4 ms·

I just bought a System76 and let the Mac languish on my desk. I lost years of my life trying to adjust to that terrible, terrible operating system. It hamstring

I just bought a System76 and let the Mac languish on my desk. I lost years of my life trying to adjust to that terrible, terrible operating system. It hamstrings everything. Want to install X, well on linux you just apt-get or yum or whatever. Mac has HomeBrew and the other one. Unfortunately the documentation on how to best install that software installer changes, which leads to odd instabilities. Nothings as community supported as a result. Shortcuts are terrible because you have to constantly flex the hands in to hit Mac Key + whatever. Successive releases are buggy. I get betas being unstable, but whole releases have issues for about a month. All this for only an extra $600 per laptop with less ram. Oh, speaking of RAM, OSX sucks at allocating it. Yes, yes, "unused RAM is wasted RAM". So is used swap on a SSD that's soldered to the frickin' frame of the laptop. Nothing says great use of time and resources like replacing the entire upper of the laptop. It's not an AR-15. These parts should be easily removed.

cptskippy 9y ago
I would argue that it's easier to strip an AR-15 to replace the upper receiver.
- virmundi 9y ago
  That is true, but I never understand why mix and match uppers and lowers? Why use a DPMS lower with a Sig upper? Makes no sense. Best I can figure is that in a war situation with a gun of questionable stability, swapping parts might give you an advantage in survivability.
  - megaman22 9y ago
    I believe one of the biggest reasons is that nonsensical gun control laws make it difficult to purchase entire rifles in some states, while you can relatively easily buy the components and do the trivial assembly yourself.
    - cptskippy 9y ago
      It is illegal to sell guns with certain characteristics (e.g. fully automatic fire, select fire) without possessing a Federal Firearms License which carries certain onerous requirements of the seller. It is not however illegal to own or make such guns. Because the AR15 is so modular in nature and parts like the stock and barrel don't dictate if the firearm is automatic, federal laws dictate that the lower receiver is what is actually considered the firearm. Since regulated and unregulated AR15 lowers are mostly identical, and the point at which they diverge is a nonfunctional state, manufacturers can make incomplete or 80% complete AR15 lowers that aren't considered firearms. You can then take these lowers and complete them yourself at home to have an unregistered firearm that you could not otherwise posses without registration.
  - cptskippy 9y ago
    Lots of reasons! The US Army has interchangeability requirements for different rifles based around the AR-15. Different rifles use different barrels, gas systems, and ammunition requiring or eliminating the need for certain features. Civilians will also often have requirements that are unusual such as left side porting and assists. Not all manufacturers are going to make all of these variations thus you might choose to mix and match based on your needs. It's also quite common for civilians to make their own lowers to circumvent federal regulations around owning fully automatic weapons. The M4 has a shorter barrel and thus short and higher pressure gas system. This results in a higher bolt velocity and rate of fire. Because of this and the fact that you typically use M855s in the M4, you can run into feed issues since the bullet tip is more pointed. Because of this they altered the angle of the feed-ramp however that modification caused issue when machined into the upper and so it's preferred for your barrel to have the feed-ramp. Thus your upper and barrel have to be closely paired and are also M4 specific. None of this however affects any compatibility with the lower. The forward-assist and chrome-lined bores were introduced due to extraction issues experienced during Vietnam with the M16. These were attributed to improper maintenance of the rifle and quality issues with the ammunition. Since neither of those are really issues in civilian rifles and add complexity and expense, they not explicitly needed. So there exist options for uppers without. Left port and assist uppers are also relatively uncommon but sought after in civilian rifles.
saagarjha 9y ago
> Mac has HomeBrew and the other one. MacPorts. > Unfortunately the documentation on how to best install that software installer changes, which leads to odd instabilities. https://github.com/macports/macports-base/releases/download/v2.4.2/MacPorts-2.4.2-10.13-HighSierra.pkg https://github.com/macports/macports-base/releases/download/... > Shortcuts are terrible because you have to constantly flex the hands in to hit Mac Key + whatever. The key is near where your thumb should be anyways…
- virmundi 9y ago
  Nope it should be under your pinkie to get the span of your hand. Otherwise you're constantly crossing the fingers into an ok for which atrophies the muscles. You're wearing the joint and nerve of the thumb. "Cut" should be left hand pinky on Ctrl and left hand index finger on C. Similiar for paste. Most shortcuts cross the keyboard. Often left hand ctrl and right hand key in such a way as to extend both hands out. As to brew there was some argument back when I first installed it that it should run as sudo. Then that was found to be terrible, but unless one really gets into brew and all that, figuring out how to undo the mess is neigh on impossible. So my answer was screw it. I do most of my server work in Linux VMs. Anything I need I'll just work in those too. Then there's the terrible productivity from loosing shortcuts. You see, in the non-Apple world, the Alt key brings up the menu. Now if one pays attention, they can find that hitting Alt + Lettered Key can pick the menu that opens. Further, a bit more sleuthing shows that (while holding Alt, often) letters within the menu items get little bars under them. By pressing that letter while the menu opens, the software reacts as if the mouse manually scurried across the screen to the menu, then down to the sub item and then clicked it. The benefit is that more shortcuts opened up. IDE became even more powerful by allowing chording (like a piano). Unlike Emacs, the chords are often dual handed so the hands span more than contract. Interestingly, while the precise keyboard strokes are different, the general idea transfer across most windowed environments in Linux and Windows. Apple eschewed this for reason I don't know, and won't deign the idea they did it solely out of hubris back in the Lisa era.
  - danso 9y ago
    > As to brew there was some argument back when I first installed it that it should run as sudo. I've been using brew for nearly as long as it has existed. AFAIK, the point of the tool was to make it so that sudo would be unnecessary for installing individual packages. Are you suggesting there was a debate over whether installing homebrew itself should require sudo? I don't see how that would have been recommended, given that sudo itself is executed in the install script and is needed, among other things, to create `/usr/local`. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/in...
redial 9y ago
A train is a bad airplane, got it.
- virmundi 9y ago
  I don't follow the argument. Both are competing to be a development machine. I contend that Linux is superior when operating the memory subsystem, machine maintenance (like removing the drive or battery), and general ergonomic usability. OS X beats Linux on the laptop for battery power, keyboard layout (I know people don't like th chicklet keys, but every Linux laptop has an integrated number pad which cramps things to the left), and chassis. System76's plastic does feel cheap. My personal choice is that the benefits of Linux outweigh the benefits of Apple. Apple is expensive by half (my laptop has a slightly slower CPU than my old Mac but 32 GB of RAM vs 16 and new SSD with a replaceable battery. The Mac would be $2600 vs the Linux $1500). For example, my wife's laptop is my old i7. Not the best i7 any more, but it still runs quick, has 16 GB of RAM, a new battery and a new SSD. To get that same capability, I would have had to pay $2400.
  - redial 9y ago
    > I don't follow the argument. That is the problem. I don’t know why you think that the only criteria valuable for comparison is your definition of development. Different people have different needs. For you a mac is clearly not the answer; for you. Personally, my hands are very uncomfortable every time I have to hold ctrl-a to select all.
    - virmundi 9y ago
      I'd argue that they don't really fit most needs. To your issue with ctrl-a, fair concern, but you could just as easily use pinkie + ring finger. It's less movement than mac + a. Again, your hand remains open. Mac closes the hand, which increase nerve and joint issues. Even if I grant the keyboard, at least in Linux you can easily layout a new keyboard. OSX makes that a pain. You end up having to purchase a tool that jimmies with the system internals to get the mapping to work more than 75%. Ultimately I agree with the idea that it's people's own money. They should be free do with it as they please (though ironically many of the most ardent OSX users are near authoritarians like AntiFa that want to tax people to support pet ideas and the general removal of freedom). My point above was to commiserating with the OP that Apple produces overrated products when it comes to utility. If one prefers form over function, Apple is the way to go. If one prefers function/price over form, anyone else is better.

