elementary OS is imploding...

[Colstan]

Depending on your perspective, elementary OS has either been derided as a poor knockoff of macOS, or a good alternative for Mac users who want to move to Linux. Unfortunately, elementary OS is in significant turmoil, with the project losing money for some time and the co-founders in dispute, now with lawyers involved.

As someone who almost exclusively uses macOS, I liked to toss elementary into a VM and give it a try whenever a new version was released. To me, it was nothing more than a curiosity, but I'm glad it existed. Most Linux distros appear to more closely follow the Windows paradigm, for obvious reasons. Whether the Linux community will rally behind it and ressurect it is yet to be determined. Regardless, if it has a future, elementary OS will be significantly different.

 

[satcomer]

Yep with no M1 version at all doomed it!

 

[maflynn]

Yep with no M1 version at all doomed it!

In all honesty, I never really saw the draw of Linux on a mac and so I don't see any market for Elementary OS on an M1. System 76 has a good business model, where they sell hardware that is running their version of Linux.

I tried Elementary OS, I found it lacking, it shielded the user from some aspects of Linux with a mac like DE but if you want a Mac like experience most people would get a Mac.

Its sad to see it implode, but I have to side with the outgoing partner, its his shares, its not his shares as long as he works there. His ownership stake should remain and he should enjoy both the benefits of having an ownership stake, but also the liabilities of being an owner, especially given that it appears to be circling the toilet.

 

[rampancy]

It's really saddening and disappointing to see Elementary OS being in such trouble. From afar it looked really attractive to me, but its system requirements seem to precude it from being used on older Macs like the Core Duo MacBooks and MacBook Pros -- which in my opinion is one of the main reasons why you'd want to use Linux on a Mac.

I don't see the Linux community rallying behind this distro though; there's simply so many other distros out there with broader appeal and potential target audience.

 

[NeilJay]

Speaking as a long time Mac user, I very much hope that Elementary OS will survive their current difficulties. Why? Well I have become increasingly dissatisfied with Apple's products, most recently having been a victim of the 'butterfly keyboard' fiasco. I now have a 2016 Macbook which does everything I want except work. Apple's advice, chuck it in the bin. On their website, Apple say that they produce products which will work as long as you love them and I still love my MacBook but it doesn't work.

So, about a year ago I purchased a miniPC, 27" gaming screen, bluetooth keyboard and mouse (total cost £315) to replace my lovely 2012 27" iMac (£2750 new) and I'm slowly regaining the functionality that I enjoyed with the iMac. Sure, I don't have a relationship with Adobe (thankfully) but Gimp and Digikam do a good job, as well as Thunderbird, LibreOffice, Chromium and a few other excellent tools. But Elementary OS has been the vehicle that has enabled this journey which is why I hope that it survives.

Back in 1984 I was involved with the launch of the MacIntosh and I remember 'that' ad with 'Big Brother' standing in for Microsoft. Today it feels as if, in some ways, history is repeating itself, just with different actors.