Switching from macOS: The Basics • Hacker News Board

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#541

Post by mirkules » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 9:56 PM UTC

namirez wrote: post #520

mirkules wrote: post #481

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. In addition to the functional problems you outlined, every Linux GUI I've tried feels fake and plasticky, like it was designed for kids. Gnome is miles ahead of where it used to be, but design-wise it is now at about Windows 98-level. Is there a problem attracting quality graphic designers to open source projects?

I think it requires a change of mindset. I've been using Linux exclusively on all of my machines since 2004. I started with KDE and then switched to Gnome 2 and finally Gnome 3. Everything looks clean and normal to me. On the other hand, every time that I need to use Windows (even Windows 10) it feels strange. So I guess it's a matter of perspective.

You make a good point. Sounds like we are at a crossroads: do we cater to what's familiar or are we trying to attract new users (like this post aims to do)?

In my opinion, there is no reason the design can't be made to look better while still maintaining the familiarity (like OS X mavericks did, for better or worse).

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#542

Post by gotofritz » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:00 PM UTC

epmaybe wrote: post #223

fnl wrote: post #211

I try Ubuntu about once a year, in the hopes of getting rid of OSX. But each time, the reason for going back to Apple ID is interoperability : Try dragging stuff (images, fotos, links, files, formatted text ...) from one program to another, including the "dreaded" Finder; Works nearly always in OSX. While Ubuntu has come a long way with these things, I think it's still an even longer way away from what OSX can do. So…

My biggest gripe with OS X right now is that Safari doesn't play nice with some website when it comes to dragging pictures and pasting them in from the clipboard.

Safari is following in the iTunes and Preview in the "what's wrong with this once pretty decent piece of software??" thing

Among web devs Safari is considered "the new IE" (which among web devs is probably the lowest insult)

TL;DR avoid Safari. It's rubbish.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#543

Post by Pulce » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:01 PM UTC

kybernetyk wrote: post #33

So I went to their main page to download an ISO to give it a try in a VM. They hid the download button really well: You have to type in "0" into the "how much you'd like to pay" field for the "Purchase" button to change to "Download". I mean I understand that open source projects need funding. But if you want people to try your niche OS at least make it obvious how to download it. Ask for money later after people had…

Sad. I tried to modify elementary OS entry in italian wikipedia for this (and... it is not open software, but 'free' if it is distribuited via GPL...). I did not be able to modify the wiki, anda banned for 24h... EDIT: for 'personal attacks'... LOL, it's all written, where are my personal attacks? LOL

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#544

Post by reitanqild » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:02 PM UTC

amirmansour wrote: post #531

chadgeidel wrote: post #503

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It boggles the mind that no "PC" manufacturer has done what Apple has done with hardware design and integration. Apple has been hitting it out of the park for at least 4-6 years, plenty of time for some other company to do it themselves. Even Microsoft is struggling (although the "Surface" products are really good) The only thing I can think is that it's really difficult and expensive to iron out all those little har…

It is without a doubt not easy task to release a product with the polish of a MBP, but as you said, you would think there would be something competing at an equal level by now. I don't think Lenovo's efforts lived up to the glory of the Thinkpad line, but I will give them credit for the X1 Carbon. Though the Carbon only comes in a 14" model. From an industrial design standpoint, the Surface Book is fantastic and dema…

> It is without a doubt not easy task to release a product with the polish of a MBP, but as you said, you would think there would be something competing at an equal level by now.

I feel Ubuntu could have been there if they had continued their effort to create a rock-solid Gnome 2 experience instead of starting to copy Mac for no good reason (dock, window decorations, alt-tab handling etc).

Now Ubuntu has lost a few years of development time and what once made a hardcode KDE fan like Gnome now feels completely alien to the point where I have stopped even testing the LTS releases.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#545

Post by markovbling » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:05 PM UTC

simula67 wrote: post #467

veidr wrote: post #357

My own burning hatred towards Apple runs a little hotter than most, and I have been seriously googling (and trying) alternatives since 2012. That was when my $9000 Mac Pro — which had been a great machine, and still was, except for the little detail about not having been updated since 2009 and thus being stuck with USB 2 (!!!) to say nothing of Thunderbolt and any kind of modern accoutrements — started to feel like a…

I have been a Linux user for a long time ( ArchLinux with Xfce ). Recently, I switched jobs and my employer issued me with a Mac. I am having the same problem : the fucking OS . Why do I need to press multiple buttons to see how many applications I have open ? Why does command + tab cycle through every open application ? Why does it not limit itself to the applications in the current space ? What are spaces for anywa…

Protip: use karabiner to bind command to control when you're using a windows VM ;)

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#546

Post by gotofritz » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:06 PM UTC

I bought a MBP a few months ago because I was travelling to the UK and the low pound made it a no brainer (I saved 350€) but part of me was annoying at missing out on the latest version that was about to be released.

