[dingnuts]

You compared Linux to Mac a few comments back -- how is that anything but choosing specific hardware to accommodate your OS?

by this standard Mac OS is still a hobby OS because it can't be installed on random hardware.

No, it isn't too much to ask that you make sure the hardware you buy works with the OS you intend to run. If you find Linux fiddly in the modern era it's solely because of this.

[Forgeties79]

I addressed this in my previous comment figuring this comment was coming:

> in such a way (downgrading/using older components) to accommodate linux

When I buy a Mac or a windows machine I don’t have to purposely avoid newer hardware to ensure it works.

[freedomben]

You only have to avoid the newer hardware if you don't want to check for compatibility. It's just a rule of thumb to increase your odds of success because most people don't want to investigate every component. If you check for compatibility and it's supported, then you can use the newer hardware. I would have thought that was obvious, but clearly not.

It also matters how far along in the product life cycle it is. If it came out last week, it may not be supported yet. If we're nearing the refresh point then it may be supported.

> When I buy a Mac or a windows machine I don’t have to purposely avoid newer hardware to ensure it works.

But you are also comparing apples and oranges (pun incidental) and shifting the goal posts. If you buy a Mac, then you aren't building a gaming PC, which is what the rule of thumb pertains to. You're buying a complete system that has been integrated and tested. You can do the same thing with a Linux machine from various vendors (Lenovo, Dell, Framework, among others), in which case you don't have to do any investigatory work because (just like with the Mac) it's been done for you by the manufacturer.

[Forgeties79]

You brought MacOS into this conversation not me. I’m not sure what the deal is here.