cptskippy 9y ago

I would argue that it's easier to strip an AR-15 to replace the upper receiver.

virmundi 9y ago
That is true, but I never understand why mix and match uppers and lowers? Why use a DPMS lower with a Sig upper? Makes no sense. Best I can figure is that in a war situation with a gun of questionable stability, swapping parts might give you an advantage in survivability.
- megaman22 9y ago
  I believe one of the biggest reasons is that nonsensical gun control laws make it difficult to purchase entire rifles in some states, while you can relatively easily buy the components and do the trivial assembly yourself.
  - cptskippy 9y ago
    It is illegal to sell guns with certain characteristics (e.g. fully automatic fire, select fire) without possessing a Federal Firearms License which carries certain onerous requirements of the seller. It is not however illegal to own or make such guns. Because the AR15 is so modular in nature and parts like the stock and barrel don't dictate if the firearm is automatic, federal laws dictate that the lower receiver is what is actually considered the firearm. Since regulated and unregulated AR15 lowers are mostly identical, and the point at which they diverge is a nonfunctional state, manufacturers can make incomplete or 80% complete AR15 lowers that aren't considered firearms. You can then take these lowers and complete them yourself at home to have an unregistered firearm that you could not otherwise posses without registration.
- cptskippy 9y ago
  Lots of reasons! The US Army has interchangeability requirements for different rifles based around the AR-15. Different rifles use different barrels, gas systems, and ammunition requiring or eliminating the need for certain features. Civilians will also often have requirements that are unusual such as left side porting and assists. Not all manufacturers are going to make all of these variations thus you might choose to mix and match based on your needs. It's also quite common for civilians to make their own lowers to circumvent federal regulations around owning fully automatic weapons. The M4 has a shorter barrel and thus short and higher pressure gas system. This results in a higher bolt velocity and rate of fire. Because of this and the fact that you typically use M855s in the M4, you can run into feed issues since the bullet tip is more pointed. Because of this they altered the angle of the feed-ramp however that modification caused issue when machined into the upper and so it's preferred for your barrel to have the feed-ramp. Thus your upper and barrel have to be closely paired and are also M4 specific. None of this however affects any compatibility with the lower. The forward-assist and chrome-lined bores were introduced due to extraction issues experienced during Vietnam with the M16. These were attributed to improper maintenance of the rifle and quality issues with the ammunition. Since neither of those are really issues in civilian rifles and add complexity and expense, they not explicitly needed. So there exist options for uppers without. Left port and assist uppers are also relatively uncommon but sought after in civilian rifles.

