3 ms·

For most of the last 15 or so years, I've been running Linux on the desktop on a work or personal computer, actually, and wouldn't say it has always been a bad

For most of the last 15 or so years, I've been running Linux on the desktop on a work or personal computer, actually, and wouldn't say it has always been a bad choice. Some hardware + distro combinations have certainly made that easier than others, but the general trend has been towards a good experience. Certainly there's been less headache with the average Linux desktop, than some Windows (plus whatever Antivirus that the IT higher-ups have mandated) machines I've had... This particular laptop though, has highlighted the poor Linux support for "DPI Scaling" (a 15" 4K screen was the only option at the time), and touch screens. Combined with some questionable hardware design decisions (webcam, speakers), and some generally crap design (the TB16 dock) though, this whole package just isn't a purchase that I'm really happy about - and that's only partially about Linux. The touchpad might well be the sort of issue you describe, where a better driver could better adjust the sensitivity, but even there I'd look first at the vendor before blaming "the community". It's a shame really, because as these MacBook Pro threads attest, there are a lot of folks looking for something that's totally feasible, but no manufacturer seems to be aiming at...

funkydata 8y ago
Why don't you just use Windows with the included Ubuntu subsystem? https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10
- eptcyka 8y ago
  Because the I/O performance sucks, there's an AV process that goes haywire whenever anything is compiled, the terminals suck, I've not found a non-bad way of SSH'ing into WSL remotely, it's about as clunky as using Wine on Linux some years ago, there's spyware and ads on the enterprise install of Windows 10, software I can't remove by using the tools to remove all other software (installers for Office and the like), but above all, when I'm running the NT kernel, it's mostly to run software that only runs on the NT kernel. I've not run NT on bare metal in a while, but looking at the struggles of people around me, I don't intend to in the near or long term.
- watersb 8y ago
  Have you tried to use WSL? It is its own silo on Windows. Yes, it is native from an implementation standpoint, but does not play well (yet) with the rest of the Windows environment. Install Visual Studio Code, the usual Windows version. Explain to VS Code that it is really a good idea to use the Linux subsystem as its command-line environment. Not only interactive sessions like Bash on its integrated terminal, but also for git, compilers, Node, etc. Once you have got that set up and your development workflow going ok, try setting up the same on Linux or macOS. Which one would you prefer? The Windows Subsystem for Linux is brilliant. PowerShell is brilliant. The dotNET universe can be brilliant. I wish it was easy.

funkydata 8y ago

Why don't you just use Windows with the included Ubuntu subsystem? https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10 https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10

eptcyka 8y ago
Because the I/O performance sucks, there's an AV process that goes haywire whenever anything is compiled, the terminals suck, I've not found a non-bad way of SSH'ing into WSL remotely, it's about as clunky as using Wine on Linux some years ago, there's spyware and ads on the enterprise install of Windows 10, software I can't remove by using the tools to remove all other software (installers for Office and the like), but above all, when I'm running the NT kernel, it's mostly to run software that only runs on the NT kernel. I've not run NT on bare metal in a while, but looking at the struggles of people around me, I don't intend to in the near or long term.
watersb 8y ago
Have you tried to use WSL? It is its own silo on Windows. Yes, it is native from an implementation standpoint, but does not play well (yet) with the rest of the Windows environment. Install Visual Studio Code, the usual Windows version. Explain to VS Code that it is really a good idea to use the Linux subsystem as its command-line environment. Not only interactive sessions like Bash on its integrated terminal, but also for git, compilers, Node, etc. Once you have got that set up and your development workflow going ok, try setting up the same on Linux or macOS. Which one would you prefer? The Windows Subsystem for Linux is brilliant. PowerShell is brilliant. The dotNET universe can be brilliant. I wish it was easy.