Going from Windows to Linux then back to windows sucks.
Edit; Going through the comments it seems it doesn’t matter so long as IT supports the operating system, which is fair, in my scenario I’m not involved with our systems-management/IT/developers unless it’s an update to the software we use.
My desktop at work is still Windows 10 and while it works, kinda, my keyboard shortcuts are almost entirely different, I’ve encountered numerous moments where switching tab either by alt-tabbing or by the taskbar not working at all forcing me to minimize everything till I find that tab, couple times it wouldn’t even boot.
I started unplugging the Ethernet cable when I leave for work so IT can’t do any behind the scenes when I’m away.
I dredd the day they force a win 11 desktop on me.
I started unplugging the Ethernet cable when I leave for work so IT can’t do any behind the scenes when I’m away.
Speaking as an IT guy, don’t do this. Its not your computer, and it’s our job to manage it. If you don’t like the company’s policies go work somewhere else. This is how you get my boss to call your boss into a meeting.
i consider myself lucky in that i’ve only been forced to use windows twice and both times they were okay with wsl; so i used that instead.
i’m guessing it depends on what your work is and since i’ve primarily worked on linux & solaris; there was no reason why i couldn’t use it as my primary means for getting work done.
both times, they used the microsoft office suite (primarily outlook, word and excel) which was always problematic; but i suspec that’s a permanent thing since that’s still not even seemless when you have to go back an forth on those apps on a mac and windows.
Not so much convinced as in that I always just installed Linux, period, and then proceeded to do everything I was told I wasn’t going to be able to do on linux
What magical company do you work in that gives you UEFI access on your work computer? Mine’s so locked down.
Convince?
Im a software dev. If you don’t use linux or macos youre a weirdo
I’m a huge fan of yours.
Depends on what you work for specifically, at my current job most people use Windows, and it makes sense because our product will mainly be used on Windows, and some of them are windows only. But I also worked in many other places where we were deploying to Linux servers but the majority of devs were on Windows.
If you use macos but are deploying to Linux, you’re also a weirdo.
+10 masochism points if you’re using docker on MacOS as well
Wait, docker exists for mac?
Some software branded as Docker for Mac exists for Mac.
Obviously Docker uses Linux kernel constructs not available on other platforms so on Mac (and Windows) they embed an entire Linux VM and attempt to integrate it with the host system storage, networking and resources.
This works about as well as it sounds, I/O performance in particular is terrible and trying to share folders between the host and the VM (to for example mount the code you’re working on) is super slow and annoying
“But Macs are the best for development, they’re so user friendly” - not even close lol
that’s not entirely true for windows. windows does have containers natively, and there is a native docker engine for windows that runs native software
they also support containerd and some other runtimes
in certainly not an advocate for windows, but it does exist if you’re a complete masochist
My previous job, yes! A few people had that fight years before I started and won. It was decided on the basis that we’re Linux sysadmins who already operate a sizeable fleet of Linux systems and running our own desktops would be beneficial and self-supported.
Sadly my current employer doesn’t share this view. We used a crippled Linux desktop through Apache Guacamole which is a bit average to say the least. I have to put up with the constant bullshit that is Windows and all of its ads, news headlines and trash that I don’t want on my computer at work. I hate it but I have very little influence in that space.
there exist Windows debloater tools to excise most of that garbage we all hate
Small company, I’m friends with IT dude so he told me I could do it as long as I didn’t go to him for tech support. He then came to me asking for help installing linux on his machine. LMAO
Uno reverse
I started unplugging the Ethernet cable when I leave for work so IT can’t do any behind the scenes when I’m away.
It’s not your computer, why do you care?
All that’s going to do is make you an annoyance and potentially end up with you being called into a special meeting.
Your work computer likely contains personally identifiable information. Microsoft very likely has a significant profile on what you do at work and could conceivably link that to your other identities outside of work.
Are they actually doing that? It’s hard to say. Microsoft does have relationships with data brokers like Snowflake Inc. and SCUBA plus its own internal capabilities like Xandr Inc.
Cross pollination is more than possible when employees use personsal devices to login to work accounts. Most of the people that I work with login to Slack on their personal device using Microsoft Entra SSO.
deleted by creator
The other commenter is right, my work desktop has access to my home server so I can remotely monitor on my breaks, as well as my password manager.
Well, that’s your own fault and poor opsec. That’s also a likely breach of your employer’s acceptable use policy in using their equipment for your personal things.
I know you’re going to say “They don’t care” and that’s probably true - right up until the point when they suddenly do care, or are looking for reasons. It doesn’t matter if your IT are in-house or a MSP, they’re still paid by your employers and so answer to them.
deleted by creator
what difference does it make if it’s through a web browser on the work desktop or my personal tablet.
Yeah what difference does it make? Why don’t you use your own device?
found an old unused laptop in my office the week i got the job. that week, i nuked it and installed deb12. i’ve since installed an inventory server in a virtual machine, and i’m afraid to break everything so i guess it’s gonna run deb12 for the forseeable future.
