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Not to mention that the number of AR/AKs (and their variants) in the United States that are not semi-automatic (one trigger pull, one shot) is so low that they are not statistically significant. Select fire rifles are prohibitively expensive, and require additional government paperwork, checks, and fees. Shoehorning them into an auto sear discussion is either fear mongering or ignorance, neither of which should get past an editor's desk.

I haven't viewed the whole thread, but one thing I haven't seen any discussion on is how dangerous this is for survivors of abuse. It's not uncommon for victims of domestic abuse, stalking, sexual assault, etc. to apply for CCW as a means of defense. Their address and other PII was made immediately available to the general public, _including their abuser_.

I've not submitted a PRI in the state of CA (which is what I believe is required for CCW data), but based on privacy laws I assume they're not handing out addresses on a whim.

What about victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, etc. who have purchased a firearm and/or applied for CCW as a means to defend themselves? Will you explain to me the societal value in the government releasing their address in context with other PII to the general public?

I'm a bit older so ymmv, but I rarely end up on SO. If I'm trying to figure something out most of my time is spent in the reference/documentation/source. If the docs lack examples and I'm having trouble visualizing a particular feature I might look to another project that consumes the same lib for examples.

I encourage my younger colleagues to do the same. SO can be a great starting point, but it's in your best interest to take what you've found and then consult the docs/source (depending on what you're working on). Many times you'll find a better fit for your particular solution than what was presented on SO, and at the very least you come away with a more complete understanding.

If you have a solid grasp on something trivial you've copied, I might jest a bit, but have no real problem that it was yanked. If you don't understand it and it 'just worked', that's gonna set off some alarms.

> if it were possible to find and make and maintain "CD with a bit of the blobset glued in" I'd be happier frankly.

As mentioned in my original comment, those images already exist, and are linked to on the Debian installation page.

Depends on how you define 'user-hostile'. There's already a link to the non-free image on the current installation page, and I wouldn't consider respecting your freedoms as hostile.

As a long time Debian user I'm reluctant to criticize developer ergonomics as I'm not an _active_ contributor. That being said, _as a user_, I've not had any issue locating and using non-free firmware when required, and I would be disappointed to see the project change course by including non-free components in an offical manner. Removing the slight inconvenience (literally clicking a link _on the installation page_ and downloading the firmware included image) further dilutes the project's free software position and will encourage users to install software that does not respect their freedoms. If users never brush up against the inconvenience they'll be much less likely to seek out hardware alternatives or even educate themselves on the topic at all, this is damaging to the community as a whole.

I know I'm in the minority, and expect my opinion to be weighted accordingly, but principle is a key factor I use when choosing anything - including software. My loyalty to Debian would be significantly impacted by such a change.

Is Debian missing projected growth KPI's or shedding users? Is this a key hurdle to onboarding new contributors? I'm aware there may be other considerations that those actively participating in the community or leadership may be aware of that I am not, and I might be ignorant to the full value of the proposition. Debian is amazing and I have the upmost respect for everyone involved over the decades, but a move in a direction that weakens its position on non-free components would most likely drive me to using Guix exclusively.

> Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

`stable` is not the only release, I wouldn't consider any of my Debian workstations outdated because they're not. `testing` and `unstable` are oftentimes more dependable than other distro's idea of stable.

I recommend this to newcomers: http://www.linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php/

Spin up a VM and dive in.

I usually provide this as an intro:

http://www.linuxcommand.org/tlcl.php/

From there picking up configuration management should be pretty straightforward.

I don't dislike Alan Watts, but by his own admission he is an entertainer. If you're actually interested in zen the best place to start is with the texts:

大道無門 The Great Way is gateless,

千差有路 Approached in a thousand ways.

透得此關 Once past this checkpoint

乾坤獨歩 You stride through the universe.

https://sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/mumonkan.htm

Or just use a fresher Debian release. Testing and unstable are often more dependable than other distro's version of stable.

Although I agree that we should not consider an extinction level event inevitable, your comment discounts the real possibility of runaway with what amounts to a hand wave.

You may be interested in LFE (lisp flavored erlang).

https://lfe.io/

I maintain a somewhat extensive Emacs config, and I've kept a lot of the default key commands. I find them incredibly ergonomic, and as a bonus you'll find it's the default in most terminals.

I use the side of my palm for C, it doesn't take long to get used to and allows you to keep your fingers on the home row. Obviously this transfers to CUA or any other standard/config that utilizes C.