saagarjha 9y ago

> Mac has HomeBrew and the other one. MacPorts. > Unfortunately the documentation on how to best install that software installer changes, which leads to odd instabilities. https://github.com/macports/macports-base/releases/download/v2.4.2/MacPorts-2.4.2-10.13-HighSierra.pkg https://github.com/macports/macports-base/releases/download/... > Shortcuts are terrible because you have to constantly flex the hands in to hit Mac Key + whatever. The key is near where your thumb should be anyways…

virmundi 9y ago
Nope it should be under your pinkie to get the span of your hand. Otherwise you're constantly crossing the fingers into an ok for which atrophies the muscles. You're wearing the joint and nerve of the thumb. "Cut" should be left hand pinky on Ctrl and left hand index finger on C. Similiar for paste. Most shortcuts cross the keyboard. Often left hand ctrl and right hand key in such a way as to extend both hands out. As to brew there was some argument back when I first installed it that it should run as sudo. Then that was found to be terrible, but unless one really gets into brew and all that, figuring out how to undo the mess is neigh on impossible. So my answer was screw it. I do most of my server work in Linux VMs. Anything I need I'll just work in those too. Then there's the terrible productivity from loosing shortcuts. You see, in the non-Apple world, the Alt key brings up the menu. Now if one pays attention, they can find that hitting Alt + Lettered Key can pick the menu that opens. Further, a bit more sleuthing shows that (while holding Alt, often) letters within the menu items get little bars under them. By pressing that letter while the menu opens, the software reacts as if the mouse manually scurried across the screen to the menu, then down to the sub item and then clicked it. The benefit is that more shortcuts opened up. IDE became even more powerful by allowing chording (like a piano). Unlike Emacs, the chords are often dual handed so the hands span more than contract. Interestingly, while the precise keyboard strokes are different, the general idea transfer across most windowed environments in Linux and Windows. Apple eschewed this for reason I don't know, and won't deign the idea they did it solely out of hubris back in the Lisa era.
- danso 9y ago
  > As to brew there was some argument back when I first installed it that it should run as sudo. I've been using brew for nearly as long as it has existed. AFAIK, the point of the tool was to make it so that sudo would be unnecessary for installing individual packages. Are you suggesting there was a debate over whether installing homebrew itself should require sudo? I don't see how that would have been recommended, given that sudo itself is executed in the install script and is needed, among other things, to create `/usr/local`. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/in...

redial 9y ago

A train is a bad airplane, got it.

virmundi 9y ago
I don't follow the argument. Both are competing to be a development machine. I contend that Linux is superior when operating the memory subsystem, machine maintenance (like removing the drive or battery), and general ergonomic usability. OS X beats Linux on the laptop for battery power, keyboard layout (I know people don't like th chicklet keys, but every Linux laptop has an integrated number pad which cramps things to the left), and chassis. System76's plastic does feel cheap. My personal choice is that the benefits of Linux outweigh the benefits of Apple. Apple is expensive by half (my laptop has a slightly slower CPU than my old Mac but 32 GB of RAM vs 16 and new SSD with a replaceable battery. The Mac would be $2600 vs the Linux $1500). For example, my wife's laptop is my old i7. Not the best i7 any more, but it still runs quick, has 16 GB of RAM, a new battery and a new SSD. To get that same capability, I would have had to pay $2400.
- redial 9y ago
  > I don't follow the argument. That is the problem. I don’t know why you think that the only criteria valuable for comparison is your definition of development. Different people have different needs. For you a mac is clearly not the answer; for you. Personally, my hands are very uncomfortable every time I have to hold ctrl-a to select all.
  - virmundi 9y ago
    I'd argue that they don't really fit most needs. To your issue with ctrl-a, fair concern, but you could just as easily use pinkie + ring finger. It's less movement than mac + a. Again, your hand remains open. Mac closes the hand, which increase nerve and joint issues. Even if I grant the keyboard, at least in Linux you can easily layout a new keyboard. OSX makes that a pain. You end up having to purchase a tool that jimmies with the system internals to get the mapping to work more than 75%. Ultimately I agree with the idea that it's people's own money. They should be free do with it as they please (though ironically many of the most ardent OSX users are near authoritarians like AntiFa that want to tax people to support pet ideas and the general removal of freedom). My point above was to commiserating with the OP that Apple produces overrated products when it comes to utility. If one prefers form over function, Apple is the way to go. If one prefers function/price over form, anyone else is better.