FreeBSD developers and people who use FreeBSD on a daily basis need laptops too. There are not many options out there unless they opt for ancient hardware.
It'd be really interesting to know the proportion of Linux users who are now running under a VM for their desktop Linux use.
I have Linux on the three machines I use. But on each it's via a VM. I run Windows and MacOS on the machines. Where I work this is common as well. It's surely pretty prevalent. The other way a lot of people work on Linux where I work is on a VM on AWS.
I keep hearing this, and I don't understand it. Windows is just so... messy. At my last job I kept a Windows VM for Skype (S4B) and the odd non-portable app, but I wouldn't want that on bare metal.
I don't have experience with Darwin; maybe the experience is better there.
Whenever I try to use linux on hardware, either audio doesn't work without stuttering, video doesn't work without tearing or some package manager dependency issue rears its ugly head. From my perspective, it seems inconceivable to run linux on (personal) hardware.
That being said, I am very unhappy with windows 10 at work, and would much rather have some older windows version. At some point windows probably will become shitty enough that linux might seem like a viable alternative.
One thing that probably taints my perspective: the majority of machines that I have used, at home and work, have been thinkpads and business-class Dells, so I've always enjoyed excellent hardware support. Without that, I'd understand the balance being different.
You sort of answered about understanding the question with your comment about Skype.
Lots of work places are Windows / Office effectively only. Many places have a SOE that is windows only. At home I play games sometimes. Again, that drives Windows.
Also drivers, power issues and various other issues still crop up on Linux more than Windows or MacOS.
Also, working on a VM is nice in a way because it means if it gets stuffed up, just start again quickly.
I'm typing this from an Arch instance running in VMWare Fusion on a macOS host. It's a bit annoying though -- the trackpad is emulated as a scroll wheel, making everything janky, and I can't use my host's full 32gb of RAM...
I almost never do anything but run VMWare on the host -- the only reason I haven't given back my MBP and asked work to buy me a Linux machine is because I'm waiting for the 32gb Dell XPS 13 to come out, supposedly sometime this month.
I've got a Lenovo X1 Carbon 7th gen for FreeBSD development; there are many options besides ancient hardware. Buying a non-name $200 laptop isn't likely to result in a good experience, but if you're willing to do a little research there are many good options.
The mic doesn't work yet, actually an array of MEMS mics and needs firmware for an onboard DSP. The trackpad driver isn't yet in the tree and needs to be built separately. Overall it provides a decent experience for someone with a bit of skill.
Fair enough! I meant there are not many options other than Thinkpads and some business models from Dell or HP. Even an expensive consumer grade laptop will have all sorts of driver issues.