4 ms·

What a laugh. I left in 2017, and I was one of the last SWEs to use a Linux laptop. Everyone had moved to a Mac, after the Christmas Windows security disaster

What a laugh. I left in 2017, and I was one of the last SWEs to use a Linux laptop. Everyone had moved to a Mac, after the Christmas Windows security disaster (which I won't detail here). It was pretty much forbidden for a SWE to use Windows, and for a while Linux had a lot of users but over time it became all Mac. Finally in 2016 I caved in and drank the Kool-Aid too. I'd go to the Tech Stop for something or other, and the staff would never object, since, after all, it was the official Google Linux. But you could tell that they didn't see this very often. Side note: the Tech Stop staff were some of the best, nicest, and most competent people I ever encountered in that role. Furthermore, whatever I needed seemed to almost always require them to keep it overnight and wipe the machine completely.

hahnchen 4y ago
do you know what the situation is right now?
- iron2disulfide 4y ago
  There are still SWEs that use the Linux laptops. There are dozens of us!
  - AlbertCory 4y ago
    I love it. Like I said: it was not unheard of to use one -- just a bit unusual.
- yadaeno 4y ago
  People still use glinux but as a remote host. Everything is done on the browser so laptop choice is less important.
  - AlbertCory 4y ago
    > Everything is done on the browser Not quite. There is security hardware there, as I recall.
- cowmoo728 4y ago
  I strongly requested a Linux laptop (thinkpad x1 carbon) but got a Chromebook. It would have been easier to get a Mac, and all of my coworkers got new Macs when they joined. I'm going to strongly protest for a Linux laptop again when my hardware refresh date comes. I think I fell into some bureaucratic limbo because I joined near the beginning of covid lockdowns. I don't think my recruiter fully understood my request for a Linux laptop either, and there was a general shortage of them at the same time.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - brnt 4y ago
    But you got a Linux machine! What you wanted however is a GNU/Linux machine.
  - zem 4y ago
    yep, i held off on my laptop refresh until i was assured a thinkpad, but several of my colleagues made the switch to chromebook at the time.
  - colonwqbang 4y ago
    Google ran out of Linux laptops? Even at my humble place of employment we can just give any old computer to IT and they will install Linux on it without any fuss. I would imagine the IT wizards at Google also know how to do it.
    - cowmoo728 4y ago
      Google is particular about the hardware for security reasons. I don't know enough to say what those security reasons are, but there are only a few approved models from Lenovo. And you can't bring your own, even if it's an identical model, so I assume Google has some special hardware auditing and purchase program.
draw_down 4y ago
eklitzke 4y ago
Obviously YMMV but my team is at least 75% Linux laptops, so my experience doesn't match yours at all.
utopcell 4y ago
> I left in 2017, and I was one of the last SWEs to use a Linux laptop. Categorically not true, not then, not now.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  - shawabawa3 4y ago
    I think it's a misunderstanding of the phrase "one of the last" which can have a connotation that there are no longer any remaining
- Cidan 4y ago
  Yeah, agreed. This isn't even close to true, not sure where he got that from.
- gravypod 4y ago
  (Opinions are my own) I am a gLinux user. Before google I just installed linux on my laptop at previous companies.
kllrnohj 4y ago
Seeing as MacOS build support for AOSP was dropped entirely over a year ago ( https://source.android.com/setup/build/initializing https://source.android.com/setup/build/initializing ) I'm going to guess your corner of the world is very not representative.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  "over a year ago" was 2021.
bubblicious 4y ago
perhaps read the article before commenting, especially if you aim at criticizing what is written? the word "laptop" isn't even mentioned in the article, this talks about desktops only and how Google runs its own linux distri on those...
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  Perhaps you should consider before commenting that almost no one has a "desktop" machine anymore (meaning, a machine that's not portable).
  - netheril96 4y ago
    I have.
  - saagarjha 4y ago
    This is wrong.
malkia 4y ago
Does chromebook classify as linux? I had mac laptop, but granted I could not do anything in the shell, but just "remote" into an actual (or provided through ganeti ) machine, it was forbidden to check out locally on your laptop (makes sense). But clearly remember my team at LAX (part of Ads-Quality) had mix of mac, linux and I think two or three people windows laptops... But all were dumb terminals. Also taht was 2014-2017

hahnchen 4y ago

do you know what the situation is right now?

iron2disulfide 4y ago
There are still SWEs that use the Linux laptops. There are dozens of us!
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  I love it. Like I said: it was not unheard of to use one -- just a bit unusual.
yadaeno 4y ago
People still use glinux but as a remote host. Everything is done on the browser so laptop choice is less important.
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  > Everything is done on the browser Not quite. There is security hardware there, as I recall.
cowmoo728 4y ago
I strongly requested a Linux laptop (thinkpad x1 carbon) but got a Chromebook. It would have been easier to get a Mac, and all of my coworkers got new Macs when they joined. I'm going to strongly protest for a Linux laptop again when my hardware refresh date comes. I think I fell into some bureaucratic limbo because I joined near the beginning of covid lockdowns. I don't think my recruiter fully understood my request for a Linux laptop either, and there was a general shortage of them at the same time.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- brnt 4y ago
  But you got a Linux machine! What you wanted however is a GNU/Linux machine.
- zem 4y ago
  yep, i held off on my laptop refresh until i was assured a thinkpad, but several of my colleagues made the switch to chromebook at the time.
- colonwqbang 4y ago
  Google ran out of Linux laptops? Even at my humble place of employment we can just give any old computer to IT and they will install Linux on it without any fuss. I would imagine the IT wizards at Google also know how to do it.
  - cowmoo728 4y ago
    Google is particular about the hardware for security reasons. I don't know enough to say what those security reasons are, but there are only a few approved models from Lenovo. And you can't bring your own, even if it's an identical model, so I assume Google has some special hardware auditing and purchase program.

draw_down 4y ago

eklitzke 4y ago

Obviously YMMV but my team is at least 75% Linux laptops, so my experience doesn't match yours at all.

utopcell 4y ago

> I left in 2017, and I was one of the last SWEs to use a Linux laptop. Categorically not true, not then, not now.

AlbertCory 4y ago
- shawabawa3 4y ago
  I think it's a misunderstanding of the phrase "one of the last" which can have a connotation that there are no longer any remaining
Cidan 4y ago
Yeah, agreed. This isn't even close to true, not sure where he got that from.
gravypod 4y ago
(Opinions are my own) I am a gLinux user. Before google I just installed linux on my laptop at previous companies.

kllrnohj 4y ago

Seeing as MacOS build support for AOSP was dropped entirely over a year ago ( https://source.android.com/setup/build/initializing https://source.android.com/setup/build/initializing ) I'm going to guess your corner of the world is very not representative.

AlbertCory 4y ago
"over a year ago" was 2021.

bubblicious 4y ago

perhaps read the article before commenting, especially if you aim at criticizing what is written? the word "laptop" isn't even mentioned in the article, this talks about desktops only and how Google runs its own linux distri on those...

AlbertCory 4y ago
Perhaps you should consider before commenting that almost no one has a "desktop" machine anymore (meaning, a machine that's not portable).
- netheril96 4y ago
  I have.
- saagarjha 4y ago
  This is wrong.

malkia 4y ago

Does chromebook classify as linux? I had mac laptop, but granted I could not do anything in the shell, but just "remote" into an actual (or provided through ganeti ) machine, it was forbidden to check out locally on your laptop (makes sense). But clearly remember my team at LAX (part of Ads-Quality) had mix of mac, linux and I think two or three people windows laptops... But all were dumb terminals. Also taht was 2014-2017