Fed up with the Mac, I spent six months with a Linux laptop

My recent experiences have been exclusively with Intel integrated GPUs on a laptop, which seem to be a fairly reliable option in terms of desktop compatibility and integration nowadays. I don't know what the current state of e.g. proprietary NVidia drivers is, but I wouldn't be surprised if you ran into more problems in terms of compatibility with the rest of the desktop system (including stuff like tearing) with those than with some of the better open source drivers.

Workstation-class machines might thus actually be more prone to tearing if they require using proprietary drivers.

That doesn't make it any less of a problem if your coworkers' machines did exhibit problems, of course.

[1] I've seen tearing e.g. when playing a web video in the Steam client, but I find that more of a corner case than browsers or general desktop use.

I have not found anything better than wmii, last year replicated experience in xmonad now without any WM controls. My environment is clean and unobtrusive — xterm, vim, mpv, mupdf. Arch Linux user since 2009. Recently I've tried Windows and macOS, can't stand them.

There are other projects though — Gnome, KDE, more mainstream approach.

I have to fly to Germany and hang out at CCC to find people that know how to be productive with open source hacker-friendly software. It is even rare over there to meet a Mac user. I meet more FreeBSD users than Mac users in Europe.

Meanwhile in the US It feels like at every new employer or client it is a PITA to get a Linux machine because no one has ever asked for one before. It is just assumed no one could possibly get a technical job done without Apple.

I have been told multiple times that I need to use Apple so IT can help me when it breaks in spite of me literally being a Linux hardening specialist who even has a few lines in the kernel. I can maintain my own machine, thanks.

I have even had people insist on sending me Apple laptops even if a Linux machine is approved just because they are so sure I am going to need it. I never do.

Where are all of you hiding? I feel like I need a support group of people that also opped out of the cult.

I'm not disputing that. It isn't hard to agree on what an average user definitely needs and therefore must work. The hard part is where to draw the line, what is still needed and what is niche.

> This seems like a very niche use case.

Maybe. But it's very much something an "average user" might want. It's actually something I want to be able to do so I can watch a film with my sister, each with our own headphones. That's a real user need, not something "meta" like the FLOSS things you mentioned (not a solution by itself, but something that can help a programmer fill that user need).