On mass bulletin boards, like Reddit, you'll see, or have suggested to you, subreddits like /r/linuxsucks, where people are constantly fellating Microsoft for ... reasons? Like, I understand that some people just have to use Windows, especially if it's for a business that's stuck in the past. But, to me, it doesn't really make sense to pick up the mantle for a multi-hundred-billion dollar company that treats its users prey.
But, let's look at recent grievances caused by Microsoft:
- 1: Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10, and if you don't have the right processor, you have to buy a new computer ... if you're that dedicated to Windows. I'm not. I still remember when Microsoft said that Windows 10 was the last Windows.
- 2: Microsoft introduces full-time spyware to Windows 11 PCs.
- 3: Copilot is pre-installed and fully integrated into Windows 11 PCs, the generative AI that's totally not spying on you alongside Recall.
- 4: Microsoft and Xbox lay off thousands of employees to make room for further funding of their slop generator, that will surely generate a profit any day now. Right? ... Bueller? Those record profits? I'm sure they're not due to suddenly having 9,000 employees worth of spending cash.
These are only four of the most recent middlefingers that Microsoft has given to the population, and its own employees, and one has to wonder ... when is enough ... enough.
While Satya Nadella argues with his chatbot about the podcast he refuses to listen to, the rest of the world is groaning at the out-of-touch billionaires and shareholders attempting to remake the world in the most accurate cyberpunk dystopia they can muster.
"Cyberpunk? A dystopia? What about the cool laser beams!?"
Shut up.
But, you would think all of this, as I wave my hands around in front of me, would be enough to convince people that ... Hey, maybe it's time to give Linux a shot. Maybe take control of the way I do computing and learn how to type some things in a terminal every once in a while. Maybe stop giving Microsoft access to every single thing I do, plus my money!
Even as Windows continues to dominate, the number of Linux users grows, partially because of SteamOS on their handheld (which I would love to see on the desktop).
I wonder why.
Still, though, many, many gamers remain Windows hold-outs. But, why? Well, I'm glad you asked. I'm glad you're asking about marginal users. The users who aren't thinking about these things. The users who just want to hop on, shoot some stuff in Call of Duty, and then eat a burger. The user who could give a shit less if their data, privacy, and their entire lives are being catalogued in Microsoft cold-storage--Because they don't know about it, and don't want to know about it. Any disruption to getting dubs is a grievance against the marginal user.
We'll have to ignore for a moment that the person who wrote this article decided to depict the fictional character, Marl, with generative slop. We'll excuse that, for now. And probably only just this once.
What this article is really painting a picture of, though, is a lack of thought. And we're all guilty of it. I'll be at work going through the motions, doing my job, and I'll whip out of my phone and just open any random app I use and ignore whatever's happening just to get a distraction.Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together about the marginal user. Let’s call him Marl. The first thing you need to know about Marl is that he has the attention span of a goldfish on acid. Once Marl opens your app, you have about 1.3 seconds to catch his attention with a shiny image or triggering headline, otherwise he’ll swipe back to TikTok and never open your app again.
Marl’s tolerance for user interface complexity is zero. As far as you can tell he only has one working thumb, and the only thing that thumb can do is flick upwards in a repetitive, zombielike scrolling motion. As a product designer concerned about the wellbeing of your users, you might wonder - does Marl really want to be hate-reading Trump articles for 6 hours every night? Is Marl okay? You might think to add a setting where Marl can enter his preferences about the content he sees: less politics, more sports, simple stuff like that. But Marl will never click through any of your hamburger menus, never change any setting to a non-default. You might think Marl just doesn’t know about the settings. You might think to make things more convenient for Marl, perhaps add a little “see less like this” button below a piece of content. Oh boy, are you ever wrong. This absolutely infuriates Marl. On the margin, the handful of pixels occupied by your well-intentioned little button replaced pixels that contained a triggering headline or a cute image of a puppy. Insufficiently stimulated, Marl throws a fit and swipes over to TikTok, never to return to your app. Your feature decreases DAUs in the A/B test. In the launch committee meeting, you mumble something about “user agency” as your VP looks at you with pity and scorn. Your button doesn’t get deployed. You don’t get your promotion. Your wife leaves you. Probably for Marl.
In these moments, I am Marl.
We all are, and have been.
But I'm focusing on gamers here, because gaming is the biggest reason anyone even owns a computer in 2025. Most everyone else just has phones, tablets, and consoles. I know. That's crazy.
The author of the above article doesn't offer any solution in combatting the marginal user, because he has no idea how to do so. And I mostly concur with this, because I don't really know how to pull people's attention into things that matter, if in fleeting moments of our free time, we don't care about that. We just want to relax.
One thing you can do, though, anyone can do, is consider the contributions you're making to people who hate you. Satya Nadella, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, hell, even Tim Cook. Think about what you're saying to these men when you hand your money over for an Xbox, or random crap on Amazon, or a blue badge on a social media site that's been trash for the past three years.
Think about that, and ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?"
And then read my guide on how to install Debian.
Source: https://mkultra.monster/tech/2025/07/11/linux-2025/
