Though it had been a couple of days, I was unable to get this nagging question out of my head, "Why don't I use Linux anymore?" I don't remember how the conversation got there but for some reason I started talking about love for Linux and how I spent my university days as an anti-Microsoft/pro-Linux student. I was enamoured by the world of free and open source software. More than anything, I was fascinated by the philosophical underpinnings of the movement. Those days hold a truly special place in my heart. As I reflected, I realized I probably had the only desktop (yes, I am old) in my university running Linux. I found myself wondering, "why don't I use Linux anymore?"
As I reflected, I identified two key turning points that led me away from using Linux as my default OS -
1. I started working. Every workplace I joined used Microsoft's Windows OS and Microsoft applications. I did dabble with Linux on my work laptops when I tried to convince a couple of my past employers to implement open source solutions. But it was never my default OS after college.
2. I read Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs in 2011. I vividly remember buying the Kindle version of the book just before boarding a flight from Nairobi. It was a page turner for me and I finished the book before I landed in NYC. I was blown away by Jobs' obsession with design and his vision to make the computer a "digital hub." I became obsessed by the idea of being surrounded by Apple devices and making my digital life as seamless as Jobs envisioned it. Slowly but steadily Apple's ease-of-use ecosystem pulled me away from Linux's open-source world.
As it happens so often these days, the interwebs must have guessed my inner musings and to further mess with me (or enlighten me), presented me with David Hansson's provocative article "Why don't more people use Linux?" By the time I reached the end of the article, I had my answer. I don't use Linux anymore because I became lazy.
David writes "And Linux isn't minimal effort. It's an operating system that demands more of you than does the commercial offerings from Microsoft and Apple. Thus, it serves as a dojo for understanding computers better. With a sensei who keeps demanding you figure problems out on your own in order to learn and level up." I chose ease of use over the opportunity to exert the necessary effort to keep learning.
Well not anymore! I successfully installed Asahi Linux on my Macbook Air. It took me a while to get it up and running. A lot of the apps I am used to do not work yet. Apple Music does not work. Nor does Spotify or Prime music. These are by no means showstoppers but over the coming weeks, it will push me to decide how important these services are and if they are, I will be pushed to learn more to ensure I can play them on my Linux OS.
Instead of frustration, I feel a renewed sense of curiosity and control over my digital environment.