Tangent discussion about loyalty

Chat about Zorin
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Like many others around here, I don't use Zorin OS myself — I prefer something like Debian. But I like helping out those who are curious to navigate the waters, and discover this brave new world. We shouldn't be shy about recommending or talking about other distributions, it's all part of the experience.

If nothing else, Zorin OS is an excellent entry point to the world of Linux. This is why it's still the distribution that I always recommend and install for friends & family.

Of course, Zorin OS has its flaws and it needs a little getting used to. But where others have failed — Ubuntu, no less — I have yet to meet someone who wasn't satisfied with it. They don't tell me to my face, anyway :smiley:

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42

I can copy this:

We shouldn't be shy about recommending or talking about other distributions, it's all part of the experience. If nothing else, Zorin OS is an excellent entry point to the world of Linux. This is why it's still the distribution that I always recommend and install for friends & family.

Almost 15 years ago I was experimenting with Ubuntu & Knoppix. Then got deviated/corrupted with gratis versions of WIN by university and employer.
About 5 years ago installed Mint on a old laptop to use as media player and a month ago deleted Windows to install Zorin. So far I am proud at myself and happy that I did it. It was very easy. I regret a little of not having done it earlier ...

Zorin works and that is important!

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@Aravisian - I am sorry; I was about to wrap up a fairly long post in response to you, but I accidentally lost everything when I tried to copy the text and let my finger go on the wrong menu option. It erased everything. (Ugh.) Needless to say, I am irritated right now, but let me try and finish what I was saying. The basic point (at the cost of leaving a lot of vital context out here) is that I was speaking as an end user (and as a paid consumer in my case) of Zorin OS as a product (when I provided feedback and criticism in the past). Not necessarily as a Linux proponent. Can have both co-exist and yet be disparate things. It's totally doable to give feedback/criticism of an OS as a product and still maintain principles important to the Linux philosophy of computing. I'm gonna stop here; I've typed long enough. I'm leaving a lot out from what I previously typed, and all I'm gonna say here is that I sincerely hope this follow-up helps a little in orienting you and others about where I was trying to come from earlier in the first place. Thanks; good discussion.

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I call these debate drift. I think it is more commonly called 'derailment.'

The written language is insufficient to properly convey broad and complex ideas. We write snippets. What we think as we write and what comes out might not match, but is close.

Another mind, defending an opposing idea, will focus on a part we paid little attention to. We then must defend that portion, which shifts the context of the discussion.

Interestingly, this thread splintered off of another where @vic drew attention to something I had worded poorly, being too brief with a more complex topic. My wording gave an impression that was highly inaccurate.
If I take ownership of my poor wording, it can be clarified quickly.
But if I tried to defend the post as I poorly worded it, drift would accelerate.
Badly.

To me, it seems likely that as you expressed a thought; intended meaning was lost.
This pulled you into a direction of defending something you had not intended.
My rebuttal might be valid in the context of the snippets I quoted; this does not mean that the wording I quoted truly reflects your perceptions.

I think that an End User that criticizes a change in a product line that they believe will reduce its efficacy, which you and I both have done - is feedback.

I think that believing in developer freedom to explore their product line is a principle.

If they can coexist is dependent on whether one conflicts with the other. If there is a conflict - that can indicate a deeper question that needs an answer before proceeding.

Summary

My son and I had this discussion the other day. He has a friend who is "different" from many people. I won't say what makes this person different. Only that it is how they are biologically.
Another of my sons friend admitted discomfort being in the presence of this friend.
What I told my son is, when you feel that uncomfortable conflict, even if not sure why, that is your alert that there is something inside of you that you must examine. Asking the hard questions, facing the hard truths.
Because it usually means you have a bias you need to manage. The only way to manage it... is to admit it, then interrogate it.

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Thanks for replying. Also, good advice you gave your son. :+1: