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So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

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Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#311

Post by bayindirh »

naibafo wrote: post #85

There are different issues with OSX though, that colleagues of mine had, that never occur with Linux. E.g. the chore of somehow managing different software versions such as the outdated default one and a second one installed with homebrew. Almost all my colleagues struggled with setting up python 2 und 3 correctly at some point, whereas this just worked for me on Linux. Some struggled with font rendering between a 10…

I have a feeling that Apple doesn't want their users to install that kind of development environments, other runtimes, etc. to their MacOS installations. Time Machine also sometimes doesn't Backup these installations correctly.

Similarly, TeX installation is hard and it's forcefully shoehorned on the installation, and you can't do anything better in the current situation.

My solution is to run a Linux VM for these situations. For programming and server-like purposes, a headless minimal installation is fine. For TeX authoring, an XFCE installation is very handy and not impacting battery life in a visible way.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#312

Post by _ea1k »

Tehchops wrote: post #42

End-user Linux has definitely improved in the last few years. It offers a lot of attractive features for what I imagine to be the typical HN demographic. That being said, it's still got rough spots that OSX doesn't. It works great when it works, but when it doesn't.... Font rendering, display/compositor fragmentation etc... Inb4 the anecdotal "well it works for me I just had to download the xf86 font library and comp…

I honestly feel like I've seen this same comment on every Linux workstation post for years now.

And you know what? Its mostly true[1], but its also true for me in reverse.

Mac OS has definitely improved in the last few years... that being said, it's still got rough spots that Fedora 29 doesn't. For me, this would be just as true of a statement.

[1] Maybe not the part about "had to download[...]" which felt a bit biased.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#313

Post by the_cat_kittles »

mrspeaker wrote: post #67

This is most definitely selection bias, but it seems like there's something in the air at the moment with people jumping off the "mainstream tech" ship. Lots of talk of nostalgia for 90s internet culture, switching to Linux (I also switched to Linux (and Emacs!) after a decade+ on Mac), more secure/transparent tech with phones etc. More willingness to put up with "rough spots" and "less shiny" for greater access to t…

my hunch is that the combo of education tools like youtube n stackoverflow and reddit etc has made the “simplified” aspects of many products less attractive. in many cases the products arent much simpler, but they are more effective at getting your money.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#314

Post by mmphosis »

jwr wrote: post #48

I so wish the Linux community would get its act together and implement a working usable clipboard. It's the one thing I miss the most whenever I switch from Mac OS to Linux. On a Mac, you can cut/copy/paste using predictable keystrokes in any application, anywhere. And there is a single clipboard. On Linux, you have to deal with a multitude of behaviors (middle mouse button, Ctrl-C, others, and does it paste where th…

I swap left Alt and left Ctrl because my ancient "Mac" muscle memory expects a Control key and Command key in those places. I actually swapped the physical keys on the PC keyboard as well.

  alias x='/usr/bin/setxkbmap -option ctrl:swap_lalt_lctl'
That makes most Linux software consistent with Mac Command keys. I still need to use Alt-Tab where I expect Command-Tab (control-tab) to switch to the next Application window because Autokey doesn't seem to be able to override this.

I installed Autokey and have keys assigned for Terminal. So for instance: pressing +c sends a +c, and pressing +c sends ++c. I have pretty much all of the alt keys assigned to send control keys, and all of Command keys (control keys) to do what I expect: Close ^w, Copy ^c, Find Next ^g, Find ^f, New ^n, Paste ^v, Select All ^a.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#315

Post by H1Supreme »

Filligree wrote: post #288
ianhowson wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With Apple, you can take it to any store and they'll diagnose it immediately. With business support (which isn't even expensive for individuals; it was $500/year when I had it) they'll give you a loaner on the spot. If you've got backups, your downtime for a dead machine maybe a few hours.

I appreciate the convenience of such stores where they exist, but neither Ireland nor Norway has any apple stores. Only third-party resellers, none of which are nearly as good.

Exactly. The majority of my office is on an HP contract. Something goes down, a tech comes in that day and fixes it. The nearest Apple store is an hour away, and someone would have to drive it.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#316

Post by ddebernardy »

toyg wrote: post #18

(That color theme is... not for me.) I long for the Linux prairies of old, but I've grown fat and lazy on OSX. Linux is a youngster's game. Apple got it wrong in 2016 but there are signs that we might have passed "iPhone peak"... maybe they will be forced to pay attention again to us old farts.

Is Linux that popular with youngsters after they've left university? When I think about laptop Linux users it's the archetypical greasy bearded GNU'er [1] that springs to mind...

[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25UeVXrEHQ

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#317

Post by isacikgoz »

I am also planning to migrate from macbook. I am tired of constant hardware failures, of my current macbook and previous one. OS on the other hand is not better than in any field if I compare it to Linux. The only valid reason for me to stay with macOS is support of MS office tools.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#318

Post by psadauskas »

I've used both Linux and OSX for a long time, and what I've found is that while Linux breaks a little more often, I stand a much better chance of being able to fix it. When I google for a Linux problem, there's much more likely to be an answer that works on StackOverflow, while on OSX it often just leads me to the Apple support forums with dozens of people asking the same question and no real answer.

Similarly, while the little utility apps on OSX tended to be better written, on Linux if they didn't work quite the way I wanted there was usually a config file I could tweak that would make it better. On OSX I just had to either write an app myself (and I don't know XCode, ObjC or Swift) or hope that someone else would. And some things on OSX were just impossible. I find that a tiling window manager fits really well in my development flow, and while it can sorta be emulated with tools like Divvy and Alfred, I always found it to be more cumbersome than awesome or i3. But, Alfred is a way better launcher than anything I've found available on Linux.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#319

Post by black-tea »

Tehchops wrote: post #42

End-user Linux has definitely improved in the last few years. It offers a lot of attractive features for what I imagine to be the typical HN demographic. That being said, it's still got rough spots that OSX doesn't. It works great when it works, but when it doesn't.... Font rendering, display/compositor fragmentation etc... Inb4 the anecdotal "well it works for me I just had to download the xf86 font library and comp…

> It works great when it works, but when it doesn't....

Yeah that good for MacOS and virtually every other piece of technology.

Re: So Long, Macbook. Hello Again, Linux

#320

Post by stcredzero »

jandrese wrote: post #238
stcredzero wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That being said, it's still got rough spots that OSX doesn't. It works great when it works, but when it doesn't.... Someone really needs to make Linux distros just work when hooking a laptop up to a projector. The fact that there's so much trouble that's so public and faced with so much concentrated embarrassment is a serious ongoing PR impediment to Linux. Linux distros got printing licked across the board, so it ca…

Last time I hooked up my Linux laptop to a projector it fired up the screen just fine. I didn't even have to hit some magic key combo to turn it on.

Time before last when I went to a Golang meetup, the presenter's Linux laptop embarrassed him for a few minutes, and lots of devs with Macbooks made some linux jokes at his expense.

This was the story with printing in Linux as well, back in the day. It would work fine for some, and be a nightmare for others.

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