Being already familiar with FP I was able to jump right into elixir after running through learn you some erlang. Erlang and elixir are very similar, and you get the bonus of learning a bit about OTP, BEAM, and the underlying philosophy. There's a ton of resources after that, and the docs are easy to use and understand.

https://learnyousomeerlang.com/

Don't kinkshame.

There's more value in flexibility than catering to the lowest common denominator. There's plenty of money to do so, unfortunately it gets leeched out before ever reaching the classroom. People learn at a different pace. Algebra should be available as early as 7th grade, and can be deferred to 9th for those with different aptitudes.

The reason many minorities and POC lag behind has nothing to do with race. Like many issues in the US there are effective ways to address this, none of which survive the compromises and competing desires of bureaucracy.

I know this sounds crazy, but hear me out, I just use statically typed languages when I require static types.

> The meme is wrong

The third panel is generally meant to be the correct technical answer, while the last panel is reserved for the punchline.

Understanding the 'galaxy brain' format might have saved the author the trouble (or at least guided proper expectations), although it was a cool exercise.

Being an elixir zealot have you ever considered lisp flavored erlang? If so, what are your thoughts in comparing it to clojure?

https://lfe.io/

To each their own, but it doesn't take long to setup Emacs from scratch to the exact state I want.

  git clone myemacs
  mv myemacs ~/.emacs.d
  emacs

> for the betterment of the user experience.

Giving Activision kernel level access on a private device, what an improvement.

I can't help but feel that you missed the point of my comment. New users should be encouraged to make those changes themselves if they feel the need to. If that's not something they're interested in, why use Emacs?

Anyone can publish a config and distribute it. For instance, the author of this article could create a 'new user friendly' config and distribute it just like doom, spacemacs, etc. If it's popular enough it will see a lot of use, but my guess is it would most likely wallow.

Making those changes default would require existing users to update their configs, not necessarily a big deal, but for what? So a new user can download Emacs, play with it for a minute, and still conclude that Emacs is a dusty relic because they don't understand the philosophy?

The whole idea of chasing new Emacs users is kind of silly, Emacs is more popular than it has ever been, and if a new user doesn't come to Emacs for what Emacs offers they were never going to stay.

Out of the box solutions already exist, Emacs is in a different category, and need not compete in that arena - especially at the expense of current users.

Appreciate the reply, cheers.

Lately there's been a lot of talk about what Emacs needs, written mostly by people who don't understand Emacs.

Emacs is more of a journey than an application. It's similar to a blacksmith forging their own tools - Emacs is the metaphorical ingot, waiting to be transformed and molded by the user.

If you're happy with what you're using then you don't need Emacs, and Emacs doesn't need to appeal to that crowd. Emacs isn't a VSCode competitor, it's something entirely different, and it's waiting for those who desire transcendence - shedding the limits imposed by other tools.

You can install and use Emacs as quickly as any other application, but to truly reap its benefit you must go deeper. I don't see the need to cater to people who clearly want something else, those tools already exist, please leave Emacs to those of us who appreciate it for what it is.

I disagree with all the reccomendations made in this article, all these changes are easy to implement, and the user is encouraged to do so - one of the main selling points of Emacs.

That doesn't mean there is not room for improvement, Emacs is still constantly improving. Additionally, I've encountered many instances where a colleague or friend introduces me to some new feature in their preferred application, the majority of the time it's a feature that's been available in Emacs for years if not decades.

I'd prefer we continue to focus on the needs of Emacs users rather than the wants of non-emacs users. Emacs will still be waiting for them when they're ready.

I've never looked under the hood of a `cdr` implementation but I feel pretty confident in saying that it's likely to be an incremented pointer most of the time.

Learning C (and even a little ASM), gives a better understanding of the underlying layers. I think that provides a great foundation for learning a scheme, and then branching out from there.

It's not a cult, its just that the cases where the risks of passing by value would be worth any perceived advantage are so few that it just doesn't make sense to even consider it.

It's not like it's a flimsy tribal based claim, the guidance is solid.

If you have any questions or attempt to have a discussion most doctors assume a 'where did you go to medical school' mentality, proceed to type your symptoms into an app, and then simply regurgitate the output.

Giving a number early on in the process only weakens my position when it comes time to negotiate, waiting for an intital offer to counter is in my best interest. I apologize if that makes me a 'not great hire'.

If you're happy to provide a range, great, if I'm still there doesn't that generally indicate that the range is in line with my expectations?

I guess your comment kind of makes sense, I can see how corporate might interpret 'this person looks out for themselves' as a potentially bad hire.