> All the already pleasant Linux desktop needs is the kind of hardware ecosystem polish Jobs’ era Apple used to become relevant again.
I keep hearing this, over and over again. But I plug in my Magic Trackpad to my GNOME desktop and it works fine. My MX Master 3 works great, and avoids the gesture emulation mode that makes it feel sluggish on Mac. My Nvidia hardware has better driver support on Linux than anywhere else, my Android handset integrates with the desktop better than it ever did on Windows or Mac, my XM4s support the LDAC codec that my iPad and Macbook won't. My old Thinkpad still gets frequent updates and supports all the same software it had at launch.
What people really want is brand identity - I get it. It's fun to play as part of the "in-group" fighting against some well-defined evil like Microsoft. That was part of Apple's marketing from the start, there's no need to hide their light under a technical bushel. But Linux simply isn't that, it's never been about the snide remarks or assumption-reaffirming "I'm a Linux" TV commercials. Linux is simply an open software project, warts and all. There isn't any hardware you can buy (or I would argue, even any hardware you can make) to fix those issues. Switching to Linux a psychological roadblock, even if you consider MacOS to be functionally superior desktop OS.
The situation for OSes today is absolutely pitiful, so I understand where the author is coming from here. But they seem to be going through the final stage of accepting that all computers suck, and you can only choose the least-bad option. We should only be so lucky to live in a world where the Linux desktop isn't confined to platforms with hardware polish. We'd need a new Linux if you Mac pundits ended up writing all the rules for us.
> I keep hearing this, over and over again. But I plug in my Magic Trackpad to my GNOME desktop and it works fine.
Yes, Linux will -- in many cases -- work as well with accessories as any computer will in ways we'd largely have expected 20 years ago. The integrative cases I noted are something different. For example, the Continuity support between Mac and iPad/iPhone/Apple Watch. If you don't use those things, it isn't a huge deal, but if you do, it's not appetizing to give them up.
> We'd need a new Linux if you Mac pundits ended up writing all the rules for us.
The good news is Linux is free/open source. So, someone could do exactly what I'm advocating for in the article and not detract from the Linux experience from people who don't want that. In fact, it'd probably benefit all Linux users, because it would increase support from software developers, etc.
> The integrative cases I noted are something different. For example, the Continuity support between Mac and iPad/iPhone/Apple Watch.
I own a Mac, and I've owned an iPhone too. There isn't a single good Continuity feature that I used that isn't covered by KDE Connect. The few missing features aren't a big enough convenience to really matter, Linux users are never going to come together to replace Find My or Apple Music.
> So, someone could do exactly what I'm advocating for in the article and not detract from the Linux experience
Then by all means, they should. I read these articles on a regular basis and nothing seems to change besides the argument. People are always discontent with Linux, they always express a solemn hope for commercial operating systems, then they go back to using the desktop system they hate. This feels like exactly the sort of tribalism that emerged from the competition of the early 2000s.
That was definitely the point -- well, two points. (1) there isn't any Apple Silicon-level Linux hardware right now, (2) Apple would benefit from more competition. In this particular case, it's the inverse of the usual Linux desktop argument, because the argument is the Linux desktop is pretty good, it needs hardware to match it, rather than "Linux needs to totally (or greatly) change."
> All the already pleasant Linux desktop needs is the kind of hardware ecosystem polish Jobs’ era Apple used to become relevant again.
I keep hearing this, over and over again. But I plug in my Magic Trackpad to my GNOME desktop and it works fine. My MX Master 3 works great, and avoids the gesture emulation mode that makes it feel sluggish on Mac. My Nvidia hardware has better driver support on Linux than anywhere else, my Android handset integrates with the desktop better than it ever did on Windows or Mac, my XM4s support the LDAC codec that my iPad and Macbook won't. My old Thinkpad still gets frequent updates and supports all the same software it had at launch.
What people really want is brand identity - I get it. It's fun to play as part of the "in-group" fighting against some well-defined evil like Microsoft. That was part of Apple's marketing from the start, there's no need to hide their light under a technical bushel. But Linux simply isn't that, it's never been about the snide remarks or assumption-reaffirming "I'm a Linux" TV commercials. Linux is simply an open software project, warts and all. There isn't any hardware you can buy (or I would argue, even any hardware you can make) to fix those issues. Switching to Linux a psychological roadblock, even if you consider MacOS to be functionally superior desktop OS.
The situation for OSes today is absolutely pitiful, so I understand where the author is coming from here. But they seem to be going through the final stage of accepting that all computers suck, and you can only choose the least-bad option. We should only be so lucky to live in a world where the Linux desktop isn't confined to platforms with hardware polish. We'd need a new Linux if you Mac pundits ended up writing all the rules for us.
> I keep hearing this, over and over again. But I plug in my Magic Trackpad to my GNOME desktop and it works fine.
Yes, Linux will -- in many cases -- work as well with accessories as any computer will in ways we'd largely have expected 20 years ago. The integrative cases I noted are something different. For example, the Continuity support between Mac and iPad/iPhone/Apple Watch. If you don't use those things, it isn't a huge deal, but if you do, it's not appetizing to give them up.
> We'd need a new Linux if you Mac pundits ended up writing all the rules for us.
The good news is Linux is free/open source. So, someone could do exactly what I'm advocating for in the article and not detract from the Linux experience from people who don't want that. In fact, it'd probably benefit all Linux users, because it would increase support from software developers, etc.
> The integrative cases I noted are something different. For example, the Continuity support between Mac and iPad/iPhone/Apple Watch.
I own a Mac, and I've owned an iPhone too. There isn't a single good Continuity feature that I used that isn't covered by KDE Connect. The few missing features aren't a big enough convenience to really matter, Linux users are never going to come together to replace Find My or Apple Music.
> So, someone could do exactly what I'm advocating for in the article and not detract from the Linux experience
Then by all means, they should. I read these articles on a regular basis and nothing seems to change besides the argument. People are always discontent with Linux, they always express a solemn hope for commercial operating systems, then they go back to using the desktop system they hate. This feels like exactly the sort of tribalism that emerged from the competition of the early 2000s.
> Then by all means, they should.
That was definitely the point -- well, two points. (1) there isn't any Apple Silicon-level Linux hardware right now, (2) Apple would benefit from more competition. In this particular case, it's the inverse of the usual Linux desktop argument, because the argument is the Linux desktop is pretty good, it needs hardware to match it, rather than "Linux needs to totally (or greatly) change."
> What people really want is brand identity
What people really want is a stable binary format for apps and drivers.
Big related thread last week https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43498984
I buy mac first and foremost for accessibility, none of the other OSes come close.
The NSA agrees, accessibility is everything to them: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/12/apple-admits-to-...