[esperent]

> I don't think I spend more than an a couple of hours per month maintaining my configuration

I use Windows and the number of hours per month I spend on maintenance and configuration is close to zero.

Every so often I think about switching back to Linux but these comments remind me why I switched.

[antod]

> I run Arch with i3, vim, and tmux

Those are a bunch of options for people who like optimising and configuring (nothing wrong with that).

I spend zero time on config in Linux just by accepting distro defaults. Maintenance would be less than on Windows or Mac just due to updates installing a hell of a lot faster.

[palata]

I use Arch, i3 and vim (not tmux), and I don't customize anything: I just use them as they are, no maintenance :).

[margorczynski]

I remember from my usage that the Manjaro i3 edition is pretty good - of course there are some downsides to Manjaro itself but there is little hassle in installing and maintaining it. Of course remembering that it's a rolling release distro which makes updating the whole system bit harder.

[antod]

Good to know the customisation is optional :)

At one point I aspired to a setup like that, but I thought I was too lazy.

[xbar]

I like your style. I spend something less than two hours per year waiting on my Mac updates and something like 1 hour per year managing my Windows 10 machine. My WSL Ubuntu "instance" takes about 15 minutes per year. So, more than you, but not a terrible management burden on any platform, in my estimation.

[jillieee]

Zero?

Windows Update alone is a 15-20 min ordeal every 2 weeks (usually requiring 2-3 restarts to get all updates).

[circuit10]

Remember, that’s for a highly customised setup, for a normal preconfigured desktop distro you’ll need a lot less

[esperent]

Sure I understand that. The thing is, I like tinkering and customizing. I'm sure most other people here do too. The fact that my chosen OS is kind of crappy in that regard is an advantage as it stops me from getting distracted and then I can spend that time working on things that matter to me instead. I'm pretty good at being focused, and getting better over time. But nobody has perfect focus, we're all prone to distractions. I want my desktop to be a tool for running software, not a source of yet more distraction. It's the same reason I don't install games on my work computer.

I did use Ubuntu as my main desktop for a while, I guess about a decade ago. I stopped because it took so much effort to get basic stuff working on my system at the time - graphics drivers were especially hard. As others pointed out, I did learn a lot from this experience. But nowadays my life is busy, I run a business and I need to focus my work time and spend it, well, working. Not tinkering with the systems I use to do work.

My free time, I also don't want to spend tinkering with the OS. I'd rather go to the beach.

[diffeomorphism]

> My free time, I also don't want to spend tinkering with the OS. I'd rather go to the beach.

Which is why I tend to avoid windows. Windows updates, updates by the individual apps, figuring out how to disable misfeatures etc. ; takes much more time and maintenance than linux.

[pastage]

Just buy a supported system and use the defaults. Has always worked for me since the nintees. On Linux there are a lot more defaults to choose from though, but the basics behind those was the same for a very long time.

When I am writing about this I realize that I my solution has always been a variant of the Linus Torvalds, move the old system to a chroot and reinstall. That has happened once every six years always because of user error or a new system. On Win/mac that happens more often (judging from my support load).