> JWZ used to say that Linux is only free if you don't value your time.
My reply to that has always been that Windows is only $300 if you don't value your time. (Preserving archaic cost of Windows to match JWZ quote.)
The implication that the one system is free and time-consuming and the other moderately in price but not time-consuming is entirely false. At the time, for many requirements, configuring and administering a Windows machine would have been more time-consuming than for Linux. It's also glossing over the fact that you can't horizontally scale your $-per-cpu/server solution once you do have the configuration worked out, without going back to the well for more money.
This amusing and glib quote also deliberately glosses over the "freedom" part of free software, which is essential. For example, I wonder if Google would exist today if not for a free unix workalike.
>The implication that the one system is free and time-consuming and the other moderately in price but not time-consuming is entirely false.
Haven't found that to be the case. And I'm an old UNIX hat, using SUN OS, HP UX et al in the early nineties and Linux from around 1998. My two observations:
1) Linux, even the most modern distro like Ubuntu, is a huge time sync for anyone that's not just content to browse the web and check mail in a system setup for them.
2) More users that we think are in that category (besides the proverbial "grandparents" perhaps).
You got a video from your wedding you need to edit? Might or might not work. You got a hobby that requires you to use a specific peripheral (like a soundcard) or software? Do you feel lucky? You got a new phone you need to sync? Prepare for an adventure...
1. "I need to do X in Linux." Web search for software.
2. Try to install it. Find out I need Gnome 3.44 and I'm not running Gnome at all.
3. Find something else. This doesn't seen Gnome.
4. I try to install it. Wait, I need a newer version of a library.
5. I grab the latest version of that library. Wait, idiot, that version is TOO NEW!
6. So I find the exact version and install it and oh son of a cow now everything is broken.
And at each step there's a different sub-community telling me I'm a complete idiot. ("Why don't you use Gnome?" "Why don't you use package manager X?" "Why the fuck are you using that package manager???!")
Same thing when people say if you're not the customer, you're the product. That is a logical fallacy because you are still a product even if you pay for the software.
The point is when you include your time your comparing ~10k products and there purchase price is a rounding error, not that Linux is inferior because it's free.
Linux desktop is and has been second rate for a long long time. Turns out unless there are corporate sponsors paying for development, open source software sucks. The OSS community is pretty much in denial about that.
That's funny, because I haven't managed to find a desktop OS that is up to par with Linux for me. Preferences may vary, but second rate in your book is the only viable contender in mine. Also turns out that Linux does in fact have corporate sponsors, like oracle, red hat, etc. so I'm not sure I follow. Is closed source software top notch without corporate sponsorship?
The sad truth is that most software sucks, regardless of the license, there's just a lower barrier to entry, use, and discoverability with OSS so it's more visible. At least with OSS we can fix the issues instead of just accepting the suckage.
After a year I find the only advantage of OSX are browser with touchpad gesture experience and windows edge handling. Haven't tried any distro ever since switching to MBP, wayland might have a better chance of replicating the experience. Hoping for the camera driver to be done.
In Linux everything else is better, fuller implementation of base tools, customizability, no crap like /var/folders..
This is entirely subjective; it is not a wise comment to make because it is better FOR YOU, not for everyone. For me, I liked the configurability in Linux desktop land but there comes a time when you want to sit in your office and get stuff done instead of spending all the time moving the furniture around and decorating; OSX doesn't let you do any decorating or move the furniture, so you're forced to do work (to some extent).
I daily use Linux, yet my day-job is to write software on OSX and Windows, so I get to use every system every day. They're all pretty much a muchness.
No, it's saying both are great but Linux constant desktop change and rewriting of underlying systems to break upgrades between OSes isn't for me at the moment (as a desktop system). It may be great for someone else though.
I used to find Linux desktop second rate a few years ago but adopting it again recently I've found Gnome 3 better than OSX in many ways, at the very least comparable. Plus Arch Linux has been incredibly stable whereas in the past it also used to break often.
Funny, I'm watching a talk about issues with software quality on free software right now. Perhaps some members of the community are in denial, but not all of them.
My reply to that has always been that Windows is only $300 if you don't value your time. (Preserving archaic cost of Windows to match JWZ quote.)
The implication that the one system is free and time-consuming and the other moderately in price but not time-consuming is entirely false. At the time, for many requirements, configuring and administering a Windows machine would have been more time-consuming than for Linux. It's also glossing over the fact that you can't horizontally scale your $-per-cpu/server solution once you do have the configuration worked out, without going back to the well for more money.
This amusing and glib quote also deliberately glosses over the "freedom" part of free software, which is essential. For example, I wonder if Google would exist today if not for a free unix workalike.