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Comment by wslh | Hacker News Reader

That is naive. Organizations and people depend on specific software and there is not replacement for any kind of app that is spying on you.

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I've been doing it progressively over the past 10 years. I don't carry a smart phone (I'm looking at Linux ones now though). My wife and I use Linux on our laptops. I'm learning more every year about how to control it.

It's not naive, it's just difficult. But it's worth doing.

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What worth do I get? I get expertise. I get knowledge. I'm a programmer. I don't have a OS sending my information to Microsoft. I don't have to worry nearly as much about malicious software. I don't have to run an Antivirus (AV) and AV scans constantly to feel confident in my computer's security. I get access to powerful open-source software. I get to keep learning about even more powerful software - repeatable environments and builds, that give me even more confidence in my ability to create value for myself and others. I get a lot of value for it.

And what ‘worth’, may I ask, did you get?

Organisations mandating use of a specific OS is one thing, but most people would be able to get by fine using Linux personally.

I'll bet that most people would get by fine with an open source version of a Chromebook.

While I know people who could get by with a Chromebook, I personally recommend to them not to use them because their specs are usually on the low end. Celleron processors and the like don’t deserve a place in today’s market IMO (look at how successful the woefully underpowered Atoms were with “netbooks”).

I’ve also yet to see a Chromebook with good specs that couldn’t be matched by a Windows laptop for the same price. Windows laptops can have Linus installed much more easily (I.E. no jailbreaking)

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