71

I used to think I was a 5/10, but then I tried to pirate a game on SteamDeck and I felt like I lost a lot of braincells. Spend like 6 hours trying to fix things and I accidentally bugged the internal speakers.

I think I'm at 3/10, linux (SteamOS) is so fucking hard to use.

I might be the most technologically illiterate Lemmy user ever.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] nik9000@programming.dev 6 points 2 days ago

8/10.

Software engineer. Respected across a small public tech company. Most folks who do 30 seconds of GitHub snooping are impressed. There's a decent chance you've used code I wrote. Hopefully it keeps working.

No idea how to use Windows. Or mac. Lots of missing network and security stuff. Struggle every time I have to do python package management. Terrified of C++.

[-] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 days ago

to be fair it's hard to be good at using windows when Microsoft's own documentation is often incorrect

[-] uhmbah@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 days ago

1 out of 10

Retired I.T.

Told my family that if they ask me to help with an I.T. related issue, I'll bring my hammer.

Fuck printers.

[-] fin@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

3/10 too.

Linux IS hard to use, especially when you try to do something you never can on Windows.

I spent this morning trying to fix the WiFi driver on my laptop and ended up using USB-LAN adapter.

Also, I tried to run Ente Photos on Coolify on said laptop and I couldn't. Luckily there was a preset for immich so I used it instead.

Linux is hard. Computer is hard and it should be.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 days ago

Computer is hard and it should be.

Too fucking hard, that's why a lot of people prefer phones (and tablets)

I mean, its very difficult to even brick a phone OS, but delete a wrong file on a computer and, its reinstall time, meanwhile phones can just delete data and start over, its nearly impossible to delete the OS.

[-] fin@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Phones are easy to use, but difficult to tweak.

Difficulty depends on what you're trying to do with it. You can't installed a pirated Windows game and run it on Android right?

[-] jj4211@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I am good at technology even when I don't do anything.

There's a client who says that if I just join a call and do nothing but say hello, things that weren't working just suddenly start working for no apparent reason.

[-] Pulptastic@midwest.social 3 points 2 days ago

The engineer’s dilemma. It is broken until I show up, then it starts working again until I leave.

[-] Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 days ago

Probably around 4-6. I know the basics and can do a few other things after using resources from Google/YouTube, but there's times where I stare at a problem and feel like I became my parents who can't figure out how to make a window take up the whole screen.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

In case you didn't figure it out (I don't have a Deck, but Linux Desktop), exit Big Picture mode, install Heroic Launcher, click "add new game", (optional: type in the name and set the image if you want), select that it's a Windows version, (optional: select a specific Proton version in the dropdown), select the executable you downloaded, and you're done.

If the download was an installer instead, do the same steps except before you select the executable click "run executable" or whatever it says first and run the imstaller, then select the executable that the installer creates (it'll be in the prefix for the game, which should open when you click "select executable.")

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

I mean I think its the crack being intended for windows. Non RE4 cracked games do works, its just RE4's crack is not working in linux.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 day ago

Ah, OK. I haven't tried that one. Possibly? I haven't had an issue with any of them, but there's always a chance it just doesn't work through WINE.

[-] AtHeartEngineer@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

9.5; I worked on machine learning starting in 2016 and lead teams working on new cryptography. That being said, I've met tons of people wayyyy more skilled/"good" than I am. But if we are comparing to the general public, at least a 9.5

[-] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago

The general public and using technology is like comparing speaking with a dog.
Yes they sort of understand but let's be honest: Not really.

[-] TwoBeeSan@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

3/10

I set up a jellyfin server but when I attempted a raw arch install I wanted to put a gun in my mouth.

I literally have a tech job and tell the people I don't like tech. It's a means to an end.

Can't even attempt terminal beyond downloads and updates. Tried a cli and quickly realized I need a gui. I am not a robot.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Tried a cli and quickly realized I need a gui

I felt this

[-] OmegaLemmy@discuss.online 3 points 2 days ago
[-] Luffy879@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago

1/10

Im not really one to think twice before doing something. My Homelab is literally „dont move, break things”, im lazy as fuck, I even left my TrueNAS mirrored pool as degraded for a week now because I can't bother to read the manpages for zfs and read why my newly bought drives are getting checksum errors, and I backup anyway to Hetzner and Synology anyway. I broke at least 3 opensuse PCs trying to update without checking my available space first, and didn't bother to switch to leap afterwards (since they can go with less updates, they're just Netflix and IPTV clients). My record is 4 times in a row. Luckily fedora Atomic removed my competence from the equation. And I won't even mention the many times I sloppily migrated my PCs from Ubuntu, Opensuse, to Nobara because I was anti Atomic distros, to arch, opensuse again, arch, artix, Gentoo, and now back to Bazzite.

But to be honest, that was when I was between 13-16, but now a month later I already feel the responsibility in me. (Except that Zfs thing, I got those drives for my birthday)

[-] MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago
[-] jet@hackertalks.com 16 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

9.9/10

If I'm not interested then you can get 5/10 advice for free just to be polite.

Skill is not knowledge, it's the ability and hardheadedness to acquire knowledge kicking and screaming to make the world bend to your will so that the printer will actually print.

obligatory-xkcd-tech-supporthttps://xkcd.com/627/

[-] Sasha 5 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Yup, getting skills is just worthwhile pain. It's been hard trying to convince some of the younger tech interested people I know to put in the effort instead of going down the AI route, but I know exactly where that'll lead them. You don't get good at this stuff by succeeding, it's the endless failure.

