yeah idk about that first part

when you install a DE as part of system setup it’s usually preconfigured by the distro maintainers. otherwise you need to do that configuration yourself, which is more difficult.

cringe

of course but it doesn’t help the “this isn’t that hard” case.

yeah but that’s a step removed. if i’m helping someone set up a machine i will usually make the media beforehand, but they need to be present to set up their name and password.

idk if you’ve ever tried to guide people unfamiliar with computers through troubleshooting over the phone, but my experience is that the more explanations are given the more they despair, and the more choices are given the more confused they get.

reading the manual is sort of compulsory if you want to do stuff like changing DEs, and for most people (read: the 99% that don’t know what “operating system” means) the mere existence of a choice is enough to cause paralysis.

i really do like the new wave of “opinionated” distros like kalpa, cachy and aeon where the system takes care of most issues rather than the user having to deal with them. shows maturity. but this selector screen sort of runs contrary to that. either be opinionated or be fully free, imo.

i think that’s calamares, so any distro that uses it can technically do this. the reason most don’t is that you can just add more DE’s after install. i know endeavourOS and openSUSE do this, and i think fedora has something like this too?

but the main reason is to keep install size to a minimum. if you want your system to be installable without an internet connection you can’t just ship every DE known to man.

a eu petition usually also offers a tenable solution, if not necessarily a fully fleshed-out one. in this case the solution is obvious: domestic production of components for domestic use. we’re already working towards this as part of the CRA, so if the petition presents the obvious solution the response will be to do nothing.

daniels blog posts on the issue from last year are a good look into this. they keep getting reports of serious issues that, when prodded, point out code that’s not even in the project. but there are some actual hits in there that they do fix. these all seem to come from large teams of pros that check the ai output beforehand, so they have no need for the bounties.

as long as it’s actually an in-person evaluation rather than an online form.

the annoying thing is that they are still market leaders in their field. it’s a big company.

yeah i’ve been on the other end too. but being forced to take a standardised test should feel humiliating to anyone over thirty.

the most frustrating thing was when they told me they made all their applicants go through the process, from janitors to sales to engineering to c-levels. apparently it made the company “statistically egalitarian”.

i would have done the same. i went through the interview process for an engineering position a few years ago where they required an iq, reading comprehension, and basic arithmetic test. i felt so insulted by their apparent lack of trust in their applicants that i went off in the feedback field, whereupon they cold-called me to ask why i was so frustrated despite apparently being in the 95th percentile of all applicants. not something you want to tell someone applying to an engineering firm…

it’s mostly the interface, the layout, the clickbaityness the format encourages, and the fact that no useful information can fit in that short a video.

well now i’ve turned it into a game of how many times i can be nice to you before someone disengages :)

i hope your 2026 is even better than your 2025 and that you achieve your personal goals.

i hope you work out your problems, and i wish the best for you and your friends.

are you okay? you seem stuck in a loop.

…are you ai?

…i’m not using ai.