8 ms·

I know the feeling. I'm forced to use a Mac laptop for work, and it's really made me appreciate Linux.

by dandellion 2y ago

mfer 2y ago
Which distro do you use? I've run a mac and Linux laptop and the Linux setup keeps sending me back to Mac.
- lurk2 2y ago
  I set up Mint for a friend a few years ago and it took me about an hour never having done it before. What did you find difficult about it?
- abnercoimbre 2y ago
  Please try a distro [0] maintained by a company making their own Linux laptops. [0] https://pop.system76.com/ https://pop.system76.com/
- bigyabai 2y ago
  NixOS, for me. I deal with a lot of wild development environments, so flakes + direnv has probably saved me hundreds of hours and a few system reinstalls. Nix is also availible for Mac, but I'll warn you that it may ruin Macports and brew for you forever.
  - notnmeyer 2y ago
    can confirm. nix + home-manager has been the configuration and dotfiles solution i’d been searching for. it’s not flawless, but its strengths outweigh the weaknesses. i still need homebrew for casks, but that’s fine.
- xedrac 2y ago
  I run Fedora these days. Ubuntu is the worst.
  - genewitch 2y ago
    Always has been unless you're an "email and eBay" sort of user.
    - mattl 2y ago
      Really? I always found Ubuntu to be fantastic. All the third party packages you want just existed for it, loads of bundled stuff, PPAs, plus all the stuff from Debian. And you could pay them not a lot of cash to give you support for it too.
      - genewitch 2y ago
        it's fantastic if you're on an LTS version about 2 years after it's released. Again, if you're a email & ebay user you won't notice, because even the in-between non-LTS releases work fine for that. When you start wanting to replicate experiments, or run software you find on github, then you will learn the pain of ubuntu 20.04. or 22.04. Otherwise you can have the fun experience of most linuxes in the mid to late 90s where you are compiling arbitrary libraries to bootstrap some other library so you can find out where the package you actually want to compile's make file fails at. Give me a rolling release distro or a source based distro any day. ninja: all of this should be read as me saying: "Why yes, i do in fact have several machines and VMs of ubuntu server installs, ranging all the way from 16.04 to 24.04; because that's the only way i can guarantee i can run any software posted on the internet."
- OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
  It's more about the DE than the distro in my experience. Gnome is budget Mac, but KDE and XFCE are chefs kiss
synergy20 2y ago
can't agree more, to the point i ask if the new job mandates mac,if yes i will end the process right away. even windows is better due to wsl.
jcgrillo 2y ago
I agree, but my M1 MacBook work laptop is by far the fastest dev machine I've ever laid hands on. It struggles a bit from the UX standpoint, two things: 1. I have the same desktop layout every time, from left to right: slack desktop app, a two column wide emacs window, a 90col wide terminal. I also have two chrome windows--1 which is the same width as the slack window and overlays it, and another the same width as the emacs window which overlays that one. The problem is every single time I wake my laptop from sleep the terminal window has shrunk to fewer columns and I have to drag it back to full width. 2. Sometimes the external monitor support bugs out. I don't know if that's my hub ("pluggable" something or other) or the OS or both. Then of course there's all the warts of homebrew, and the fact that it's not easy to build some software.. However, the performance of the Apple silicon is nothing short of astonishing. I'm curious about the AMD chips that ship in the new Framework as I look towards an upgrade to my personal laptop, but it's basically between that and a new M4 Max Macbook. Never thought I'd see the day.. will probably wait a year or so before deciding but it's interesting that Apple is even a contender.
- krembo 2y ago
  For the 1st point, I struggled with the same, then a short applescript thanks to claude, attached to a keyboard shortcut on karabiner solved the painpoint. There's also an app called Stay which should do something similar with a ui, but my solution is good enough for me at this point.
  - jcgrillo 2y ago
    lmfao if you're joking, good one, if not... yikes
    - jeffhuys 2y ago
      "I don't want solutions! I want to complain. Meh!"
      - jcgrillo 2y ago
        No, it's just that I don't customize systems anymore. It's not worth the hassle of maintaining a bunch of extra stuff just to fix issues that shouldn't be there in the first place. All those extra ux tweak programs just end up costing time to keep them working across updates, etc. because they're not part of the system.
dimgl 2y ago
? How is this possible? I have zero issues on my Macbook, while Linux is consistently a PITA for me.
- margorczynski 2y ago
