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Comment by Arbortheus | Hacker News Reader

In principle I would love to use Linux, as the developer experience isn’t great on Windows, and I would rather not be tied into expensive Apple computers.

However, I don’t want to learn about components of my operating system, that is below my pay grade.

I’m not trying to spread FUD, I’m speaking firsthand on some of the experiences my colleagues have had with their brand new $3000 business Thinkpads running all manner of Linux distributions.

I don’t doubt Linux is the right choice when you are creating a tightly integrated, walled off product like a Nintendo Switch.

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How can learning of your tools being below your pay grade? Ability to use tools properly is a prerequisite for any professional. That sounds very weird to me.

Software development is full of anti-intellectualism and friends. So many "professionals" don't think they should Learn New Things. Said "professionals" tend to be excellent org chart climbers otoh.

People don't have enough time in their life to learn about everything they touch and need to say no to some things to get anything done.

Maybe those professionals want to learn tools for their actual job instead of fighting with the platform underneath. Just like artists want to draw, not learn how to fix their graphic tablet's broken driver.

Well, a painter probably knows a thing or two about the paint and the canvas, and a musician knows a thing or two about their instrument and... well... music theory.

Doesn't sound crazy to expect a software developer to know a thing or two about their system. Not necessarily down to the device tree, of course. But being stuck at "learning to use a terminal is below my pay grade" feels like the other extreme to me.

Most of the learning I'm talking about is like an hour of work. But the resistance doesn't even let people get to that point.

An operating system isn’t a tool, it’s a means to an end.

It’s like saying it’s bad I don’t know how all the internal components of my car work because I rely on my car to get to work.

As far as I am concerned, my operating system is a black box for interacting with VSCode, Slack, Outlook, Firefox, and use a terminal in a user-friendly way. I don’t care how it works, its components, or how it is constructed. I certainly don’t expect to have to fix it - making the operating system reliable and user-friendly is someone else’s job.

Most people don't want to be mechanics just to drive to get groceries.

My grandfather was truck driver. He knew his truck as his fingers. He could reassemble drive of his car at weekends. If he wouldn't possess skills to repair his truck, he would die somewhere on the winter road when that truck breaks, so it's not even question of preference, it's question of survivability.

It's not as drastic for programmers, but I, personally, trying to keep that attitude myself and I'm trying to learn systems I'm using to some degree.

I bet most people aren't going to the local supermarket on a long distance truck.

Your points doesn't make sense since you expect Linux to be Windows, it is not Windows

If you need Windows you use Windows

If you need an OS that is configurable and open, you use Linux

If you don't like to configure your OS, then you don't use Linux

That's not "elitism", that's respecting the work done by countless people to offer a free and configurable OS without strings attached

There is FUD in OP's comment since my original reply to tell people to use what empowers them got downvoted, -3 pts right now

"FUD: Fear, uncertainty and doubt is a propaganda tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics, polling and cults. FUD is generally a strategy to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information and a manifestation of the appeal to fear."

I think you have some serious rose tinted glasses on if you are positing that these fixing OS bug scenarios are limited to Linux and do not also commonly occur on proprietary OS. The QA on Microsoft releases has been awful in recent years.

Sounds like you would not actually love to use Linux, then :-)

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