> This seems to falsely assume that technical users are more aligned with whatever the status quo is, and non-technical users are the ones who are looking to change things. In reality, technical users become technical users because they want to make changes, and 'casual' users just use whatever app/OS/etc is given to them, as-is.
Neither of this is true. There are plenty non-technical users that will be suggesting changes, there are plenty of technical users where they don't want things to change.
> Having bad or no support for your software isn't some good way to keep it 'pure', it's just keeping it less useful/relevant.
You are conflating "bad or no support" with "gate-keeping". Gate-keeping is about keeping riff raff out, but allowing those that are interesting to a path to being involved.
With respect to Linux distros. Linux is like a "kit". Different people offer you different "kits" called distros. Some of these kits may be given to you pre-assembled (Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian), other will require partial assembly (Arch) and some will require full assembly (Gentoo/LFS).
Arch/Void/Gentoo flavours of Linux don't advertise itself a user friendly distro like Ubuntu/Mint/Fedora. *It is expected you read the documentation and understand the command line*.
Thus why people were suggesting they should use the CLI tool. If a user doesn't want this, they should use something else.
Having a "noob" version of installation instructions for something like Arch/Gentoo will have the effect of allowing someone to fumble about and maybe achieve getting something functional, but they won't actually understand what they are actually doing and this will cause them problems in the future as they won't understand how to fix issues when they arise.
> Linux is OSS: fork it if you don't like something new, but don't hurt the ecosystem.
It is extremely difficult for even for large companies to run their own fork of large open source projects. Sure you can fork a smaller piece of software and maintain your own version, but anything significant you are unlikely to be able to do that. So you are forced either to use the changes you may not like, or you use something different, or you are are like the anti-systemd crowd essentially running a protest distro.
Also all the big forks in the software ecosystem is when two important factions have disagreed fundamentally on the direction of the project. We are not talking about individual users or developers, we are talking about the top tier developers/maintainers. A part-time/bedroom coder is unlikely to have any significant effect, even if they did it is often lead to burnout of these developers.
> Deliberately hamstringing software or documentation so that others will stay away and not make changes is literally antithetical to OSS as a philosophy.
Ignoring the fact that you are misstating the issue. It isn't antithetical to the philosophy at all. People decide their own level of involvement in any group activity. If you aren't willing to "pay your dues", then it maybe better for you to not be involved.
You will BTW see this to varying extents in Churches, Cricket Clubs and even your place of employment.
e.g. If you go to Church you have to accept certain tenants about the faith or at least respect them while you are there. I've been invited to Churches in my local area, by very nice people that I would like to get to know, but I can't believe in Christ, so I don't go.
> non-technical users that will be suggesting changes
Suggesting is not making. Non-technical users will not be making changes.
> You are conflating "bad or no support" with "gate-keeping".
If the support is intentionally removed with the goal of keeping out people, then it's both. That was the premise accepted by both of the comments above mine, hence my comment working from that premise.
> Having a "noob" version of installation instructions for something like Arch/Gentoo will have the effect of allowing someone to fumble about and maybe achieve getting something functional, but they won't actually understand what they are actually doing and this will cause them problems in the future as they won't understand how to fix issues when they arise.
Everyone is a noob at some point, so getting rid of documentation is only a means to prevent someone from learning. There is no cost to anyone if someone installs Arch without being an expert in the CLI.
> It is extremely difficult for even for large companies to run their own fork of large open source projects.
Agreed. And if there aren't enough people who are willing to support a fork to manage one, there aren't enough people to justify preventing a change that keeps the current version as it is (which is what in this case, that fork would be).
I.e. if there aren't enough people who support the current version, to maintain an unchanged version as a fork, there aren't enough people who support the current version to justify not changing it in the first place.
> If you aren't willing to "pay your dues", then it maybe better for you to not be involved.
Where are you getting this from? The whole conversation was newcomers making changes. Code contributions (i.e. changes) are explicitly the "dues" that OSS devs 'pay'.
> If you go to Church you have to accept certain tenants about the faith or at least respect them while you are there.
If enough of the congregation feels it needs to change, it will (or it will die out). Modern versions of religions look nothing like they did hundreds of years ago, and not all the changes happened due to schisms/ forks. Everything changes, or it dies.
> There is no cost to anyone if someone installs Arch without being an expert in the CLI.
Actually there is. But the cost is in the future when we have fewer wizards ;)
(Just had to be a little snarky lol. I know you agree)
Part of being a "Senior" in any field is helping those below you. Just think back to all the people that helped us get to where we are today! Yeah, we put in a lot of work ourselves, but it would be insane to have such an ego as to believe we did it all alone. There is no self-made man. No one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Nor are there giants' shoulder's to stand upon. Those are just a bunch of normal people standing on one another's shoulders wrapped in a trench coat.
> If the support is intentionally removed with the goal of keeping out people, then it's both.
No it isn't. Stating it is doesn't make it so.
If I expect you to follow a particular procedure and not support another (which is deemed initially friendly) that is perfectly valid. If it keeps people out that wouldn't otherwise be able to follow it, that is a positive, not negative.
It can gatekeep and be authoritative.
> That was the premise accepted by both of the comments above mine, hence my comment working from that premise.
And the premise is incorrect. Thus my comment.
There are also other reasons. Like having two version of the documentation causes confusion in itself.
> Everyone is a noob at some point, so getting rid of documentation is only a means to prevent someone from learning.
