Yeah the way the file system works is of the big differences from windows. That can def be a point of frustration.
There are linux approaches to having your /boot, /root, /usr on another partition or drive. It’s been common to separate them for a good while and in fact many or most linux installers ask where you want each of them to live (might be in advanced settings).
It takes time to learn a new system. Keep going!
What kinds of beginner guides do you think would have helped you get most things done? (genuine question - trying to help documentation writers understand new user issues)
That is not true. The terms of service cover “your access and use of Server Operator’s (“Administrator”, “we”, or “us”) instance”. Access includes reading data from the server.
@Aurora: I think most Pixelfed instances/apps have a way to block NSFW content. You’ll have to make sure your sister has NSFW content blocking on (and keeps it on) and you’ll want to check in with her every now and then about her experience there. I think marking images as NSFW is optional for the person posting the content, so not every single NSFW image will necessarily be blocked. It’s hard to give someone a completely clean social media experience.
One other thing you can try: look for instances that are focused on a topic your sister enjoys that is not likely to have NSFW content in it, like ppl who are interested in trains or playing a musical instrument. There are some here: https://fediverse.party/en/portal/servers/ (but you should check the server before she joins)
to all the commenters saying the fediverse is not a good place: these kids are going to be on social media, one way or another. It could be tiktok, bluesky, snapchat, or whatever else they can get onto. Some (but not all) parts of the fediverse should be accessible to them. Ofc that means someone has to do the hard work of hosting those instances, which is not easy. Just saying “this isn’t for you” isn’t doing teens or the fediverse or parents any favors.
For most relatively-nontechnical users, UX is among the most important parts of any OS. As long as it “feels snappy” and doesn’t run out of memory too quickly, marginal differences in resource usage won’t even register. Ideological considerations about being in control have been there since the beginning of Linux – it’s only the absolute horror of Windows 11 that has brought that to a crisis point that has more people switching.
I make these points out of frustration with some linux software devs who seem to hold UX in contempt. Darktable, for example, is powerful enough to pull tons of market share from the ever-more-expensive-and-resource-hungry Lightroom/Photoshop, but the mediocre UX is a powerful disincentive. “Fork it!” is… an answer. But, despite using Linux, I’ve never written a line of code. Neither have most of photographers in the world currently using Adobe products. UX is extremely valuable and shouldn’t be a second-order consideration.
Seafile or nextcloud