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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Is the "Year of Linux" actually a trap? (the.unknown-universe.co.uk)

submitted 1 day ago by TheIPW@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I’ve spent years championing Linux as the only escape from Big Tech, but I’m starting to get twitchy.

While we’re distracted by the Steam Deck making Linux "mainstream," the corporate players and politicians are busy building a digital cage. Between California’s AB-1043 mandates and Microsoft’s "Face Check" infrastructure, I’m worried we’re heading for a hard schism: "Sanitised Linux" vs the "Free Rebel" distros.

If the compliant, age-gated version becomes the industry standard, where does that leave the rest of us? Digital exile?

I’ve put some thoughts together on why the "Golden Cage" is closing in and why education, not mandates, is the only real fix.

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[–] TheIPW@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You’re right that the average person doesn't care about fingerprinting, but that’s exactly the problem. To me, browser fingerprinting isn't just a technical quirk, it’s a violation of privacy that effectively erases your ability to be anonymous, regardless of whether you have a VPN or not.

If we let OS-level ID checks become the standard because people don't care, we’re essentially legitimising that tracking. My red line isn't just a government log of my identity, it’s the fact that the tech is being built to make that log possible in the first place. Once the infrastructure is there, the incidental proof of identity quickly becomes the primary feature.

[–] Tenderizer78@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Your response again doesn't really follow from what I wrote. It retains some key words but not the ideas.

Browser fingerprinting which exists because the average person can't be bothered concealing it and the theoretical sharing of your ID with the sites you visit due to a government mandate are two entirely different things. Not just because the public skepticism towards the latter, but also because you can get around the former with the right web browser.

EDIT: I think I just did the same thing I accused you of, talking past you. My response basically just rejects your core conceipt, that being a distinction between the private power-user experience and the public normie experience. I'll need to edit this.