I'm not really sure what the overhead is since I usually have 16GB or 32GB of ram anyway.
That aside I feel the article is applying a double standard. Someone who properly can use Linux can easily resolve most of the authors criticisms. It's also possible to run Windows (haven't tried on 11, but is possible with 10) on a USB stick or external hard drive. You can also install Windows (10) trivially on most machines. Certain Linux variants also have telemetry, etc.
I enjoy Linux, I also enjoy Windows. There's no need to create a false dichotomy. It's very easy to just run both. Best tool for the job and what not.
I also use Ubuntu with i3 when I'm trying to be particularly productive. Unfortunately Windows doesn't have something I find to be as good (I'm happy for suggestions if you think there's a tiling manager for Windows that's equivalent to i3).
Windows 10 for me has been a rock solid OS for years. I think I've had 2 bluescreen issues since i've been using it. One was plugging in a very faulty USB device and the other was caused by code I wrote.
WSL2 is a great addition and has replaced the places where I used to use a Linux VM or even a dual boot system.
I've only tried Windows 11 on a spare laptop so far and while I didn't like the changing of the start menu, it seems like a decent OS.
I have to use windows for my job as I still need to use some old embedded development tools that are only available on Windows. MacOS has some nice features but I've never got on with Macs that well and now I have a full Linux command line I can use.
Unless you devleop iPhone/iPad apps, I would say that windows is becoming one of the best operating systems for development these days.
Expecting users to leave their desired/trusted applications behind (in most cases) is pretty much a non-starter.
Beyond the title, there is a lot of FUD in the article, and that coming from someone who uses both Windows 10 and FreeBSD (and prior to that Slackware).
Most if not all applications are probably available through WINE layer of some sort.
The stuff that's not packaged usually has to be built from source. That can be annoying because you need to figure out what -dev packages to install. And if any of its dependencies also aren't in the package manager, then you're going to have to build that first.
On top of that, many makefiles don't have an inverse operation to the install target, so if you decide you want to remove it it's a manual effort to figure out what to get rid of. Also have to be careful when doing the install because it will happily overwrite already installed files that happen to have the same name.
Ubuntu is such a productivity killer since it has not taskbar.
Anybody here using Ubuntu and changed the desktop environment to one with a taskbar? If so, which one and how did things go?
By that logic it's impossible to be productive in macOS?
That aside, Kubuntu is supposed to be pretty stable is my understanding.
Not sure what OP means, but I did feel that the Ubuntu "sidebar" is inferior. Slow, laggy, weird popups, forces you to scroll to see all of your open apps. It's just badly designed. KDE is much better...
That said, since it implements the BSD syscalls, you can compile virtually any Linux or BSD programs for it easily.
Only downsides are areas where Apple intentionally doesn't match BSD. For instance, the supported OpenGL version is very outdated (although, in practice, there are libraries to translate OpenGL calls to Metal, so it's not that bad).
And I’m still hearing every year that next year is the year of the Linux Desktop
Almost nobody changes the OS that came with the machine.
It's laid out in a table on Microsoft's website, in addition to a compatibility tool available for standalone download or via Windows Update.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifica...
I think the implication is that what's in that table has been changing, though I've not been following closely so I couldn't say for sure.
I don’t really care what OS other people choose. There will probably never be an OS that everyone will love.
So my stance is this: Just let people use whatever OS they’re happy and productive with. And where they can find applications they like. IMHO, having a nice selection of applications is just as important as the OS itself. For me, that is a compelling argument in favour of macOS. But if people can find applications they enjoy on Windows and Linux, then bully for them.
And when it comes to regular users who just want something that works – then it might be wise to not even use a traditional desktop OS. iOS/iPadOS and Android/Chrome OS are much more user-friendly than Windows/Mac/Linux will ever be.
I don't want to give more power to companies who grow large enough to be able to ignore their users needs and wants.
That said, I won't take away people's choice. I'm just concerned about their well-being and about this world's future.
I'm not saying Linux is the answer. Maybe we're all doomed to be controlled by corporate interests, but I'm not going to be apathetic about it.
Apple continuing to censor erotic artists was the last straw for me, and I've heard encouraging things about how solid Ubuntu's UI is in particular. Windows? Their UI plus accessibility is hot garbage and I'd rather go back to a M1 MacPro than ever touch it again.
All of this to say -- I can't be the only one that's finally had it with both companies, and I'm not particularly "techie". As much as one can be when posting on HN, at any rate. ;)
(1)I say if all goes well because I and a more geeky friend had a disastrous time attempting to install kubuntu on an Asus that plain refused it. I see the ol' linux curse is still effective.
These days people mostly just need a web browser.
It looks raw enough that it needs another year or so for Microsoft to finish it. Operating systems are down to the standards of AAA video games these days.
Although, I am certainly opinionated and biased as I've opted for open (mostly GPL#/BSD licensed) solutions where they apply for at least 20 years and always in some nix-based operating system on my desktop. I feel miserable whenever I am forced to be on a Windows desktop, but that tend to be the case on an Apple mobile device or Android device too.. (but I happily use Apple and Android devices for certain tasks).
I try not to think too much about this because what Microsoft is doing is really pissing me off.
