3 ms·

Maybe $YEAR_OF_THE_LINUX_DESKTOP isn't 2018, but I don't think the clickbait title saying that desktop Linux has failed is fair. We're light-years ahead of wher

Maybe $YEAR_OF_THE_LINUX_DESKTOP isn't 2018, but I don't think the clickbait title saying that desktop Linux has failed is fair. We're light-years ahead of where we were in 2011, let alone 2007. The majority of users who now try Linux desktops do so without any real workflow-breaking issues. Graphics card drivers and printer drivers often work out of the box for me. All things considered, I think desktop Linux is doing very well.

ahmedalsudani 8y ago
Not only that. I'd venture to say no desktop is near as good as the Linux desktop. (For a certain type of user, I should qualify.) Don't get me wrong; there are issues. X is a system from a different era. (Graphics) Performance is pretty bad, the effects are janky, the primitives disparate. But! As a "power user" I dread having to use any other system. On Linux, there is an incredible variety of window managers, file navigators, terminal emulators, etc. The whole gamut. My workflow revolves around i3 and my i3 configuration. I have sworn off macs, and when I use windows, I have learned to press Super+1 for Firefox and Super+2 for Steam. Beyond that is a dark forest which I refuse to explore!
- RussianCow 8y ago
  I don't think anyone here is talking about power users when discussing the failure of Linux on the desktop.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
    I'm a power user, and developer, and I certainly do think the Linux Desktop is an utter failure. I cite as evidence how awful Windows has become and how few people, power users included, have switched to Linux because of it.
- pjmlp 8y ago
  As power graphics user/developer, after my Linux zealotry years, I just settled back on Windows/macOS, because as you say "(Graphics) Performance is pretty bad, the effects are janky, the primitives disparate.".
- orbifold 8y ago
  If anything the default Ubuntu desktop has gotten a lot worse. i3 is not an option if you want to use commercial EDA tools on Linux. I’ve gone from a daily linux desktop user 10-8 years ago back to macOS and Windows. If you think Windows is not for power users you are deluding yourself. The majority of professional software exists solely for Windows or at least works much better there (in the case of Eda tools). With Linux Subsystem for windows you now get the best from both worlds.
xyproto 8y ago
I would argue that it was 2017. Desktop Linux was in a perfectly usable state in 2017, for many distros, and still is.

ahmedalsudani 8y ago

Not only that. I'd venture to say no desktop is near as good as the Linux desktop. (For a certain type of user, I should qualify.) Don't get me wrong; there are issues. X is a system from a different era. (Graphics) Performance is pretty bad, the effects are janky, the primitives disparate. But! As a "power user" I dread having to use any other system. On Linux, there is an incredible variety of window managers, file navigators, terminal emulators, etc. The whole gamut. My workflow revolves around i3 and my i3 configuration. I have sworn off macs, and when I use windows, I have learned to press Super+1 for Firefox and Super+2 for Steam. Beyond that is a dark forest which I refuse to explore!

RussianCow 8y ago
I don't think anyone here is talking about power users when discussing the failure of Linux on the desktop.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
  I'm a power user, and developer, and I certainly do think the Linux Desktop is an utter failure. I cite as evidence how awful Windows has become and how few people, power users included, have switched to Linux because of it.
pjmlp 8y ago
As power graphics user/developer, after my Linux zealotry years, I just settled back on Windows/macOS, because as you say "(Graphics) Performance is pretty bad, the effects are janky, the primitives disparate.".
orbifold 8y ago
If anything the default Ubuntu desktop has gotten a lot worse. i3 is not an option if you want to use commercial EDA tools on Linux. I’ve gone from a daily linux desktop user 10-8 years ago back to macOS and Windows. If you think Windows is not for power users you are deluding yourself. The majority of professional software exists solely for Windows or at least works much better there (in the case of Eda tools). With Linux Subsystem for windows you now get the best from both worlds.

xyproto 8y ago

I would argue that it was 2017. Desktop Linux was in a perfectly usable state in 2017, for many distros, and still is.