Not if the "noob" documentation obscures knowledge by letting people skip important parts of understanding the process.
> There is no cost to anyone if someone installs Arch without being an expert in the CLI.
Yes there is. That person will quiz people in discord, forums, voice chats, reddit etc when they will invariably be presented with an issue that they cannot resolve. Similarly that why people distro-hop.
RTFM response actually trains people to solve their own problems and is the correct way, by first following the process and then only asking when the process doesn't work.
> Where are you getting this from? The whole conversation was newcomers making changes. Code contributions (i.e. changes) are explicitly the "dues" that OSS devs 'pay'.
I was talking about the benefits of gate-keeping in general. I never said anything about specific about code contributions.
BTW, these people will affect code contributions. Much of the Linux desktop is a clone of other systems (typically Windows) to appease users that expect that UI. This actually dominated the conversation for about 15 years in linux.
If we are talking about the newbies. They have to prove they can follow the documentation provided i.e. RTFM.
> If enough of the congregation feels it needs to change, it will (or it will die out). Modern versions of religions look nothing like they did hundreds of years ago, and not all the changes happened due to schisms/ forks. Everything changes, or it dies.
Every group is lead by a minority. The minority in every group, set the agenda, not the majority. That is fact of life, if you think otherwise you are mistaken. Even revolts are usually led by people who are part of disgruntled minority. Every one of those changes would have been made either by someone important in the Church or the state (as the state and the church was typically tied).
Every single one of those changes were made by elites or governments at the time. Not the majority of the congregation. BTW many of the Churches in England and Europe didn't change that much, that why loads of these people migrated in the first place to the US.
BTW many young converts are going to the Orthodox Church because they see it as the most "OG" version of the Church, because some people crave what they believe to be the authentic experience.
I don't think anything you said is explicitly wrong, but I think there is a lot more nuance and that's where the conversation is breaking down.
Such as "RTFM". You're right. People do need to learn to train themselves. That's the most important skill. But the major problem is that noobs are at the beginning. They don't know where to look. They don't know what questions to ask.
The struggle is important, but it can also be too much at times. A senior shouldn't do everything for the junior, but neither should they let them struggle too much. The trick is in the balance. Let them struggle, but pull them back if they stray too far.
If you don't reign them in, then most of them just go far off course. Most of them just get lost and never return. That's not a good situation for anyone. Most wizards come from them not getting too lost while going on this confusing journey. It's more that we just ended up in similar places. But a lot of luck was involved with that. We know the journey itself is important, but you can't tell me that there weren't times that you tripped and fell and they didn't do anything to help you get where you are now (other than learning resilience). We can make things better.
So don't tell a noob to RTFM, they don't even know what the manual is! Point them to the manual, point them to the right section. Say "hey, give this a shot. Let us know how it goes. If you're still stuck we'll probably need to know what <xyz> is". Your "xyz" should always be a hint as to what your guess to the solution is. Gets them thinking about a certain thing they might not have. This still puts everything on them, lets them struggle, but helps prevent them from getting lost. That's not "RTFM" that's "HTM" (Here's the manual)
Neither of this is true. There are plenty non-technical users that will be suggesting changes, there are plenty of technical users where they don't want things to change.
> Having bad or no support for your software isn't some good way to keep it 'pure', it's just keeping it less useful/relevant.
You are conflating "bad or no support" with "gate-keeping". Gate-keeping is about keeping riff raff out, but allowing those that are interesting to a path to being involved.
With respect to Linux distros. Linux is like a "kit". Different people offer you different "kits" called distros. Some of these kits may be given to you pre-assembled (Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian), other will require partial assembly (Arch) and some will require full assembly (Gentoo/LFS).
Arch/Void/Gentoo flavours of Linux don't advertise itself a user friendly distro like Ubuntu/Mint/Fedora. *It is expected you read the documentation and understand the command line*.
Thus why people were suggesting they should use the CLI tool. If a user doesn't want this, they should use something else.
Having a "noob" version of installation instructions for something like Arch/Gentoo will have the effect of allowing someone to fumble about and maybe achieve getting something functional, but they won't actually understand what they are actually doing and this will cause them problems in the future as they won't understand how to fix issues when they arise.
> Linux is OSS: fork it if you don't like something new, but don't hurt the ecosystem.
It is extremely difficult for even for large companies to run their own fork of large open source projects. Sure you can fork a smaller piece of software and maintain your own version, but anything significant you are unlikely to be able to do that. So you are forced either to use the changes you may not like, or you use something different, or you are are like the anti-systemd crowd essentially running a protest distro.
Also all the big forks in the software ecosystem is when two important factions have disagreed fundamentally on the direction of the project. We are not talking about individual users or developers, we are talking about the top tier developers/maintainers. A part-time/bedroom coder is unlikely to have any significant effect, even if they did it is often lead to burnout of these developers.
> Deliberately hamstringing software or documentation so that others will stay away and not make changes is literally antithetical to OSS as a philosophy.
Ignoring the fact that you are misstating the issue. It isn't antithetical to the philosophy at all. People decide their own level of involvement in any group activity. If you aren't willing to "pay your dues", then it maybe better for you to not be involved.
You will BTW see this to varying extents in Churches, Cricket Clubs and even your place of employment.
e.g. If you go to Church you have to accept certain tenants about the faith or at least respect them while you are there. I've been invited to Churches in my local area, by very nice people that I would like to get to know, but I can't believe in Christ, so I don't go.