Desktop Linux, A Hill to Die On?
by Richard Marmorstein - May 29, 2019
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When I was a Junior in high-school, I ordered a free “Kubuntu” CD to be shipped to me from the Internet, and when it arrived I accidentally wiped the family (Windows) computer, and replaced it with Linux. This seemed like a disaster at the time. My family wasn’t exactly pleased. Data was lost. But Linux stayed, and in retrospect, this is probably the best thing that’s happened to my professional life.
I stopped playing video games – that’s wasn’t really possible on Linux. And the time that I would have spent playing Starcraft or whatever, I spent learning about software and Linux systems.
My parents bought me a laptop for college (thanks Dad) and I put Linux on it. It wasn’t easy being the only desktop Linux user at my university. I didn’t how to figure out how to print until one golden moment my senior year. And invariably on the nights before an important paper was due, my system would break for reasons I did not understand. The first half of my all-nighter would be figuring out how to get my computer running again, and the second half would be writing the paper. Nothing like the pressure of a paper due to teach you sysadmin skills.
My friends were kind of amused at all this. Wacky Richard and his Linux – he has so many problems. But hey, he knows his computers!
This continued into my first job as a software engineer. The company was happy to provide me with a Linux box, my boss was amused but ultimately supportive. They trusted me to make it work. And I did. And as a result I had a substantial comparative advantage when it came to certain types of tasks.
I realize now that I was lucky. Some companies forbid Desktop Linux, and even in an organization that originally seemed supportive, I brush up against this inflexible anti-Linux sentiment. People that want to shut it down. IT folks, I guess, don’t like developers using Linux because either they don’t understand it, or don’t think it’s valuable, or because their proprietary asset management software won’t operate with it, or for many reasons which I’m sure are completely valid. I’m used to being a second-class citizen, and I’m fine as long as I am able to operate as some sort of exception. I expect no help and I will put in the effort to make things work myself. But some people want to shut Linux down entirely. They don’t think it’s important enough to be willing to sacrifice the centralized control they want, or to make the investment it requires.
But I draw a line there. I refuse to be told I must use Mac or Windows. The day an organization gives me that mandate is the day that they tell me they value uniformity and compliance over passion and ambition. Linux is an important part of who I am and forbidding Desktop Linux is to say that I am not welcome anymore…
…at least, that was my attitude on May 29, 2019.
Two weeks later, on June 14, two things happened.
I accepted a job – without asking whether I would be permitted to use Desktop Linux. (Spoiler alert: I would not be.)
A burglar broke into my apartment and stole a laptop. I was very grateful that it was a Mac with encryption and security software running on it (it was later safely recovered)..
Now I am a Mac user, for work anyway. I’d rather be on Linux. I curse Apple nearly every day. But I’ve made my peace with it. It’s not that my new company doesn’t value individuality, or the kind of tinkerer spirit that goes along with Desktop Linux. It’s that they really, really, really, really value security. That’s not necessarily incompatible with Desktop Linux, but it’s easier that way, I guess.