- cross-posted to:
- programming@programming.dev
- linux@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- programming@programming.dev
- linux@lemmy.ml
Stumbled across this quick post recently and thought it was a really good tale and worth sharing.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw a tweet asking: “If Linux is so good, why aren’t more people using it?” And it’s a fair question! It intuitively rings true until you give it a moment’s consideration. Linux is even free, so what’s stopping mass adoption, if it’s actually better? My response:
- If exercising is so healthy, why don’t more people do it?
- If reading is so educational, why don’t more people do it?
- If junk food is so bad for you, why do so many people eat it?
The world is full of free invitations to self-improvement that are ignored by most people most of the time. Putting it crudely, it’s easier to be fat and ignorant in a world of cheap, empty calories than it is to be fit and informed. It’s hard to resist the temptation of minimal effort.
And Linux isn’t minimal effort. It’s an operating system that demands more of you than does the commercial offerings from Microsoft and Apple. Thus, it serves as a dojo for understanding computers better. With a sensei who keeps demanding you figure problems out on your own in order to learn and level up.
Now I totally understand why most computer users aren’t interested in an intellectual workout when all they want to do is browse the web or use an app. They’re not looking to become a black belt in computing fundamentals.
But programmers are different. Or ought to be different. They’re like firefighters. Fitness isn’t the purpose of firefighting, but a prerequisite. You’re a better firefighter when you have the stamina and strength to carry people out of a burning building on your shoulders than if you do not. So most firefighters work to be fit in order to serve that mission.
That’s why I’d love to see more developers take another look at Linux. Such that they may develop better proficiency in the basic katas of the internet. Such that they aren’t scared to connect a computer to the internet without the cover of a cloud.
Besides, if you’re able to figure out how to setup a modern build pipeline for JavaScript or even correctly configure IAM for AWS, you already have all the stamina you need for the Linux journey. Think about giving it another try. Not because it is easy, but because it is worth it.
I’ll give an alternative opinion.
Im a software engineer and have been doing it for many years. I’m comfortable with various Linux distros. I build software for and deploy software to various Linux instances. I maintain Linux systems and overall like using Linux for these purposes.
When I come home, I turn on my windows PC and it just works. I don’t want to maintain a Linux system at home because it feels like work and I don’t want to work at home. Yes, most days I’d not need to do anything, but some days I would. And those days I’d prefer not to.
It is less about not wanting intellectual exercise and more about already having worked out today, so I’d rather relax with junk food and watch Netflix.
I do first level tech support for a living and help people with Windows and Microsoft products.
When I come home, I turn on my Linux PC and it just works. I don’t want to maintain a Windows system at home because it feels like work and I don’t want to work at home.
You two should move in together!
I get the sentiment of your point, and it’s a fair one. But I have found it to not really hold up to scrutiny anymore. Once I became familiar with Linux at a very base level, I found it ‘‘just works’’ more often than Windows. Especially for the ‘‘just relax, eat junk food and watch netflix’’ style of using a computer.
Like, in that sense, I feel like I have to ‘‘maintain’’ Windows more often, in that I am constantly having to get it out of my way (i.e. turn off adds, deal with automatic updates, etc). My daily use Linux install works the same every day I turn it on.
Don’t get me wrong, I get that learning a new system is harder than dealing with the problems of the one you already know. But if you can use Windows and Linux, and don’t require some proprietary software on Windows, Linux seems to be way ahead in the ‘‘it just works, and works predictably and easy’’ category imho.
I agree about windows maintenance. Mint has been easier and more stable than windows for me. The biggest hurdles were getting it set up - partitioning, mounting drives, etc. In windows that just happens.
But, actual day-to-day operation? Much easier in Mint.