  For me the biggest gripe is that I cannot configure it as I want and that it assumes I'm computer-illiterate. On top of that a lot of the approaches chosen by Apple regarding e.g. the UI are simply counterintuitive to me. I still prefer it to Windows but (at least for me) it is inferior to a properly setup Linux box with stuff like a titling WM. But if I would to recommend someone a computer just for browsing, email, etc. then a Mac would be my top choice.
kovac 2y ago
Ha. I have to use Linux (Arch) sometimes, and it's made me appreciate OpenBSD :)
- crmd 2y ago
  Corp IT recently banned my Indy with IRIX 6.5.32 daily driver from the network for some bureaucratic reason. I feel your pain.
  - throwaway2037 2y ago
    I'm confused. Is this sarcasm? Your OS was last released, according to Wiki, in Aug 2006. How can it possibly be secure?
    - kmbfjr 2y ago
      It wasn’t that secure from the start. The lpr user was a nice way to get into Irix. That said, my favorite Unix.
      - icedchai 2y ago
        It definitely wasn't! I remember the irix 5.x and earlier days. By default, it shipped without any X11 authentication enabled. This meant everyone on the network could keylog your machine.
    - BirAdam 2y ago
      I doubt it’s a target unless someone was actively profiling the company in question, building out a plan, and seeking to actively exploit the company’s network from that machine. Even then, how many attackers know IRIX well enough to pull it off? If we were talking about a networked DOS machine, Windows XP, or even classic MacOS this lack of updates would be more serious… but niche UNIX workstations? Not as certain they’re still targets.
aadhavans 2y ago
Agreed. The hardware is excellent, but the customizability, and overall snappiness of the UI are far inferior to my XFCE setup.
- kyawzazaw 2y ago
  What are you guys running when you are writing code? I run IntelliJ and a browser, and mostly call it a day.
  - OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
    Got my workchats and email in one virtual desktop, a checkpoint of what I was previously working on in another, YouTube playing music in another. All controllable with hotkeys, with a UI customized down exactly how I want it. And with no fear of an "update" breaking my setup.
  - jimmaswell 2y ago
    I've taken to vim on a vt320 alongside my main monitor for docs/testing/etc
  - aadhavans 2y ago
    Work code: vscode, slack, teams, browser. These are always open. Outlook if I want to check my mail. Personal code: Vim (more recently, zed) and a browser.
bee_rider 2y ago
It is really wild that all these little community groups manage to consistently outperform massive corporations.
cosmic_cheese 2y ago
Linux is better than Windows on most counts for sure, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to use it full-time without making significant concessions on preferences about how desktop environment stuff works. If you’re someone who grew up on Macs there’s almost nothing in the Linux desktop space that tries to replicate that set of patterns… it’s all Win9X-type taskbar setups, mobile-type setups (GNOME, Pantheon), old niche *nix setups (e.g. WindowMaker), and of course minimal tiling WMs. There’s no clones of Mac OS of any flavor. I’m proficient with more or less every modern desktop and can get by on any of any of them if I have to, but being happy doing so is another matter.
- anon7000 2y ago
  Gnome is not that different from Mac. You have your Mac-style status bar at the top, dock for apps which you can float or hide, typical window management, etc.
  - rewgs 2y ago
    Gnome's top bar isn't a global menu, though. It's completely different and IMO pretty much useless.
    - zevon 2y ago
      KDE has a global menu bar that works like the one in MacOS.
      - cosmic_cheese 2y ago
        Kind of. Last I checked it’s broken under Wayland, and under X11 there’s a lot of apps that don’t populate it.
        zevon 2y ago
        I'm using it under Wayland right now. Though you are right that there are apps that don't populate it.
herpdyderp 2y ago
I was forced to use a Linux laptop for a work once. It actually managed to make me appreciate Windows!
- yndoendo 2y ago
  You have to pay me to run Windows bare metal. The user experience is terrible and of the lowest quality compared to Mac OS and Linux. Even Windows OS 11 IoT LTSC requires work around to not create a Microsoft account, and this is their embedded solution. Last week I spent a whole day trying to resurrect a Windows 10 IoT LTSC because of a corrupt WMI repository. It crashed out software and to the client it looks like our software is bad where it is the OS that is bad. Client's automation was down until a replacement was sent out and installed. I've had to implement number of software changes because of buggy Windows drivers. From Intel NICs to touch screen HID messaging. Microsoft talks about backwards capability but it is subjective and only truly bound to the most used applications. Enabling tablet mode on Windows will break their API. There has never been a Linux system I couldn't resurrect and keep working. With Windows, it is always re-install the OS and all applications. Even the laptop I'm writing this on is the same OS installation that has passed between 4 different computers. You cannot get that quality of OS installation from Microsoft. Took me a month to convince IT to reinstall Windows on my work laptop. Microsoft's update broke the QA VM environment and would freeze with an infinite loop. Uninstalling the update nor repairing the OS did anything to fix their issues. Even today I experienced Ctrl+X is broken and does not work in Visual Studio for the git comment text box entry.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
