this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2026
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Is Linus getting paid by Microsoft to dissuade people from using Linux? Obviously he's not, but every time he does one of these videos he just acts like a bumbling fool not being able to figure out the most basic of things. He's trying to use Pop!_OS with COSMIC, which I understand is still full of issues. Meanwhile the other guy is trying to install a game that requires kernel AC and TPM secure boot (PUBG). It's like he keeps engaging with Linux in bad faith.
I challenge you to find any Linus video where he doesn't act like a bumbling fool. It's his whole thing.
That’s cause it’s not an act.
It is an act. He's not just a guy on YouTube, he has a team planning his videos. They know exactly how to approach his content for maximum views from the moment they start filming. He goes into videos with basically a fully finished script.
After watching him type “yes, do as I say” into a window telling him he’s about to destroy his system, and then watching his surprise as his system is destroyed, there’s no possible way you can convince me that this guy isn’t a bumbling fool.
When I was a newbie some of my first distros were RPM based, and there was no yum or anything like that. I just downloaded weird RPMs and installed them with
--force, and more often than not it worked fine. After switching to Debian I quickly learned that when installing stuff there, you don't try to force DPKG into doing anything. But first I had to fuck up libc, and also learn what libc was. If you're used to ignoring all sorts of warnings from your previous janky OS, it's not that far fetched to fuck up your Debian despite the warnings.That, and of course they're going to ignore the warning and make it blow up, they need some drama for their video! Most of their content follows the formula of first fucking it up, and then trying to fix it after. For their target demographic that is the optimal choice: It's relatable for the viewers, who also fuck up their system all the time, and also impressive because he sometimes manages to recover! His viewers would never be able to get out of that mess, clearly Linus is a tech GOD!
Thank you for helping me understand why I stopped even opening their videos like a decade ago. I had been watching them for a while back then, because they were very popular. Then, at some point I just stopped, not even realising why. Waste of time.
Yeah, most people can't figure them out. That's the entire point.
You guys are being pretty stupid to expect most people that is trying Linux the first or 2nd time to have any idea what a Cosmic Desktop is supposed to be and why it's a bad idea to use it at this moment? Calling people fools for not following Linux news at all is pretty elitist. You're reminding me again why I hate interacting with the Linux community sometimes.
I think your own statements here are pretty elitist.
"As a rule, strong feelings about issues do not emerge from deep understanding."
Kinda, but I think your quote is even more apt when applied to the people shitting on Linus by letting their strong feelings get in the way of the facts.
My elder aunt must be a genius then. Because she figured out linux and has been using it for a decade entirely on her own. All it took was wanting an old laptop back and having access to the internet. She never asked me anything, and one day was using Ubuntu like it was nothing notable. Seriously, it only takes engaging in good faith and having a brain on while doing it.
Yes your aunt is 1 in a million.
I honestly feel that online Linux communities are the biggest barrier to more widespread adoption. As with any online space, unless the people in charge want to ban toxicity, it will always, always, take over any community.
Linus literally just asked chatgpt what to do and then decided against his own already gained experience and chose Pop! again. He calls himself mR tECh tIpS. He could atleast use the competency he actually has. I dont think he is a bumbling fool. But he sure as hell acts like one when it comes to anything Linux.
And the playful incompetency and antics are part of the identity of the channel. I get that. Its Top Gear for PC and tech related topics. But in this video it just feels like he has zero interest in the challenge and openly tries to make Linux look bad. I'm sure somebody will argue he just plays a fool to provide a cautionary how not to approach a switch to Linux. But i dont see that. The video isnt setup like that. He doesnt react like that. He seems genuinely surprised that when you install an OS with which you arent experienced with in middle of a LAN party it wont work out. While beeing the organizer of the party AND beeing filmed for a video. Yeah, no shit it didnt work out.
He's roleplaying as a newbie nontechnical user, which he always does. Asking ChatGPT is normal for an average user, at least from my experience of an average user. You're suggesting that one bad experience should be enough for anyone to completely write-off a distro? Isn't that a bit of a toxic approach to things?
OK, so you do know. That's good.
That's the part I don't get. Where is he openly trying to make Linux look bad?
Because he does that regularly.
Because the video isn't meant to be that, but Linus does that anyway. You can see from the other two presenters that they don't aim for that. Linus just thinks that's the way he should approach it to give the video more value and anyone that is familiar with him would know that.
Are you suggesting that any OS would break when installed in the middle of a LAN party when done by someone inexperienced? Can you explain this thought process a bit better? I just don't see how the problem he is having is caused directly by his inexperience or the fact that he is at a LAN party. Isn't it mostly due to Pop!_OS shipping a beta DE in an LTS release?
Again, I don't see the relation between those and the problem he experienced.
Have you ever organized an event? Have you ever been at a event? Like what part isnt to get here? Installing a fresh OS while you do other stressful things or just other things which need your attention is a stupid move.
Then on top: Have you ever done something which you are inexperienced with while beeing distracted by other things which need your attention? While under time pressure. In what world isnt that detrimental to anything you want to do.
And yes i'd argue the chances of having the same outcome with a different OS is a lot higher with these circumstances UNLESS you have like 20 years of experience like he does with Windows.
And yet which of the issue he encountered had anything to do with him being distracted during the event? Can you point it out to me?
The part where you take a breather. Assess the situation. Try to find a solution. Ask for help in a forum or discord channel. You know things you do when encounter a problem with something you're not familiar with.
But i'm under the impression that you dont argue faithfully. So i'm going to fuck off.
He can't fix the issue though because its not something he did wrong its a fault with cosmic. He was cooked from the start because he made a bad choice and only someone familiar with linux would have seen it coming.
So you mean exactly what he's gonna do after the LAN party? So all I can see is that people are so quick to jump on his throat that they assume he's gonna end the experiment where the video ends. Got it.
So, despite the fact that I'm addressing your points properly, you're just gonna accuse me of not arguing faithfully for no reason at all?
The channel that calls themselves "Tech Tips" and has 16.8 million subscribers is supposed to know more than "most people". Or at least be willing to put in some research and give actual "tech tips" like their name suggests
The reason they have 16.8 million subscriber is because they cater to the average tech-interested user and not tech experts. Not including the experience of an average person that hasn't done a ton of research would be to exclude their biggest demographic. Besides, it's not like they only show one perspective. People seem to love ignoring the fact that the other 2 presenters had an okay time with their Linux install and can serve as the alternative route to Linus's own painful experience.
Yeah pubg doesn't even work on steamdeck/bazzite.