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I'm going to write a lot more about this in the coming days but the most important takeaway from my first few days of switching my main development machine to Linux (Pop!_OS 18.04)?
I. Do. Not. Miss. The. Mac. One. Bit.
Everything Just Works (tm), including my USB-C-only LG external monitor (which doesn't even work with Laura's older MacBook Pro), Magic Trackpad, etc. And there are things I actually enjoy more about the experience. Never thought I'd be writing this about Linux. Exciting times!
@aral
Seems I'll get myself a 13" XPS too...
@aral we live in a bizzaro world. Moving from a mac to linux and the impression is 'wow, things just work'.
Wasn't that supposed to be the impression going the other way?
@inmysocks Dont' get me wrong, things just work in Appleland too, of course. But that wasn't my experience until the latest Gnome shell/18.04 in Linux world.
I haven't felt this excited about dev since I switched to Mac. I want to try and make every bit of it even better :)
> I want to try and make every bit of it even better
We'd be happy to have you help us make GNOME (on which Pop OS is based) better. 
@mathieu @inmysocks Thanks, Mathieu, that's my goal too.
I'm currently just getting set up & already started marking some todos of issues to file, etc., but mostly I want to take a little time to really get a feel for things. Also looking into GJS (how fucking amazing is that?) and into the various projects.
I have to say, Gnome shell is hugely impressive and I feel it's time those of us who understand that experience, not ideology will win this start combining our efforts behind it :)
@inmysocks @aral It's the constant "put your documents into the icloud" and "you need an apple ID to update your software" that finally made me jump ship
@inmysocks @aral good for you! depending on the distribution it is the other way. Which one did you choose?
@hyperlingg @inmysocks Pop!_OS (which is based on Gnome Shell, ElementaryOS and Ubuntu 18.04)
@aral I put ubuntu on my dell xps 15 and have generally liked to but ubuntu keeps having issues and I just don't have the skills to fix it.
@stefanhayden If you get a moment, do give Pop!_OS a try to see the direction things could go in. (It's based on Ubuntu 18.04). Which version of Ubuntu were you running? 18.04 is the reason I could switch. Gnome Shell makes all the difference :)
@aral honestly I'm a tiny bit disappointed (mostly surprised really) that you weren't on Linux (or other floss OS) all along? Like, were you not pushing for FLOSS usage in Diem back in the day?
Anyways, great that you're on Linux now!
@aral which model is that? I have a late '13 rMBP and I have issues with the camera and non-scaled external monitor (gnome shell freezes)
@aral ah ok you said magic trackpad and I assumed macbook. Thanks!
@qwazix No worries. It's rather cool that everything I had connected to the Mac also works here :)
@aral yeah, I find Linux more polished than MacOS mainly because most of the software I use came from the Linux world and their macOS ports are lacking. In general hw support is excellent these days except if you go extremely bleeding edge.
I'm looking forward for a GNU/Linux phone now, I dearly miss the days of maemo.
@aral I miss CoreAudio and GarageBand. How come I can pug in a USB guitar cable and use PulseAudio/ALSA to record acoustically on Audacity but Guitarix and Rakarrack still require JACK? Stupid... Even for MIDI keyboard, you can use aconnect for Yoshimi or Zynaddsubfx instead of JACK. https://soundcloud.com/theouterlinux.
@TheOuterLinux I hear you. Are any of those things that you have a technical background that would allow you to help out with? Even if it's a small contribution to one, it would help.
@aral https://gitlab.com/theouterlinux/contact-or-follow If you'll notice from the list or just digging around, I'm either suited for graphics or command-line (https://gitlab/theouterlinux/command-line). I make bash scripts instead of programming. I also hate it when people try to reinvent the wheel with "pop" languages or when developers also want to be package maintainers (snaps). So... I'm not really a lot help unless you want to commission me to draw or model you something.
@aral After using MX Linux (Debian-based) for almost a year and throwing everything at it and all it does day after day is say "Bring it bitch" back at me without a sweat, I'm never using anything else for as long as possible. It's like if Debian & Mint had an XFCE baby with custom tools & repos to make things already even easier. People have been begging Lunduke to try it, but because of Purism sponsorship, now we know why he won't. Yet, he will "challenge" Windows for 30 days.
@aral After almost three years on a Linux laptop, I've been back on a Mac for 18 months because that's what everybody at my current company uses.
I'd switch back in a heartbeat.
@aral I'm glad you finally switched to GNU/Linux. Not because it is "better" than MacOS (which is also quite good) but because it's a free software and that it helps spreading knowledge (whereas Apple only spreads the idea of extreme capitalism).
@h30x I would have switched to GNU Linux on ethical grounds ages ago if it satisfies the ethical design manifesto (not just its core pillar but the other two as well). I wasn't in a place where I could help with the other two given where it was. I feel I am now. That should be the reason to feel good. No one* is going to switch to Linux because of GNU principles. We win this when people switch because it is better than macOS :)
* statistically speaking
@aral I have been very impressed with Ubuntu. It's still rougher around the edges than MacOS, but it works well.
@torgo What I love is that the @gnome team are neither copying macOS nor Windows but have found their own voice. The Activities view is nigh on perfect & the HIG + consistency in their own apps is top notch. The main problem I see is how fragmented the app-space is but that doesn't matter if a current/future distribution strictly curates based on HIG-compliant apps. Pop!_OS might be a good "base" Gnome Shell distro (itself based on ElementaryOS/Ubuntu) to base such a consistent OS on. CC @todd
@aral is this the year of the Linux desktop? :D
@Antanicus Haha! Maybe this is the year we stop saying that ;)
@aral yup - people often assume that Linux is also limited to slow development like MacOS and Windows - if you tried it a few years ago and didn't like it... it's well past time for another try! Much of the Linux ecosystem is very refined, and simply better than proprietary.
@aral I am curious: how would you compare Pop!_OS against elementary OS?
Yes they have some common software, and yes I've got a strong a preference. But I'm curious what you think.
@alcinnz They're both great initiatives. As far as I can see, Gnome 3 was based on first-principles design and thus is a beautiful example of a simple, usable interface that copies neither macOS nor Windows. That's its biggest draw for me, I can see the design process reflected in the artefact. It has its own culture and conceptual integrity. (That's why it's sad to see a new direction that feels like the undoing of that.)
@aral I guess I keep forgetting how easy it is to look at elementary's dock and "metallic" window theme and assume they're copying Apple.
@aral
Be careful! That's how it starts.
I switched from OS X to Pop!_OS, but that was just the beginning. Pretty soon, I'd made my way on to #arch. These days, I'm running a lot of #suckless tools, including #dwm, #dmenu, and #st—and I don't even *have* a display manager. Now, heaven help me, I'm even considering installing #gentoo or #void.