Ubuntu and its flavors are probably the best-polished Linux distributions out there if you want regular desktop stuff to just work. They move slowly enough to not break things, but still get relatively new software. The repos are huge, and I still haven't encountered a package management system that's better and easier to work with than Apt. I'm currently evaluating kubuntu, and feel pretty good about it, but I wasn't terribly fond of the interface in regular Ubuntu.
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What's Next Power Users? Linux or Hackintosh?
- Thread starter jblagden
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It's neat that Linux has a bunch of different desktop environments. I like Gnome better than Unity - the regular interface in Ubuntu - as I think it looks nicer and it has more features.
That bit about Ubuntu using older versions of software makes me wonder if my Clementine-ALAC issues are a result of a bug in the most recent version of Clementine, which is not present in the version which is in the Ubuntu repository.
Yeah, Apt is a very nice package management system. I often use it in Terminal instead of using Synaptic or the Gnome Software Center.
It's neat that Linux has a bunch of different desktop environments. I like Gnome better than Unity - the regular interface in Ubuntu - as I think it looks nicer and it has more features.
That bit about Ubuntu using older versions of software makes me wonder if my Clementine-ALAC issues are a result of a bug in the most recent version of Clementine, which is not present in the version which is in the Ubuntu repository.
Yeah, Apt is a very nice package management system. I often use it in Terminal instead of using Synaptic or the Gnome Software Center.
Yep; I've been using Gnome3 in both Ubuntu and Fedora for a while; just felt like trying something new after my SSD broke.
That wouldn't surprise me one bit. The fastest way to be sure is to use the forums and see what people are saying.
I voted stay with Mac and I likely always will own a Mac. However since this thread started I ended up getting a Thinkpad T420 for Linux, specifically Ubuntu.
This laptop came with Windows 10 w/ product key which is one of the reason I bought, but mostly for nostalgia of its design.
Boy oh boy I do NOT miss Windows. Granted this isn't a fast laptop compared to todays standards but what a bloated mess that is. When I first set Windows up I set every question to NO and it boots into the Windows and its slow but the hard drive is constantly running. I figure its a new install so I'll give it a bit to settle down. Come back an HOUR later and the HDD is still running full boar, tons of security things had popped up, tons of update messaging popping up, etc.
I literally couldn't get Windows off it fast enough but I was able to download Lili and Ubuntu to make a live USB. Wipe the HDD with Ubuntu and fire it up, HDD is running, and about 30 seconds later no HDD activity. Everything is smooth and quick (as to be expected). All the drivers (everything is Intel in this thing fortunately) are up to date without any effort on my behalf aside from a quick apt update than upgrade (guess I could have probably just went through the GUI).
I ordered 2 SSD's (1 primary and 1 for an SSD caddy to replace the DVD drive) so I plan on giving Windows 10 (ISO straight from Microsoft) another shot once they come in. I think that may help it a lot because it would be nice to have a copy of Windows.
This laptop came with Windows 10 w/ product key which is one of the reason I bought, but mostly for nostalgia of its design.
Boy oh boy I do NOT miss Windows. Granted this isn't a fast laptop compared to todays standards but what a bloated mess that is. When I first set Windows up I set every question to NO and it boots into the Windows and its slow but the hard drive is constantly running. I figure its a new install so I'll give it a bit to settle down. Come back an HOUR later and the HDD is still running full boar, tons of security things had popped up, tons of update messaging popping up, etc.
I literally couldn't get Windows off it fast enough but I was able to download Lili and Ubuntu to make a live USB. Wipe the HDD with Ubuntu and fire it up, HDD is running, and about 30 seconds later no HDD activity. Everything is smooth and quick (as to be expected). All the drivers (everything is Intel in this thing fortunately) are up to date without any effort on my behalf aside from a quick apt update than upgrade (guess I could have probably just went through the GUI).
I ordered 2 SSD's (1 primary and 1 for an SSD caddy to replace the DVD drive) so I plan on giving Windows 10 (ISO straight from Microsoft) another shot once they come in. I think that may help it a lot because it would be nice to have a copy of Windows.
How close do you think the most suited Linux distributions (I am guessing ones based on Debian?) are to being viable to meet general usage needs? (I know that is vague and I apologize.)
I've used Ubuntu as a VM to play around with, but still am a beginner user who hasn't done much looking as far as software support, driver support, printer support, native OS installation options, etc. go. It seems reasonably user-friendly, and seems to run quite well without needing a terribly high resource allotment. Is it at a point where it could be viable for standard business/home use? If not, do you think it will get there?
It depends a lot of your definition of general usage, as you noted. For many uses it's extremely viable. If your needs are web browsing, a competent and generally speaking MS Office compatible productivity suite, general media playback (including Netflix), gaming based on the available GOG and Steam titles, and not least if you're a developer targeting server platforms, then Linux might be a great choice.
