Linux is Fine When Used For Other Devices

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Because many people have read my rants about Linux's shortcomings on desktop and mobile devices, and now see me as the most anti-Linux Linux user for the time being (imagine that, and I am leaving after I finally have the money to buy an Android tablet and root it), I'm actually going to say something nice about Linux for once (imagine that as well). To quote the Ghostbusters, "Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!" Okay, moving on.

I recently came across this article about all of the non-pc devices and products that use Linux, https://www.unixmen.com/15-weirdsurprising-devices-amp-systems-that-run-on-linux/. In that regard, I find that interesting, and I'd like to see it being applied more in those kinds of ways. If it was only used in those kinds of ways, more power to it. Before anyone says anything, I'll admit Linux is also responsible for Android as well, but Google could've acquired some other OS, or built their own, and it too probably would've been a success in terms of versatility (if anyone has a Delorean, a flux capacitor, and some plutonium, let me know so we could see how that would've played out).

One thing I was thinking about when typing this up was those Steam Machines. Even though they ended up being like a dud firework, it doesn't mean Linux consoles can't exist, they just need to go back to the drawing board. From what I heard, Pop! OS is developing some kind of gaming presence through platforms like Proton. However, being that the PS3 could run Linux, and Steam developed SteamOS, it doesn't really need to have 3rd party gaming platforms if Linux consoles actually become a thing (especially if they become cheaper than the Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo, and can offer games and selling points that those 3 don't). Perhaps a gaming tech start-up could put a modified version of Pop! OS onto a console, and then work with game developers after they're impressed with the specs of it. If that works, that opens the doors for other game tech start-ups to take advantage of Linux (granted they avoid a 2nd video game crash).

Another thing this made me think about was the fact that we're living in a dangerous time when it comes to Big Tech surveillance and censorship, and its interesting to see random people (especially those with electronic engineering or software backgrounds) using Linux to build a series of devices that can transmit secure and private communications. While I'm not an Anonymous fanboy, I'd like to see them build and release a Linux-powered meshnet, and knowing how they grab people's attention (or at least did years ago), that would get some near-instant responses, and weaken the surveillance apparatus even further.

These are just my thoughts on this so far. What do you guys think about Linux-based consoles making a more successful comeback? What do you think about Linux being used to fight, and maybe even overthrow, Big Tech's surveillance apparatus? What are some devices you'd like to see powered by Linux?
 
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I'll admit Linux is also responsible for Android as well, but Google could've acquired some other OS, or built their own, and it too probably would've been a success in terms of versatility
ChromeOS? Which is also powered by Linux? Remember, Linux is the kernel, and android is being built around a heavily modified one.
if Linux consoles actually become a thing
That's already happening https://www.steamdeck.com/en/
I'd like to see them build and release a Linux-powered meshnet
You mean something like this? https://tails.boum.org/index.en.html
What are some devices you'd like to see powered by Linux?
Many devices are already being powered by the Linux kernel; from smarphones and smarwatches to gaming devices to super computers ... the list is very large, this is due to the fact that it is open source, unlike other things, people can grab it, modify, and use for their own needs and appliances. I'd dare to say that the world is being already powered by Linux. :)
 
Yep Linux is everywhere people just don't know it.
 
Google could've acquired some other OS
Actually, just found this https://fuchsia.dev/
Fuchsia is a new open source operating system created at Google that is currently under active development. We are building Fuchsia from the kernel up to meet the needs of today’s growing ecosystem of connected devices.
It uses a kernel called Zircon https://fuchsia.dev/fuchsia-src/concepts/kernel
Zircon is the core platform that powers Fuchsia. Zircon is composed of a kernel (source in /zircon/kernel) as well as a small set of userspace services, drivers, and libraries (source in /zircon/system/) necessary for the system to boot, talk to hardware, load userspace processes and run them, etc. Fuchsia builds a much larger OS on top of this foundation.
The canonical Zircon repository is part of the Fuchsia project at: https://fuchsia.googlesource.com/fuchsia/+/HEAD/zircon/
If you want to know more, https://9to5google.com/2021/07/23/two-googlers-offer-a-tour-and-coding-demo-of-fuchsia-os-video/ This is an hour-long deep dive into Fuchsia. The system seems bound to replace everything from Android to Chrome OS.
 
Just a question about your topic subject also discussion of previous topics, you seem to dislike GNU/Linux a lot and think that's it's not suitable to run as your daily driver. Than why don't you just install Windows or BSD, that way you actually have an OS that you do like and are able to use as your daily driver so that you can actually enjoy using your computer again.

You don't have to answer this next question and not trying to make this sound bad but I am honestly trying to understand why you are having so much trouble with GNU/Linux. If I remember correctly I read somewhere that you have been using GNU/Linux for about 10 years, how is it that after 10 years you are not able to troubleshoot the problems you run into? I have been using GNU/Linux a little longer than you and I can troubleshoot my own problems or find the information to help solve my own problems which I rarely have anymore these days. How did you fix your problems when you were running Windows? Or does it have to do with something else?

@Tolkem I don't think @SpongebobFan1994 is interested in Fuchsia OS because I read in another topic he is going to de-Google his phone.
 
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ChromeOS? Which is also powered by Linux? Remember, Linux is the kernel, and android is being built around a heavily modified one.

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that.


I recently heard about that, and hopefully it goes somewhere


I knew of TAILS' existence, but I didn't see anything mentioned about it being used as a meshnet. Yes, it's portable, but how would it work as a meshnet?

