Linux Mint and EV cars (Humor)

[CloneWerks]

Having been 100% Mint at home for the better part of a year now I've found some amusing parallels to when I bought an EV.

1) Maintenance
Both my EV and Linux Mint require less maintenance. So much less in fact that I sometimes get this low- level anxiety that I'm not taking proper care of things.

2) Cleanliness
Once everything was adjusted to my satisfaction, both run so cleanly and quietly that going back to Windows, or an ICE vehicle is actually jarring to me.

3) Interface
Both my EV and Linux Mint have some interface choices that are fantastic, and some that make me scratch my head in puzzlement. Unfortunately, I'm not anywhere near the type of programmer/hacker who can go and change that sort of thing (LOL).

4) Haters
The parallel behavior of EV and Linux Haters is astonishingly similar. At least Linux doesn't have to deal with people cutting power cables and intentionally blocking charging stations.

[JTJersey]

Love my Mint Linux, loath EVs. Sorry.

[gflash]

4) Haters
The parallel behavior of EV and Linux Haters is astonishingly similar. At least Linux doesn't have to deal with people cutting power cables and intentionally blocking charging stations.

That... happens?

I do like both EVs and Mint, but there are also differences. For example, EVs are quite expensive, while Mint is abolutely free.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

4) Haters
The parallel behavior of EV and Linux Haters is astonishingly similar. At least Linux doesn't have to deal with people cutting power cables and intentionally blocking charging stations.

That... happens? ...

Yup!

https://apnews.com/article/electric-veh ... 7dd3402f3a

https://www.techspot.com/news/78089-tes ... s-but.html

https://insideevs.com/news/421071/video ... a-charger/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtemple ... tte-arise/

The older I get, the more I prefer dogs to people.

[gflash]

Unbelievable. I'm so happy living in civilized Europe where such things are absolutely unthinkable.

https://europe.autonews.com/article/201 ... g-in-paris

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-67893216

https://electrek.co/2024/07/15/tesla-cy ... activists/

https://instavolt.co.uk/uks-leading-ev- ... vandalism/

[klu9]

Yup!

https://apnews.com/article/electric-veh ... 7dd3402f3a

https://www.techspot.com/news/78089-tes ... s-but.html

https://insideevs.com/news/421071/video ... a-charger/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtemple ... tte-arise/

The older I get, the more I prefer dogs to people.

At least Windows users don't walk up to Linux boxes & Macs and pour coffee all over them... yet.

I'd say I hope these folks grow out of defining themselves by being hateful to "others", but the pandemic showed that many would literally rather die than give up their identity of hatred.

[RollyShed]

At least ... users don't walk up to ... Macs and pour coffee all over them... yet...

No, he poured a cup of tea over it.
At least the storage card was OK and I got his university assignment off it for him....

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Love my Mint Linux, loath EVs. Sorry.

Forgive my curiosity but why do you hate EVs?

EVs can't meet my needs due to limited range and they are more expensive than cars or trucks with infernal combustion engines (and I need a pickup truck) and my electrical service at home is too small to support fast charging so, currently, they aren't for me (probably never since I'll probably die before they become practical enough for me) but those aren't reasons for me to hate them.

[Graham43]

At least Windows users don't walk up to Linux boxes & Macs and pour coffee all over them... yet.

I'd say I hope these folks grow out of defining themselves by being hateful to "others", but the pandemic showed that many would literally rather die than give up their identity of hatred.

Out of genuine curiosity what do you mean by this klu9?

[Pjotr]

Love my Mint Linux, loath EVs. Sorry.

Likewise. EVs just cause too much anxiety for their owners. "Will I be able to make this trip with this charge?" "What if I have headwind on the way back?" "Can I safely turn the heater on, or will it decrease the mileage too much?"

Hybrids make sense. EVs don't.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Love my Mint Linux, loath EVs. Sorry.

Likewise. EVs just cause too much anxiety for their owners. "Will I be able to make this trip with this charge?" "What if I have headwind on the way back?" "Can I safely turn the heater on, or will it decrease the mileage too much?"

I have friends who have had a couple of Chebby (Chevrolet) EVs and they have been happy with them. They were used just for commuter cars and grocery getters so the limited range wasn't an issue. They could use heat and AC without worrying about running out of juice before easily getting home in time to recharge overnight (and they didn't recharge every night).

For me, I need the capacity of a pickup truck, for cargo (building supplies, etc. that's far too large for a car) as well as passengers and the range I can get from gasoline (petrol, as our friends on the east side of the pond call it; I just call it high priced go juice). When I run low on go juice, it takes only a few minutes to refuel plus places to get the go juice are far more plentiful than EV recharging stations. I drive as much as 400 to 800 miles on road trips.

