TL;DR: I wonder why we always have the same 2 posts as top posts of the day. They appear a bit unnecessary and mildly annoying to me.
Do you think the same? Or do you like them, and can explain me why, so I can change my view?
Please don’t just blindly downvote, writing this post took a lot of time. And if you feel the need to do it anyway, tell me why first.


Maybe I am the only person who thinks that.
I probably am, at least according to numbers.

Basically, I’ve got the feeling that every top post of the day for the last weeks is something like “I’ve freed myself from evil Windows’ shackles and finally switched to Linux.”, or “What distro do you recommend?”.

Don’t get me wrong.
I feel super happy for every newcomer discovering the wonderful world of Linux and FOSS.
I, just like most others here, always try to help them in finding their right distro and guiding them in their first steps.
We all have been there.
And I’m super proud of us all, as a community, that we happily embrace every new member. We definitely have to keep that behaviour, it’s what connects us and makes us strong.

I just think we should redirect them a bit onto the specific communities.
Not by banning or censoring, just as friendly reminder, e.g. by a sticky post, comments like “Hey, check out !linux4noobs@lemmy.world” or something else.

It doesn’t help much if there are the same threads every day, with people circlejerking on hating Windows and recommending Mint a hundred times, just like 100 people before did on the same thread.

I hate Windows too, but it feels like we’re identifying and comparing ourselves with the bitter ex-partner we had a while ago. No, not being Windows shouldn’t be the main reason Linux is great.
There are so many great posts and discussions, that are all going missing in this swamp of “Winblows bad, hehe”.
We should focus on what makes our software great, and not what the “bad ex-partner” did wrong.

Same with newcomer posts.
I think if the posters get redirected to the correct sub, they will receive more help, since the people partaking in the community are there because they wanna see exactly that.


At the same time, I’m afraid this would undermine our openness and friendliness of this community, and result in being as shitty as Reddits’ sub.

!Just as an anecdote, when I was a noob, I posted a question there, and, like 5 minutes later, I got a dozen of non-constructive, offensive comments. 10 minutes later, my post got removed. This was my first contact to the Linux world btw. Guess who switched back to Windows for another half year because of that?
We have to prevent this at any costs.
Anyway… !<


I really enjoy this community here and wanna keep it this great.
I just wanted to ask you, what you think about those everyday-top-posts.
If you like them, please try to change my mind and explain me why :)


Edit/ Additional stuff/ Learnings:

  • I don’t hate those “I switched to Linux”-posts, just to clarify. They’re fine for me, they just feel like white noise. But I’ve read many times in this thread that a lot of people enjoy those posts. If that’s the case, I’m totally fine! :)
  • I think putting those posts in a weekly sticky thread could be worth an idea? Then everyone could describe their experience of this week of switching from one distro to another, e.g. “My first week of Gentoo” or something like this. Would be an interesting read for everyone.
  • I also believe those “Fuck Windows”-posts can be kind of therapeutic for some people, since Windows became really shitty and annoying in the last years. And when you feel the relieve from finally getting rid of it, you tell that everyone. Understandable.
  • Splitting the community isn’t the best idea too. We can always learn from each other and I like the diversity of this community.
  • Thank you for your kind and constructive answers! ✌️
  • Crashumbc@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I find them mildly annoying, but generally tune them out.

    The offensive responses, are much worse. Linux users can VERY much be a “boys club” and treat newcomers as lower life forms.

  • XTL@sopuli.xyz
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    8 months ago

    I don’t remember seeing a single one, so they’re probably not annoying me.

    Exaggerated complaint posts about non problems there are way to many, though.

  • Aelis@beehaw.org
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    8 months ago

    I really don’t get why anyone would be annoyed about this specifically when recurring topics and posts are just pretty common… about litterally anything. I find it even more weird since it’s about people ditching windows (I mean how many topics and posts hating on windows, praising Linux, suggesting Linux, and whatever else…just lots and lots, and somehow people are fine with that, so why would it be any different here ?)

    Beside, people just want to share things, regardless if others did exactly the same an hour or a decade ago. Why care when it’s just so easy to move on to something you’d be more interested in ?

    One thing I do find tiresome more than anything within the Linux community though is talks about noobs like they are some cringe childs being boring and acting childishly…everyone have been noobs seriously, even you mentioned toxicity and the lack of openness/friendliness towards noobs if we ostracized them…yet you are suggesting it anyway. I get noobs aren’t always fun but come on ! And about newcommer posts…noobs will seek help wherever they can seek it, having another place to help them is not going to change that, so we might just as well help them and redirect them to helping sites anyway.

    • Guenther_Amanita@feddit.deOP
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      8 months ago

      I think you misunderstood my post.
      I don’t have anything against newcomers - quite the opposite. I try help them a lot and support them as much as I possibly can, since I got the same help a few years ago.

