Why the Linux community is a pain and why Linux just can't succeed as an everyday desktop.

Please, before I begin, I LOVE Linux operating systems.  I've even petitioned our laptop team where I work to research Linux laptops, since our application servers also run Linux.  So please don't think I am anti-Linux.  I am not.  I have Pop OS running on this PC, dual booting with Windows (for gaming).

But here is the problem with open source projects, especially of the "flavor of linux" kind:  people.

Simply put people are people and since these are open source projects and little anarchist societies that pull together with a starting goal, very very soon, one year, two years, five years, some major conflict hits and the distro goes *poof*.

Yeah yeah, "well then SPIN YOUR OWN".  No.  I seriously have a full time job++, I have a family and other responsibilities and I just don't have the extra time to spend on building out my own gentoo or slackware or some other build... and I want support.  I want the apps to be updated, the OS to continue to grow and improve... and again, no time.

As an example, two very good distros recently went AWOL:  elementaryOS and SolusOS.  Both were excellent distros.  Both had interesting and "different" features from the mainstream.  But in both distros PEOPLE got in the way, resentment and anger built up and soon the lead developers abandoned the projects (more or less).

I will stick to my Windows PC for gaming and my Mac Studio for other stuff.

The hypocrisy of this is I am now following SerpentOS closely...

One can only hold out hope.

Gaming on Linux and stuff

One of the reasons I have not completely moved off of Microsoft Windows is that I have a huge game library (in steam and others).

Gaming on various Linux distributions has improved immensely.  And Steam has implemented their own version of "WINE" which works very well to play many of the non-native games on Linux.  (Btw, I capitalize linux as a sort of giant mass of linux-based operating systems).  Not only that I can get two of my favorite games running on Linux using WINE, WineTricks and PlayOnLinux without breaking a sweat.

There are, however, several other games I play that require additional third party apps, mods, etc. that are difficult to get working under WINE or Steam.  And for those  hold outs, which also happen  to be games I enjoy playing, I keep Windows around.  Some of the Civilization games, Skyrim, and a few others just do not work well under WINE or Steam on Linux.

It is torture everytime I need to boot into Windows.  While Windows continues to improve, the UI is still rough.  Sounds funny I know, I mean people have often complained in the past about Linux UIs, Linux font-rendering, etc.  But honestly Windows is a terrible mix of old and new and font rendering has regressed on Windows to a point where it hurts my eyes just to look at them, all scrappy and rough.  Linux font rendering is mesmerizingly good now.  I could just stare at these words I am typing all day long.  Truthfully I think Linux has surpassed both Windows and Mac OS X in that regard.

I am a Gnome fan.  I mean, I tweak it a lot but I prefer the GTK3, Gnome-based UI over KDE.  But even QT/KDE is amazing and is also very flexible.  That is actually why I prefer Gnome, it is a little less flexible in some ways, whereas KDE you can mess with to your hearts content.  I prefer the simplicity of Gnome (he says hypocritcally while installing extensions and changing the desktop look).  The irony is also this:  when I mess with Gnome I end up creating a very Windows 10-looking task bar with no desktop so to speak, while when I use KDE I tend to make it look identical to Mac OS X in layout and functionality!

So, while I give kudos to Microsoft and Apple for their work in the desktop UI, I prefer to see them implemented on Linux.  :D  Funny.

In addition, Microsoft has seen the advantages of Linux as well and have begun embracing it.  Two of the best products Microsoft has put out run perfectly fine on Linux:  .Net and Visual Studio Code.  That is a pretty bold move by Microsoft.  Also, Microsoft is working on the next generation of Windows which will finally remove Win32 dependencies and run Win32-dependent apps in a... virtual machine.  I imagine they will clean house and CMD.EXE will be completely replaced by PowerShell or some new implementation.  In fact they are moving there now with the new "Windows Terminal" which does not concern itself with the back end... it could be the old style CMD interface, powershell, or even bash.

In all honesty, I think Windows has a brighter future, at this point, than Mac OS X.  I feel like Microsoft really is (albeit very slowly) trying to move to something better than what they have, while Apple just rejiggers and modifies UI elements.  So kudos again to Microsoft.  I will probably continue to keep Windows simply because I am an OS enthusiast, plus I am fascinated in how Windows will evolve.  HOWEVER... Microsoft has said one thing and done another several times in the past, only to let down their expectant customer base.  Vista had great promise but in the end they removed several HUGE features.  The folding notebook hardware and OS/UI for that... they came out with it over a decade ago but never delivered (although now it looks like they just might in a year or so).  So while I am excited about all the talk regarding Windows...  I am only about 40% confident that they will actually do what they are saying.  :(

Meanwhile, if you are looking for an alternative that works, look at Linux.  It has software for musicians, film editors, office work, software development, realtime-embedded, etc.  It has EVERYTHING.  Seriously.  The only argument one might have against it is that it might not have Application X from Mac OS X, or Application Y from Windows, but it WILL have an alternative.  Whether or not you can use the alternative is up to you.

Anyway.  Have a happy Easter!

Why am I a Pop!_OS advocate?

