Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#21

Post by siculars » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:12 AM UTC

This. +100. I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable with the Apple ecosystem. iProducts, iCloud, etc. I can't transfer this to that cause I'm not allowed, click here to accept this, turn on location services so we can track you - on your laptop. It's getting to be too much.

What's the best laptop for running any Ubuntu flavored desktop?

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#22

Post by diminoten » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:14 AM UTC

Tsiolkovsky wrote: post #2

I switched back to GNU/Linux about 3 years ago when I started noticing and becoming aware of this ugly trend with Apple. I just couldn't live with myself anymore if I didn't also act according to my belief in digital freedom and empowering people. so after some self-questioning I have decided to switch to GNU/Linux and free software.

So you're willfully less productive because you want to have a cleaner conscience?

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#23

Post by mindcrime » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:15 AM UTC

I switched from a combination of OS/2 and Windows 95 / Windows 2000 TO Linux as my primary desktop OS about 13 years ago, and have never looked back. You can have my Fedora Linux desktop when you pry it from my cold, dead, fingers.

As for OS X... I'm sure it's nice, but I have no interest in Apple and their locked down, proprietary, closed off, "walled garden" ecosystem. I'm no rms, but I have little to no use for software that isn't OSS or FLOSS.

I did just switch from using Gnome as my primary desktop environment, back to KDE - after about 6 or 7 years of Gnome use - and I'm pretty damn happy with the current iteration of KDE. If you haven't tried it, give it a look, you may find that it's much better than you anticipated.

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#24

Post by mindcrime » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:16 AM UTC

siculars wrote: post #21

This. +100. I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable with the Apple ecosystem. iProducts, iCloud, etc. I can't transfer this to that cause I'm not allowed, click here to accept this, turn on location services so we can track you - on your laptop. It's getting to be too much. What's the best laptop for running any Ubuntu flavored desktop?

Are you wedded to Ubuntu? If not, Fedora is a pretty nice distro as well...

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#25

Post by mindcrime » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:17 AM UTC

diminoten wrote: post #22

Tsiolkovsky wrote: post #2

I switched back to GNU/Linux about 3 years ago when I started noticing and becoming aware of this ugly trend with Apple. I just couldn't live with myself anymore if I didn't also act according to my belief in digital freedom and empowering people. so after some self-questioning I have decided to switch to GNU/Linux and free software.

So you're willfully less productive because you want to have a cleaner conscience?

Where did he say anything about being less productive?

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#26

Post by Tsiolkovsky » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:17 AM UTC

diminoten wrote: post #22

Tsiolkovsky wrote: post #2

I switched back to GNU/Linux about 3 years ago when I started noticing and becoming aware of this ugly trend with Apple. I just couldn't live with myself anymore if I didn't also act according to my belief in digital freedom and empowering people. so after some self-questioning I have decided to switch to GNU/Linux and free software.

So you're willfully less productive because you want to have a cleaner conscience?

Actually I'm more productive and happier with desktop (KDE Plasma) and most of the software now: But freedom and rights are far more important to me than little differences in productivity.

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#27

Post by aclevernickname » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:18 AM UTC

I've been converting MacOS users to Kubuntu/KXStudio for the last year and a half. Since Lion, MacOS is now less user-friendly than kubuntu overall, and their system is usually more responsive after the update.

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#28

Post by asiekierka » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:18 AM UTC

I switched a few months ago from Linux to OS X. The OSS desktop is not yet ready, but I believe that it can be ready in a matter of two, three years.

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#29

Post by galaktor » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:18 AM UTC

jmduke wrote: post #15

I'll say something that's vaguely awful: what's in it for me? I use Linux at work and it's not bad , but I'm less productive on it with 95% of tasks than I would be with OSX. It looks worse (I recognize this is subjective.) 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…

I know it's merely your opinion, but you seem to be using the terms "best" and "pretty" interchangeably. I find that very surprising, but maybe it's well-designed UX on Mac that you are referring to when you say "pretty"? Anyway, pretty is one of those things that I learned is worth sacrificing in favour of productivity - be that in code or when I choose my OS or tools.

Re: Ask HN: Have you considered switching from OS X to Linux?

#30

Post by Stealth- » Mon, Oct 14, 2013, 6:18 AM UTC

CJefferson wrote: post #20

Yes, and I am happy. Life is particularly better for the C and C++ programmer. Valgrind's primary platform is Linux. For many years Mac owners were stuck with a horribly out of date and malfunctioning GCC, and even now with clang there are problems (the clang in xcode 5.0 has some horrible miscompiling bugs which were reported months before release). Is everything perfect in Linux? No. But overall I find it an improv…

Have you tried LibreOffice? It's a significant improvement.