FuckButtons 2y ago
I have a windows for work, Mac as a laptop and Linux on my workstation desktop. Windows is by far the worst, I don’t think Linux is vastly superior to Mac, they both have some things they do better than the other. My main issue is arm vs x86.
- metadat 2y ago
  Arm is worse or better, in your eyes? I've only used it on servers and aside from build annoyances and slower than x86, it is indistinguishable.
  - mattl 2y ago
    M1 Mac is so nice. Hope to get an M4 soon..
    - Nevermark 2y ago
      I hope to get an M5. The problem is my M1 just keeps working so well. :( Have not had that "problem" to this extent on any other generation of machine. Albeit, my current work is not particularly CPU limited.
      - mattl 2y ago
        A couple of my M1 machines were purchased on the day of launch at the Apple Store so they’re the 8GB RAM models. They’re still very good running Apple software (even Final Cut Pro) but I find myself running out of RAM with a few web browsers running at the same time. The base model of the M4 mini now has 16GB by default which I’m sure would be just fine for me.
        Nevermark 2y ago
        Ouch. Mine has 64GB. I usually max RAM, and get about double the SSD I think I need. Knowing that at a minimum, I will use my latest laptop, and 2-3 older models around the house and my quick-carry bag for convenience, at any given time. Beyond convenience, the old laptops are continually synced, as multiple onsite backups. So I get great long term value from consistently choosing higher end RAM/SSD specs. But in this case good specs for the M1 has saved me money via an unprecedentedly long upgrade schedule. I am feeling more pressure to update two old x86 laptops to M1, than any pressure to upgrade my M1. Never had this upside-down problem before. Apple did just a great job with that M1.
grishka 2y ago
Linux makes you use the terminal and read manuals and edit configs to accomplish the most basic tasks. At least neither Windows nor macOS need that. Linux is fine for servers, but I can't fathom using that on my actual computer.
- AndriyKunitsyn 2y ago
  That's a... like 20 years old talking point by now? I mean, you can probably find _a_ Linux that's like what you say, but top Linux distros are nowhere like that.
- maxhille 2y ago
  I prefer config files a lot to settings GUIs. Two most important points that come to mind: 1. I can manage them in Git 2. GUIs change all the time. With configs you have a much higher probability that some solution you googled will still work even when it is a couple of years old.
  - grishka 2y ago
    But GUIs show you all available options without having to read the docs. They only change when you install updates. You can simply not install updates that you don't like.
    - seec 2y ago
      Linux fanboys are completely delusional, if we listened to them, we would design an airliner cockpit with a keyboard and a single display to run a terminal and input everything as commands. They have just invested too much of their ego into knowing the arcane commands (and typing them well and fast) when it doesn't have much value, so they try to get dividends on that poor investment any way they can. There is no reason to not make a proper GUI for pretty much everything, unless the devs are lazy or trying to save time/money.
      - grishka 2y ago
        I mean I know how to use a unix system through the terminal, it's a basic skill for a software engineer, but I'm not enjoying any of that. Most CLI software is ridiculously user-hostile too. Oh you don't remember whether it's "update" or "upgrade"? Or which order the parameters need to be? Or whether it's one dash or two? Well fuck you, go read some manuals and come back when you're ready. And it's not just discoverability. A well-designed GUI is impossible to get into an invalid state. A CLI, on the other hand, offers infinite possibilities for invalid commands.
vv_ 2y ago
There are many issues with using Linux for a corporate workstation. For instance, if the organization uses a proxy, setting it up is a PITA, as many Linux applications don't respect the http[s]_proxy environment variables. Some only accept upper-case, others only lower-case, while many have their own configuration settings for using a proxy. Additionally, in certain industries Linux support is non-existent, with many applications developed exclusively for Windows and no viable alternatives available. Running a VM is another PITA due to driver issues. Wine ditto. In the end, I found that running WSL2 provided a more manageable experience. I feel that Microsoft really hit the nail with WSL for productivity. Apparently, you can even run graphical applications from WSL although I don't have a lot of experience with that.