[-] flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyz 31 points 4 days ago

What's the scale? I'm proposing:

1 - able to turn on the device (not necessarily turn it off)
9 - can train and run own LLM (from scratch, not from an existing model)
10 - knows how to reliably set up a printer

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago

10 - knows how to reliably set up a printer

What is this, D&D levels? Let’s keep this fantasy nonsense out of the rating scale!

[-] kbal@fedia.io 11 points 4 days ago
  1. Inert object, no ability to move, perceive, or interact with any tech
  2. Root vegetable, largely unaware of technology
  3. Nematode or worm, unlikely to use tools much
  4. Lizard, capable of accidentally pressing buttons
  5. Blue Jay, might learn to deliberately press a button
  6. Orangutan, could make and use simple tools
  7. Human baby, likes to grab things, can use iphone
  8. American high school student, can use electric toothbrush
  9. Chess club member, probably knows javascript
  10. Go club member, probably knows C++
  11. Kernel hacker
[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 8 points 4 days ago

As someone who wrote not only one, but two kernels, can I claim an 11?

[-] Justas@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

Does a university assignment in assembly count?

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

If your list of different assembly languages you know exceeds mine...

I'm from the generation who could read 6510 code from hexdumps.

[-] Justas@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

Nah, I could just barely code in the "baby's first assembly"

kernel

kernel

kernel

11s hate this one simple trick !

[-] mesamunefire@piefed.social 7 points 4 days ago

Only if you make something like TempleOS.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] billwashere@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

12/10. I’m good at the cyber.

[-] _cryptagion@anarchist.nexus 21 points 4 days ago

how the fuck do you "bug" the internal speakers while attempting to pirate a game? that's like saying you broke the sink while trying to change a light bulb.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 days ago

Idk, its actually a common problem according to SteamDeck users on reddit, so like its not just me. Must've accidentally messed with a setting.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[-] zlatiah@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago

I think it is hard to give an objective rating on this since even extremely skilled individuals (probably half of Lemmy by societal standards) tend to skew their ratings toward the middle. Basically what Dunning-Krueger actually found from their research

That said... I'd rate myself as a 6/10. Maybe I actually know more than that

[-] cloudless@piefed.social 16 points 4 days ago

Whatever score you give to youself, will be a demonstration of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

[-] mienshao@lemmy.world 24 points 4 days ago

I think the opposite—seems like many of you on Lemmy don’t realize how bad the general population is with technology and are selling yourselves short. Even knowing what linux is puts you at a 6/10 imo, especially when compared to most folks (half of whom don’t know how gmail works).

Like the fact that we’re on Lemmy—a site that most americans probably couldn’t access if they tried—shows we’re all at least a 5/10 on the technology scale.

[-] Hawke@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

You’re completely right.

XKCD 2501

[-] Rambomst@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago

So what you are saying is my estimate of 8/10 is too low, right? Right.....?

[-] cloudless@piefed.social 11 points 4 days ago
[-] Rambomst@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

I laughed way too hard at this

load more comments (2 replies)
[-] CookieOfFortune@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I’ve studied a bit of solid state physics and I’ve worked in different tech industries for a while. Dabbled with a bunch of stuff professionally: optics, microcontrollers, motors, fluidics, web, LLMs.

So.. 5/10?

[-] StrixUralensis@tarte.nuage-libre.fr 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Please give references for the scale

Also Richard Stallman -- the man who wrote the original Emacs and GCC -- has never installed a GNU+Linux distro, and he has no idea/interest in it.

[-] zxqwas@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

Depends on if I care of not.

Phone: 3/10. I don't really care other than googling "how to turn off annoying feature".

Writing Software: 7/10. It's not beautiful, but it does one thing reasonably well and I finished it in an afternoon. Just don't ask me to write a GUI.

Writing Software for industrial machinery: I've done it for a living for more than a decade. Still rather skip the GUI part.

[-] Rambomst@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago

8/10 maybe more, maybe less. Software developer, don't really have issues with tech, but put me in front of a quantum computer and I sure as shit would be lost, but fine with consumer products.

load more comments (1 replies)
[-] palordrolap@fedia.io 6 points 4 days ago

A solid 4, I think. Sure, I can build a PC and install an OS but both of those have been pretty much plug and play for decades at this point.

Don't ask me about your smartphone, your smart home devices or your Windows 10/11 problems, I don't have a clue about any of that. If you visited my home you'd be forgiven for thinking it was abandoned 20 years ago.

I can usually figure out basic tech I've never used before, but I'd prefer to have the manual, help or hindrance though that may be.

[-] Interstellar_1 4 points 3 days ago

Somewhere between 7 and 8, if 8 is knowing how to program in programming languages. I don't, but I can script pretty well and I am very techy.

[-] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 days ago

If you blindly run commands without thinking, you're gonna have a bad time in Linux.

SteamOS is also not hard to use, especially if you use it as intended, but if you start going outside the box on things, you can definitely break stuff. Nintendo switch would have the same problems if they let you touch the knobs that valve does with SteamOS

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 6 points 3 days ago

SteamOS is also not hard to use, especially if you use it as intended

(Isn't causally violating copyright regulations "as intended"? 👀)

[-] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago

Depends on the tech:
I can do most things on Linux, both at home and at work. And the latter pays me handsomely for it.

I'm OK with windows. I was good decades ago, and the things I am still a Le to do rely on experience way back when.

I still don't know how to right click on a Mac.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2025
71 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

34214 readers
2093 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS