Linux on the Desktop

I’ve used Linux as my primary desktop operating system for 11 years. The Linux kernel is a blessing. It’s light, open-source, and optimized to the hilt. I’ve no issues with the Linux kernel itself.

The command-line tools are solid. They are quick and get the job done. But, the GUI… not so much. I remember when I first installed Debian with GNOME DE. It was very usable and feature-rich. Then, GNOME 3 happened, and it felt like a bad copy of macOS for a tablet that never got built.

For a while, I stuck to XFCE. It’s stable, light, and highly customizable. However, it still uses X11 and has not completely transitioned to Wayland. The development is slow, which is understandable given the lack of developers in the community. Still, kudos to them for not getting caught up in the hype and exacerbating their working desktop. I’d still use XFCE, but the lack of HiDPI for a QHD monitor is what keeps me from going back to it.

If you are a gamer, you’re in for a world of pain. First, you will need to get compatible gear. It takes time and research. If you buy incompatible hardware, good luck setting it up. I know most Linux evangelists will refer you to some workarounds but it’s only a matter of time before those stop working or you upgrade your gear. Most commerercial vendors just won’t support Linux. For instance, there is no official driver for the Logitech mice. So, you don’t get to RGB unless you want to fiddle.

It’s not Linux’s fault, but it is an undeniable fact that most vendors will not build for Linux. I mean Google still hasn’t shipped Google Drive for an operating system upon which they built their “browserware” that is ChromeOS. There are bolts and patches for it, but they are not as convenient or free. Plus, other well-known products like Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office aren’t available on Linux. I guess it’s partly due to the fragmented nature of the Linux ecosystem. It takes a lot to get it right for such a fractured landscape.

Moreover, most of the Linux community is against using proprietary software. Most of them don’t understand what it takes to build software that solves a real-world problem with less effort. With proprietary software, you’re not just buying a software, you’re buying a complete solution. If something goes wrong, there will be support that can potentially help. For free and open-source software, you’re on your own. You can’t ask the developers to provide features or fix the bugs on time because that’s not how the open-source Bazaar model work.

I admire how the Linux developer community tries to make it usable for novices. KDE is arguably the best user experience you can get on Linux. Although some of its applications feel half-baked, it gets the job done. It’s getting better with each release and I like how they process the user feedback as opposed to GNOME’s shut up, we know best approach.

After all these years, I feel old and I want something on which I can write software, use Adobe XD, and get to play games after. So, I chose Windows with WSL. It’s been a pretty good experience because I get the best of both worlds. Maybe in the future, I’ll make a full-time comeback to the Linux desktop but only if it grows up and doesn’t feel like I’m beta-testing someone’s hobby project.