For me, EVs are also not cost effective. I refer to my big F150 as my economy vehicle since it's paid for. As long as it continues to work well (it has less than 70,000 miles on it and I recently had gone through to get it back up to snuff), the cost of go juice is far less than payments on a EV pickup truck, not to mention, no one makes a reliable one with the capacity and range mine has.

All that is no reason for me to hate EVs. What I hate is Government trying to ram them down our throats before they are ready for prime time.

[diyliberty]

There are Linux haters? I must live a sheltered life because I have never met one. The most common reaction I get when people figure out I am using Linux and not Windows or macOS is surprise. Most people have never seen a Linux desktop in use.

[wwblm]

All that is no reason for me to hate EVs. What I hate is Government trying to ram them down our throats before they are ready for prime time.

I agree with everything you said except for this. IIRC, you are even older than I am. I don't know how tax credits could constitute ramming something down our throats so I assume you mean some sort of future target? I do not understand how the government is ramming this down our throats.

What I do remember is a General Motors training school presentation about government forcing them to burn gas cleaner than anyone thought possible at the time. The guy put up an overhead (not many youngsters have actually had information presented this way.) that showed how the government was forcing them to reduce pollution each year going forward to the point that was beyond their capabilities. He held up a 4 barrel corroborator that could meet these strict requirements and said it cost $450 and was so complicated that if it was not functioning to spec they weren't even sure that they could fix it. He then held up a throttle body unit that he said would be a $150 replacement part. That was driven by a computer and a few sensors which we learned about how they controlled the throttle body to burn the fuel in compliance with the government regulations. IIRC, he said the bill for the first two of those computers was $40K and they expected them to be a $150 replacement part -- and that did come to pass.

I doubt anyone will ever realize the full extent to which those incredibly invasive government regulations drove real innovations in computing power, (add in 50K mandated warranty that it would work) and manufacturing capability.

Like you, i will be long dead before the EV thing gets sorted but I have lived through something similar and I just don't believe the government is necessarily the bad guy.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

All that is no reason for me to hate EVs. What I hate is Government trying to ram them down our throats before they are ready for prime time.

I agree with everything you said except for this. IIRC, you are even older than I am. I don't know how tax credits could constitute ramming something down our throats so I assume you mean some sort of future target? I do not understand how the government is ramming this down our throats....Like you, i will be long dead before the EV thing gets sorted but I have lived through something similar and I just don't believe the government is necessarily the bad guy.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4098 ... fter-2035/

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... te-in-2024

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politi ... 0-n1275995


"Nuff" said.

[wwblm]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4098 ... fter-2035/

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... te-in-2024

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politi ... 0-n1275995


"Nuff" said.

Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the CA thing and I guess that qualifies as ramming it down our throats. The Federal thing not so much. Non-binding targets...

Just saying that in my life I've seen a bunch of government ramming things down our throats as well as rivers burning, LA in the 70s, many thousands of needless deaths, a few of which I can put names to, and a whole bunch of change. The mandates for things like river discharges, tailpipe emissions, seat belts, unleaded gas etc have profoundly changed the world from that in which I grew up. No market signals would have accomplished these things and the improvements have been stunning and good. Only time will tell about EVs. Personally I think it will take a new battery chemistry for things to really take off.

[ugly]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a4098 ... fter-2035/

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/11 ... te-in-2024

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politi ... 0-n1275995


"Nuff" said.

Thanks for the info. I was not aware of the CA thing and I guess that qualifies as ramming it down our throats. The Federal thing not so much. Non-binding targets...

To me, when a subject is framed in some way as 'being forced by government', it is a big red flag. Because when something is framed in terms of freedom or a freedom being taken away the intention is to evoke a strong emotional response. And it is an effective tactic used by particular ideological and business interest for driving public opinion. It can turn people who are very reasonable into taking very polemic stances. Which is one reason why we immediately see people claiming that they 'hate' EVs.

A 10 year timeline for changing to EVs is a bit of a stretch in terms of something being rammed down people's throats. While there are increasing targets each year, a 10 year timespan is a long runway. Particularly if the concern is that the technology is not ready. And the ban only applies to new cars sold, so it does not prevent people from using and reselling their ICE vehicles long after 2035.

[Professor_Slughorn]

The big difference between EVs and Linux is that while EVs will eventually reach 50%+ of all vehicles, Linux is unlikely to reach more than a few percent of desktop users.

