Thank the stars for Linux.
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
@ironicbadger Don't forget GNU (or your favored free software userland)!
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except that doesn't apply to the one device that billions of people now use as a "computer": their mobiles.
While grateful for the gift of Linux, the revolution is still incomplete, the stars must align once more for a second miracle to happen.
And when that transpires, the world will have changed, dramatically
@openrisk @ironicbadger Do you know that Android is based on Linux right ?
And do you know you can use other mobile systems ... Linux included right ? -
@openrisk @ironicbadger I installed e/OS myself and have all the banking apps I need running. I didn't damage my smartphone either. Of course, you have to pay attention to the compatibility list. I made sure of that when I bought my phone and got it used for a very good price. (I'm not a techie and not experienced with installing software on phones). I got along with it very well. The installation was very easy and I'm really happy with it.
@openrisk This is where the desktop was a few years ago. You can wait or you can help in various ways.
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@openrisk @ironicbadger Do you know that Android is based on Linux right ?
And do you know you can use other mobile systems ... Linux included right ?yes and yes
but no, this doesnt mean that mobile is anywhere close to what Linux on the desktop has achieved in *a shorter timeframe*.
The Linux kernel was released in 91 (one decade after Microsoft MS-DOS (81). The first CDE desktop: 93.
The first Nokia smartphone was in 2001. The iPhone 2007. Thats a quarter century ago(!)
There are some valid reasons for the difference but overall the gap is undeniable and its impact is dramatic: many more people use mobiles.
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@openrisk This is where the desktop was a few years ago. You can wait or you can help in various ways.
I think the Linux desktop has been reasonably usable for almost a decade now.
The duopoly has cornered the mobile market much more effectively and we have at least "a lost decade", including all the failed projects (Firefox OS, Ubuntu etc.)
And its not even obvious that there is now a clear path forward (e.g Android-based versus pure Linux etc.)
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I think the Linux desktop has been reasonably usable for almost a decade now.
The duopoly has cornered the mobile market much more effectively and we have at least "a lost decade", including all the failed projects (Firefox OS, Ubuntu etc.)
And its not even obvious that there is now a clear path forward (e.g Android-based versus pure Linux etc.)
@openrisk @markhughes @ironicbadger As long as Google has to have its fingers in every pie, nothing will work – unless EVERYONE is prepared to offer their apps for Linux in addition to versions for iPhone and Android. Since truly "official" apps with sufficient security are needed here (e.g., for banking!), open source is inconceivable for me. Furthermore, the planned mandatory registration for programmers with Google doesn't make things any easier.
F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
For the past 15 years, F-Droid has provided a safe and secure haven for Android users around the world to find and install free and open source apps. When co...
(f-droid.org)
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
@ironicbadger
Having Linux as a second boot option on my PC has saved my butt more times than I can count.But when things go wrong, Windows is much easier to fix than Linux (90% of the time, fixing a problem... or even installing a simple driver... in Linux involves going into the "Terminal" and issuing CLI commands. Until someone resolves that, Linux will never become the dominant OS.)
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R relay@relay.mycrowd.ca shared this topic
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except that doesn't apply to the one device that billions of people now use as a "computer": their mobiles.
While grateful for the gift of Linux, the revolution is still incomplete, the stars must align once more for a second miracle to happen.
And when that transpires, the world will have changed, dramatically
@openrisk it seems like no-one has mentioned PostMarketOS in this thread yet. https://postmarketos.org/
Probably not really viable as main device for most people & phones, but i might not totally be up to date on that. @ironicbadger
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I think the Linux desktop has been reasonably usable for almost a decade now.
The duopoly has cornered the mobile market much more effectively and we have at least "a lost decade", including all the failed projects (Firefox OS, Ubuntu etc.)
And its not even obvious that there is now a clear path forward (e.g Android-based versus pure Linux etc.)
@openrisk
Apps are pretty bad for us anyway. I've long minimised app use in preference to web apps and get by very well.I do use some apps, but they are for convenience and not essential.
The switch away from Android and iOS is going to be slow, but as with all things with lock in, enshitification both becomes inevitable and brings about the demise of those prisons.
