I was nothing but polite…? Feeling strongly about Microsoft’s behavior and the enshittification of Windows is not the same as “pushing a cult-like mentality” as I was accused of or as you accused me of - being an asshole. Disagreeing and providing reasoning for the disagreement is not being an asshole. I am not a Linux cultist, I switched in January of this year. I am happy if other people are happy, and I respect their personal choices.

In every response, I merely responded with my reasoning and ways that they could use Linux without sacrificing anything (VFIO setups are viable albeit hard to setup). I did not resort to name-calling or insisting the person switch. In the last response, I reiterated that they were free to feel the way they do (accusing me of mental gymnastics) and to disagree. Re-read my responses with a helpful tone and I’m sure you’d see - tone is often not conveyed well online.

The only thing that I said that could be implied as being an asshole to somebody is saying Windows sucks or calling people in a regular office “tech-illiterate”. I’m not insulting anybody or being an elitist, I’m sorry that came across as harsh or unfair - I’ll be more careful with my language moving forward. I love it when things simply work for people and they are not struggling. I feel bad when people have issues. I don’t take any pleasure in others having problems or think lesser than them. Technology should be easy and accessible to use for all.

Arch Linux is not a beginner distribution, I started using it myself this year and I know with even using archinstall some things do not work out of the box even when selecting a desktop environment. Like bluetooth. CachyOS would’ve gotten you setup much quicker if you need the AUR. Bazzite or Nobara (or simply Fedora) would’ve been much easier if you don’t mind the Fedora ecosystem. PopOS is shaping up with COSMIC and will be a wonderful option for creators, gamers, and regular users when it is fully released. ZorinOS is great for beginners. Ubuntu is great and so is Debian. Linux Mint is used by a lot of people, and even though it doesn’t support Wayland yet, it’s a good option for new users. Almost every option is great for Steam and also Lutris and Heroic Games Launcher, which both help you to run various games.

Wanting a so-called minimal or vanilla setup (which is something I also desire) is hard if you are picky like me. Most people aren’t so picky, a couple extra packages or a little distribution-specific customization isn’t any sweat off their back. There are times when just getting your foot in the door and getting comfortable is much easier on yourself. If there weren’t great options for beginners, I wouldn’t be suggesting Linux to anyone.

If you were to have posted for support, I would’ve gladly helped you out if I saw your post.

And I don’t think we’re fucked. I know the news cycle and current state of the world is a lot to handle. I think we need to continue pushing awareness and other positive action. I’m sorry you are stressed and are seemingly feeling bad and overwhelmed. I would do anything I could to help you - we’re all in this together.