Timur BrachkowOne of the hot topics in tech is the so-called “Year of Linux on the Desktop”. While I like the premise, I believe it has two problems:
- DHH, as the most vocal evangelist of this idea, mixes a personal grudge against Apple into the discussion, turning a pro-Unix movement into an anti-Apple movement
- I see a lot of people tricked into buying worse hardware per buck, and using a still immature Linux desktop
Let me elaborate:
Why you should take DHH’s words with a grain of salt
The most vocal proponent of “The Year of Linux on the Desktop” right now is DHH.
He made a popular distro, did a lot to promote this idea, and recently secured good funding from rich and enthusiastic people from the industry. Marketing is hard, and having both funds and opinion leaders is very important.
Sad truth for idealists – the Linux desktop market has been stuck for a long time, and it will stay stuck if its marketing is limited only to free software philosophy and sermons of founding fathers like Torvalds and Stallman.
But I want to point out the one nasty thing that DHH does. He prioritizes his own grudge against Apple, and shifts the discussion away from popularising the Unix system to fighting with Apple.
DHH, a long-time proponent of macOS, turned into a big Apple hater after a vocal conflict with them on release of his Hey email, and holds a huge grudge after that.
The result of that conflict is a 37signals switch to Linux, which grew into the making of Omakub (it’s already unsupported, btw!) and Omarchy.
What I see there is that a very respectable, loud and influential person mixes his grudge and bias towards Apple into the “Year of Linux” idea, skewing it away from fighting the dominant Windows market share, into a fight against Apple, which holds a minor market share with its great, not expensive, and most importantly, Unix computers.
Here are a few examples of his bias:
- macOS, unlike Windows, is a Unix OS, which means that all the key benefits you will find in Unix-like Linux apply to it too.
- The M-generation of Macs is universally acclaimed as the best computer for the buck. All the alternatives he mentions are worse computers per buck. The Dell XPS 14, which seems to be a good laptop, costs at least 50% more than the Air it is compared with. And as far as I understand, the base model wasn’t the one reviewers got, so we are talking closer to double the price to get at least competing performance.
- This one is more of a gag, but initially he didn’t care a lot about Linux and instead promoted Windows.
The fact that Apple treated 37signals & DHH badly shouldn’t lead to the conclusion that you need to buy more expensive laptops and reject a Unix OS in favor of Linux or Windows.
Why making Linux more popular is a great idea
That said, popularising Linux for personal computers is a good idea, and I’m all in. The idea is not new by the way – for example Valve & CodeWeavers, who have long been on this path, made gaming on Linux possible.
For me, there are two big points to support that:
- Making an open and free OS well supported and included on sold devices is great. Currently you are forced to pay for the included Windows, as its price is factored into your new laptop price. This change would be a great benefit for consumers.
- The philosophy of Unix operating systems plays well with AI: it speaks Unix tools, and the text file nature of Unix allows you to truly personalize your personal computer.
In general I would advise you to try either Ubuntu or DHH’s distro, as a replacement OS for your Windows or as a fun experiment on a spare old laptop.
Why moving from macOS is not rational
If you have an Apple laptop, or can buy one – you should do it, at least as your main work device. It is a rational decision on both the software and hardware sides of the question.
On the software part:
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macOS is already a Unix OS. Unlike on Windows, all the Unix design philosophy applies there too.
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Unlike on random Linux distros, your hardware will work well out of the box – from the camera to the fingerprint scanner.
Most hardware makers don’t provide drivers for Linux, and as a result some of your laptop hardware will either not work at all, or work unreliably.
I know all my Linux-running colleagues because of their constant problems with network, cameras and microphones during calls :)
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Even considering the recent decay in design culture in Apple, it is still a well-made OS, if we consider the alternatives.
On Linux the best you can get is an Ubuntu-like experience, but all UIs in general will be way worse than the memes about the degradation of macOS design.
If you have experience with Arch on Steam Deck, Raspbian or free software like Gimp, Calibre or Audacity, you understand what I’m talking about.
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A lot of professional software outside coding is missing on Linux. Even Adobe software is not available.
On hardware:
- Windows and Linux still have bad sleep and are usually behind on power efficiency, so you will need to charge your laptop frequently to ensure that it will not discharge with the lid closed.
- Apple M-processors, while no longer unrivaled, are still hard to beat. You can’t buy the same performance, energy efficiency and GPU/AI performance for the same money.
- You receive the best processors, best screens, best speakers, best trackpad and best SSD. Many of these components are not marginally best, but way better than everything on the market, and no laptop on the market has such a combination of best hardware.
- In general Apple laptops now have very competitive, if not cheap, pricing, and this is true even after a recent huge hike in prices.
Bonus track, some words on Framework
The Framework laptop is a major buzzword in this discussion.
Framework makes repairable and upgradable laptops with good Linux support. The idea is cool and the company is nice and adorable, like Pebble.
But I see that a lot of people don’t understand (mostly because of DHH’s effort) that, compared to the current generation of MacBooks, all Framework laptops are a bad deal in the computer per buck measure.
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Quality of assembly and hardware is not on par with Apple
I heard that they improved a lot, but there are some fields where you can’t improve enough (screens, speakers, trackpad) and I think repairability always comes with the cost of squick-squack assembly.
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Framework laptops are expensive
Base Apple models will beat any comparable Framework by a big margin, while costing either the same or even less.
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Repairability right now feels more like an ideological gimmick
You might have a great time unscrewing your Framework laptop in LA, but good luck ordering and receiving your new Framework part in Tbilisi, Georgia.
“Hard to repair” Apple laptops consist of three parts, and service points for them are available all over the world. From sunny Bali to sanctioned Tehran you will be able to fix your Apple laptop in a week at most, at either an authorized or an independent service.
Also those repair parts come from Framework itself, and they are in the same price range as part + human work for Apple repairs.
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Upgradability seems unviable
This one is the least objective of these points. I don’t understand why you may want to upgrade an expensive laptop.
I’m already 5 years into my MacBook Pro’s lifespan. It works great, maybe the battery holds 4 instead of 8 hours.
We are in the middle of an AI revolution, and the things I may feel limited by are RAM and processing power. If I extrapolate this rather conservative upgrade to Framework parts, a beefy new Framework motherboard will cost me from $700 to $1000. And I would need to get more RAM, which is crazy expensive.
As a result I will end up with a new motherboard, new RAM, and dated everything else.
At the same time, completely replacing my old base MacBook Pro with a new base MacBook Pro costs $2000.
I still think Framework is a great option if you want specifically a Linux laptop, but if you just need a good laptop, choose Apple for a better value proposition.