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>A lot of my friends use Linux and tell me that if I spend the right amount of time tinkering with it -- making it mine -- I'd reap the benefits of a bespoke OS

>A lot of my friends use Linux and tell me that if I spend the right amount of time tinkering with it -- making it mine -- I'd reap the benefits of a bespoke OS, just like slipping on a suit that's tailored just for me. If you do things like change your keyboard layout to Dvorak/Colemak, go for it. It really is a more productive environment once you're used to it, but the trade-offs are similar. Yes, you can tailor everything the way you want, but it can be very time consuming and you lose out on the ability of having anybody else know how to use your computer. Anecdote: I came from Arch Linux to OSX. I find the tight integration between hardware and software on my 2012 Air to be a breathe of fresh air from the hacking it takes to get basic hardware support sometimes on Linux. IMO, tools like vagrant make native OS matter much less nowadays as long as you are working in some kind of *nix environment.

rob05c 13y ago
> I came from Arch Linux to OSX. I find the tight integration between hardware and software... I just went the other direction :). I agree, the hardware/driver issues are a pain. If you're using a desktop without wireless, you probably won't have issues. If you pick Ubuntu, any issues usually aren't too hard to fix. If you're trying to install something like FreeBSD on a laptop with a non-broadcom card? God have mercy on your soul :( That said, once you fix the issues, they're usually fixed for good. It's just the matter of the week of banging your head against the wall to figure it out. Relevant: http://xkcd.com/979/ http://xkcd.com/979/
- PLejeck 13y ago
  As a fellow OSX -> Arch person, I feel your pain. The experience of making Broadcom function is enough to drive a man insane.
- epsylon 13y ago
  > If you pick Ubuntu, any issues usually aren't too hard to fix. I've tried various distros on my laptop (Thinkpad W500) but I was seriously impressed when Ubuntu had everything working (including WiFi and ACPI key bindings) out of the box.
  - ciclista 13y ago
    Check out Linux Mint as well, I've been using it as my main distro for some months now. It's based on Ubuntu, but very clean and easy.
  - jzelinskie 13y ago
    Thinkpads have been officially Ubuntu certified for years now. They are probably the best laptop you can buy for GNU/Linux that doesn't have it already pre-installed.

rob05c 13y ago

> I came from Arch Linux to OSX. I find the tight integration between hardware and software... I just went the other direction :). I agree, the hardware/driver issues are a pain. If you're using a desktop without wireless, you probably won't have issues. If you pick Ubuntu, any issues usually aren't too hard to fix. If you're trying to install something like FreeBSD on a laptop with a non-broadcom card? God have mercy on your soul :( That said, once you fix the issues, they're usually fixed for good. It's just the matter of the week of banging your head against the wall to figure it out. Relevant: http://xkcd.com/979/ http://xkcd.com/979/

PLejeck 13y ago
As a fellow OSX -> Arch person, I feel your pain. The experience of making Broadcom function is enough to drive a man insane.
epsylon 13y ago
> If you pick Ubuntu, any issues usually aren't too hard to fix. I've tried various distros on my laptop (Thinkpad W500) but I was seriously impressed when Ubuntu had everything working (including WiFi and ACPI key bindings) out of the box.
- ciclista 13y ago
  Check out Linux Mint as well, I've been using it as my main distro for some months now. It's based on Ubuntu, but very clean and easy.
- jzelinskie 13y ago
  Thinkpads have been officially Ubuntu certified for years now. They are probably the best laptop you can buy for GNU/Linux that doesn't have it already pre-installed.