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I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

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Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#121
> I picked CachyOS rather than a better-known distro like Ubuntu because it’s optimized for modern hardware

So this isn't a usual comparison, as the vast majority of users will choose Ubuntu, Fedora, or Mint. CachyOS is also a new distro, meaning it won't last long (most distributions, like small businesses, only last a few years). It's also Arch-based, meaning the user is going to get constant updates, which leads to problems. Finally, Cachy is optimized for speed and security, not hardware.

> First challenge: My mouse buttons don’t work. I can move the cursor, but can’t click on anything. I try plugging in a mouse (without unplugging the first one), same deal. Not a major issue; I can get around fine with just the keyboard

And this is where I stop reading

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#122

Commercial OSes (both Windows and MacOS) now feel so insanely agenda driven, and the agenda no longer feels like anything close to making the user happy and productive. For Mac, it feels like Apple wants to leverage what came out of VisionOS and unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop--two things no one asked for. For Windows, it feels like ads for their partners and ensuring they don't fumble the ai/agent tran…

Commercial OSes (both Windows and macOS) are also both American, and lots of people are trying to de-Americanize.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#123

For not much prior research, he sure has done a lot of prior research to even know about desktop environments or bootloaders compared to your average windows user. This article read like every other promising Linux is user friendly and easy, then proceeding with the author fixing issues the average user wouldn’t be able to even diagnose. I think anyone technically savvy enough to follow the article is already aware L…

*GASP* OH NO THEY MIGHT LEARN A SKILL!!!! Snark aside, I really really don’t understand the aversion, even within the tech community, to learning new skills especially as it pertains to Linux. Would having new knowledge be such a burden? Why is it something to avoid? Why is it not a good thing if normal people learn more about computing? Do we want a population of iPad baby Linux users? Normal people can use it now,…

Partly, the issue isn't "they would have to learn about Linux, and that's bad", it's "they would have to learn about Linux, and they wouldn't want do that, and so they would get frustrated and quite likely give up on it, and my recommendation would have been a waste of their time".

The other part is that they're not necessarily wrong not to want to learn about Linux! Learning is great, when it's something interesting or valuable. But if I'm not interested in the thing, and my time and mental resources are limited, and I have a good enough alternative, I think it's absolutely fine to avoid it.

Most of us choose to drive a car that just works, and take it to a mechanic when it doesn't, rather than buying one that requires and rewards tinkering. Maybe you're into cars, I don't know, but I bet you take this attitude to at least some of the useful objects in your life.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#124

Commercial OSes (both Windows and MacOS) now feel so insanely agenda driven, and the agenda no longer feels like anything close to making the user happy and productive. For Mac, it feels like Apple wants to leverage what came out of VisionOS and unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop--two things no one asked for. For Windows, it feels like ads for their partners and ensuring they don't fumble the ai/agent tran…

As if Linux was/is not agenda driven. People really forgot I guess.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#125

Commercial OSes (both Windows and MacOS) now feel so insanely agenda driven, and the agenda no longer feels like anything close to making the user happy and productive. For Mac, it feels like Apple wants to leverage what came out of VisionOS and unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop--two things no one asked for. For Windows, it feels like ads for their partners and ensuring they don't fumble the ai/agent tran…

Come back when I can run Linux on a laptop that has 12+ hours battery life, runs fast, that’s lightweight, quiet and doesn’t cause infertility from the heat when I put it on my lap…. Using an x86 laptop in 2025 is like using a flip phone 6 years after the iPhone came out. Of course if you are a gamer, ignore everything I just wrote.

>is like using a flip phone 6 years after the iPhone came out.

I was doing this and it was great. I only had to get a smart phone for work, and I hate the stupid thing.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#126

Commercial OSes (both Windows and MacOS) now feel so insanely agenda driven, and the agenda no longer feels like anything close to making the user happy and productive. For Mac, it feels like Apple wants to leverage what came out of VisionOS and unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop--two things no one asked for. For Windows, it feels like ads for their partners and ensuring they don't fumble the ai/agent tran…

Windows is a bizarre product at this point; it is what the company is famous for, but it is small beans next to Azure, right? Nobody would get into the Operating System business to make money I think, the going rate is $0, subsidized by something (an ad company, a hardware company, or general kindness and community spirit).

No, Windows still has Windows tax, which is why I always choose "No OS" when buying a machine. MacOS/iOS/iPadOS were never for sale separately, so we can't judge the price. Android sure is subsidized though.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#127
post #111

We use OneDrive/Teams/Office365 at work. I think this will be difficult with Linux. Doable with Mac. In think MacBook Air + Microsoft365 may be the cheapest startup IT setup that doesn’t require windows itself.

I'm mostly happy with OneDrive on Mac. I lead a major competitor to OneDrive back in the day, so that's saying a lot.

I still have to restart it from time to time, though.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop Lol, that's what Microsoft tried 10+ years ago and everybody gave them shit for it, especially Apple fans. Now Apple is "inventing" this again.

Ubuntu also tried this with Unity. They were hoping that Ubuntu would become more popular on tablets if they had a more tablet-friendly UI... They imposed this on desktop users even though nobody asked for it and basically nobody used Linux on a tablet. It was kind of a disaster. Ubuntu is a commercial entity though, so yeah, prone to the same kind of bad management decisions. as Microsoft and Apple. At least with Li…

[deleted]

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#129
post #44

For all who switched to Linux: which distro did you choose and why? Fedora: wanted to have the newest kernel and updates due to new hardware - so far i am really satisfied; the only issue i have is that the printer does not work everytime… as a workaround i print with my iphone instead.

NixOS. Had prior Linux experience, so wasn't too worried about learning multiple new major paradigms in parallel. Also had been running a lil' NixOS server for half a year before that, so I could carry over most of my configuration.nix from there, and also the safe feeling of knowing that if I do mess up stuff, I could with very high probability just reboot to a previous generation and have everything back to working exactly the same as before.

Edit: the two configuration.nixen has since been merged in a single dotfiles repo, which also covers my Macbook via https://nix-darwin.org.

Re: I replaced Windows with Linux and everything's going great

#130

Commercial OSes (both Windows and MacOS) now feel so insanely agenda driven, and the agenda no longer feels like anything close to making the user happy and productive. For Mac, it feels like Apple wants to leverage what came out of VisionOS and unify the look and feel of mobile and desktop--two things no one asked for. For Windows, it feels like ads for their partners and ensuring they don't fumble the ai/agent tran…

Commercial OSes (both Windows and macOS) are also both American, and lots of people are trying to de-Americanize.

Yep, I'm in this boat. After years of macs my next will be a FreeBSD Desktop.

edit: Although phone is much harder. I guess I'll just turn all the 'stuff' like icloud off, use only signal and my banking/etc apps, and get a separate camera.. Anyone found a less painful way to live without an iPhone/Android?

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