Don’t get me wrong. I love Linux and FOSS. I have been using and installing distros on my own since I was 12. Now that I’m working in tech-related positions, after the Reddit migration happened, etc. I recovered my interest in all the Linux environment. I use Ubuntu as my main operating system in my Desktop, but I always end up feeling very limited. There’s always software I can’t use properly (and not just Windows stuff), some stuff badly configured with weird error messages… last time I was not able to even use the apt command. Sometimes I lack time and energy for troubleshooting and sometimes I just fail at it.
I usually end up in need of redoing a fresh install until it breaks up again. Maybe Linux is not good for beginners working full time? Maybe we should do something like that Cisco course that teaches you the basic commands?
That last part is my experience when I tried installing a “non-supported printer” for my computer. I wanted to hook up into a computer my brother bought, and ended up in the printer model’s manufacturer’s page and having to choose between an Ubuntu driver and a Debian one. I use neither.
I eventually found my way to the AUR repository (because btw, I used Manjaro at the time—go figure what’s wrong in this scenario, lol!) and even ended up on some random repos for similar models. There were a lot of conflicting advice: like using a driver for a similar printer, or making my own package for my printer model.
I ended up deciding that I somehow have to make a package for my printer model, and having asked around for advice on how to do this, I was met with “why even brother with that printer brand?!” And I was like, “because that’s what’s available to me! And I don’t have enough money to buy a different one! I just want this to work!!”