Driver support - unless you want to go full free/open software - is generally good, too. I'm not a huge user of printers, but the ones I have connected to machines running Linux have worked out of the box with no further configuration requirements.
I mentioned a few quirks I've run into as a Linux power user earlier in the thread. Many of them are not an issue if you run Ubuntu. Some are. Would you ever notice them? Probably not unless you're an avid flight sim fan who happens to be too stubborn to run Windows and too cheap to buy a Mac good enough to run your favorite simulator at decent speeds.
No real pro whose company actually earns a living from these machines, will use linux or a hackintosh
Sorry, but that comment was just narrow. "Pro" means a bit more than "making video or music for a living". You know what makes me earn a living? Having powerful servers with little overhead and de-facto standard products. You know what they run? Not macOS. And for everything other than legacy desktop products they don't run Windows either.
What does Apple run their servers on, where they make part of their living? Last I checked they were largely on AWS, which doesn't run macOS, and while they do offer Windows VM's, that's not where they earn the majority of their living.
What protects your business network? Most likely an appliance NOT running macOS or Windows.
I'd say most pros earning a living on computers are more dependent on "not macOS" and "not Windows" than they perhaps even understand themselves.
You may do well to be aware that you are ilegally using that hackintosh for production use as a server, when you have an audit...
Nowhere in that post did I state I ran hackintoshes either in production or privately. What I did imply was that there likely are more pros whose business depends on Linux than there are pros who use macOS.
Get me right here: macOS on the desktop (for clarity's sake: on a late '13 Apple MacBook Pro w/ 15" retina display) has been a huge productivity benefit for me personally compared to Windows or Linux, the way my workflow goes. But my personal desktop is not what generates money for my employer.
So, esentially nobody will be using hackintosh or linux. Hackintosh for the reason above.
Linux? If you rely on pro apps, the do not exist there. If you use it as a server, you are not in the market for an Apple server anyway.
The "pro" term is getting out of hand. I need "pro" apps, if you will, but I'm not in audio or video, yet I am a professional.
I also know of many professionals who have applications that run on Linux. You are making a blanket statement that isn't accurate.
Agreed, but those users are not the only professionals. That was really my point; creative people are not the only professionals.
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To limit the "Pro" term to creative pros: I know for a fact that Autodesk's Maya runs on Linux, and that was a pretty pro app last time I checked.
Take a look at the job offerings of some studios who are famous for 3D work:
Weta Digital actually has a couple of job offerings right now that don't include Linux proficiency as a direct requirement. They are for managers, not creative or IT pros.
At Pixar, they have a job opening in catering if you don't know Linux.
Dreamworks? Pretty synonymous with Linux.
So no, my personal preference for running macOS to stay in touch with necessary Microsoft userspace offerings despite working a lot with non-Microsoft based services and appliances does not mean that Linux is a bad tool in the right professional circumstances.
Exactly! There actually are some “pro” apps on Linux. A couple of good examples are Blackmagic’s Da Vinci Resolve and Autodesk’s Maya. The only catch is that a most of the Linux pro apps are packaged for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, though you can use them on other distributions if you use Alien.
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That isn't true at all no matter how you twist "pro".
If you merely mean professional pretty much any large profitable company has Linux/UNIX software engineers. While not my field our software engineers start around $105K+ a year. Not sure if that is good or not for you but most people could live off it.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Salary/Johnson-Controls-Linux-Unix-Systems-Engineer-Salaries-E365_DAO.htm?filter.jobTitleExact=Linux/Unix+Systems+Engineer
Plus lets not forget about Linux servers, they require professionals to set up and manage.
If you mean professional artist (lol) I know a graphic designer that uses Gimp on Ubuntu because she wanted a more powerful machine then a Mac but grew up learning Gimp and still prefers it. I've seen plenty of professionals using Gimp which doesn't make a difference if its used on Mac or Linux. Which btw I HIGHLY recommend to anyone that hasn't used it.
A person I know owns a bar and wanted me to grab a pic from a roof I had access too. Before I sent it too him I took 10 minutes in Gimp to remove the AC's, utility poles, satellite dish, etc to clean it. Truly a great piece of software.
An then there is Resolve. Kind of speaks for itself.
EDIT: I think there is some merit in saying the vast majority of creative professionals (professional artist lol) don't use Linux though. Linux can add a layer of difficulty preventing someone from accomplishing what they are trying to do if they need to install the software for some reason, or work with its file system. However I don't think being profitable has anything to do with it. If anything creative professionals using Linux (like in Hollywood) are profitable enough that they have software engineers and IT people maintaining their systems and more importantly their networks/servers.
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I use all of them. Have Windows on my work desktop and home desktop and a MBP as a work laptop. But I recently added an SSD to my desktop at home and installed ElementaryOS. I set it as my primary boot drive and only boot into Windows for Steam these days. Linux does everything I need to do and if I need to do any work on Windows I can TeamViewer into my work desktop.
