[crncosta]

I am using Debian as my main desktop (laptop in this case) for the last 8 years... sure I am not the only one.

I have suspend/hibernate, great Gnome experience, no issues to run presentations or use public printers, really stable and very fast experience, and I did not configure any system aspect to make it work, just installed the distribution and that works out of box.

Well, I am very happy with Linux desktop. Just presenting a contra-example :)

[laumars]

Probably about 15 years in my case. :)

I've been running Arch Linux for about 8 years, Slackware for several years before that. But I think it was Mandrake that I originally ran as my desktop - way back at the turn of the century (albeit not as my primary desktop)

My Linux experience hasn't been without it's problems. But I really hated the direction Microsoft took with XP and, back then, I couldn't afford a Mac. So Linux was more a case of "the lesser of 3 evils" - particularly since my previous favourite OS, BeOS, was pretty much dead by that point. But over the years I've come to appreciate and depend on the POSIX / Linux paradigm so much that I feel completely handicapped when presented with a Windows desktop.

Which brings me to the crux of the issues with any Windows desktop vs Linux desktop debates: the two paradigms are vastly different yet many of the "Linux isn't ready for the desktop" conclusions are derived from authors approaching Linux like a Windows clone and then wondering why things don't behave like they'd expect.

[yitchelle]

What laptop are you using to get such great compatibility match?

[loudmax]

In my case, a Lenovo ThinkPad, but there are other lines of laptops that are well supported. If you're buying a laptop to use with Linux, you really ought to do some research first because not all vendors make provide enough documentation for drivers to be developed. If you go to install Linux on random hardware, there's a chance you'll uncover weird driver bugs like wireless or audio not working after resume from sleep. Even so, there may be a workaround (eg. reloading kernel modules) if you expend some effort.

If you're buying something new, you should use Linux's 1% or whatever puny desktop market share to reward hardware vendors that support open source. If you're installing Linux on whatever's lying around, be prepared to spend some time tracking down strange bugs.

[secstate]

I'm not the parent, but I have the same experience with Ubuntu 15.10 on a Lenovo T440s. And I know, I know, Lenovo and their spyware are awful. All the more reason to dump their stock Windows install for linux ;)

[anthony_barker]

Thinkpad 750 ('95), dell something(until 2000) and then thinkpad x24, x31, t42, x200 tablet, x230 (not good), x220

Basically with various forms of linux - Mandrake, Redhat and then Ubuntu for the past decade. Rule of thumb is to pick thinkpads (or business class laptops) and pick Intel hardware where possible.

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki

[suvelx]

I bought the new Dell Precision 5510 (Business version of the new XPS 15) this week.

With a 4.4 kernel, Everything seems to work more-or-less fine. There's one or two issues with the graphics stack (HiDPI display, Nvidia Card), but these have workable solutions.

Heck, my last laptop (Sony Vaio Z), more-or-less worked too.

I think you've just got to follow one rule: Intel, Intel, Intel.

[dagw]

"more-or-less worked" is the story of my 15+ year history with Linux as a desktop. Unfortunately these is always one or two small but important thing which doesn't quite work which always eventually sends me back to windows/OS X.

[secstate]

Not trying to troll here, but in my experience this is true as well. You know what the culprit usually is? PULSEAUDIO ... oh my. I appreciate that audio is a complex solution, but it seems that even suspend issues often come back to, "oh, well pulseaudio isn't letting it ..." sigh

[dagw]

Funny you should say that. Pulseaudio, and not getting it to work reliably with Skype, was what one the main things that drove me away from Linux on my latest attempt to switch.

[golergka]

http://itvision.altervista.org/why.linux.is.not.ready.for.th...

[return0]

What are the chances your system will survive the next upgrade?

[dozzie]

Given my experiences with Debian (and I believe crncosta has the same), the chances are very, very high. I've never had any problems at all on my desktops, and just once or twice on my servers.