this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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[email protected] - Oh my gosh I just figured it out.

Okay, all you open source evangelist people: your knee-jerk reaction to come at people who are talking about a problem with whatever commercial software they use and suggest Your Favorite Alternatives™ is exactly like saying "why don't you just buy a house?" to someone complaining about their landlord.

[email protected] - Actually, to borrow from @DoubleA, it's worse than that.

It's like talking to someone who is in a crappy apartment as though they have the agency and skills to stake out a plot of land and build their own home.

You have to be at peace with the fact that some people just want to exist and not worry about so many things. And they still have a right to complain about their situation.

Link to thread: https://mas.to/@TechConnectify/111539959265152243

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

The difference here is mountains vs. molehills.

And in most cases, they obviously do have sufficient ability to learn how, because they were able to learn the commercial software they're currently using.

As for time, yes, learning always takes time. (Thus my comparison to learning a new commute.) But suggesting that someone learn something new is not stupid or unreasonable, especially if the thing they currently use is not serving them well.

  • In response to that paragraph you added after I replied:

I don't know why you would think that cherry-picked and extremely specific scenario is somehow representative of the general subject we're discussing. Of course situations exist where learning alternative software isn't the best answer. That doesn't make it wrong for people to suggest the alternatives. Quite often, they're perfectly viable, and it's perfectly reasonable to try to help by making someone aware of them.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

You should just learn Chinese.

You have a sufficient ability to learn Chinese, you learnt how to speak the language you're currently using.

Learning takes time, but me suggesting you 'just' learn Chinese isn't stupid or unreasonable, especially as your inability to speak Chinese is limiting your audience and career opportunities, and not serving you well.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

You should just learn Chinese.

That's disingenuous. I wasn't complaining about English not serving me well, now was I?

Also, once again, mountains vs. molehills.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

English isn't serving you well. You should learn Chinese.

Are you having a problem learning Chinese? You chose Cantonese? Wrong dialect. Should be learning Mandarin, that will solve your issue.