I write a lot about pop (looking back on previous posts).  Why is that?  Well honestly, since the BeOS came out almost 2 decades ago, Pop!_OS has become my favorite desktop operating system.

Pop! just works.  That's really all there is to it.  It installs and updates flawlessly.  It handles my NVidia card like a champ.  I can play many of my favorite games either through Steam/Proton or PlayOnLinux/WINE.

If have been using Linux off and on (as well as BSD) for a decade or so.  I have used Mac OS 7,8,9 and X... I have used OS/2... mostly WARP... I have used AmigaOS/Workbench... and of course I have used Windows in all its iterations.

I like Linux.  It is a decent kernel and the posix libraries and interfaces that are wrapped into it are solid.  I enjoy the WIDE range of software (most of it free) that is available.  I enjoy the modern UIs that are available.

Over the years the "year of linux" has been a running joke.  But to be straight forward, Linux is ready.  It is just a "different" OS and people need to get used to it, kind of like switching from Windows to a MAC or the other way around.  There are differences and similarities.  But in the end Linux meets all of my needs and more and it is as cheap as air.

On top of that, POP!_OS is just the distro (distribution of linux) that speaks to me personally.  I enjoy its look and feel, it's handling of proprietary drivers, its stability, etc.  It is solid.

OS Reflections

The first computer I ever used was a DEC VAX running VMS.  VMS became the operating system I knew and loved above all others.  I still love it, even though it is gone.

But because of VMS I became curious about other operating systems and have had (I think) a fine relationship with a number of them.

In the '80's I became a user of both Macintosh computers and even the first PCs running DOS and the very first version of Windows.  Personally I owned old PPC Macs running OS 7/8/9 before purchasing OS X Beta...

I also had an Amiga workstation, an OS/2 Warp workstation, and of course early versions of linux (slackware) followed soon thereafter by the very first Ubuntu distro.  It seems like aeons.

My favorite desktop operating system was the Be OS.  BeOs.  I fell in love and built out my own dual processing systems running BeOS in the late 90's early 2000's.  Still have the box with the software.

Of course I had the early versions of NT as well.

I even used FreeBSD for a year, for work.

I am still fascinated by the operating systems that I have not yet tried... and since then I have also become a hardware aficionado.

While I really enjoy OS X, and even Windows 10, my preferred OS for about 2 years now has been linux.  While I flip flop a bit from distro to distro, the ones I have narrowed down to are MX Linux and Pop_OS!  But the one I've used for the vast majority of time over the past year is Pop_OS!  I know Pop is an ubuntu derivative (which is in turn a Debian derivative) but it has been made sufficiently different that I find it not only enjoyable but superior to Ubuntu.  The System76 team has made a polished and different version of Ubuntu that is tuned to either Nvidia or AMD graphics, has simplified configuration utilities (sometimes more restrictive), a fine theme and other tweaks that differentiate it enough from Ubuntu.

In the end though, it is linux-based operating systems that have captured my curiosity and my preference.  With Steam I can even play many of my old Windows-based games.  (Yes, gaming is somewhat important).  I think that you often hear tell of "the year of linux" and it has become somewhat of a mockery; but in all honesty, linux has forged ahead of the past 3 decades and has become not only a viable, but a preferential operating system for many.

I am not out to convince anyone that they should use linux.  I want people to be happy with whatever operating system they choose.  I am just sharing my memories (albeit in very little detail) and my current preference.

Happy Memorial Day!

General updates and ramblings...

Still on Pop!_OS.  I recently tried (in live mode) Manjaro Openbox, Mabox, Manjaro Deepin... and I just cannot get into them.  MX Linux is still out there as one of my favorites though.  But I don't know... Pop has just been THERE and out of my way.  It isn't super special in any way.  It just has enough tweaks and conveniences that set it apart from Ubuntu.

I really like XFCE and distros that use it.  I am not a huge fan of KDE even though I did use it for a year a number of years ago.  Openbox seems usable... but I remember when GNOME 3 came out I really did not like it.  I have bounced around Mac OS, Linux and Windows for awhile now but when Windows 7 came out I moved to that and stayed on it for years, through to Windows 10 (I even own a copy of Windows 10 Pro now).  But I have always preferred unix-like, posix-standard-meeting systems over Windows or OS/2, etc.

I am rambling.  But where I was going with that previous paragraph was that perhaps getting used to Windows 8 and then Windows 10 interface along with the more recent versions of Mac OS X, GNOME is no longer a "shock" to my system.  I don't know.  But I even like it now.

I think that Fedora puts out a decent GNOME 3 workstation but it is more difficult (ie. I am lazy) to configure graphics drivers and to get Steam working the way I like it.  Manjaro GNOME is also very good.

I could hunt around for the "best G3 linux" and see what else is out there, but so far Pop!_OS has been very good.

I really want to like Deepin.  I have tried Deepin OS, I have tried Manjaro Deepin, but I just can't bring myself to stick with it.  It has some gorgeous design elements but...  it just feels a little rough to me.  Maybe I will play with a few more distros over the rest of my vacation.

