Wayfire set up already. Getting a better panel is hard, though, because Wayland.
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  86. Not having control groups can be annoying, but pure Unix does have its advantages.
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  87.  @unpaintedcanvas  What is this, Monty Python? Of course I've got a license to ask for licenses!
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  88.  @anasseddafir4215  Then are you using Guix…?
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  89. @Andrew I'm just saying Guix is NixOS sans systemd.
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  90. Alpine as well. But what does that make PMOS?
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  91. Pamac is more like Synaptic for Arch packages.
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  92. I like their emphasis on GTK. It means other teams have constant access to the latest frameworks which take advantage of new technology. Without GTK, we would have no Xfce.
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  93. Tiling is traditional. Floating is nontraditional. Before Windows and Next released in their iconic forms, tiling was the norm, and in fact was the interface of Windows pre-3.
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  94. ​ @terrydaktyllus1320 it's not about what the user would actually use. Every OS can have a terminal emulator. It's that BeOS doesn't have a text-mode shell running constantly in the background, and all text interfaces run on top of the graphical session.
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  95.  @random6033  or disable snapd and add another repository.
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  96. I most often use a menu I open with a keybinding. Or I use a run prompt. Or I use a hot corner. I like all of them.
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  97. It wouldn't have been Mac OS X in that case, because BeOS isn't anything close to Unix. They would have had to call it OS 10 instead.
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  98. I would use KDE, if only Qt were fully open-source.
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  99. Only recently did I discover why it's called Rawhide. I think it's because the distro's rollin' rollin' rollin'
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  100.  @SmallSpoonBrigade  BSD is missing drivers for a bunch of network, graphics, and sound devices. Even open-source drivers need to be forked a little to play nice with the BSD module system.
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  101. AUR has the git versions.
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  102. Making space. Unless you need something, chances are you can uninstall it.
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  103. All distros are basically the same. No reason you can't replace your package manager.
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  104. I always thought it was Gih-nome
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  105. Does anyone know if there exists a modern wm where you can put the titlebar anywhere you want and in any direction you want? I use FVWM currently for that, but it doesn't yet fully support modern trappings like headerbars, and as yet no one has added some sort of graphical settings editor. Compiz does a lot of what I'm looking for, but the decoration still has that infuriating title-on-top-only limitation.
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  106. TempleOS has an interface which is totally nonsensical for its UX paradigm. It needs a simpler shell design, more like BASIC than Bash.
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  107. I assume you like Void?
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  108. But the d stands for daemon, so calling something systeme doesn't make sense.
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  109.  @levyroth  There were the com-vs-msi-vs-exe problems, but appx pushed it over the edge.
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  110. What's wrong with knowing how to compile something?
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  111. I still think of it as a user-friendly distro. It abstracts away most of the CLI, creates a powerful default workflow, and is a fork of Debian.
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  112. I've used tags in their intended form once. I'm just not used to it.
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  113. User-unfriendly is having a shell that crashes
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  114. I think there are third-party repos for Guix if your computer is hostile.
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  115. @BoulderBro999 why? OpenBSD has an issue where installing kernel mods is way harder
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  116. Recompiling a Wayland compositor might be a bit difficult, considering the fact that it's also the display server.
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  117. Adwaita used to look good. Now it looks like every other icon set on gnome-look.
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  118. If they're making these syntax changes to go halfway, why not go the rest of the way and write a shell entirely using Lua syntax?
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  119. XNU/Mach have been in development for 25 years and still Hurd isn't ready.
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  120. As long as a dedicated team maintains it and there's a sufficient number of new members of the team, a distro can live forever.
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  121. I think a git-only distro would be really cool, but I can't really find a logical way to efficiently update.
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  122.  @genericgamer1319  I meant no package manager and no package format.
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  123.  @TarebossT  Well yeah, but it does help that it can come with, and autostart, a DE.
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  124. @Shill for Science I consider Manjaro to be just Arch but it installs a DE for you, that's it. I don't see it as a newcomers' distro, more of a midlevel one. You can tinker with it all you want, but it gives you a fallback with a GUI, and if you need to reinstall, you can do so quickly.
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  125. Does this work with bash programs?
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  126. That's when you start a foundation and court sponsorships in the open-source community. It worked with KDE.
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  127.  @terrydaktyllus1320  I like Fedora because it encourages terminal use but it gives you a full UI in the meantime. People still need to use their computer when they're working on it.
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  128.  @terrydaktyllus1320  I meant "use the computer for other things while you tinker with it"
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  129.  @terrydaktyllus1320  computers are expensive
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  130. Try Archlabs, Manjaro or ArcoLinux if you don't have enough time.
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  131.  @johnc3403  the manual really is that good, but I really wish certain lists would get updated more often.
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  132.  @johnc3403  I'm actually not that experienced, the manual still helps when I encounter basically any problem, and the [distro] forums can solve the rest. I usually use the Manjaro or Ubuntu forums.
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  133. My ideal would be a fork of GoboLinux, which I highly advise you check out, with a slightly different file hierarchy. You can uninstall packages by removing a folder, and install binaries by making symlinks.
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  134. The WINE layer creates overhead tho.
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  135. I thought a new category would suffice: the crazy distros. These are distros that focus on doing something unique, that you don't find anywhere else. For example, PostmarketOS, Qubes OS, GoboLinux, Guix System, and, yes, NixOS. They can turn into meme distros, as NixOS seems to be doing on r/unixporn, but usually they develop cult followings and the users maintain the OS.
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  136.  thegeorgezila  But it's so fuuunnnn…
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  137. Why does the installer look just like Manjaro's?
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  138. None of these backgrounds are mutually exclusive; I, for one, opt for FLOSS due to its technical advantages. No matter what you do, since the code is out there, you can change it to suit your needs. Combined with the Unix phlosophy of the modular operating system, there are no limits besides the speed of light and the amount of matter in the universe.
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  139.  @Athanel666  Well, yeah, that too. But if you know C and have the code, forking can be decently quick.
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  140. You can already use dpkg on RHEL.
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  141.  @Tailslol  Many older applications use .com files, and UWP apps use .appx. It gets really annoying, especially since it seems like MS only made UWP to prevent Wine from working.
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  142.  @ruelsmith  The git standard is decentralized. A binary git file could work very well for universal Linux package management for proprietary software, and FOSS is designed to work well with it.
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  143.  @Tailslol  The Brother printer installer does it.
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  144.  @Tailslol  Most of Win10's built-in utils are UWP.
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  145. GNUStep exists, but it's not fully compatible from MacOS, even if apps using it can run natively on Cocoa.
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  146. And you can rerice it graphically.
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  147. Especially if your program is 1000 lines long. If you want your base window manager in the form of a library, like with River to an extent, and with Compiz, you need docs.
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  148.  @abeplus7352  then make it a separate program and bundle the two. There's a reason there isn't one Adobe Creative application instead of five or six.
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  149. And yet no one's discussed GoboLinux yet.
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  150. Whenever I use Arch I just use the logical middle ground and go for Anarchy Linux, or the Zen Installer, or Architect.
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  151. @Watcher or maybe plain-text manuals would be a good idea?
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  152. @Watcher no I meant not having to use the man command and just having to open a file
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