GNU/Linux is Superior

the very core kernal of OSX used to be open source because it used open source code [not because apple wanted it to be], I don't know if it still is. The (as standard) packages and the (gnu like) comandline tools are not as far as I know.

I really don't think Apple products are well-tailored for the audiovisual/computer graphics fields. I think they spent a lot of the 90s aggressively making their products the default for the industry.

Example 1. Final Draft.

Final Draft is word processing software. It only works on Apple hardware. It's a word processor. That's what it does. It's optimised for film scripts. The requirements of a film script are that it should be in courier font and centre-aligned. That's it.

Any word processor can do this. Yet Final Draft is the industry standard. When I took an evening class in film-making 15 years ago we were told that the film industry only accepts scripts in with a Final Draft filetype.

Theatre scripts, btw, are actually much harder to format but there is no industry standard word processor for theatre scripts.

It only makes sense as a way for Apple to make money by monopolising a glamorous industry. Macs are glamorous, people who aspire to work in film are often aspiring to a certain social status, and the sleek aesthetics of a Mac make the perfect status symbol.

Example 2. The track-pad.

I'm on a Macbook right now, it's over 10 years old so the iOS stopped working a long time ago, so the previous owner gave it to me and I put Linux Mint on it.  

Last night I tried working on some graphics on it for the first time using GIMP.

The trackpad has no buttons. Apple hates buttons. Buttons are not sleek. So you tap once for a left-click and twice for a right-click.

When you're working on graphics you're doing some fine motor control with your mouse/track-pad. For me, if I'm using a trackpad on some delicate work with my dominant hand, automatically my secondary hand is gonna want to come in to help stabilise. But what happens on an Apple trackpad? A right-click.

Suddenly graphic design that was easy on an old 2008 Thinkpad is infuriating on an Apple.

Because it's not actually designed like a tool. If something is really optimised as a tool for a craft, it has to be ergonomic and functional. Buttons really help functionality, but Apple hates them because it doesn't fit the look.

Conclusion: It's a scam. Yes they are well-built, the keyboard is actually great and I do use this machine for writing but so was the keyboard on the Thinkpad T60.

_________________________________

Final Cut, the video editing software is of course the clincher for Apple. And there is still no Video Editing equivalent to GIMP (Open Shot maybe?).  But I really think it's a case of Apple using Final Cut to keep a grip on the film industry and anyone who wants to make films or video; rather than actually caring about making machines that function really well as tools for artists.

Yes it's UNIX based, but isn't their software still proprietry? If that really meant anything in terms of the philosophy of Linux and FOSS then I'd be able to use Final Cut on Linux, but I can't.

</rant>

I've used Teams on Linux Mint (based on Ubuntu/Debian); I'm pretty sure it was an app too I can't remember. 

If it's propriety software that's widely used like Zoom, Teams, Spotify, then there's probably a Linux version of it. But as its propriety the only people who can develop it are employees of the company, and companies obviously don't prioritise their Linux versions, so they can be a little shonky. Though I've never had a problem.

You've got WINE and that virtual desktop thing; I've never had much cause to use them but when I have used WINE to run an old PC game I had on disk (you can choose which version of Windows it emulates) I was amazed at how well it worked.

The other, pretty foolproof option, is to install a dual boot. That means you split your hard drive into two operating systems, Windows on a smaller partition and Linux on the bigger. You can always access your Windows hard drive directly from your Linux partition.

So I tried to figure out how much data my updates have used in the last month, but the only way I have figured out would be to start tracking them now and wait a month to see how much they use.  So, I can't give you a certain answer.  However, if I had to bet, I would bet that most linux distributions (distributions = versions/types) use less data on updates than Windows.  WIndows is comparatively bulky and gathers a lot of your information.  Linux tends to have much less bloat and doesn't gather your information unless you want it to in some cases.

Linux is free, so you don't need a new computer for it.  In fact, many Linux distros have options where you can test them off of a USB without installing it to your computer so you could get a feel for them before you commit.  Yep!  They're so lightweight, that they can run off of a USB.  Of course, it'll run slower off of the USB than if you installed it directly to the computer, so expect it to be much faster than the USB.

If you're looking for a special interest, Linux is a great thing to dive into!  There's so much to learn and a large helpful community online.

I want to say that Linux will use less data on updates because it tends to be a simpler operating system that doesn't even need an anti-virus, but I can't say for certain.  I'm looking into it and will get back to you.

In a flat I live in when away working, I have a desktop pc running Windows 10. I don't have landline Internet access at the flat. For a while I accessed the Internet using a mobile wi-fi router (which work has lent me during the lockdown in case I had to self isolate).

One thing that I noticed was I hadn't been online on the pc for a few weeks. I didn't do any web surfing but when I looked in the Network and Sharing Centre, I found that in that session that I had used over four gigabits of data. Some of this would be the updating of my anti-virus, but as as I can see the vast bulk of this was Windows updates, I have no problem with security updates but the size of the updates seemed (to me) a bit excessive.

I had to return the mobile wi-fi router to my employer. I am thinking of buying one of these pay-as-you-go mobile wi-fi router for my own limited use and I don't want to waste my data allowance. If I bought a pc (or laptop) with Linux, would I be able to surf the Internet safely without down loading huge updates every month (which would eat into my data allowance), please?