I failed at convincing anyone at every company I’ve worked with. Getting a MacBook is the only alternative for me.
Yes, but it was a huge corp that literally had it’s own linux community within the corp.
I’ve been sysadmin where I work for 12 years, Ive been using Linux as my OS there all that time except the first month. After that month I asked the IT manager if he cared what OS I use. He said he didn’t care so long as it didn’t impede me getting the work done. The junior sysadmin who started a year ago now also uses Linux and my manager wishes he could too (he does too much Microsoft office to get away with it)
I didn’t need to.
Once I had to write a utility and made sure it works on other OSes except GNU/Linux. The CTO asked in review why doing so? I explained, he said no, make it Linux only, if somebody needs to use it, they will have to install Linux then use it.
Something I appreciate about that place till this day.
The custom software which is absolutely required for my job is only developed for Windows. There would be no point even going to work if that software wasn’t available. So I’d never ask.
There are some people in authority who think the native windows application should be swapped for a “more modern” web/cloud-type. Which would be awful, but say they got their wish and the primary software therefor became more portable. I don’t think it would be worth asking or even a good idea.
I know the IT people have zero familiarity with Linux. Their role is to provide me a workstation that facilitates every task required by my job description. It must be stable and secure. It’s a complex technical environment where each workstation interacts with other devices. Even with the most constrained, homogeneous ecology that can be arranged, there are constant hiccups that need to smoothed out. I can’t be the only person who knows how to use my computer. There are aspects of the environment that are out of scope for me to know about so even if I was a much more skilled linux desktop user, it would be impossible for me to set up my own machine. It would be irresponsible for IT to allow me to run whatever on my system without their being able to properly supervise things.
I have advocated for use of free/libre software at every chance for the workplace as a whole. I try to get people on board with switching secondary/helped applications when available. At some point in the future, I think the software we are using will be discontinued so the question of what to switch to will become live. So I am hoping to propose everyone moves to linux, or at least that we prioritize a less proprietary solution. I have some strong arguments based in our business needs. I doubt the bravery exists for a full switch to Free software (if it is even possible, which it might not be). A better plan would be to find some way to get IT comfortable with Linux first. They would need to have the skills to support all the users properly.
At the end of the day I wish someone had done this in the 80s-90s-00s when everyone was transitioned to using the computers. Now there is so much intertia with windows and everything that goes along with it. The work would be much smoother in a linux environment but 999 individual things need to change to get there.
The smb server is Linux, my desktop is Linux.
The office workers use a debloated Windows 11.
I installed pihole at the same time as the server swapped from Windows to Linux, so now they believe the Linux server magically sped up the Internet.
Any suggestions on what to give people for debloated windows?
I used this: https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat
I didn’t convince anyone, I just did it.
As soon as microsoft announced the recall feature I was like nope this I aint consenting to that even at work. I put Nixos/Gnome on my work laptop and haven’t looked back. Everytime I help someone on their windows 11 laptop it feels like a snails pace.
I wish I could convince our workplace to switch to linux. I feel like Nixos would be PERFECT for the workplace, you could just deploy like a standard config and add more apps if needed.
It would make all the software requests super easy. (given they were FOSS ofc. Even most windows apps work using Wine or Proton tbh.) I don’t use any closed source apps on my laptop, but others could.
So much horrible advice in this thread.
The machine the company issues you isn’t yours, it’s theirs. Wiping out their image and installing another OS is a fantastic way to get fired. If you handle any PII, HIPAA, or PCI data it’s also a fantastic way to get sued or charged with a crime.
I work IT at a college. I don’t really keep any important data on my device. It’s all either on OneDrive or Teams, which is OneDrive, or maybe a Share.
I’m not too worried about it.
It may be their computer, but it’s my time I’m spending on it. And if I’m going to be doing that it’s not going to be on Windows.
I don’t want Microsoft hearing my voice or collecting any biometric data. I don’t want anything to do with them. They can screw right off. If my job doesn’t value that/me, then bye.
it’s my time I’m spending on it.
You are being paid for that time. If you sell something it is no longer yours.
Fuck that, I ain’t no slave. My only option under the current system is to sell myself. Funny thing is though, is that I’m a human fucking being, so I get to make decisions.
like putting Linux on my work laptop.
Where this doesn’t work is the entire Finance department.
They need proper Excel, full of all the proper Excel shenanigans. Some of them will also have VBA macros and random plugins too that they rely on
It’s definitely doable. There’s plenty of companies and governments in Europe that have made the switch to open source away from Microsoft.
This is true, here is a brief list: https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/who-uses-libreoffice/
But I’m sure it is a massive project you would need to have sufficient motivation at all levels. Not at all a trivial project.
I am curious how these changes feel on-the-ground to the affected workers who had no personal interest in linux or free software.