I know the feeling. I'm forced to use a Mac laptop for work, and it's really made me appreciate Linux.

mfer 2y ago

Which distro do you use? I've run a mac and Linux laptop and the Linux setup keeps sending me back to Mac.

lurk2 2y ago
I set up Mint for a friend a few years ago and it took me about an hour never having done it before. What did you find difficult about it?
abnercoimbre 2y ago
Please try a distro [0] maintained by a company making their own Linux laptops. [0] https://pop.system76.com/ https://pop.system76.com/
bigyabai 2y ago
NixOS, for me. I deal with a lot of wild development environments, so flakes + direnv has probably saved me hundreds of hours and a few system reinstalls. Nix is also availible for Mac, but I'll warn you that it may ruin Macports and brew for you forever.
- notnmeyer 2y ago
  can confirm. nix + home-manager has been the configuration and dotfiles solution i’d been searching for. it’s not flawless, but its strengths outweigh the weaknesses. i still need homebrew for casks, but that’s fine.
xedrac 2y ago
I run Fedora these days. Ubuntu is the worst.
- genewitch 2y ago
  Always has been unless you're an "email and eBay" sort of user.
  - mattl 2y ago
    Really? I always found Ubuntu to be fantastic. All the third party packages you want just existed for it, loads of bundled stuff, PPAs, plus all the stuff from Debian. And you could pay them not a lot of cash to give you support for it too.
    - genewitch 2y ago
      it's fantastic if you're on an LTS version about 2 years after it's released. Again, if you're a email & ebay user you won't notice, because even the in-between non-LTS releases work fine for that. When you start wanting to replicate experiments, or run software you find on github, then you will learn the pain of ubuntu 20.04. or 22.04. Otherwise you can have the fun experience of most linuxes in the mid to late 90s where you are compiling arbitrary libraries to bootstrap some other library so you can find out where the package you actually want to compile's make file fails at. Give me a rolling release distro or a source based distro any day. ninja: all of this should be read as me saying: "Why yes, i do in fact have several machines and VMs of ubuntu server installs, ranging all the way from 16.04 to 24.04; because that's the only way i can guarantee i can run any software posted on the internet."
OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
It's more about the DE than the distro in my experience. Gnome is budget Mac, but KDE and XFCE are chefs kiss

synergy20 2y ago

can't agree more, to the point i ask if the new job mandates mac,if yes i will end the process right away. even windows is better due to wsl.

jcgrillo 2y ago

I agree, but my M1 MacBook work laptop is by far the fastest dev machine I've ever laid hands on. It struggles a bit from the UX standpoint, two things: 1. I have the same desktop layout every time, from left to right: slack desktop app, a two column wide emacs window, a 90col wide terminal. I also have two chrome windows--1 which is the same width as the slack window and overlays it, and another the same width as the emacs window which overlays that one. The problem is every single time I wake my laptop from sleep the terminal window has shrunk to fewer columns and I have to drag it back to full width. 2. Sometimes the external monitor support bugs out. I don't know if that's my hub ("pluggable" something or other) or the OS or both. Then of course there's all the warts of homebrew, and the fact that it's not easy to build some software.. However, the performance of the Apple silicon is nothing short of astonishing. I'm curious about the AMD chips that ship in the new Framework as I look towards an upgrade to my personal laptop, but it's basically between that and a new M4 Max Macbook. Never thought I'd see the day.. will probably wait a year or so before deciding but it's interesting that Apple is even a contender.

krembo 2y ago
For the 1st point, I struggled with the same, then a short applescript thanks to claude, attached to a keyboard shortcut on karabiner solved the painpoint. There's also an app called Stay which should do something similar with a ui, but my solution is good enough for me at this point.
- jcgrillo 2y ago
  lmfao if you're joking, good one, if not... yikes
  - jeffhuys 2y ago
    "I don't want solutions! I want to complain. Meh!"
    - jcgrillo 2y ago
      No, it's just that I don't customize systems anymore. It's not worth the hassle of maintaining a bunch of extra stuff just to fix issues that shouldn't be there in the first place. All those extra ux tweak programs just end up costing time to keep them working across updates, etc. because they're not part of the system.

dimgl 2y ago

? How is this possible? I have zero issues on my Macbook, while Linux is consistently a PITA for me.

