Nora, Tech Aspect on Nostr: There is dysfunction. There is bad decision-making. I have been as fast as anyone to ...

There is dysfunction. There is bad decision-making. I have been as fast as anyone to criticize specific organizations for specific missteps, and to call for specific changes that I think would be beneficial. For instance, I think that Ubuntu's commitment to Snap packaging is a foolish decision that ultimately doesn't serve their users or customers, and I've written about that.

But the vast majority of the problems are because you, personally, whether you use Linux or BSD or Windows or Mac OS, are under attack. What you want is not opposed to what the corporations want; it is simply irrelevant. They do not care. Microsoft will scrape your screen all they want and we will suck it up. Apple will remove LGBTQ+-friendly apps for "adult content" and we will suck it up. Google will terminate developer accounts without reason and we will suck it up. Because we have no choice; because they are building a world where the "non-default option" is as hard as possible to build, to use, and to sustain.

The post ends by saying, "we need to be trying to make the better, harder thing more accessible, not blaming people for not using it." I agree with that. Scolding people for running Windows is cruel and unproductive. Mocking people for being harmed by harmful things that companies do is cruel and unproductive.

In equal measure, though, it's necessary to understand why things are the way they are. If you're truly okay with your digital life being controlled by Microsoft, and Google, and Apple, then by all means, sit on the sidelines and throw peanuts. Talk shit about how only nerds use that, how everyone who uses Linux is a privileged jerk with unlimited disposable income. (This sentiment erases the contributions of volunteers marginalized on any axis you choose to name, which are many and hard-won, by the way.) But understand that it's not those "nerds" making things worse for you.