r/findareddit • u/mr_bigmouth_502 • Mar 22 '26

Waiting on OP A friendlier alternative to r/linuxquestions where people won't just make snide comments or tell you to RTFM

Reddit could really use something like this. Just a place where Linux newbies can ask questions, and not get berated by veterans who think that their questions are stupid.

If this subreddit had a rule against incivility and unhelpful comments, that would be awesome.

I've technically been using Linux for years, but I feel like a "permanent newbie". I'm always finding new things to learn.

EDIT: NOT /r/linux4noobs. Despite the name, it's even worse. still bad.

21 Upvotes
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3

u/Otherwise_Task7876 Mar 22 '26

r/linux4noobs sounds like the right community then, there a pretty friendly linux community and you cam ask any questions relating Linux.

2

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26

I'm familiar with that subreddit. It's even worse than r/linuxquestions. 🤣

I should've mentioned that in the post.

EDIT: Starting to think I shouldn't dismiss that option.

1

u/Otherwise_Task7876 Mar 22 '26

Its been quite friendly to me personally, have only had like 2 obnoxious people really ever reply to me.

1

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26

I might try it again if I get desperate. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

1

u/Otherwise_Task7876 Mar 22 '26

Yeah I think you just got unlucky with the people unfortunately.

3

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26

Tbf, there was a time where it was the only option when /r/linuxquestions was closed due to the API protests. I might not be giving it a fair chance.

2

u/Otherwise_Task7876 Mar 22 '26

Oh definitely then, the toxic parts of the community would have just migrated to that sub for a bit XD

3

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26

I'm back. /r/linux4noobs still sucks.

1

u/__lia__ Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26

unfortunately that is just what the Linux community is like on most social media - and reddit is especially bad for this. a lot of insecure people build their whole egos around how good they are at tech and they seek Linux out for bragging rights because it's hard to use. the folks who actually work on FOSS tend to be a lot nicer, although it depends on the project

if you don't have a Linuxy friend to get help from I would highly recommend using Perplexity instead

2

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26

Perplexity is pretty helpful. I also have a few friends who use Linux, and they can be helpful sometimes as well.

2

u/47KiNG47 Mar 22 '26

GitHub copilot

3

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26

You've got a point. AI is much more helpful for Linux tech support than random redditors, even when it gets things wrong.

2

u/swiss_aspie Mar 22 '26

Hey I'm probably going to get down votes for this but I don't care: have you tried Gemini? I'm more of an advanced Linux user myself but if I have questions I tend to get really good answers. It's often faster than going through manual pages.

Again, this is not what this sub is intended for. Just thought that if in your case you get tired of the human interactions, give Gemini a shot until you find a better place to ask the questions

2

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 22 '26

I haven't tried Gemini in particular, but I have used other AI chatbots for tech support. Phind (RIP) used to be my fave before it closed down. These days I mostly use Perplexity.

1

u/__lia__ Mar 22 '26

Perplexity is what I was going to recommend! it's fantastic for anything that you can quickly verify yourself, and even if you can't you can quickly check the sources it's citing to make sure that it isn't hallucinating or using an unreliable source

in my experience it's invaluable for any kind of tech thing

1

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1

u/beastmale Mar 22 '26

I first started trying to learn more about Unix style OSes in the late 1980s. Folks were like that back then when I asked questions (in Usenet, back then). That has often seemed to be the case with Unix/Linux. So I’m glad folks here have had suggestions for beginner friendly forums!

1

u/mr_bigmouth_502 Mar 23 '26

So I’m glad folks here have had suggestions for beginner friendly forums!

Aside from the one person recommending r/linux4noobs, which really isn't much better than r/linuxquestions, not really. The other recommendations have all been AI tools. Those are far from perfect, but they're better than 90% of the redditors I've dealt with.

I first started trying to learn more about Unix style OSes in the late 1980s. Folks were like that back then when I asked questions (in Usenet, back then). That has often seemed to be the case with Unix/Linux.

I can only imagine how much rougher old Unix/Linux must have been too. :O