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Is this finally the year of the Linux desktop? I tried to go full Linux two years ago but gave up and went back to Mac. Between lots of software not available o

Is this finally the year of the Linux desktop? I tried to go full Linux two years ago but gave up and went back to Mac. Between lots of software not available on Linux and weird problems with screens and audio I couldn’t recommend Linux to non tech people. It’s great for dev though. I think the traditional desktop will go away slowly anyways and most people will use operating systems like iOS and Android.

pjmlp 3y ago
Laptops are the new desktop, and in those GNU/Linux still has issues with 100% hardware support, even the ones from Linux OEMs still have issues with fingerprint readers, dual GPUs, sleep modes, hibernation. Where GNU/Linux works just fine are classical desktops, preferably self built.
- throwway120385 3y ago
  I'm running a 6.7 kernel on an AMD lenovo and would respectfully disagree that there's a hardware support problem. I have full suspend/hibernate/resume and everything comes back up just like it would in Windows or Mac OSX.
  - snoopen 3y ago
    I'm also running an AMD Lenovo (Gen 3 T14) but can assure you there are still hardware support issues. The issues are rare, but there none the less. WiFi will occasionally be slow after resuming from sleep, the fingerprint reader will just stop working after a while (but can be recovered by restarting the USB device with a script), plugging in a USB3 monitor previously crashed my system but I think that was fixed in the recent kernel updates, and early on when I first got the laptop I had system resume issues. Last year I had bug regression break something, I think ethernet, was another month before that got re-fixed. I did buy it when it first hit the market so I wasn't surprised to have issues.
    - notarget137 3y ago
      I've been on T14 Gen 3 and E14 Gen 3 for quite some time and hadn't had a single issue you describing. Even running a UHD screen through Type-C and using fingerprint to authorize after powerdown (a thing MacOS and Windows can't really do). Care to share what distro and kernel you are using?
      - snoopen 3y ago
        Are you on the AMD T14 Gen 3 or Intel? I've read the Intel ones are a bit better supported. I'm running Pop! OS with 6.6 kernel. Here's one of the bugs that affected me previously: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=214649 https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=214649 What are you running to have never had an issue?
  - pjmlp 3y ago
    As someone that uses Linux in some form since 1995, has UNIX administration as one of my roles, I likewise disrespectfully disagree, having had laptops where recovery from hibernation required taking out the battery (luckily it was still possible), the fingerprint reader had its days, and no matter what incantation on OS configuration, video hardware decoding never worked, and were the only ones not able to keep a stable WiFi connection on longer downloads on my home network, requiring a LAN cable. Laptops sold by OEMs with Linux support.
- fsflover 3y ago
  Laptops originally designed for GNU/Linux work flawlessly. Even better when you buy preinstalled. Works for me.
  - dieselgate 3y ago
    Do you have any recommendations for laptops fitting this criteria?
    - fsflover 3y ago
      I'm happy with Librem 14.
      - Libcat99 3y ago
        Lack of a pointer stick is a 100% a showstopper for me. I can't stand using a trackpad.
        justinclift 3y ago
        Probably the Thinkpad range is what you're after then. They're widely used by Linux developers, so their peripherals have working drivers sooner rather than later.
  - pjmlp 3y ago
    I know, that is the usual response online, then we get threads like the other day about Tuxedo.
    - fsflover 3y ago
      We get such threads about all companies, including Apple.
  - rqtwteye 3y ago
    I bought a System76 but had tons of problems.
aNoob7000 3y ago
I hope the "traditional" desktop doesn't disappear. Personally, I think using iOS and Android would be a step backward as a desktop computer.
- rqtwteye 3y ago
  Agreed. But I think that’s where things are going.
nullwarp 3y ago
> I think the traditional desktop will go away slowly anyways and most people will use operating systems like iOS and Android. What a nightmarish hellscape that sounds like.
- BigParm 3y ago
  [dead]
- shiroiushi 3y ago
  It's how things are going. All the under-35 software engineers I know use iOS (on a phone) for all their home computing needs. I don't get it either.
fsflover 3y ago
There are also GNU/Linux phones. Sent from my Librem 5.
ActorNightly 3y ago
Ever since WSL2, Windows has been objectively the best desktop os (with the only caveat that you have to have the pro version which lets you disable a bunch of the annoying stuff, and disabling that stuff takes a little bit of tweaking). You get the advantage of having all the software that doesn't work under linux, while having a linux dev environment that works very well even with Cuda for ML.
- kbolino 3y ago
  Getting WSL2 working just right can still be an unnecessarily complicated process. And the Home versions of Windows do indeed suck for power users. But Windows will generally support every monitor and resolution/scale well which can't be said of Linux (which struggles with hidpi) or macOS (which can't do fractional scaling and has blurry fonts on lodpi).
- justinclift 3y ago
  But you still get the forced ads and any other related monetisation crap they can think of too yeah?
  - jrepinc 3y ago
    And all the spyware. No thanks. Windows not respecting basic human rights like privacy is just a big no no.
    - ActorNightly 3y ago
      I mean, if you use any popular software from big companies, you really don't have privacy either. Microsoft is no different. Its not as big of a deal as people make it out to be.
      - jlpcsl 3y ago
        Does not make it less of a crime and big deal if more evil corporations do it. If anything it makes it even more of a big deal and more concerning.
blibble 3y ago
Windows 11 on intel requires at least 8th gen (~2018), despite older CPUs being perfectly acceptable performance wise the year of the Linux desktop will be once Windows 10 stops getting updates
lenkite 3y ago
Unless Android and iOS permit full-fledged development on iOS and Android, the desktop isn't going away.

