1y ago

Do you think that people who don't use Linux think that people that use it are hackers?

I've been using Linux for the past 5 years, and recently I change from DE to WM (i3) which change it my whole workflow. Now I use a lot more the command line to do even simple things.

Recently I note that some relatives called me 'hacker' and I find that kinda funny, may be because I'm so accustomed to the terminal and to i3 that I don't notice that "it looks like a hacker thing".

21 comments

People who don't use Linux rarely think about people who do use Linux.
- People who don't use Linux rarely think
- Way to needlessly hurt my feelings :(
- That's a good point, although I guess Linux programs seem generally like "hacker programs", so I could rephrase my question and say "Do you think using Linux makes you look like a hacker?"
No, but if you want us all to pretend they do, we will.
- No, because then it would lose the fun. 😆
Any esoteric computer use to a layman can be misconstrued as hacking. Even hacking. ;)
They secretly suspect you’re up to no good just because you don’t cry and rend your mouse in frustration.
- Genuinely I can't use my mouse all the day, it gives me a pain in my wrist.
  
  Weakling! I’ve been using a mouse daily since the Genius mouse was released. It’s all about ergonomics. It’s highly inefficient though and a thumb scroller makes for easier transition between mouse and keyboard. There’s also vertical stick mouse that fits your muscles and bones better, but I’d recommend a trackball. If they’re still about
  
  Don’t worry, it’ll spread to the rest of your hands soon ;-)
  Seriously, take it seriously. I thought I had carpel tunnel syndrome for years but every test pegged it a mild so I got endless suggestions for stretching exercises and no real help… turned out to be my spine.
I have been using linux for over 20 years and mostly don't think about it. Occasionally I will have someone around who does not know much about it when I do and apt upgrade and I get a "what the hell did you do?"
- "I just elevated the national threat meter to DEFCON 4. Why do you ask?"
Yes. Because they don't have any familiarity with the way Linux desktops look and work, it all looks very much like the technology depicted in movies/shows/games that is very frequently a tool of a "hackerman" type character. That's even more true when a terminal enters play.
No, but they do tend to assume you will provide tech support. For windows.
my daughter calls my terminal my code, no matter how much I tell her its just prompt for commands
@Xirup generally just weird. They just look at it and see it so familiar yet so weird. However, if you tell them it's Linux and you even open the terminal once...
Also, it doesn't help the fact that movies use it as a prop for hackers, so people can look at it and be wow, just like in that movie I saw. What are you hacking today?
I figure when someone first adopts Linux they are like Abby and McGee double teaming a single keyboard. As they use Linux more they mature into the Lone Gunman from X-Files.
I do believe some are - like those doing Linux from scratch without reading while using awk, sed and friends to edit configs
I use hollywood so yes
Yes, simply using the command line is often considered hacking by people who don't care enough to know better.
Fun fact, the terminal based system monitor btop has been used in movies to show "hacking" in action.

21 comments