      The only thing I criticize is the lack of organisation. There’s a huge flood of those two types of posts, and other content just drowns in them.

  • ParetoOptimalDev@lemmy.today
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    8 months ago

    I feel like limiting or discouraging them would really hurt adoption.

    Many times people share their use cases.

    If someone with similar use cases finds out “wait, it us possible for me yo use Linux?” they could become tomorrow’s post.

  • Fizz@lemmy.nz
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    8 months ago

    For me I’d rather people post something over nothing even if it’s the same post to us it’s clearly something the poster felt was important to them.

    • Guenther_Amanita@feddit.deOP
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      8 months ago

      I think explaining why you think so would be better than just saying “No” and not elaborating further.

      Could you maybe please tell me your stance on that in more detail, in case nobody else already explained it better?

        • Guenther_Amanita@feddit.deOP
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          8 months ago

          It’s a valid point for sure.
          But I also think “complaining” is a great thing everybody should make use of if one feels like something is going the wrong way.

          A community is made out of many people, and everybody should have a right to decide the direction.
          Often, from those “complaints”, are coming good and innovative ideas and betterments.

          If no one makes constructive criticism, nothing will get better.

          • Skyhighatrist@lemmy.ca
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            8 months ago

            But the constant criticism of these new users posting in this community makes for a pretty unwelcoming community. If we want Linux’s market share to grow and become more relevant to the average user, and we really should, then we need to be a welcoming community that encourages new users. Not a community that is hostile to new users. The good news is that it seems the majority of users here aren’t complaining. But the complaint posts have been increasing it seems, and I’d personally like to see that stop.

            Instead of complaining, if you don’t like a post downvote and move on.

  • Chris L@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I don’t mind them. If this type of social media had existed when I first installed Linux 24 years ago, I would have probably done the same thing.

  • BlanK0@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I like seeing the posts of people finding comfort with their new linux installs even tho they might appear a couple of times.

    Linux is still considered a niche so the most likelihood of the newer folk appearing is higher then the more experienced ones. Also I wasn’t always experienced and if it wasn’t for newbie friendly content I wouldn’t be here helping other people as well.

    After all, information doesn’t spawn out of thin air, it requires someone to carry and distribute it so that other people become also educated in those ways.

    Which is way I find weird finding some people say “people are dumb they should do x, y or z cause its better” but then they don’t provide any information and expect others to also know what they already know/have learned recently.

    In conclusion, sharing is caring and I don’t mind people sharing their experiences which also helps others on the same situation.

  • 0xCAFe@feddit.de
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    8 months ago

    Personally, I’m not interested in the type of posts you mention. However, I don’t mind it. In general I think it’s great to tell the world if you ditch Windows for Linux, because it shows other (Windows) users that they can do it, too.

    Though I have to agree that for a dedicated Linux community, it doesn’t add too much value. If I think a post is a bad fit for the community, I vote it down.

  • pixelscript@lemmy.ml
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    8 months ago

    I don’t really mind either way whether these posts are allowed to remain or should be culled.

    If you keep them around, they will just keep shitting up the feed. The overall browsing quality of the community goes down, hindering the user experience. I don’t think it’s uncontroversial to say these posts have next to no value; they’re essentially equivalent to birthday notifications or “I voted” stickers. Like… congrats! You and everyone else! Now what? Where’s the discussion here?

    On the other hand, I do want to think thrice about controlling this with moderation. All too often on Reddit I’ve see the trope of a sub that appears to be crawling, and you get the idea to join in with an enthusiastic post, only to get removedsmacked by automod because you posted this on the wrong day of the week, or this post type is outright banned because the community is sick of seeing it. It’s sensible, yes. But ugh, what a demoralizing filter for newcomers. Overly curated subs/communities are not public forums, they are increasingly impenetrable cliques. That may not necessarily be a bad thing if we think the tradeoff is worth it. But we have to keep in mind what we become when we make that trade.

    The one thing I will say willl absolutely not help anything at all is making a designated containment community for this specific kind of post. The whole complaint here is rooted in there being no discussion value for these types of posts. You think a community comprised entirely of those would be a community anyone would want to post in? It’d largely be the Lemmy equivalent of a donotreply@ email address. A dumping ground where unwanted posts go to die. And I don’t know about anyone else, but somehow I find being directed to a designated dead-end forum by mods is an even bigger slap to the face than simply having my post removed.

  • Not at all. You seem to think there’s a more appropriate forum for people to join the Linux community, and introduces. Where is that? And how do new Linux users find it? Knowing nothing about Linux distros, where should they ask about distros? Distrowatch catalogs 274 distributions - how do newbies navigate those?

    I do think having a “which distro” stickie or sidebar would be handy, but I don’t at all mind the “I ditched Windows” posts. It beats random venting, ranting, and flame wars.

  • Stillhart@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    No I don’t mind them. I am a linux noob myself and these kinds of posts are what helped me decide to switch.