Sure thing, there's 5 machines in this house 6 if you count the legacy machine (I'm not rich tho, I Frankenstein them out of cobbled spare parts), but 3 of that 6 are only fit as kids low graphics play things and homework tools, and tbh any time something catastrophic that occurs and warrants a whole system wipe wears me down, not really got the spare spoons to go chasing win keys form old co-workers each time but that's what I ended up doing for the last 2 total reinstalls...  Windows is too expensive for my liking and should remember the old key for what gets paid for the damn things. If one of the ones that definitely doesn't require windows goes that way again I'll give Linux a try on it.
Thanks for this thread, it's been really interesting and helpful.

Thank you Peter, that's good to know.

All My Friends Are Autistic said:

MS Teams, then Linux will be a pain in the butt at best

I've used teams on linux with no problems, but just the online version not installing an app. Only for having language lessons and I think my autism pre-assessment so possibly not using all it can do, but the basic functioning was fine.

I got an old Uni Friend, from Derry, to set up a Virtual Machine, with Ubuntu 22.04, for me; back in November. But Muggins, here, overused the available storage.

All My Friends Are Autistic said:

Aesthetically gorgeous!

- Since We can control all aspects of the system, we can make it look amazing, Look at how nice my desktop is!

I always fancied building my own os UI on top of linux just to see if I could. Maybe a 3d UI you need a vr headset to use.

ubuntu is a popular linux distribution that doesn't dump you straight into doing things on the command line (again free). I don't know what software you are running but almost all open source software and most academic comes with a linux version. Can be a bit more fiddly to install on linux though as you may get a version that requires you to do compilation.

I mean os x is basically a unix like system. depending on the version it's POSIX or nearly POSIX compliant.

Maybe more abstract metaphorical concepts, metaphor, articulated moral perspectives, that sort of thing. 

And things like absorbing the detail of how archive television - mostly at the BBC- got scripted and made over the years, how each cog in the wheel interacted with the others, how it all evolved. My brain is always invested in and hungry for those facts. 

I sometimes wish I had more of a brain for understanding the 'under the hood' side of software, and I did once try to become that person (a post-grad diploma many years ago now), but I'm simply not wired that way. And in awe of anyone who can take it all in and practically apply it.

thank you! what is your brain good at understanding intuitively?

AuTriker said:

Also I rather like that both my brain and my laptop run on a less common operating system.

lmaooooo i totally get that

If you use pretty niche software for work, then Linux might not be a good idea.  It's possible that there are similar programs that will complete the same tasks, but if you need to use something like MS Teams, then Linux will be a pain in the butt at best.  There are workarounds, such as using Wine (a program that lets you run Windows apps in Linux), but that can come with some frustration and isn't a certain solution.  You could also run a virtual machine in which you create a virtual Windows in your Linux.  It's as if you were running an entire Windows machine as a program, but that will be resource heavy and slower than just running Windows.

As far as gaming, Linux has come a long way, but it won't be to the level of Windows.  If you're playing the latest in video games, I highly recommend staying with Windows as the vast majority of game developers primarily focus their games for Windows systems.

You also have the option of dual-booting, which means your computer can run both, and you are prompted to choose which operating system (OS) to run when you boot the machine.  This gives access to both worlds, but it comes at the cost of allocating storage space for each system.  It also slightly delays booting by upto 10 seconds because of the prompt to select an OS.

If you have an old spare machine that you would like to use to test out Linux, then there are many options to choose from.  As far as I'm aware, all Linux version are entirely free of charge.  It's one of the main strengths of Linux.  If you would like a recommendation, I suggest anything Ubuntu-based for your first distro.  Ubuntu itself is quite beginner friendly and was my first distro.  My favorite, Linux Mint, is based off of Ubuntu (it's basically Ubuntu with more tailoring), and pretty beginner friendly as well.  Here's a link to Linux Mint with installation and troubleshooting guides: https://linuxmint.com/.  If the machine is pretty old with poor specs, then any distro that uses XFCE desktop environment would be a good choice as that uses less resources.  Linux Mint has an XFCE edition.

If you engage in Linux, have fun and keep me updated!  It's a whole new world when you discover free and open-source software (FOSS).  

I avoid anything Apple because I find it restrictive and a bit expensive for my taste, but I can see how if the setup works for someone and they have the means to afford it, it's totally worth it.  Apple products integrate with themselves so well and seem to just work right out of the box with barely any effort.  It's a smooth seamless experience.  It makes sense for a lot of people, and I hear that it is pretty well-tailored for people in audiovisual/computer graphics fields.  Again, it's not for me, but I can see it's value.

I agere.  We both have the same roots: UNIX 

I like penguins, and Linux reminds me of pengiuns from all those '...in a nutshell' copies I used to order and shelve in my bookshop days. Otherwise, I can't even wrap my brain around what it is. I think I got the version of being autistic where highly technical jargon just does not translate into anything conceptually retainable in my brain. 

Unless it's some scifi bafflegab of course: 'reverse the polarity of the neutron flow' and whatnot. 

But I admire your passion for, and studied/detailed knowledge of, this thing that just makes me go 'that's the penguin one, right?' and then concede that that's as far as my grasp of it will ever go... 

Nope. One of the best things about it! My husband tells me there are one or two distros one does have to pay for, but the vast majority of them are free.