The Year of Linux on the Desktop

Anyone used Linux on the desktop recently? It’s got pretty good. And I’m surprised. So surprised, that I just bought a Framework laptop and am about to install Ubuntu on it. This is crazy!

This is something I never thought I’d do. Back in the late 2000’s I switched from Windows to Mac. It was a great decision. I’ve loved my MacBook Pro’s and iMac. Sure, everything Apple has a price premium, but it was and for a lot of people, still is, well worth it. It just worked and the software is still just better quality. But then Apple started porting iOS features back to the Mac. This sounds like a great idea, but in practice, it’s made the Mac worse. The Mac is now a second-class citizen to the cash cow that is iPhone. The Mac, once a bastion of adult computing and developer productivity, is becoming more and more child-like and more locked down. As a developer, this just doesn’t work for me.

With Apple’s increasing control over the Mac and the Mac ecosystem, along with Apple’s obstinance around the DMA, it all hints at “Apple the corporation” doing what normal corporations do. Apple used to have a friendly veneer. The once underdog Apple is starting to appear a little ugly, arrogant and entitled. Remember Biff from Back to the Future?

There is a lot to dislike about the DMA, but there is actually a lot to like too. When a corporation gets to the point where they’re completely in control of an ecosystem, then that breeds some poor behaviour. Think what happened to Microsoft in the 90’s. Apple is now in that position. Google is in that position in search too. What this does is give the commercial entity a sense of entitlement that they can do what they like and everyone just has to suck it up. Do I think Apple should be able to make money out of their platform, absolutely. Do I think that other commercial entities, such as, lets say, Epic Games, should be able to not pay Apple anything for using their platform, no. It’s Apple’s platform, so you should have to pay to use it. I don’t have an answer, but 30% as a platform fee has always left a bad smell.

Apple as a commercial entity is required to defend its patch, make money and keep shareholders happy. The way it does this used to be by delighting it’s users. I just feel that with the decisions now, money is the focus, not the user experience and not the quality of the product for the price I’m paying. And developers that build for their platform are users too.

I never thought I’d have any reason to look in another direction. But the corporate entity’s behaviour made me look up and check out what else was going around. And I did.

Windows was never a consideration - promotional material in the OS? Fck that sht. So, it was Linux that I looked at once again, not really thinking that this year could be the year of the Linux desktop. But it looks like it is. And I’m excited to see where it goes.