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Switching from macOS: The Basics

blog.elementary.io

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Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#81

Post by balladeer »

blowski wrote: post #24

How does this compare to Ubuntu Desktop? Why would I use one over the other? I ask as somebody who used to use Ubuntu a few years ago, and wants to switch back to Linux in the next few months.

I used Elementary for 3 months a year ago when I was very unstable.

Why would you use? I would list why I tried it and used it for 3 months - at work. I stopped using it because it became a little difficult to manage the stability issues, build problems (at that it was very unstable as I mentioned above) and then the start-up I worked for got funded and gave everyone the then latest Macbook Pro (I had been using an Air at home anyway).

I found it pretty. Simple. Not at all cluttered - very clean look. I was used to OSX and its look and feel was/is very much inspired from OSX (or a similar UX/UI design philosophy if I may say so). And it's open source.

I kept using it also because I kind of fell in love with Midori (the Elementary browser and that's one app from Elementary I still miss on OSX).

Why not Ubuntu? Honestly, everyone else in my team used Ubuntu and it worked perfectly fine for them and whenever I ran into issues I was just asked one question "why the h not Ubuntu?". It was mostly aesthetics. Elementary felt very simple and pleasing to my eyes (yes, even when compared to X/LUbuntu) and for some reason I never really liked Ubuntu after Unity and all that happened (that was back in college - can't recall all the reasons as of now). Also, it was definitely lighter then Ubuntu.

This may not be the answers you are looking for but I thought I will chip in with my own reasons. And yes, I am going back to Linux too. My Air is 5 years old now and is already showing its age. I don't think I would like to spend the latest Macbook Pro kind of money for another Apple laptop. Then most probably I will try one of these - Elementary or Solus or Apricity etc on a lightweight 13ish inch laptop.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#82

Post by vetinari »

toyg wrote: post #31
my123 wrote: post #26

Elementary is quite nice on HiDPI until you use apps which need other graphics toolkits...

The Linux world should really get together and bang out a solution for the hiDPI problem that is consistent across X servers and window managers.

The Linux world[1] has got together and is banging out a solution for a somewhat bigger problem that the multitude of X toolkits and their different (non) approach to HiDPI.

It's called Wayland, it took some time to make and next week, new Fedora is coming out that uses it by default (until now you could "only" opt-in during login).

[1] Except Ubuntu, they have their own NIH solution, of course.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#83

Post by wmccullough »

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…

I want to dislike you for your statements of the truth, but I can't.

I'm a multi-plat guy who has a Macbook and a Windows machine. This makes me want to get a real open source initiative going on Windows to enable better UI assembly. Xaml is great but it has a ways to go.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#84

Post by matzipan »

endisukaj wrote: post #65
toyg wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a long-standing criticism of Elementary. I think they initially didn't even provide a way to get a free download, and eventually settled for the current UI. Basically the founder-owner is adamant that someone has to pay for his time, and tbh I don't begrudge him.

Considering how Elementary is a skin on top of Ubuntu with some shiny icons and animations... No thank you, I'd rather use Mint or Ubuntu if I want an easy distro.

elementary OS has evolved a lot from just a simple skin on top of Ubuntu. You can see here [1] all the projects which are maintained by the team.

[1] https://launchpad.net/elementary

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#85

Post by dagw »

JonnieCache wrote: post #67
Freak_NL wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

System76 is a solid choice (I love my four year old Gazelle, with 16Gb or RAM from the start), although ordering a laptop there is slightly cumbersome if you are living outside of North America. https://system76.com/laptops The build quality of their offerings seems to get better with each successive generation too, and of course everything works out of the box. I just wish they would partner with someone in the EU;…

What makes system76 laptops better than the XPS 13?

Depends on what you care about. If you want are willing to sacrifice a bit of performance for longer battery life and lower weight, then the XPS 13 wins handily. If on the other hand you're willing to sacrifice (quite a lot of) battery life and accept (a lot) heavier weight in exchange for performance, then System 76 will sell you some of the fastest laptops money can buy.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#86

Post by 72deluxe »

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…

No offence intended but I took a look at your website (which is very neat and tidy BTW), and looked at the screenshots but I do not see how your app (consisting of mainly a listview control) is "prettier than any others".

I can see how having a simple UI with few controls on it can sometimes be translated as "pretty" in certain circles, but simply having few features and few controls doesn't magically mean your app is top of the pile on the entire Earth regarding "prettiness". It is quite an assertion to make.

EDIT: Again, this is not meant offensively but was more of a response to the assertion that the app is prettier than ANY others.

Furthermore, I certainly agree with the rest of the comment where they state that more attention is paid to UI etc. on MacOS than other platforms, typically.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#87

Post by xxs »

goombastic wrote: post #20
anondon wrote: post #12

The software is there, but what about the hardware to go with it? The only laptops comparable to Macbook Pro hardware quality and battery life are the Dell XPS series and the Thinkpad X1. I feel there is a serious shortage of good laptops with linux pre-installed that the non-technical user can pickup and start using.

The other problem is that laptops are being built like mobile phones, with everything soldered to the board and the whole thing either sealed shut or taped down. Upgradeable & portable laptops just dont seem to exist at the price points they used to.

Nowadays, and most "fancy" brands. Few weeks back I upgraded a 2010 laptop by replacing the CPU, RAM, Battery, adding SSD (instead of the DVD). The end result was glorious.

Looking at current generation of soldered CPU and glue as building solution is off putting at best. It feels like a cheap toy produced in a sweat shop.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#88

Post by oneeyedpigeon »

tambourine_man wrote: post #22

Unfortunately, no Photoshop, no go

I feel like, unless your situation dictates a specific product (which is unlikely), this should be rephrased "Unfortunately, no graphics editor that does x, y, z". If you continue to put up a 'Photoshop' barrier, then you will never be able to consider any alternatives — assume Photoshop will never happen on Linux, but that there may well be a graphics tool in future that is far superior as far as your needs are concerned; it may even already exist! Furthermore, the developers behind OS alternatives will never know what functionality you require if all the details you give are "Photoshop".

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#89

Post by pjmlp »

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…

Personally I think this is just a phase triggered by those that actually aren't developers invested into Apple, rather people that want UNIX with a pretty GUI.

Re: Switching from macOS: The Basics

#90

Post by matzipan »

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.
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