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I’ve also earnestly tried switching to Linux many times, over 15 years. My most recent attempt was just a month ago, after becoming infuriated by Windows Update

by psyc 9y ago

I’ve also earnestly tried switching to Linux many times, over 15 years. My most recent attempt was just a month ago, after becoming infuriated by Windows Update. It’s not terrible, but taking all of my daily work into account, it’s still not feasible on the whole. And the problems are about the same as always. Hardware compatibility, arduous installations and config (yak shaving), and stuff just not working. And the pervasive pattern, inherited from open source itself, that things have recursive dependencies, each involving their own incredible journey of configuration and workarounds. Always the journey, never the destination of getting work done. In the end, I clean installed Windows, set it up to minimize annoyance, and got on with work. I feel that, much like Blender, Linux requires a certain mindset. I suspect that mindset resembles either masochism or Stockholm Syndrome. I still have no complaints about MacOS.

secabeen 9y ago
Linux runs fine on desktop. I haven't had a significant issue in years on hardware that has the benefit of reliable wall power.
- psyc 9y ago
  That’s good to know. It’s true my last attempt was on a low end laptop. My qualms about my daily applications remain. I’m sure I’ll keep trying.
  - SlowBro 9y ago
    Linux SysAdmin here with 20 years’ experience: I love it on the server and hate it on the desktop. Always use the right tool for the job. But that’s a good analogy for this article. UNIX-like devices did eventually dominate the world, just not in the form factor we were expecting. I’m writing this on my pocketable UNIX device. You’ve probably heard of it; it’s called an iPhone. If one adds up all the devices in the world, Microsoft only owns a fraction of all of the operating systems installed.[1] Like the store keepers in this article, Microsoft failed to adapt but continued to rely on an increasingly failing business model (desktops). There will still be a place for Windows in 20 years but it will be a niche product like macOS is today. Unless they quickly adapt. I certainly prefer to Amazon something than go to a store. This story is one of struggling to protect a failing business model. Were I one of those business owners I would spend all of my (increasingly) free time learning to either sell online or tweak my service so that it’s so compelling that people would willingly dress, drive out, risk crowds, and pay more. I would get online (hah!) and find the world’s best retailers, find out what they’re doing, and emulate their success. There are still buggy whip manufacturers[2] but they learned what was needed to adapt. Adapt or get run over. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems# https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_sys... [2] https://www.uswhip.com/product/buggy-whips/ https://www.uswhip.com/product/buggy-whips/
    - ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
      > I love it on the server and hate it on the desktop It's an equal nightmare to develop on windows and deploy on Linux. But it's true. I have Linux systems running for couple of years with no downtime at all.
      - SlowBro 9y ago
        Not even for kernel updates?
        ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
        Yes it requires an restart for kernel but for one machine I never did for an year
- user9182031 9y ago
  I've found Linux usually works great on low end desktops with limited use (such as web browsing) but I've had many problems with modern GPUs and multiple displays. I upgraded to a 4k monitor and wanted to use my old monitor as a secondary and it required manual editing of configurations to support a setup with two monitors and two different resolutions. This is stuff that has worked on Windows or Mac for decades that Linux still hasn't figured out.
michaelmrose 9y ago
You don't buy a random laptop and hope it supports mac os right? How about buy something with linux instead of buy the cheapest junk you can get and hope it supports linux?
- psyc 9y ago
  Hardware compatibility is a good start. Your tone aside, you have a point. But that's only the first of many problems with Linux.
  - michaelmrose 9y ago
    While there are problems with linux I'm not sure you have correctly identified them. "And the pervasive pattern, inherited from open source itself, that things have recursive dependencies, each involving their own incredible journey of configuration and workarounds." You get software from repos. Your system figures out the dependencies for you I literally have no idea where you could possibly be coming from. "Hardware compatibility" Buy compatible hardware. "arduous installations" Don't know what you are talking about. Given well supported hardware installation is incredibly easy and has been for over a decade. " feel that, much like Blender, Linux requires a certain mindset. I suspect that mindset resembles either masochism or Stockholm Syndrome. I still have no complaints about MacOS." You accept that MacOS doesn't run on just any hardware, buy hardware from a vendor who sell you MacOS preinstalled on supported hardware and experience no issues. Can I propose that you would have similar lack of issues with a vendor who sells prepackaged linux solutions? Linux is bad in some ways but you are mostly kinda bad at linux. People installing hackintoshes seem to exist in a world that is fraught with pitfalls and workarounds but nobody expects MacOS to work out of the box on whatever. Linux by virtue of actually working on 99% of machines catches flack for only working optimally on 80%. To boot you wonder why apple who has received thousands of dollars from you works better than a product which you provide zero support for. Its super likely that if you and others who wanted open source solutions to work for them had spent 15 years giving open source software 10% of the support provided to closed source solutions you might have something closer to what you want.
    - 9y ago
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

by psyc 9y ago

secabeen 9y ago

Linux runs fine on desktop. I haven't had a significant issue in years on hardware that has the benefit of reliable wall power.

