[mping]

Agreed.

Everyone calls themselves pros, but nobody wants to get their hands dirty with Linux. Basically everyone's a pro-sumer.

When I go to the mechanic he doesn't care if the tools get him dirty, he uses the best tools for the job, not for his clothes. I get that some people want to look at gorgeous UIs but nobody told me how that gets the work done.

I want to use the best tool, and I try to define best as objectively as possible. Faster CPUs is better. Native support for docker is better. Walled garden is worse. macOs is better if you do ios apps. UI look&feel is debatable. Preference on terminal emulator is debatable. More memory is better. If you do devops and ssh onto linux boxes, linux is better. etc.

[matt4077]

That's quite a romanticized stereotype of a mechanic. It's also the wrong analogy. The computer, in that analogy, is his tool. It may be the "best for the job", but the mechanic isn't usually mucking around in its internals. When the hydraulic ramp is broken, he calls someone.

There is absolutely no need for someone writing software to ever open up his computer, or to compile the kernel they're running natively (if you're actually working at kernel-level, you'll do most of it in VMs). All that stuff can be fun, no doubt. But it's your hobby, and really no reason to feel like a superior "professional" vs. the lower classes of "prosumers".

[pavelludiq]

True about the kernel, but I've recompiled many of my tools(for example linux repos sometimes provide outdated versions of packages and I need something newer). I often dig in source if I find bugs, or under-documented areas, sometimes I just want to know what is really happening. True, that doesn't make people who don't do that any less "pro", but it does make me sharper as a practitioner. I earn a deeper knowledge about my tools and my environment and occasionally pick up good ideas, or learn some horrible truth about a beloved tool. Programming is fairly unique in the sense that our tools and our products are made of essentially the same stuff. At the very least I consider this a form of exercise worth practicing on a regular basis. It's not strictly work, and not strictly a hobby.

[mping]

My point is that the fact that you need to recompile a kernel or do some pkg install to get (for example) a machine that supports 32gb is never an excuse NOT to get it. And people do open their laptops (ex: upgrade from HDD to SSD) or install new kernels (ex: docker support).

Don't take my post as a superior class claim. If I say I am a pro, and I say I need 32 gb I go and get it. Don't care if I have to spend a day installing arch because 32gb are worth it. Ofc theres all shades of gray and I understand people like to look to antialiased fonts instead of green-on-black, or don't like to learn a new package manager syntax but please that is absolutely not directly related to the delivery. The time you spend configuring a system is completely amortised over time, if the system is better.

[bosie]

Can you list the software applications you are using?

I tried to switch but there is basically no professional software on linux for non-server related tasks. Just replacing something like Fantastical (calendar) or OmniFocus (gtd) is hard/impossible. Other pain points are replacements for DevonThink (reference manager), Evernote (note taking), papers (bibliography/search), lightroom (photo management and editing), keyboard maestro (macros). list just goes on and on.

[mping]

If thats what you do professionaly then use it. I use mostly zsh, IntelliJ, Emacs and a browser. My work is 90% terminal/editor/browser.

Used to do audio back in the day, linux was crap, even windows today is crap (I have to use crazy drivers to be able to play guitar without lag, using asio4all. if I were a pro I wouldnt compile the kernel on linux to support preemption or whatever alsa requires these days, would go to macs).

Also know a few people who did a phd and do alot of research, they say papers is the best app ever. Wouldn't recommend anything other than a mac for them.

[bosie]

Well, i also use vim/zsh/intellij as well as all the apps i listed above. Intellij on its own isn't good enough if i can't manage my tasks/calendar/research/notes... Hence I am curious how you do that?

[mping]

Personally, I stopped trying to find an app to do all of that. I put my notes in gmail drafts and try to keep them at a minimum, put my appoints in google calendar, and use short-lived bookmarks. For projects, I put tasks in the README so I'm always updating it.

I painfully found out some time ago that I don't need much more than that - I try not to have lots of reminders/todos/etc. I don't do research or photo editing, or much more than coding anyway.

[bosie]

Thank you

[mping]

Personally, I stopped trying to find an app to do all of that. I put my notes in gmail drafts and try to keep them at a minimum, put my appoints in google calendar, and use short-lived bookmarks. I painfully found out some time ago that I don't need much more than that - I try not to have lots of reminders/todos/etc.

If I had to do that, I would try to do it on the web instead of using a dedicated app. If you really need all of that well I guess you're stuck :)

[inimino]

It's all debatable. Your OS choice is subjective, but if you like Linux and have fun with it that's as good a reason as any.