It actively refuses to download Chrome since Windows Server 2016. The fastest bypass I do is by first downloading Firefox and then download Chrome from Firefox.
My theory has been a little different. IIRC Horn and Please are written on the two sides asking the tailing vehicle to blow the Horn. And the OK comes from the OK word written on the bumper (in the middle) by the manufacturer. This was a requirement as far as back in the 80s (may be even earlier) to stamp the OK (on the lines of OK TESTED) I guess. People got habituated into reading Horn OK Please and the integrated with the culture.
I'd a long weekend off and reflect on my situation if I were in your place. But mostly, you're just going through a culture shock. It'll pass. If you want, you can discuss your concerns with the department head. People are generally accommodating. Try to word it in a non confrontational manner (pretty much like you did here). If you are ready to take the leap, learn their language, their work culture and their tech stack. If you don't want to go through all these hassles and adjust, then either you should become a loner (who just minds his own business and comes back) or simply quit. I'd say try to hang on depending on the duration of your assignment. But if you're looking out for a long term relationship, then you'll *have* to change if you wanna stick around.
Fedora used to be on the bleeding edge ages ago.... For anybody who abandoned it after FC8, I'd say you can definitely give it another shot. A lot has changed in the past decade. I run it even in my production servers (yeah, I know RHEL is there but I don't want to pay for subscription) alongside Debian and it has never crashed on me.
It all depends on how your lead (manager/RA/whatever you call him) manages the team. If everything is on the cloud and sensible 'pairs' are maintained with a practical CI (minus all the ridiculous performance metrics bloatware) behind good repositories, then you have lost nothing.
Office space is overrated and makes sense only when micromanagement is essential (that IMHO should never be the case).
Ads are not the only way FAANG tracks you. You need to get rid of everything owned by them like your Android phone (yes, the hardware, apart from the brick, is only licensed to you, so still owned by them), Google maps etc. And find alternatives like S60 phones, Openstreetmaps etc.
The only reason why I took up CS in my majors was 'because' it changes fast. Cuz then this was the only job role where nobody could ever condescend to me that 'ye're just a kid!' Unlike a classical engineering branch, say in Mechanical or Electrical where the last major development happened in 1845. Because everybody is a kid their whole lives in the CS world.
HR version: The bell curve of emp performance. (figures collated from workday/slack or some other metrics) So the worst performers are adjusted (read purged) to get to a better standard for the next 'cycle'.