psyc 9y ago
That’s good to know. It’s true my last attempt was on a low end laptop. My qualms about my daily applications remain. I’m sure I’ll keep trying.
- SlowBro 9y ago
  Linux SysAdmin here with 20 years’ experience: I love it on the server and hate it on the desktop. Always use the right tool for the job. But that’s a good analogy for this article. UNIX-like devices did eventually dominate the world, just not in the form factor we were expecting. I’m writing this on my pocketable UNIX device. You’ve probably heard of it; it’s called an iPhone. If one adds up all the devices in the world, Microsoft only owns a fraction of all of the operating systems installed.[1] Like the store keepers in this article, Microsoft failed to adapt but continued to rely on an increasingly failing business model (desktops). There will still be a place for Windows in 20 years but it will be a niche product like macOS is today. Unless they quickly adapt. I certainly prefer to Amazon something than go to a store. This story is one of struggling to protect a failing business model. Were I one of those business owners I would spend all of my (increasingly) free time learning to either sell online or tweak my service so that it’s so compelling that people would willingly dress, drive out, risk crowds, and pay more. I would get online (hah!) and find the world’s best retailers, find out what they’re doing, and emulate their success. There are still buggy whip manufacturers[2] but they learned what was needed to adapt. Adapt or get run over. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems# https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_sys... [2] https://www.uswhip.com/product/buggy-whips/ https://www.uswhip.com/product/buggy-whips/
  - ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
    > I love it on the server and hate it on the desktop It's an equal nightmare to develop on windows and deploy on Linux. But it's true. I have Linux systems running for couple of years with no downtime at all.
    - SlowBro 9y ago
      Not even for kernel updates?
      - ganeshkrishnan 9y ago
        Yes it requires an restart for kernel but for one machine I never did for an year
user9182031 9y ago
I've found Linux usually works great on low end desktops with limited use (such as web browsing) but I've had many problems with modern GPUs and multiple displays. I upgraded to a 4k monitor and wanted to use my old monitor as a secondary and it required manual editing of configurations to support a setup with two monitors and two different resolutions. This is stuff that has worked on Windows or Mac for decades that Linux still hasn't figured out.

michaelmrose 9y ago

You don't buy a random laptop and hope it supports mac os right? How about buy something with linux instead of buy the cheapest junk you can get and hope it supports linux?

psyc 9y ago
Hardware compatibility is a good start. Your tone aside, you have a point. But that's only the first of many problems with Linux.
- michaelmrose 9y ago
  While there are problems with linux I'm not sure you have correctly identified them. "And the pervasive pattern, inherited from open source itself, that things have recursive dependencies, each involving their own incredible journey of configuration and workarounds." You get software from repos. Your system figures out the dependencies for you I literally have no idea where you could possibly be coming from. "Hardware compatibility" Buy compatible hardware. "arduous installations" Don't know what you are talking about. Given well supported hardware installation is incredibly easy and has been for over a decade. " feel that, much like Blender, Linux requires a certain mindset. I suspect that mindset resembles either masochism or Stockholm Syndrome. I still have no complaints about MacOS." You accept that MacOS doesn't run on just any hardware, buy hardware from a vendor who sell you MacOS preinstalled on supported hardware and experience no issues. Can I propose that you would have similar lack of issues with a vendor who sells prepackaged linux solutions? Linux is bad in some ways but you are mostly kinda bad at linux. People installing hackintoshes seem to exist in a world that is fraught with pitfalls and workarounds but nobody expects MacOS to work out of the box on whatever. Linux by virtue of actually working on 99% of machines catches flack for only working optimally on 80%. To boot you wonder why apple who has received thousands of dollars from you works better than a product which you provide zero support for. Its super likely that if you and others who wanted open source solutions to work for them had spent 15 years giving open source software 10% of the support provided to closed source solutions you might have something closer to what you want.
  - 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]