this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2024
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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I see no "hostility" and "talking down" here. You shouldn't be running GUI programs with sudo, and the fact that you've been using Linux for X amount of years doesn't change that.
I think the talking down aspect comes from phrases like "you shouldn't be doing X", especially when these statements are made as absolutes, rather than contextualised with actual reasons.
Running GUI programs as root might cause security problems, or it might cause software problems. And while you might find these issues important, others might not.
In my opinion, saying something like "it's not a good idea if you care about security" or "doing so might make your PC burst into flames" gives helpful warnings for OP and future readers without talking down to them by making decisions for them what they should and should not do.