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I've used Windows as my main operating system since I 3.11. Sure I dabbled with Debian and Gentoo when I first go into CS, and I've had a few runs trying to use

by moksly 6y ago

I've used Windows as my main operating system since I 3.11. Sure I dabbled with Debian and Gentoo when I first go into CS, and I've had a few runs trying to use Fedora and Ubuntu as my main systems, but when I eventually landed a job in a Microsoft rich environment and got bored with having to screw with settings I settled on windows and OS/X on my laptop. OS/X even became Windows for about a year when WSL came about and I happened to get a surface pro. But these days I really can't fathom using Windows for anything but video games, and well, work because I have to. It's such a terrible user experience for me, and I wonder where it all went wrong, because I used to genuinely like it.

burnte 6y ago
It depends on the user. I use a mix of Windows as my primary desktop, a MacBook Pro as my main portable so that I have a good Unix handy (as well as VMs), an iPad as my tablet, and a Google Pixel 3 (soon to be 5) as my phone. It's whatever helps the user get the job done best.
smt88 6y ago
This is really interesting. I've felt the opposite. I remember thinking about Windows a lot: how to get it to work better/faster, for example. I used Linux as my daily driver for 20 years. Then I just got tired of having to Google obscure Linux issues, edit config files, and reboot all the time. I wanted something that just works. I went from using three OSes (macOS, Linux, and Windows) every day to using Windows and now honestly never have to think about it. It's not a joy, it's just... nothing. Everything works flawlessly. I did get one of those telemetry killer apps, but otherwise it's all just stock Win10 Pro.
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  Funny, I have the complete opposite issue. I struggle to get anything to work in Windows (dev wise) without hours of tweeking. Windows also has shown me that a GUI doesn't necessarily mean efficient.
  - smt88 6y ago
    I've done C#, Node/TypeScript, PHP, Java, Kotlin, Python, and Go development on my Windows machine without any issues. The mainstream platforms know they have Windows users and seem to do a great job of supporting them. I used to use Docker to meticulously duplicate my staging/prod environments on dev machines, but honestly don't bother anymore. My CI/CD environments would catch any of those issues, and I don't run into them much anymore. Having first-class support for Linux containers is great, though.
    - NewOrderNow 6y ago
      Containers are definitely making this conversation more irrelevant for sure
- numakerg 6y ago
  >Then I just got tired of having to Google obscure Linux issues, edit config files, and reboot all the time. So is this the normal state of Linux then? Every few years I'll take some time to try and "learn Linux" by installing a distro and try to use it as part of my regular workflow. It's always been a never ending train of very specific and obscure, time consuming issues. My personal motto for Linux is "It Just Doesn't Work" (at least for desktop). Even basic stuff like Wi-Fi and the login screen often doesn't work correctly and requires more tweaking. Using MacOS, it's different and you have to get used to things. But it's not an bottomless pit of time sunk into fixing configurations. Windows isn't perfect, but at least I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. To be fair I don't think Linux is bad (obviously or it wouldn't be widely used), just that those who like it, either enjoy solving these issues or started with it during a time when they could spare the effort, and so they built up enough experience for it to no longer be a chore. >I did get one of those telemetry killer apps Which one do you use?
  - smt88 6y ago
    > So is this the normal state of Linux then? Yes. I would also say it's part of the fun for some people. I used to be obsessive about optimizing my workflows using customizations that are only possible on FOSS nix systems, but eventually I got other hobbies. Now I just want my OS to disappear in the background and "just work". > Which one do you use?* https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 (recommended by other HN users, but would be interested to know if anyone has any concerns about it)
    - surround 6y ago
      I wish ShutUp10 was open source, considering it pokes around with the registry and system files. Which is why I like Linux. I just don’t have to worry about telemetry at all. Edit: Here’s a comparison of Windows 10 privacy tools. I wish there was one with a “yes” in all three columns. https://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/14/comparison-of-windows-10-privacy-tools/ https://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/14/comparison-of-windows-10-p...
      - 6y ago

by moksly 6y ago

burnte 6y ago

It depends on the user. I use a mix of Windows as my primary desktop, a MacBook Pro as my main portable so that I have a good Unix handy (as well as VMs), an iPad as my tablet, and a Google Pixel 3 (soon to be 5) as my phone. It's whatever helps the user get the job done best.

smt88 6y ago

This is really interesting. I've felt the opposite. I remember thinking about Windows a lot: how to get it to work better/faster, for example. I used Linux as my daily driver for 20 years. Then I just got tired of having to Google obscure Linux issues, edit config files, and reboot all the time. I wanted something that just works. I went from using three OSes (macOS, Linux, and Windows) every day to using Windows and now honestly never have to think about it. It's not a joy, it's just... nothing. Everything works flawlessly. I did get one of those telemetry killer apps, but otherwise it's all just stock Win10 Pro.

NewOrderNow 6y ago
Funny, I have the complete opposite issue. I struggle to get anything to work in Windows (dev wise) without hours of tweeking. Windows also has shown me that a GUI doesn't necessarily mean efficient.
- smt88 6y ago
  I've done C#, Node/TypeScript, PHP, Java, Kotlin, Python, and Go development on my Windows machine without any issues. The mainstream platforms know they have Windows users and seem to do a great job of supporting them. I used to use Docker to meticulously duplicate my staging/prod environments on dev machines, but honestly don't bother anymore. My CI/CD environments would catch any of those issues, and I don't run into them much anymore. Having first-class support for Linux containers is great, though.
  - NewOrderNow 6y ago
    Containers are definitely making this conversation more irrelevant for sure
numakerg 6y ago
>Then I just got tired of having to Google obscure Linux issues, edit config files, and reboot all the time. So is this the normal state of Linux then? Every few years I'll take some time to try and "learn Linux" by installing a distro and try to use it as part of my regular workflow. It's always been a never ending train of very specific and obscure, time consuming issues. My personal motto for Linux is "It Just Doesn't Work" (at least for desktop). Even basic stuff like Wi-Fi and the login screen often doesn't work correctly and requires more tweaking. Using MacOS, it's different and you have to get used to things. But it's not an bottomless pit of time sunk into fixing configurations. Windows isn't perfect, but at least I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. To be fair I don't think Linux is bad (obviously or it wouldn't be widely used), just that those who like it, either enjoy solving these issues or started with it during a time when they could spare the effort, and so they built up enough experience for it to no longer be a chore. >I did get one of those telemetry killer apps Which one do you use?
- smt88 6y ago
  > So is this the normal state of Linux then? Yes. I would also say it's part of the fun for some people. I used to be obsessive about optimizing my workflows using customizations that are only possible on FOSS nix systems, but eventually I got other hobbies. Now I just want my OS to disappear in the background and "just work". > Which one do you use?* https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 https://www.oo-software.com/en/shutup10 (recommended by other HN users, but would be interested to know if anyone has any concerns about it)
  - surround 6y ago
    I wish ShutUp10 was open source, considering it pokes around with the registry and system files. Which is why I like Linux. I just don’t have to worry about telemetry at all. Edit: Here’s a comparison of Windows 10 privacy tools. I wish there was one with a “yes” in all three columns. https://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/14/comparison-of-windows-10-privacy-tools/ https://www.ghacks.net/2015/08/14/comparison-of-windows-10-p...
    - 6y ago