this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

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Today at the grocery store a sweet older lady approached me and asked if I knew anything about computers. I said yes I do, and she produced a mouse saying that her son set up Linux mint for her and she was wondering if the mouse was compatible. It needed kernel version 2.6 or newer so I said that the mouse should work, guessing mint itself was probably newer than that kernel. Happy with my answer, we chatted a little, then she thanked me and left.

It was a nice experience, so I thought I should share!

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That old lady's name? Albert Einstein.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

i worked in sales long enough to know that No, No sweet older lady ever spoke those words to you "setup on linux mint" and include the capacity for understanding hardware compliances? did everyone in the store clap too? but...it would be a nice fantasy ngl

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

With what I've been through, I'm beginning to wonder if OP is telling the truth 😂

About 7 years ago I got a call from some random lady in her 70s. Turns out her husband passed away not long ago and every computer in the house had Linux Mint installed. She needed someone to help her with some various simple techy things that her husband used to handle.

I couldn't help but wonder how this random lady got my phone number. Turns out that one day, my Grandfather went on a walk down the road and this lady was outside tending to her garden. I have no clue how the conversation shifted to the topic of Linux, but it did. And my Grandpa knew I was in college for Computer Science, so he just volunteered me for this task.

Fast forward to today and I still help her out once or twice a year with whatever random questions pop up.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

This makes more sense than OP's story. If you're lieing its a good one, otherwise i can believe it

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Why do you lie like this?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I'll take "Stories That Didn't Happen" for 500, Alex.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Today at the grocery store a sweet older lady approached me and asked if I knew anything about computers.

Next on things that totally happened today...

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is this satire? Forgive me, but 99.999% of the population has no idea what a kernel is. Also, since when would a mouse care about your kernel version? Puzzling post.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm imagining, it said on the packaging of the mouse that it needed that kernel version.

In Linux, the kernel delivers most drivers, so it may not yet have had the appropriate mouse driver in kernel versions before that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Maybe this is possible, but typically you're lucky to even find Linux support mentioned at all.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 10 months ago (3 children)

That was really nice but I think the lady was lucky that she met you. Can you imagine if she had met Linux Torvalds himself? He would have told her off for not knowing that the 2.6 kernel was many years old, the whole Linux world had moved on with strides beyond this old piece of software and reached 6.5 and there was no reason wasting everyone's time with this kind of question. Plus: "we never, ever break the user experience and hence the mouse should work without questions!"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Doesn't need Linus for that, the average Arch user should be enough

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That doesn't sound like Torvalds at all. The guy doesn't suffer fools, but he doesn't just pop off at people randomly. All accounts are that he's a pretty chill dude.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

That really does not sound like Linus to me. The guy can be quite blunt and will gladly reach for swear words in his e-mails. But he can just as well be accommodating. I imagine, he'd be delighted that an old lady is running his software.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago

I work in IT and my hate for baby boomers is real but after reading this I am less hateful. Thanks

[–] [email protected] -1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Assuming this story is true, Linux is going to be a nightmare for that woman. It’s come a long way, but it’s still not as dead simple as it needs to be for non-technical elderly people.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

tbh: she probably clicks on the thing that says "INTERNET" and thats it. I've been setting up a few computers in my family for people 50+ and they mostly don't even know the name of the program they use and mix it all up. I then just install a program and prefix the shortcut with the service. Like "MAIL Outlook", "INTERNET Firefox" so they know where to go.