I’m truly sorry that’s the takeaway you got from all this. My (attempted) point was along the lines of “Linux is still the wild west.” If you’re looking for appreciation from random people on the internet, you might be in the wrong place.

Most of my life is chosen for me so I want the decisions I have control over to be meaningful to me.

I get it, probably more than most (my handle isn’t random). But from that very perspective, IMO you have to be able to withstand a few assholes and pick your battles. An asshole in a forum that isn’t even replying to me specifically doesn’t exceed that threshold.

Yes, I’m an arch user. But that’s not the point. Even using something like mint, you still have to pay attention. Someone who’s not willing to do that needs a curated operating system. Simple as that.

I also like to watch locally hosted videos from time to time. I also had the problem with VLC. 10 minutes later I had my answer, the problem was fixed, and I went on with my day. I didn’t need to whine about the attitude of someone providing free tech support to someone else, and I didn’t whine about a simple package adjustment.

I’ll say it again. Linux isn’t for everybody. Not yet. It still takes a little bit of grit.

So to be clear, you are willing to upend your entire system and potentially your workflow because a single package update was mishandled and because somebody was a little too direct on a forum?

Have you considered Mac OS? Yes, I’m being snarky, but the Linux world isn’t fully user friendly. If you’re unwilling to roll with the punches, it may not actually be for you.

EDIT: I guess tough love from somebody who ran slackware from a stack of physical representations of save buttons is unwelcome. Noted.

The solution here is even easier than the division they’ve already been sowing upon the American people.

You don’t send them home. You send them to the place that is the most culturally disparate from the way they grew up possible. You’re a New England liberal? Great. We’ll post you in the center of conservative Texas. Red Cap from a family of Diehard conservatives? You go to Oregon. New York inner city youth? You get special duty, guarding critical corporate infrastructure.

Keep them divided, keep them guessing. All it takes for control of a human being.

The world’s a tough place, Karen. If you want to redefine what a shower thought is, you’re free to create your own community. I see nothing in this post that contravenes “thoughts that pop into your head while you’re doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming”, and while I see you screeching that rule 2 is broken, consider that the title is, in fact, a complete thought. The text can be seen as followup or self-examination - do you need an explanation of what that is?

You might have a better experience on Reddit.