It looks like I dodged a bullet; in 4-5 years, when I'll need an upgrade, all these issues will be solved, USB-C will either have become standard or gone firewire's way, the pointless emoji board will be quietly shelved, more RAM will be possible, etc

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#547

Post by coryfklein » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:09 PM UTC

snowwrestler wrote: post #210

Void_ wrote: post #39

I'm really hoping this is just a phase. Hoping that Apple will reduce prices of new laptops and we'll be back to normal. Right now everybody is using Macs. Walk into the Bay Area coffee shop, you see Macs everywhere. I love that. I build desktop software for Macs (focuslist.co). My apps are prettier than any others. They are easier and faster to use. This is the reason why people pay me $5 while they can get the job…

The USB-C ports and the processor + RAM limitations will be fixed by time. As soon as Intel rolls out their full Kaby Lake line, the Macbook Pro will get a rev that will improve speed and permit 32GB of RAM. Counting in design and manufacturing time, that could be about a year from now. And USB-C is clearly the future for connectors. In a year or two a lot more peripherals will be shipping with USB-C as the default c…

> As soon as Intel rolls out their full Kaby Lake line, the Macbook Pro will get a rev that will improve speed and permit 32GB of RAM.

Can you comment on why you think this is true? A cursory look at Kaby Lake does not seem to indicate any sort of intrinsic change that would allow the MBP to have more memory.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#548

Post by gotofritz » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:13 PM UTC

FrankBlack wrote: post #47

Perhaps I am just dense, but the article references, specifically, the "Pro" market. For most pros that I know (and I am among them), our OS choice is often based on our tools, not the other way around. If I need Photoshop, Lightroom, Logic Pro, Visual Studio, etc., switching will be quite a chore. For the average user, this is probably a much more appealing argument.

If you need Adobe stuff, the alternative is Windows (where it's more stable) not Linux. If you need Logic, you are stuck on macs. For everything else you MAY be able to get away with linux, but simple stuff like Evernote or Google Drive are not available

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#549

Post by gotofritz » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:15 PM UTC

matzipan wrote: post #90

FrankBlack wrote: post #47

Perhaps I am just dense, but the article references, specifically, the "Pro" market. For most pros that I know (and I am among them), our OS choice is often based on our tools, not the other way around. If I need Photoshop, Lightroom, Logic Pro, Visual Studio, etc., switching will be quite a chore. For the average user, this is probably a much more appealing argument.

Unfortunately, Linux lacks in the creative market. There's no way this can change soon without support from big players, like, for example, Adobe.

I think you can forget Adobe porting all their stuff to Linux. They have a ton of different projects and teams going on at the same time, they certainly are not going to bother increasing that by 50% to support an open source platform with 1.x% market penetration.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#550

Post by thegreenchronic » Wed, Nov 02, 2016, 10:20 PM UTC

vamur wrote: post #469

veidr wrote: post #357

My own burning hatred towards Apple runs a little hotter than most, and I have been seriously googling (and trying) alternatives since 2012. That was when my $9000 Mac Pro — which had been a great machine, and still was, except for the little detail about not having been updated since 2009 and thus being stuck with USB 2 (!!!) to say nothing of Thunderbolt and any kind of modern accoutrements — started to feel like a…

Speak for yourself. Linux is a perfectly viable option for non-lazy people, who don't complain about everything. And Windows 10 is excellent too if you don't care about privacy. And it's Ubuntu not Ubuttnu. >> a sneering fuck you directed at not just me, but everybody remotely like me. You overpaid 8k for a machine so why should Apple care? You are clearly going to buy their next product. >>But we're mostly all gonna…

See Linux people always say that, "it's coz your lazy", "Linux works great". I've tried pretty much every year for the last 10 years to get Linux working.

When I go into a brand new elementary installation to try it out, and I can't set the proxy, i shake my head and wonder how anybody can take this OS seriously.

Not even that the proxy setting didn't work, I actually couldn't set it in the GUI, it would just wipe my setting.

Yeah... linux is not perfectly viable, its a mess.