[kayodelycaon]

I think the concept is really cool and it’s awesome that Linux makes it relatively easy to play around with authentication methods. I love this kind of stuff.

But I’m also a pragmatist. While I run Linux everywhere I reasonably can, my daily driver is macOS and I can’t help but wonder if a fingerprint reader would be a better solution.

On my Mac, the fingerprint reader can unlock the system immediately and works across the operating system for root access, including sudo. (There’s a pam module.)

Locking can be done OS-wide using a keystroke (Cmd+Crtl+Q), touchbar button, or by closing the lid.

Windows has had similar capabilities far longer than macOS.

[deadbunny]

As a daily user of Linux for the best part of a decade I'm curious where Linux falls short for you?

[kayodelycaon]

The major one is deep integration of applications with the OS. One example is any keyboard shortcut in any application can be remapped at the OS level. Dictation and services available almost everywhere text can be entered. Any text in almost any dialogue is selectable. Application dialogs like open and print are standardized. The print dialog is incrediably rich with functionality, in every application. This extends to integration with iOS devices and system hardware.

The stock OS is ready out of the box with a full suite of integrated applications. While there are better versions of all of them, most are high quality. Though, I haven’t found a PDF reader better than Preview and Apple Notes is very hard to beat as a general note taking tool.

The base OS has color syncing. I was able to hook up a professional grade printer, have the OS automatically install the drivers, and produce color accurate prints using Preview. The system print dialog allowed me to fully configure the printer. No specialized tools required. There’s even an iOS app that can do the same thing in a more limited fashion.

Never had a driver issue or had to modify a configuration file to get hardware to work properly. (Have done GUI tweaks via defaults.)

When it comes to specialized applications, there are a lot of excellent applications written specifically for macOS. Some come with iOS apps. (1Password is high on my list.)

Due to the industries I work in, Microsoft Office is a hard requirement. Libre Office is not an option.

Time machine has no equal when it comes to backups and restoring to new hardware. I haven’t done a clean install since 2008. In two hours I can completely clone my current machine.

This is just a few of the many reasons I use macOS. Frankly, they are more important to me than openness of platform or deep control of my devices.

That does not mean I don’t appreciate Linux. I love Linux. There is nothing better for servers than Linux. I have older laptops loaded with Linux but they are a hobby for me.

Linux fills a very important place in the world. Frankly, the world needs open operating system and people who enjoy using it. But I have neither the time, expertise, or inclination to do so on my primary machine.

[deadbunny]

Don't worry in not one of the zealots that'll try and convince you that Linux has a suitable replacement for something then recommend some this that does t match up (see you MS Office vs. Libre Office for example). Just genuinely interested to know where Linux is lacking for some people (and thus something I might be missing). While I'm definitely an open source advocate I too am a pragmatist and will happily use closed source software and gasp pay for software when the open source alternatives are lacking.

Personally none of you use cases have even crossed my mind, I can count the number of things I've printed in the last decade on 10 years. I can definitely see the benefit of having tight coupling between accessories/phone apps though.

[mindfulhack]

I'm trying to move my daily driver from macOS to Linux.

(Why? Privacy, more control over how technology interacts with me, and because at a really deep level, I know this is the expression of my authentic self. I don't like to 'blindly accept' things from others without questioning it, and I like to create. I also love to learn. All this is balanced with the desire to just sit back and enjoy a smooth experience like anyone else, half the time.)

I'm slowly researching and trying out open-source alternatives to my daily must-have apps like Notes.app, which is a great example of, so far, why this is so challenging. But I'm trying to adjust and see what can be good enough. (Web apps is not an acceptable solution, due to basic privacy expectations.)

It's reasonable to expect I have to adjust my methods somewhat, but I do need such alternative workflows to be as feature-filled and performant as what I currently use.

Like most, work requirements like Office (and Acrobat) are my greatest challenge. Perhaps macOS on KVM for near-native performance with Office + Adobe for Mac in it will be good enough?

[deadbunny]

Personally I use NextCLoud for things like Notes[1], while it is a web app it is self hosted. Obviously this means you then need to run NextCloud yourself which is an entirely different problem.

[mindfulhack]

Thanks for that, I'll check it out! Not afraid to self-host my entire cloud, makes sense.

[Spivak]

Yeah, that same PAM works on Linux too. Non-Apple hardware isn't exactly known for shipping the best readers but they work well enough.