    While we’re complaining, you know what I don’t like? Completely incomprehensible posts about some super specific subsystem. “fdplq updated to 0.5.pi.007.69!” Wow, that will change my life the next time I boot up my computer to read some Lemmy and play a game for an hour or two.

    But they are all part of the linux community. I’m not gonna say the way I use linux is any better or worse than anyone else.

    And fortunately, nobody is forcing us to click on those posts we don’t care about.

  • kyoji@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I really like them, along with all the other repetitive types of posts people make. For people who have been using Linux awhile, or have been a part of this community (or any Linux community really) they get a bit old, sure, but each new post is an opportunity for other new Linux users to learn and contribute.

    I think sequestering discussion like this into nicely planned neat boxes like sticky threads or weekly discussions is harmful in the long term. While it may keep the posts in this community “clean” I believe it will reduce interest and turn away fresh blood.

    I think those of us who have been using Linux awhile should embrace these posts and view them as opportunities to mentor, and as opportunities to continue to stoke the fires of interest in Linux.

  • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Responding with a meta level tangent comment, but I can’t help feeling that when I read these type of comments that it’s just Microsoft astroturfing, trying to shape the narrative away from migration to Linux.

    Especially when you see those “I still can’t get my favorite single game that uses anti-cheat tech or strange peripheral to work with Linux, so Linux sucks for all gaming” posts.

    Just kind of seems like there’s this stealthy narrative warfare going on.

    • Guenther_Amanita@feddit.deOP
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      8 months ago

      Dang it, you got me!

      Just kidding 🙃
      I get why you think about that. I sometimes enjoy thinking about “conspiracies” like those too.
      Especially with the rise of LLMs and bots, it doesn’t sound unrealistic tbh.

      On the other hand, I don’t believe MS does care about us at all, or at least that much.
      Years ago, yes. But they’re really good at their “Embrace, extend and extinguish” practice. They “love” Linux now, don’t forget that. Home users leaving Windows isn’t that big of a problem for them, as long as we continue using their services, like Edge, Outlook and Teams.
      The MS ecosystem also dominates the business world and won’t get replaced anytime soon, and this field is where the paying customers are.


      About the fake-accounts: if I’m not certain if I am reading a troll post, checking the profile helps.
      For example, I’m a mod of some communities, have a very long and extensive post- and comment history, and behave like a human would (which basically means I’m very dumb sometimes 🌝).
      So, the chances of me being a troll from Microsoft is there, but slim.

      I have to admit: I was the same as the example from you in my beginning times.
      Here’s my story if you wanna read it:

      !I have never worked with IT things 3 years ago when I started, it was all new for me. I didn’t even find the download-button on GitHub.
      But, dumb ass me, tried to install Arch (iirc) on a fucking Microsoft Surface tablet. Of course that didn’t work.
      Then Manjaro, Fedora, Mint, ElementaryOS, and 10 other distros. I spent about 3 weekends burning USB sticks and installing distros.
      Just because it didn’t work ootb. Of course it didn’t because I needed the surface-linux-kernel.
      I can’t (couldn’t) deal with frustration (at that time) and posted a “I’ll go back to Windows” on Reddit because I was so fed up.
      I’m still incredibly thankful for that one person that therapeutically asked me many questions on why and guided me step by step.
      “Now, type in git clone xx && chmod xx. What’s the result?”, “Oh, you forgot sudo, try it again”, etc… !<

      !He talked to me like a he would explain it to a 5 year old, but that was what I needed.
      Somehow we got it working together after a few hours of troubleshooting, even though my frustrated dumbass failed in basically every task, including breathing.
      I still can’t explain how he got the patience for that. !<

      !I cried out of happiness and used the device for 2 more years because of that.
      It was probably this one person that helped me stay on Linux, and I’ll never forget that.!<

      I want to be the same as this mentor, and I think just offering frustrated noobs a helping hand and open ear will help a lot.
      Being unconventionally/ unfittingly friendly can open many doors! They often need some type of vent, and if it helps them feeling better, great! Post like those usually don’t get much attention anyway, so I think the risk of them turning someone else off Linux is not that high.

      • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I get why you think about that. I sometimes enjoy thinking about “conspiracies” like those too.

        Truthfully, your response was WAY too weirdly (no disrespect meant) verbose to reply to (apologies), but I did want to reply to this one point, that I’ve quoted above.

        I truly don’t think it’s a ““conspiracy””, I think that really happens today.

        I think there is a stealthy warfare of the management of the narrative that goes on between corporations and regular people/customers, especially when it comes to protecting their businesses, their profits, and their products. Astroturfing, etc.

        I don’t believe it’s ‘tinfoil hat time’ (my phrasing, not yours) to express such a thing. I think its just acknowledging that such a thing truly exists, because any corporation would be foolish not to take advantage of the tools available to them to maximize their success/profits (unfortunately, even if it trashes the country).