Vacation is almost over and then it is back to work.  Of course I developed an ear infection (again) over the holidays.  :)  Alas.  Didn't really slow us down though.  We got to hang out with family and do some other fun things.  Sandi and I went on a short trip with some other Mini Cooper enthusiasts.

We joined a local Mini club and they did a run up to Prescott via Wickenberg and Peeples Valley.  The city center is all lit up.  There was also a gingerbread house competition at the local casino.  While we were there Sandi and I ate at a somewhat famous restaurant (we've eaten there before) and enjoyed the evening before heading back down to Phoenix.

That's all I have for now!  Shall write more soon.

Crazy?

Last week I reran the Windows display/font tweaking tool at least a dozen times ... and the fonts still did not look very good.

I had two major updates late last week/over the weekend and I swear, all of a sudden my fonts are back to being gorgeously rendered on screen.  There was no mention in the updates of anything having to do with font rendering.  Am I crazy?  I think I must be.  But today my screen looks so good I just want to stare at it.

And there is an interesting thought:  Font rendering on Windows differs from Mac OS X quite a bit, and people do seem to prefer one or the other.  I wonder if that plays a role in computer selection?  Windows tends toward sharp and crisp, Mac OS X tends toward warm and fuzzy (and often more accurate in regards to scaling).  If you prefer Mac OS X style font rendering on Windows there is an open source project, gdipp, that does a decent job of bringing that style to Windows.

Personally I like both.  I appreciate Windows Crispness, and Mac OS X's softness.  I am currently more used to crisper fonts since I've been primarily a Windows user for several years now.

Enough for now!  Have a nice day!

Windows 8 Pro

My official-release copy of Windows 8 arrived yesterday.  First, it is evident that Microsoft is trying to emulate some of the practices of Apple.  The packaging was visually attractive and in some ways nicely constructed, but there were flaws.  It was a flip out box within a sleeve, when you pull it out and open it all the DVDs (32 bit and 64 bit) and (one card sized) instruction set just fall out.  They did, however, place the KEY on a special pullout card which was nice.  So while the packaging was very nice, it could have been better still.

Needless to say once everyone else went to bed I began the installation process.  I had bought the upgrade version (AFAIK) and was surprised when the installation did not ask for my prior Windows 7 DVD/Key.  The installation process offered me only one choice "Don't copy anything" (or something to that effect).  This was expected since I was running a trial version of Windows 8 Enterprise, and I was prepared for this and had backed up all my essential files.

The installation process took abnormally long for a "fresh install" and I believe that was due to a combination of things (a disk check, backing up system files from the existing W8E) but once that huge lag was done the rest of the process went quickly.  I probably should have done a forced, fresh install, but this worked out well for me because any non-standard installs I had on my C drive were retained and I was able to restore those to their original state easily.

The little "learn how to use metro" blurb was useless for anyone who has never used it.  I've been using it for 9 months now so that didn't matter to me.  Once installed it asks for either your pre-existing outlook.com or live.com account, or you can choose to create a local account.  I go with my online account which syncs in the background and maintains a lot of settings from install to install.  It's very handy.

Once my account was created I started re-installing all of my favorite apps.  First the productivity apps, then some games and other silly things.  I still haven't finished, there a few that I will install when I find myself needing them.  But my development and networking tools are all in place.

One problem I DID have was getting my screen to look like it was before.  I have no idea why it became so difficult ... but for the life of me I could not get both the colors and the font rendering to look good.  I spent more time fiddling with that (I would not call this a problem with Windows, I have a monitor that, while feature full and of excellent quality, is known for it's horrible, default configuration) than everything else combined.  I finally downloaded a configuration file from a website, set it and slightly modified my RGB settings based on some forum posts and it while it seems a little "warm" it now has rich color and contrast.  I fired up Skyrim and the world looked a lot more colorful than it used to.  My fonts look alright now... took about 20 iterations of the clear type wizard... but I got it.

The new Windows Mail app is not bad, but I cannot use it for work... well I CAN use it for work but my work exchange server insists on altering my security settings and I really want to avoid that if possible because I hated how quickly my screen would timeout and lock me out... something like 8 minutes.  I'd walk to the kitchen to make coffee, come back, and my screen was locked.  Outlook doesn't seem to require that, so why does Windows Mail?  For now I am using my old favorite, Postbox, with DAVmail.  (Update, I found a workaround on the internet).

I don't use a lot of the metro apps (sorry, I know it isn't called "metro" anymore but I can't stop calling it that), a few games, like Mahjong, Periodic table, stuff like that.  I also use Windows Mail, it's not bad, if a little simplistic.  This might change in future releases.  Most of my work is done on the desktop and I am happy that not only do all my desktop apps work fine, but the entire interface is snappy and clean.

I've gone over many of the changes to desktop interface in previous weblog entries so I won't do that here.

Overall the installation process was about as I expected it would be.  A clean install or a proper upgrade from a Windows 7 box would go much more smoothly I should think.  But here I am, an official Windows 8 user!  I am excited.  I've enjoyed Windows 7 over the past couple of years, and I have enjoyed Windows 8 for the last 9 months as well.  I am intrigued to see where Microsoft takes Windows in the future.