margorczynski 2y ago
For me the biggest gripe is that I cannot configure it as I want and that it assumes I'm computer-illiterate. On top of that a lot of the approaches chosen by Apple regarding e.g. the UI are simply counterintuitive to me. I still prefer it to Windows but (at least for me) it is inferior to a properly setup Linux box with stuff like a titling WM. But if I would to recommend someone a computer just for browsing, email, etc. then a Mac would be my top choice.

kovac 2y ago

Ha. I have to use Linux (Arch) sometimes, and it's made me appreciate OpenBSD :)

crmd 2y ago
Corp IT recently banned my Indy with IRIX 6.5.32 daily driver from the network for some bureaucratic reason. I feel your pain.
- throwaway2037 2y ago
  I'm confused. Is this sarcasm? Your OS was last released, according to Wiki, in Aug 2006. How can it possibly be secure?
  - kmbfjr 2y ago
    It wasn’t that secure from the start. The lpr user was a nice way to get into Irix. That said, my favorite Unix.
    - icedchai 2y ago
      It definitely wasn't! I remember the irix 5.x and earlier days. By default, it shipped without any X11 authentication enabled. This meant everyone on the network could keylog your machine.
  - BirAdam 2y ago
    I doubt it’s a target unless someone was actively profiling the company in question, building out a plan, and seeking to actively exploit the company’s network from that machine. Even then, how many attackers know IRIX well enough to pull it off? If we were talking about a networked DOS machine, Windows XP, or even classic MacOS this lack of updates would be more serious… but niche UNIX workstations? Not as certain they’re still targets.

aadhavans 2y ago

Agreed. The hardware is excellent, but the customizability, and overall snappiness of the UI are far inferior to my XFCE setup.

kyawzazaw 2y ago
What are you guys running when you are writing code? I run IntelliJ and a browser, and mostly call it a day.
- OsrsNeedsf2P 2y ago
  Got my workchats and email in one virtual desktop, a checkpoint of what I was previously working on in another, YouTube playing music in another. All controllable with hotkeys, with a UI customized down exactly how I want it. And with no fear of an "update" breaking my setup.
- jimmaswell 2y ago
  I've taken to vim on a vt320 alongside my main monitor for docs/testing/etc
- aadhavans 2y ago
  Work code: vscode, slack, teams, browser. These are always open. Outlook if I want to check my mail. Personal code: Vim (more recently, zed) and a browser.

bee_rider 2y ago

It is really wild that all these little community groups manage to consistently outperform massive corporations.

cosmic_cheese 2y ago

Linux is better than Windows on most counts for sure, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to use it full-time without making significant concessions on preferences about how desktop environment stuff works. If you’re someone who grew up on Macs there’s almost nothing in the Linux desktop space that tries to replicate that set of patterns… it’s all Win9X-type taskbar setups, mobile-type setups (GNOME, Pantheon), old niche *nix setups (e.g. WindowMaker), and of course minimal tiling WMs. There’s no clones of Mac OS of any flavor. I’m proficient with more or less every modern desktop and can get by on any of any of them if I have to, but being happy doing so is another matter.

anon7000 2y ago
Gnome is not that different from Mac. You have your Mac-style status bar at the top, dock for apps which you can float or hide, typical window management, etc.
- rewgs 2y ago
  Gnome's top bar isn't a global menu, though. It's completely different and IMO pretty much useless.
  - zevon 2y ago
    KDE has a global menu bar that works like the one in MacOS.
    - cosmic_cheese 2y ago
      Kind of. Last I checked it’s broken under Wayland, and under X11 there’s a lot of apps that don’t populate it.
      - zevon 2y ago
        I'm using it under Wayland right now. Though you are right that there are apps that don't populate it.

herpdyderp 2y ago

I was forced to use a Linux laptop for a work once. It actually managed to make me appreciate Windows!

yndoendo 2y ago
You have to pay me to run Windows bare metal. The user experience is terrible and of the lowest quality compared to Mac OS and Linux. Even Windows OS 11 IoT LTSC requires work around to not create a Microsoft account, and this is their embedded solution. Last week I spent a whole day trying to resurrect a Windows 10 IoT LTSC because of a corrupt WMI repository. It crashed out software and to the client it looks like our software is bad where it is the OS that is bad. Client's automation was down until a replacement was sent out and installed. I've had to implement number of software changes because of buggy Windows drivers. From Intel NICs to touch screen HID messaging. Microsoft talks about backwards capability but it is subjective and only truly bound to the most used applications. Enabling tablet mode on Windows will break their API. There has never been a Linux system I couldn't resurrect and keep working. With Windows, it is always re-install the OS and all applications. Even the laptop I'm writing this on is the same OS installation that has passed between 4 different computers. You cannot get that quality of OS installation from Microsoft. Took me a month to convince IT to reinstall Windows on my work laptop. Microsoft's update broke the QA VM environment and would freeze with an infinite loop. Uninstalling the update nor repairing the OS did anything to fix their issues. Even today I experienced Ctrl+X is broken and does not work in Visual Studio for the git comment text box entry.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

