Apparently my love language is installing @linux on the laptops of people I really care about.

    • NateSwift@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      31
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 months ago

      It really depends on who is being helped and the motive for you “helping” them. I’ve had both really good and pretty bad experiences helping and trying to help people with various computer things. As with providing any kind of support, it’s important to get out of your own head and understand what the person your helping wants and needs

      • Vilian@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        22
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        9 months ago

        also don’t help to gain approval, help who already cares about you

      • TCB13@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        9 months ago

        As with providing any kind of support, it’s important to get out of your own head and understand what the person your helping wants and needs

        Yes because someone that uses MS Word 6-8 hours a day certainly doesn’t want to use Linux and have compatibility issues while sharing documents with others who do the same.

        • NateSwift@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          9 months ago

          Both of my parents heavily use O365 and I have to fight the urge to suggest linux every time they complain about automatic updates or weird microsoft integrations.

          Part of me really wants to try Fedora or Mint for them instead of the incoming windows 11 update, but it’s such a bad fit

          • d3Xt3r@lemmy.nzM
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            9 months ago

            If they don’t use advanced features like macros, they could just use the Web versions of the M365 apps - they work just fine under Linux.

    • TCB13@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I used to think that helping my other dumb grad mates with installing Linux made me look cool and I would be accepted. On the contrary, I looked like an idiot, now that I think of it. i became that weirdo support tech kid for the idiot professors, who could not tell the difference between Java and Javascript.

      I guess the worst part is that people will eventually take advantage of you… and demand for more and more hours of your free support, hold whatever you installed against you like “after you did X… Y stopped working” etc. At the end of the day if you’re proving free support it must be easy, quick why wouldn’t they ask for more.

      In their heads your efforts / help doesn’t provide any value and if by any chance one day they are in a situation where you could bill them or someone for tech support they would rather call any other random tech support guy or company instead of calling you - after all they’re looking for a “professional” now :)