I’m a junior backend software engineer. I use a Vim plugin on my fancy code editor. I like the command line but I’m not all in on it or anything.

If I was a Windows user I’d switch. But being a Mac user I have a lot of what I need for software development.

What am I missing out on? Genuine question.

  • salarua@sopuli.xyz
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    1 year ago

    i mean, if it works for you, it works! by all means, stick with it. it’s all about what works best for you

    but since you’re asking about Linux’s features…for me, a college student, Fedora Linux works. the desktop’s workspaces feature allows me to have a different workspace for each task or context, and i can create as many as i want easily. i can open up several apps at once by dragging icons from the app grid and dropping them onto workspaces, so i can get set up quickly

    when it comes to updates, i appreciate that i can update my computer whenever i want or put updates off until a more convenient time. app management is super easy (especially in comparison to the dumpster fire that is Windows app management), the Software app that comes out of the box does everything: installing apps from different repositories, system updates, firmware updates, even version upgrades for the OS are handled in one place

    the desktop itself is a bit restrictive out of the box. there are no desktop icons and you can only tile windows to half the screen. you can download extensions that restore any functionality you’re missing though, like Desktop Icons NG for desktop icons, and Tiling Assistant for quarter tiling. i like the minimalism though. having no desktop icons forces me to actually organize my files, and to compensate for the lack of tiling i use the workspace feature i mentioned above. i especially like how everything hides itself away when you’re actually doing work, so all that’s visible is the clock, the system indicators, and whatever you have open

    there’s plenty of other advantages other people cite like top-to-bottom control of what software is on your system (Linux will even let you get rid of the bootloader if you wanted to for some reason), no DRM, and Everything Just Works™. i can’t personally speak about my experiences with those since i haven’t felt the need to replace any integral software, i haven’t done repairs to my laptop other than putting in a new SSD, and i don’t use any peripherals other than a printer (the printer setup was dead simple though). but i know that if i ever want to do any of these things, i can totally do them

    i know my use case is pretty different from a backend software engineer’s, but i thought i would share my personal experience with using Linux as a daily driver