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I do everything in linux already (development, web surfing, documents, etc), so I would have no problem with using linux at work. I think there are more Linux

by LeBlanc 16y ago

I do everything in linux already (development, web surfing, documents, etc), so I would have no problem with using linux at work. I think there are more Linux users on HN than you realize. I found this poll: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687267 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687267 which seems to indicate that there are roughly the same number of linux users as OSX users.

ewjordan 16y ago
I suspect a lot of people using OS X would be perfectly fine with Linux, but Apple's hardware and support go so far above and beyond what you get from most stock Windows laptop manufacturers, it just feels like you have a better product in your hands when you buy a Macbook Pro than it would if you bought the relative beast of a machine you could get if you went for something non-Apple. And OS X works well enough (and does things in just a Unix-y enough fashion) that there's no really compelling reason to use Linux on the Apple hardware. Not to mention those of us that do iPhone dev...
- rabh 16y ago
  I agree that for most development projects, OS X will work fine. We've had interns in the past though who failed to get even the basics of our system working in os x. The complete one is guaranteed to not run due to kernel modules we use that are only available for linux. On the hardware, is not receiving Apple's a dealbreaker? Apples is definitely quite nice - and if we issued someone some low-end netbook I would definitely see a morale issue that could occur. But a Thinkpad T-series is very high end (imo, better than a macbook when using linux)
  - ewjordan 16y ago
    Not at all a dealbreaker, no - if you're buying the systems, it makes sense to buy what you are able to afford and support the best. I was more responding negatively to the idea that other machines wouldn't be allowed to be used in development at all (personal machines, for instance, which almost every person worth hiring will have at least one of, and in many cases, which they'll vastly prefer to use), but I re-read, and realize that you mentioned security concerns. That changes matters quite a bit, assuming the security issues are really important (having an internally-perceived killer app and worrying about it getting out -> not necessarily very important; working in an industry where competitors regularly steal trade secrets [finance and gambling, for instance], or where regulations/investors demand tight security, -> important!); I would usually be annoyed if I was not allowed to use my personal machine for dev, but if there are legit security requirements, it's a lot more understandable, and I wouldn't have any problems at all using a standardized stack. Honestly, from my point of view I'd be fine with any OS restriction that's not Windows. It sounds like OS X is not a real option for the work that you need people to do, so it's perfectly reasonable to insist on Linux, and the Thinkpads are very nice machines (I actually quite like the "nub" for mouse control), so I don't think you'll hear too many complaints if you offer them.

by LeBlanc 16y ago

ewjordan 16y ago

I suspect a lot of people using OS X would be perfectly fine with Linux, but Apple's hardware and support go so far above and beyond what you get from most stock Windows laptop manufacturers, it just feels like you have a better product in your hands when you buy a Macbook Pro than it would if you bought the relative beast of a machine you could get if you went for something non-Apple. And OS X works well enough (and does things in just a Unix-y enough fashion) that there's no really compelling reason to use Linux on the Apple hardware. Not to mention those of us that do iPhone dev...

rabh 16y ago
I agree that for most development projects, OS X will work fine. We've had interns in the past though who failed to get even the basics of our system working in os x. The complete one is guaranteed to not run due to kernel modules we use that are only available for linux. On the hardware, is not receiving Apple's a dealbreaker? Apples is definitely quite nice - and if we issued someone some low-end netbook I would definitely see a morale issue that could occur. But a Thinkpad T-series is very high end (imo, better than a macbook when using linux)
- ewjordan 16y ago
  Not at all a dealbreaker, no - if you're buying the systems, it makes sense to buy what you are able to afford and support the best. I was more responding negatively to the idea that other machines wouldn't be allowed to be used in development at all (personal machines, for instance, which almost every person worth hiring will have at least one of, and in many cases, which they'll vastly prefer to use), but I re-read, and realize that you mentioned security concerns. That changes matters quite a bit, assuming the security issues are really important (having an internally-perceived killer app and worrying about it getting out -> not necessarily very important; working in an industry where competitors regularly steal trade secrets [finance and gambling, for instance], or where regulations/investors demand tight security, -> important!); I would usually be annoyed if I was not allowed to use my personal machine for dev, but if there are legit security requirements, it's a lot more understandable, and I wouldn't have any problems at all using a standardized stack. Honestly, from my point of view I'd be fine with any OS restriction that's not Windows. It sounds like OS X is not a real option for the work that you need people to do, so it's perfectly reasonable to insist on Linux, and the Thinkpads are very nice machines (I actually quite like the "nub" for mouse control), so I don't think you'll hear too many complaints if you offer them.