Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#21

Post by 0942v8653 » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:40 PM UTC

zurn wrote: post #14

terhechte wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

with "emacs" OP refers to an OSX feature where every text field / input box in every app / dialog of the system supports the basic emacs bindings. So whether you're in Safari, Chrome, Numbers, Office, TextEdit, Photodesk, or any other app, the basic emacs movements commands always work (apparently the original NeXT hackers were big emacs fans). I'm running various Linux distributions in a VM from time to time, and th…

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface gtk-key-theme "Emacs" Yeah, the fact that there isn't UI for this basic pref says a lot about the relationship between desktop environments and "power users"... (source: http://askubuntu.com/questions/181532/emacs-keybindings-in-u... )

I just tried that in Elementary and it doesn't work :(

I'm sure I'll find a way, but I'm starting to realize that the Cocoa Text System is pretty great compared to what other OSes have.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#22

Post by coldpie » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:41 PM UTC

I'm a big fan of XFCE for your DE/WM. It allows you to set loads of keyboard shortcuts for various WM activities like launching programs, switching workspaces, moving/resizing windows. As far as non-WM activities, look elsewhere in this thread for program recommendations.

The only Linux distro I can stand is Arch Linux. It will require you to become a sysadmin (comfortable with a shell, editing a few config files here and there, and following instructions from the wiki), but you sound comfortable with that. Arch will never break beyond recovery for you. It's a very simple distro that doesn't try to "do everything" on your behalf. Other distros like Ubuntu, Mint, and Fedora all seem to have a significant chance of self-destructing when I update them. Arch just keeps working. I've been using it exclusively for over 7 years.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#23

Post by trebla » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:42 PM UTC

You can even change the unconfigurable lxterminal from lubuntu to use OS X keybindings. Run apt-get source lxterminal. Then change the bindings in src/lxterminal.h (change C to C and the same change for V, for paste). Then run apt-source --commit to commit your change locally and finally dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc to build your modified lxterminal.

Edit. And change other keybindings in .config/openbox/lubuntu-rc.xml. For instance change keybind key="C-Left" for GoToDesktop left to get the same binding as in OS X.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#24

Post by phireal » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:44 PM UTC

bryanlarsen wrote: post #16

I'm not sure how well it compares to iTerm2, but check out terminator.

My personal favourite terminal on Linux is yakuake (global hotkey for bringing the window to the foreground is really useful).

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#25

Post by dreid3 » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:44 PM UTC

Currently dual booting Ubuntu and Windows at home to get my feet wet with Linux. At work I use a Mac and the closest thing I've found to Quicksilver or Alfred is Mutate.

https://github.com/qdore/Mutate

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#26

Post by ppurka » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:45 PM UTC

For a terminal, you can give terminology a try: https://www.enlightenment.org/p.php?p=about/terminology

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#27

Post by dhimes » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:45 PM UTC

meesterdude wrote: post #9

Here here! I recently did this - well, I moved to a linux VM. Somewhat. First, I did not move everything; I only moved my dev enviroment. I have things bound to OS X and I can't say goodbye just yet entirely. But with everything in a VM I have a nice walled garden that i know will work, and I can update OSX with less hesitation as most of my time is spent in the safe world of the VM. It also makes it easy for me to c…

I use Linux Mint dual-boot and recently started using it as a dev environment in a VM- albeit with Windows. Good distro.

On the Linux Mint site there is a workaround for using Google for search. It involves adding it to your choices, then selecting it.

Go here, and don't give up reading it too soon:

http://www.linuxmint.com/searchengines.php

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#28

Post by rnhmjoj » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

About iTerm, I have found this one: http://finalterm.org I have never tried it but it seems great.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#29

Post by kidmenot » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:46 PM UTC

dz0ny wrote: post #12

Gnome3 is also nice http://i.imgur.com/8ZxohmT.png :) [x] - I yet to have see terminal emulator shipped with ubuntu that doesn't wrap text [x] - Gnome 3 has Alfred like search over files, apps, windows... also mutate ( https://github.com/qdore/Mutate )

As a side note, I could never bring myself to like Ubuntu's default font. To my eyes it always looked nothing short of hideous, I wonder if I'm the only one.

Re: Ask HN: Switching from OS X to Linux

#30

Post by harkyns_castle » Thu, Feb 19, 2015, 2:48 PM UTC

harkyns_castle wrote: post #13

harkyns_castle wrote: post #11

Mint has been my choice. I'm not 100% happy with it, but its the best I've found so far for a desktop experience.

Edit: Even had a few Steam games transfer over, which was cool. I've had some issues with Java support, but most people wouldn't care about that, and fairly random, as in the Toolbar support. I don't particularly trust who owns the distro, and if someone pointed me at a better one, that is wholly open source, would change in a flash, but I've liked it so far.

Ubuntu lost me with me the abortive Unity interface, and sending my queries back to base.