pjmlp 3y ago

Laptops are the new desktop, and in those GNU/Linux still has issues with 100% hardware support, even the ones from Linux OEMs still have issues with fingerprint readers, dual GPUs, sleep modes, hibernation. Where GNU/Linux works just fine are classical desktops, preferably self built.

throwway120385 3y ago
I'm running a 6.7 kernel on an AMD lenovo and would respectfully disagree that there's a hardware support problem. I have full suspend/hibernate/resume and everything comes back up just like it would in Windows or Mac OSX.
- snoopen 3y ago
  I'm also running an AMD Lenovo (Gen 3 T14) but can assure you there are still hardware support issues. The issues are rare, but there none the less. WiFi will occasionally be slow after resuming from sleep, the fingerprint reader will just stop working after a while (but can be recovered by restarting the USB device with a script), plugging in a USB3 monitor previously crashed my system but I think that was fixed in the recent kernel updates, and early on when I first got the laptop I had system resume issues. Last year I had bug regression break something, I think ethernet, was another month before that got re-fixed. I did buy it when it first hit the market so I wasn't surprised to have issues.
  - notarget137 3y ago
    I've been on T14 Gen 3 and E14 Gen 3 for quite some time and hadn't had a single issue you describing. Even running a UHD screen through Type-C and using fingerprint to authorize after powerdown (a thing MacOS and Windows can't really do). Care to share what distro and kernel you are using?
    - snoopen 3y ago
      Are you on the AMD T14 Gen 3 or Intel? I've read the Intel ones are a bit better supported. I'm running Pop! OS with 6.6 kernel. Here's one of the bugs that affected me previously: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=214649 https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=214649 What are you running to have never had an issue?
- pjmlp 3y ago
  As someone that uses Linux in some form since 1995, has UNIX administration as one of my roles, I likewise disrespectfully disagree, having had laptops where recovery from hibernation required taking out the battery (luckily it was still possible), the fingerprint reader had its days, and no matter what incantation on OS configuration, video hardware decoding never worked, and were the only ones not able to keep a stable WiFi connection on longer downloads on my home network, requiring a LAN cable. Laptops sold by OEMs with Linux support.
fsflover 3y ago
Laptops originally designed for GNU/Linux work flawlessly. Even better when you buy preinstalled. Works for me.
- dieselgate 3y ago
  Do you have any recommendations for laptops fitting this criteria?
  - fsflover 3y ago
    I'm happy with Librem 14.
    - Libcat99 3y ago
      Lack of a pointer stick is a 100% a showstopper for me. I can't stand using a trackpad.
      - justinclift 3y ago
        Probably the Thinkpad range is what you're after then. They're widely used by Linux developers, so their peripherals have working drivers sooner rather than later.
- pjmlp 3y ago
  I know, that is the usual response online, then we get threads like the other day about Tuxedo.
  - fsflover 3y ago
    We get such threads about all companies, including Apple.
- rqtwteye 3y ago
  I bought a System76 but had tons of problems.

aNoob7000 3y ago

I hope the "traditional" desktop doesn't disappear. Personally, I think using iOS and Android would be a step backward as a desktop computer.

rqtwteye 3y ago
Agreed. But I think that’s where things are going.

nullwarp 3y ago

> I think the traditional desktop will go away slowly anyways and most people will use operating systems like iOS and Android. What a nightmarish hellscape that sounds like.

BigParm 3y ago
[dead]
shiroiushi 3y ago
It's how things are going. All the under-35 software engineers I know use iOS (on a phone) for all their home computing needs. I don't get it either.

fsflover 3y ago

There are also GNU/Linux phones. Sent from my Librem 5.

ActorNightly 3y ago

Ever since WSL2, Windows has been objectively the best desktop os (with the only caveat that you have to have the pro version which lets you disable a bunch of the annoying stuff, and disabling that stuff takes a little bit of tweaking). You get the advantage of having all the software that doesn't work under linux, while having a linux dev environment that works very well even with Cuda for ML.

kbolino 3y ago
Getting WSL2 working just right can still be an unnecessarily complicated process. And the Home versions of Windows do indeed suck for power users. But Windows will generally support every monitor and resolution/scale well which can't be said of Linux (which struggles with hidpi) or macOS (which can't do fractional scaling and has blurry fonts on lodpi).
justinclift 3y ago
But you still get the forced ads and any other related monetisation crap they can think of too yeah?
- jrepinc 3y ago
  And all the spyware. No thanks. Windows not respecting basic human rights like privacy is just a big no no.
  - ActorNightly 3y ago
    I mean, if you use any popular software from big companies, you really don't have privacy either. Microsoft is no different. Its not as big of a deal as people make it out to be.
    - jlpcsl 3y ago
      Does not make it less of a crime and big deal if more evil corporations do it. If anything it makes it even more of a big deal and more concerning.

blibble 3y ago

Windows 11 on intel requires at least 8th gen (~2018), despite older CPUs being perfectly acceptable performance wise the year of the Linux desktop will be once Windows 10 stops getting updates

lenkite 3y ago

Unless Android and iOS permit full-fledged development on iOS and Android, the desktop isn't going away.