this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2026
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I think the main problem lies in the community.
Not everyone, but a few vocal rotten apples are hostile to new users who either:
Don't already know the answer to their own question
Are not using their distro
Didn't immediately read the wiki entry for their exact problem
This kind of gatekeeping is why some people are put off of Linux and the community as a whole. Just because someone asks a question you think is obvious, doesn't mean it's obvious to them.
For number 3, it is only gatekeeping if the person asking for help can't read.
Oh hi it's me. Archwiki and tldr are great, but man pages explain things adequately about 20% of the time.
Many of the Ms we're supposed to R aren't very well written, and we need to be open to explaining how things work in different ways if qe want others to take up with the things we like.
i'd go as far as saying tfm exists for a reason
And Google sucks more and more every day...
There's a good way to point people to existing documentation without being a jackass.
If someone doesn't find the wiki article that answers their question because they didn't know how to ask it with the right keywords, just point them to the wiki article and add any missing context to help the next person out.
A rude "rtfm" response with closing the ticket isn't helpful.