@davidgerard on Mastodon: "you can annoy the annoying linux users back by detailing at them how chromebooks are linux winning on the desktop, they even run the android distro by far the most popular linux distro in emulation, why do you hate freedom".

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[–] 74 points 9 months ago (1 child)

My work gave me a choice of a chromebook or a windows laptop when I started since the company uses the Google stack for everything.

I asked if I could get a high end chromebook and it was approved. Its easy to install linux apps in the dev container and they run seamlessly with the the chrome apps on the desktop and the window manager has multiple desktops (which is how I like to do things). Since I have to use Gmail and Google Docs for work anyway, the chromebook is really not bad and much better than having to use Windows.

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  • [–] 26 points 9 months ago

    I’m sure it works great but it’s like curing a toothache by breaking another one out on the other side of your mouth. My problem with windows isn’t how difficult to use it is, it’s how restricted and how connected it must be. I don’t have full control of the system and I’m required to have external accounts for it to work. Same with chrome.

    My data is mine, I don’t want it accessed, owned and controlled by a faceless internet corporation.

    So, professionally I do not care what system I am expected to use, they are all functional. If the person signing my paycheck is comfortable with it, so be it (in fact, I’m a big proponent of externalizing risk in a corporate setting). Personally though, I’ll keep up my greybeard routine :).

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  • [–] 45 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Considering chromeOS "freedom" is wild.

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  • [–] 11 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    It's only truly free when the write protection screw is removed

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  • [–] 10 points 9 months ago

    Annnnnd in my case, running very complicated scripts provided by genius level volunteers to overwrite the bootloader (to Libreboot I think?) so it could accept a Linux OS because Chrome OS told my mother in law:

    "We decided we're done caring. Throw this device out and buy a brand new one."

    She's been happily running Mint and getting her browser and security updates ever since.

    Chromebooks and ChromeOS were an e-waste generating scheme from the start.

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  • [+] 37 points 9 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 24 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    It's funny how my opinion of this really is:

    Linux > Only using a smartphone (GrapheneOS) > Only using a smartphone (LineageOS) > Only using a smartphone (ARM Linux) > Literally not having a computer at all > Returning to the woods and living completely off-grid for the rest of my sorry days > Screaming into the void hoping it claims me > Chromebook > Mac > Windows

    I just did Linux/Chromebook(derogatory)/Mac/Windows but it really didn't capture my disdain for the last 3 enough

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  • [–] 8 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Returning to the woods and living completely off-grid for the rest of my sorry days Screaming into the void hoping it claims me

    To be fair, these are great options…

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago

    The Void already has claims to all of us. The Void actually enjoys and needs the screaming, so it'll be patient and wait until your warranty runs out; when your particular version stops getting patches and reaches EOL.

    When that happens, it'll welcome you, and you'll get sent to /dev/random instead of the recycle bin or the trash can.

    Note: You'll have to wait for enough entropy in order to get to your next destination. How long that takes depends on how many people are screaming into the void at that time 🀷

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago* (1 child)

    I’d swap the chromebook and mac at the end there. The ewaste that is a chromebook is at best a glorified netbook, the macs at least have some decent hardware options that can be leveraged.

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  • [–] 20 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    There is only one piece of software named Linux and that's the kernel. Android is as much a legitimate distribution of Linux as is Alpine Linux.

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  • [–] 19 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Android so good they made installing software sound cool and hacker-y like β€žuuuh I’m not supposed to be doing this :3β€œ as you install a fucking weather app or sumn (sideloading)

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  • [–] 18 points 9 months ago

    I have to admit, this bugs me a little.

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago

    Still enjoying the lenovo chromebook I got running Fedora, with 0 problems

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago

    I'll be honest, I think the grammar and way the post was written is what's annoying me most. I'm reading it with at least 3 different possible meanings.

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  • [–] 23 points 9 months ago (8 children)

    Stallman: Android-shmadroid. That's why I always insist on "GNU/Linux" name, not just Linux.

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  • [–] [S] 26 points 9 months ago (6 children)

    Given Ubuntu is testing replacing the GNU coreuitils with uutils, we might have to start unironically calling it systemd/Linux.

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  • [–] 6 points 9 months ago

    Given Ubuntu is testing replacing the GNU coreuitils with uutils, we might have to start unironically calling it systemd/Linux.

    The differentiator is glibc. That's what defines binary compatibility. Ubuntu still used glibc, Android uses Bionic.

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  • [–] 15 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    I prefer the "shit" term regarding Ubuntu :)

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  • [–] 8 points 9 months ago (5 children)
  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    (Gigantic megacorp titan dumps billions into forcing a cheap thing on mass culture for further control of everything, selling at a massive loss to artificially inflate adoption rates)

    "Wow! So many people use this thing now that an ultramegasupercorp did it to exploit countless masses of normies before their competition did! How did that happen!? I guess this must be the winning 'linux' of the future!"

    No wonder it annoys Linux evangelists: We just want a world where we use computers, not the other way around.

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  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago (5 children)
  • [–] 7 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    The term "desktop" has more than one meaning and in the context of which operating systems are used on desktops, it certainly includes laptops. πŸ˜‰

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    The term β€œdesktop” has more than one meaning and in the context of which operating systems are used on desktops, it certainly includes laptops. πŸ˜‰

    Samsung DeX = desktop Linux. You heard it here first, folks.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Yes, you are quite right: I heard about the existence of "Samsung DeX" here first. It's such an obscure thing that I (a Samsung smartphone user for more than half a decade) hadn't heard of it before. I had certainly heard of Chrome OS before even though I've never used it.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Thankfully chromebooks are not a thing where I live.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago