Comment by ivanbrussik | Hacker News Reader

Comment by ivanbrussik | Hacker News Reader

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I've been using Linux since Redhat 4.0, whatever kernal version that was. I've always been a "desktop" user but very much know my way around bash and can throw together pipes and scripts.

Last week I setup a fresh Ubuntu box in our office, on a fairly new Dell PC in order to view a webinar. I wanted to show off Linux (ended up looking like a moron.)

Flash issues on Firefox rightaway, no matter what I did it would not let me full screen a YT video in the second monitor. Finally I figured a hack to F11 full screen the browser window and it let me.

Next the sound wouldn't work and I had to apt-get for another 10 minutes, then spend another 2 minutes editing som config file. Somehow it worked.

I freaking LOVE Linux and will always love it, but it has a very long way to go until it can ship on any device.

I feel the same way about Windows. Endless issues with printers and drivers especially. But somehow it has managed to hold on to market share with fractured hardware support.

If hardware vendors had better Linux support, there would be no problems. Mac OS can only work well as it does because Apple optimizes the OS for the hardware. Fortunately, we are starting to see some good hardware support from vendors like System76, but their ultrabooks still don't result from close collaboration between software and hardware engineers, and they get 5 hours battery life for the Macbook Air's 15.

I hope hardware vendors continue to hire more Linux specialists and we see a reversal of this trend.

That's pretty much my experience with Linux (Ubuntu). I used it for 2 years and I like it, but dude I was in config files and consoles all the freaking time, I mean it, every single day something.

That was my experience with Ubuntu as well, then I switched distro. That mess gets too much hype.

I've had that experience with Windows (7, as it happens) myself. That said, I also agree that there are a number of rough edges that haven't been smoothed out, which frustrates me. That's why I'm getting involved in development with Elementary OS :)

I don't see these issues, odd that our experiences are so different.

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