FuckButtons 2y ago

I have a windows for work, Mac as a laptop and Linux on my workstation desktop. Windows is by far the worst, I don’t think Linux is vastly superior to Mac, they both have some things they do better than the other. My main issue is arm vs x86.

metadat 2y ago
Arm is worse or better, in your eyes? I've only used it on servers and aside from build annoyances and slower than x86, it is indistinguishable.
- mattl 2y ago
  M1 Mac is so nice. Hope to get an M4 soon..
  - Nevermark 2y ago
    I hope to get an M5. The problem is my M1 just keeps working so well. :( Have not had that "problem" to this extent on any other generation of machine. Albeit, my current work is not particularly CPU limited.
    - mattl 2y ago
      A couple of my M1 machines were purchased on the day of launch at the Apple Store so they’re the 8GB RAM models. They’re still very good running Apple software (even Final Cut Pro) but I find myself running out of RAM with a few web browsers running at the same time. The base model of the M4 mini now has 16GB by default which I’m sure would be just fine for me.
      - Nevermark 2y ago
        Ouch. Mine has 64GB. I usually max RAM, and get about double the SSD I think I need. Knowing that at a minimum, I will use my latest laptop, and 2-3 older models around the house and my quick-carry bag for convenience, at any given time. Beyond convenience, the old laptops are continually synced, as multiple onsite backups. So I get great long term value from consistently choosing higher end RAM/SSD specs. But in this case good specs for the M1 has saved me money via an unprecedentedly long upgrade schedule. I am feeling more pressure to update two old x86 laptops to M1, than any pressure to upgrade my M1. Never had this upside-down problem before. Apple did just a great job with that M1.

grishka 2y ago

Linux makes you use the terminal and read manuals and edit configs to accomplish the most basic tasks. At least neither Windows nor macOS need that. Linux is fine for servers, but I can't fathom using that on my actual computer.

AndriyKunitsyn 2y ago
That's a... like 20 years old talking point by now? I mean, you can probably find _a_ Linux that's like what you say, but top Linux distros are nowhere like that.
maxhille 2y ago
I prefer config files a lot to settings GUIs. Two most important points that come to mind: 1. I can manage them in Git 2. GUIs change all the time. With configs you have a much higher probability that some solution you googled will still work even when it is a couple of years old.
- grishka 2y ago
  But GUIs show you all available options without having to read the docs. They only change when you install updates. You can simply not install updates that you don't like.
  - seec 2y ago
    Linux fanboys are completely delusional, if we listened to them, we would design an airliner cockpit with a keyboard and a single display to run a terminal and input everything as commands. They have just invested too much of their ego into knowing the arcane commands (and typing them well and fast) when it doesn't have much value, so they try to get dividends on that poor investment any way they can. There is no reason to not make a proper GUI for pretty much everything, unless the devs are lazy or trying to save time/money.
    - grishka 2y ago
      I mean I know how to use a unix system through the terminal, it's a basic skill for a software engineer, but I'm not enjoying any of that. Most CLI software is ridiculously user-hostile too. Oh you don't remember whether it's "update" or "upgrade"? Or which order the parameters need to be? Or whether it's one dash or two? Well fuck you, go read some manuals and come back when you're ready. And it's not just discoverability. A well-designed GUI is impossible to get into an invalid state. A CLI, on the other hand, offers infinite possibilities for invalid commands.

vv_ 2y ago

There are many issues with using Linux for a corporate workstation. For instance, if the organization uses a proxy, setting it up is a PITA, as many Linux applications don't respect the http[s]_proxy environment variables. Some only accept upper-case, others only lower-case, while many have their own configuration settings for using a proxy. Additionally, in certain industries Linux support is non-existent, with many applications developed exclusively for Windows and no viable alternatives available. Running a VM is another PITA due to driver issues. Wine ditto. In the end, I found that running WSL2 provided a more manageable experience. I feel that Microsoft really hit the nail with WSL for productivity. Apparently, you can even run graphical applications from WSL although I don't have a lot of experience with that.