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JackbyDev

@ JackbyDev @programming.dev

Posts
18
Comments
2416
Joined
3 yr. ago

Any pronouns. 33.

Professional developer and amateur gardener located near Atlanta, GA in the USA.

I'm using a new phone keyboard, please forgive typos.

  • Elon Musk’s X blocks links to Signal, the encrypted messaging service

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  • Free speech!

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • Nobody here was arguing that they don't.

    The entire reason I even began commenting on this thread is because someone said this.

    teens are not geeking around with computers, they are watching reels and scrolling recommendations and doing other bullshit

    My entire argument the whole time has been that back in the day, plenty of kids weren't doing computing related things. Plenty were doing "other bullshit" back then. My point has been the same the entire time. Just because computing as a hobby has a lower barrier to entry doesn't mean that there are less people overall interested in learning more. You just keep repeating back to me that proportionally less people who use computers today really know them deeply. I've never said anything otherwise. I jist see no reason to believe that as a whole there are less people who want to know them on a deeper level.

    You point out things like files being a difficult concept for younger people today because it's been abstracted away. My response to that would be merely knowing what a file is was never what we've been talking about. Of millennials, what percentage knows about files and how to save them? 99% or so? Just a guess, it doesn't really matter the exact number. Do you believe 99% of millennials are tech geniuses on the way to becoming "FOSS graybeards"? No! Of course not! Basic computer usage has always been a different skill set than what I've been talking about.

    Unless you have some sort of data about the amount of young people going into things like computer science is substantially lower today than it was in the '80s then I see no reason to believe otherwise. We live in a golden age of cheap electronics and easily accessible information. The barrier to entry for curious people wanting to learn more about computers than having them act as basic machines that can make documents, edit pictures, and play games is arguably lower than ever.

    The days of old required everyone to learn more to be able to use computers, but I don't believe this translated to more experienced people then than today overall, especially not more people willing to contribute back to the community back then than today.

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • I get that, I'm not saying differently, I'm just saying that it's not like the only reason people were learning lower level things was only to play games. Some people were just curious about it. Plenty of people are still learning those things because they're curious. The barrier to entry being lower doesn't mean there are less people who are curious about learning! If anything, it means that people who are curious but thought the barrier to entry was higher in the past have an easier time getting into the hobby now.

    Do you think that the Arduino project has been a net negative for people curious about learning low level microcontroller stuff? It was created out of frustration by people learning it wanting it to be easier to begin to learn. https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-making-of-arduino

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • But plenty of people still do learn the deeper stuff. Just because you can write a game without code doesn't mean everyone who makes games is doing it without code. Arguing otherwise just feels like bemoaning some sort of lost golden days when that's not the case. It's because everyone who used to be into these hobbies knew the ins and outs. Now more people are into it so proportionally less know the ins and outs, but I see no reason to believe the absolute number of people who really want to learn the deeper stuff has gone down.

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • I totally agree, but nobody is saying everyone that uses a computer is a tech wiz. I'm saying there are still plenty of people today interested in digging in deeper just like there were back then. Tech being more accessible today hasn't led to a decrease in such things, because the people the ease brought in wouldn't have dug in in the past.

  • The Tesseract Lemmy app shows a news source ranking from MBFC

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  • Not everyone sees everything. It feels like gate keeping to assume everyone has to have seen everything based on their join date.

  • The Tesseract Lemmy app shows a news source ranking from MBFC

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  • Ew.

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • I think you're missing my point. I'm not saying everyone capable of using a computer today is equivalent to that level of dedication and curiosity. I'm just saying that in the same way only a handful of people do that today only a handful of people pursued it in the past. It's become easier to use computers, but hat doesn't mean there still aren't people who learn the ins and outs of them today like people had to do in the past to use them.

  • Be the change you want to see in Lemmy

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  • You can actively want to do something but be bombarded with minute ultimately irrelevant details and still get frustrated.

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • I'm really confused by your reasoning here. You're describing how it was extremely difficult to you and you had to go to great lengths to learn technology. Not everyone did this back then not does everyone do it now.

  • Do you know of a DRM-free music app with an algorithm?

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  • Sorting algorithms, categorization algorithms, compression algorithms, etc.

  • Why are there so many graybeards in FOSS?

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  • and they from teens geeking around with computers, and oops - teens are not geeking around with computers, they are watching reels and scrolling recommendations and doing other bullshit.

    "Youth bad." Lazy take. As if everyone in the gray beard generation was tinkering around with computers? Plenty of youths still tinker. Posting condescending shit like this is just going to turn them off from pursuing/contributing.

  • Do you know of a DRM-free music app with an algorithm?

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  • Instead of "with an algorithm" say "with a recommendation algorithm". Algorithm is a very generic term that can mean anything.

  • Be the change you want to see in Lemmy

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  • It's not that it's "too hard", it's that even a tiny set back for something that someone is already hesitant to do can be enough to make them not do it. It's just easier to call that "hard" or "confusing" than say "even a tiny set back for something that someone is already hesitant to do can be enough to make them not do it."

  • Mastodon is working to add the controversial 'quote posts' feature | TechCrunch

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  • You have to think of it from a micro blogging perspective. Imagine I have a ton of followers and have created a culture of them attacking anyone I attack. It makes more sense how it is bullying in that context.

    Edit: Also, to be clear, I'm not arguing against this feature, just explaining how it can be used for bullying.

  • You come across the Death Note today. What do you do with it?

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  • This is a smooth brain take. We are not omniscient. Admitting we cannot know the consequences of our actions and refusing to kill people extra judicially is not murder or evil.

  • You come across the Death Note today. What do you do with it?

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  • Didn't this exact question get asked somewhat recently? I'd hang out with a cool ghost.

  • THE EARTH IS SPHERICAL, DIPSHITS

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  • You may find this video interesting. It talks about how "big tent" conspiracy theories like flat earth and qanon are related. https://youtu.be/JTfhYyTuT44 TO BE CLEAR: the video is not in support of the theories! I'm reading the first sentence of this comment back in my head and it feels like it could go either way.

  • Men Face $1,000 Fine if They 'Discharge Semen' Under New Bill

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  • Woe's Hollow