Being pestered by a company website to switch to the app tells you very clearly not to use the app.
@mosiwo @ironicbadger -
@openrisk @ironicbadger I installed e/OS myself and have all the banking apps I need running. I didn't damage my smartphone either. Of course, you have to pay attention to the compatibility list. I made sure of that when I bought my phone and got it used for a very good price. (I'm not a techie and not experienced with installing software on phones). I got along with it very well. The installation was very easy and I'm really happy with it.
@mosiwo @openrisk @ironicbadger
/eOS/ working fine for me too! it has some annoying aspects (for example I can't see or fill in reviews for apps in the app store thing) but it works surprisingly well so far.. -
@rl_dane I mean I've used Linux daily since ~2011 or so and it still makes me surprised we're allowed to have nice things
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@openrisk it seems like no-one has mentioned PostMarketOS in this thread yet. https://postmarketos.org/
Probably not really viable as main device for most people & phones, but i might not totally be up to date on that. @ironicbadger
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
@ironicbadger Honestly, tell me one piece of Linux image editor that even comes near to Pixelmator in speed, code quality, user friendliness for complex actions or interface thoughtfulness. It is a joy to use or even just to look at. Linux software is mostly meh and often a real pain to use and look at. Linux is great for servers, not for normal users.
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@ironicbadger Honestly, tell me one piece of Linux image editor that even comes near to Pixelmator in speed, code quality, user friendliness for complex actions or interface thoughtfulness. It is a joy to use or even just to look at. Linux software is mostly meh and often a real pain to use and look at. Linux is great for servers, not for normal users.
@dgavin you’re missing the point.
That it exists at all is the magic. The app ecosystem comes when the users do. Chicken and egg, I know.
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
@ironicbadger What really hammers this home is when you have to work with a non-Linux or non-BSD system for a day or so. How do people put up with this junk?
Getting back to your FOSS system after a day like that is like returning to a calm oasis.
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
@ironicbadger oof I read that first line completely wrong (thank the stars for Luxon…)
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@ironicbadger What really hammers this home is when you have to work with a non-Linux or non-BSD system for a day or so. How do people put up with this junk?
Getting back to your FOSS system after a day like that is like returning to a calm oasis.
@PsyQ @ironicbadger I'm stealth daily driving a BYOD Cachy laptop at work just because Win11 is such a miserable experience
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Thank the stars for Linux.
Seriously, I mean, it is such a gift to have it. The fact that I can download all software I need from the internet, for free, legally, to make my computer work - and it’s arguably as good or better for the most part on the desktop than any commercial option - is nothing short of a miracle in this age of surveillance and enshittification.
To all of you who see this that contribute to this modern marvel, I thank you.
Just you wait until you hear about *BSD.
When you can tolerate limited package availability, the pool of available systems you can run becomes endless. That's the point where Linux ceases being an operating system you use to interface with the software you use and becomes a hobby that leads you down the path of either software development or cybersecurity.
@ironicbadger@techhub.social -
Just you wait until you hear about *BSD.
When you can tolerate limited package availability, the pool of available systems you can run becomes endless. That's the point where Linux ceases being an operating system you use to interface with the software you use and becomes a hobby that leads you down the path of either software development or cybersecurity.
@ironicbadger@techhub.socialThat is to also say absolutely nothing about the insane tooling available within Linux itself, Nix, Guix and the utility they can both bring for DevOps.
@ironicbadger@techhub.social -
@ironicbadger
Having Linux as a second boot option on my PC has saved my butt more times than I can count.But when things go wrong, Windows is much easier to fix than Linux (90% of the time, fixing a problem... or even installing a simple driver... in Linux involves going into the "Terminal" and issuing CLI commands. Until someone resolves that, Linux will never become the dominant OS.)
@MugsysRapSheet @ironicbadger I have the opposite experience. There's a learning curve, but I can usually find commands to debug and fix problems on my Linux boxes. For Windows, the internet is full of variants "try reinstalling".
And yes, I consider the CLI a boon in that regard. Even if I brick GUI login for some reason, I can proceed to fix.
Also, there will never be useful GUIs for rare problems. Plus, to be fair, niche OSS GUIs are usually not good, with notable exceptions.