“A criticism often leveled against Linux is the abundance of distributions available. As of July 2023, DistroWatch lists 250 active distributions. Critics cite the large number as cause for confusion to prospective users and argue it is a factor preventing the widespread adoption of Linux on consumer desktops. Alexander Wolfe wrote in InformationWeek:

Remember the 1980s worries about how the "forking" of Unix could hurt that operating system's chances for adoption? That was nothing compared to the mess we've got today with Linux, where upwards of 300 distributions vie for the attention of computer users seeking an alternative to Windows.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism ... ktop_Linux

Linux also has a problem with developers, programmers and maintainers scattered among hundreds of distributions. They are all doing the same thing. On the Mate website they show 22 different distributions using Mate. Each distribution needs people to get Mate to work on their distribution and to maintain it. This is a waste of resources. https://mate-desktop.org/

The great thing about EVs is that they provide an alternative to gasoline and diesel vehicles. They will help keep gasoline and diesel prices lower. All those people that dislike EVs will change their mind when the price of fuel gets high enough.

At some point we will reach “Peak Oil”. Not sure when that will happen. If I had to guess it could be in the next 10 to 20 years. At this point prices will climb and people will seek alternatives. Been keeping an eye on KSA, Bakken and Permian oil production to see if there is any signs of a slowdown.

On a personal note, we are unlikely to buy an EV in the next 5 to 10 years. We drive under 10,000 miles a year (two vehicles). Spending $30,000 for an EV and a couple thousand to add a charger to save $20-$30 a month is a non-starter. There is no payback. We would also need to replace the electrical panel.

[klu9]

Out of genuine curiosity what do you mean by this klu9?

There were many reported cases of people who chose to tribally identify as anti-mask and anti-vaccine, got Covid and died. Who, before they got sick and died, made disparaging, even hateful comments about/to people who masked up and got vaccinated, online and IRL, basically because those people were clearly of "the other tribe". And while some repented on their deathbeds, many wouldn't even then.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...The great thing about EVs is that they provide an alternative to gasoline and diesel vehicles. They will help keep gasoline and diesel prices lower. All those people that dislike EVs will change their mind when the price of fuel gets high enough...

Fuel is going to have to get pretty darned high to eclipse the overall costs of EVs. You hit on some of the reasons in this next part of your post

...On a personal note, we are unlikely to buy an EV in the next 5 to 10 years. We drive under 10,000 miles a year (two vehicles). Spending $30,000 for an EV and a couple thousand to add a charger to save $20-$30 a month is a non-starter. There is no payback. We would also need to replace the electrical panel.

I'm not so sure I would be able to save $30-$50 a month, if anything at all. Power companies are having a hard time now keeping up with demand. EVs will increase that demand. Besides higher demand results in higher prices, the cost power companies will incur for the new infrastructure that will be needed to meet that demand which will be aggravated by the necessary regulatory restrictions needed to prevent further harm to our environment, all of which will make electricity prices soar even more.

Besides the higher cost of EVs in the first place, maintenance will be far more expensive. Not only will that honkin' big and extremely expensive battery need to be replaced after just a few years, the cost of safe disposal of that battery will also be a honkin' big expense. Added to that is there is a limited supply of lithium in the world which will drive battery cost even higher. Battery technology needs to improve dramatically before switching to EVs en masse will be practical.

I have only a 50A service to my mobile home (the other 50A outlet available to my lot goes to the AC). Besides being expensive for me to replace the service panel in my home, even if I DIY, the Mobile Home Court I live in would have to upgrade the pedestal where my electricity comes from, at my expense of course. Adding to that there is a possibility of the existing underground distribution lines feeding the pedestal not being able to support the added load (voltage drop to my home due to overloaded power lines is already pretty bad during the summer). If very many people get EVs, the Court would have to revamp the entire electrical system to handle the load which would cause our lot rents to skyrocket (which already have gone up a lot the past few years ).

I'm all far adopting EVs and getting our power from renewable sources but the technologies needed just will not be ready in the time frame governments seem to think their adoption should happen. On the flip side of the coin, we have big oil doing all it can to retard progress in that direction.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Out of genuine curiosity what do you mean by this klu9?

There were many reported cases of people who chose to tribally identify as anti-mask and anti-vaccine, got Covid and died. Who, before they got sick and died, made disparaging, even hateful comments about/to people who masked up and got vaccinated, online and IRL, basically because those people were clearly of "the other tribe". And while some repented on their deathbeds, many wouldn't even then.

And this is one reason of many my opinion of the collective intelligence of the human race has been rapidly plummeting.