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I think I feel the same disenchantment from Apple that the author does, and it really scares me. Because the responses to this piece are basically 220 reasons o

by jaabe 8y ago

I think I feel the same disenchantment from Apple that the author does, and it really scares me. Because the responses to this piece are basically 220 reasons of why I’ll probably never switch. Don’t get me wrong, I want to like Linux, I just don’t want to spend any time (as in any time) on configurations. I want to plug right into my 4K monitor and have things just work. I want a good trackpad, and so on.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago
Everyone wants a computer that does what they want it to out of the box. When we say we want something easy, that's what we mean. The problem with that is that everyone wants different things, so it is fundamentally impossible. I think Linux needs to stop trying to be easy, and start trying to be simple. Throw out all the over-complicated garbage that has become the Linux Desktop and make something that is simple enough for people to build an accurate mental model of how it functions in a relatively short time, and with a set of simple composable tools. Then they can build the thing they want with a relative minimum and without writing any C. It already some composability thanks to the original UNIX commandline toolset, at least for text processing, but those have grown archaic over time and the concept was never properly extended to the GUI. I doubt that will ever happen though. Instead the community will just keep piling on more and more complexity, keep creating more and more distros to try and cover that infinity of what people want in their effort to make it "easy", and tell anyone who doesn't want to do things the way they do that they're doing them wrong.
thomastjeffery 8y ago
In my experience, the only frustration left is display scaling. Everything else "just works", while leaving configuration as an option for those who want it. Unfortunately, display scaling is just impossible with Xorg, and Wayland is still not really usable.

by jaabe 8y ago

AnIdiotOnTheNet 8y ago

Everyone wants a computer that does what they want it to out of the box. When we say we want something easy, that's what we mean. The problem with that is that everyone wants different things, so it is fundamentally impossible. I think Linux needs to stop trying to be easy, and start trying to be simple. Throw out all the over-complicated garbage that has become the Linux Desktop and make something that is simple enough for people to build an accurate mental model of how it functions in a relatively short time, and with a set of simple composable tools. Then they can build the thing they want with a relative minimum and without writing any C. It already some composability thanks to the original UNIX commandline toolset, at least for text processing, but those have grown archaic over time and the concept was never properly extended to the GUI. I doubt that will ever happen though. Instead the community will just keep piling on more and more complexity, keep creating more and more distros to try and cover that infinity of what people want in their effort to make it "easy", and tell anyone who doesn't want to do things the way they do that they're doing them wrong.

thomastjeffery 8y ago

In my experience, the only frustration left is display scaling. Everything else "just works", while leaving configuration as an option for those who want it. Unfortunately, display scaling is just impossible with Xorg, and Wayland is still not really usable.