someone complaining about something openly instead of using the proper channels
I refer you back to my original statement. I was not asking how to do something. I was grousing that basic tasks are extremely user-unfriendly to configure. I've fixed it on my computer. That's not the topic under discussion.
someone suggesting they use the proper channels
What proper channels? We're in a post claiming it's the YOTLD again, because OP apparently doesn't realise it's been claimed every year for the last couple decades. I'm posting about why that's not gonna happen this year either.
they denying that its an issue they can help fix but a general failing of the software/vendor (typical proprietary software-user behavior)
I could fix it. However, I have no intention of opening a PR and spending what little free time I have contributing to open source (I'll contribute money, but not my time). Kudos to those who do write and maintain open source, but that's not for me.
& 5.
I think you can see how we've diverged into entirely different directions already.
Because, please don't make that recommendation to anybody else. Of all the places for somebody to start contributing to open source, linux is probably among the top in complexity. And if it's a new user, as per the original topic of this post, and they can't figure out their issue from the million guides online, you're just ensuring they make a speedy return to windows.
Sad, we were almost aligning here. Now we will just have to disagree here.
I will make this exact recommendation to everyone in every situation because the end user mentality is making us speedrun our planet to shit. People need to take responsibility for their own stuff instead of letting corporations control them. This obviously means they need to relearn that an error is not a sign of bad code/software but something that can happen. The perfectionism this world is succumbing to is a cancer that will kill us all.