Many devices are already being powered by the Linux kernel; from smartphones and smartwatches to gaming devices to super computers ... the list is very large, this is due to the fact that it is open source, unlike other things, people can grab it, modify, and use for their own needs and appliances. I'd dare to say that the world is being already powered by Linux. :)

I knew that, but it'd be surprising to see what isn't being powered by it
 
Just a question about your topic subject also discussion of previous topics, you seem to dislike GNU/Linux a lot and think that's it's not suitable to run as your daily driver. Than why don't you just install Windows or BSD, that way you actually have an OS that you do like and are able to use as your daily driver so that you can actually enjoy using your computer again.

Yes, I've made that very clear. I've also said I'll only run Windows in a virtual machine, instead of on bare metal, because I don't want to deal with the spyware. While it'd be redundant, and possibly resource heavy, I could have the computer start up, boot into Mint, and then turn on Virtualbox and completely ignore Mint. The reason why I wouldn't do that is because I'm one step closer to getting a job and buying a tablet to root, and when I have used virtual machines, I've tried to bring up files saved on my hard drive, but it doesn't work. Idk what causes that, but I'm guessing it has to do with Virtualbox itself. I did consider running a BSD at one point, but I was concerned it would have even less hardware support than Linux.

You don't have to answer this next question, and not trying to make this sound bad, but I am honestly trying to understand why you are having so much trouble with GNU/Linux. If I remember correctly, I read somewhere that you have been using GNU/Linux for about 10 years, how is it that after 10 years you are not able to troubleshoot the problems you run into? I have been using GNU/Linux a little longer than you and I can troubleshoot my own problems or find the information to help solve my own problems which I rarely have anymore these days. How did you fix your problems when you were running Windows? Or does it have to do with something else? Again I'm just trying to understand nothing more, I come in peace just to be clear about that.

Like Windows users, I'm just an average computer user who just wants an OS to simply work. I honestly don't care about all of these distros, package managers, desktop environments, etc. While I understand Linux users don't want to be locked down to one thing, having the OS go in every different direction causes more problems than solutions. We've clearly seen this with distro fragmentation and the lack of standards, which is why app images, flatpaks, snap packs, and systemd have being trying to resolve those problems, and even then, not everyone is on board. This is why I've said months ago that Linux should've been a software cooperative instead, and you understanding what I said yesterday about creating a software cooperative was the closest I've gotten with trying to turn Linux into that.

As far as troubleshooting goes, there have been a number of times where I've managed to fix a problem with very little help. However, being that Linux has a steep learning curve, trying to figure out a solution on my own can be confusing, and because I'm not technical oriented (I know how to use a computer, but I struggle with knowing how it works under the hood), using terminal commands can, at times, feel like rocket science. To answer your question about what I did when troubleshooting Windows, I just went to customer support. From what I remember, I didn't run into that many issues when using it.
 
Thanks for sharing and explaining! I was just trying to understand your view point and where you are coming from as to why the the different experiences you and I are having when it comes to GNU/Linux. I was already working in IT before I discovered GNU/Linux, believe it or not I was working at a help desk doing Windows support and user support questions. When I discovered GNU/Linux I was going through a hard time in my life and GNU/Linux kept me going and gave me something to do. I became really passionate about GNU/Linux because I enjoyed the learning process and discovering what GNU/Linux is all about and finally understanding how it all fits together, eventually I got the chance to make it my work so my hobby became my work. Lastly I do not always agree with you and I can see there are many different experiences and views when it comes to GNU/Linux but I do enjoy the discussions you are starting.
 
I knew that, but it'd be surprising to see what isn't being powered by it
What is it you really want to say? I'm struggling to understand. Are you tired of Linux? I once told you to take it easy, learn things bit by bit and day by day; one thing at a time. Set your learning goals and stick to them, don't rush into wanting to learn it all at once, yes, I know it can be frustrating, but the learning process for everything, not just computers or operating systems, isn't a one way street. Like the old saying goes "many ways lead to Rome" you just need to find the one you feel the most comfortable with, and follow suit; it's not always the destination that matters the most, but the whole journey. :)
 
Thanks for sharing and explaining! I was just trying to understand your view point and where you are coming from as to why the the different experiences you and I are having when it comes to GNU/Linux. I was already working in IT before I discovered GNU/Linux, believe it or not I was working at a help desk doing Windows support and user support questions. When I discovered GNU/Linux I was going through a hard time in my life and GNU/Linux kept me going and gave me something to do. I really passionate about GNU/Linux because of I enjoyed the learning process and discovering what GNU/Linux is all about and finally understanding how it all fits together, eventually I got the chance to make it my work so my hobby became my work. Lastly I do not always agree with you and I can see there are many different experiences and views when it comes to GNU/Linux but I do enjoy the discussions you are starting.

Obviously, your strong suit is understanding how computers work inside and out, and it's great that you've developed a skill set in that. Using those skills in a career is even better. I applaud the Linux users who enjoy using it for those kinds of reasons.

For me, my skills lie in art. I've been told numerous times I'm very good writer and a decent artist. One of my career goals is to write stories in the style of pulp fiction, and then draw each cover. Once I get the hang of using Krita, that may be my go-to program for digital art. I imagine there a number of people on this forum who struggle with writing and drawing, and wish they could have my level of skill, but they accept that they're not the artist type of person.
 
What is it you really want to say? I'm struggling to understand. Are you tired of Linux? I once told you to take it easy, learn things bit by bit and day by day; one thing at a time. Set your learning goals and stick to them, don't rush into wanting to learn it all at once, yes, I know it can be frustrating, but the learning process for everything, not just computers or operating systems, isn't a one way street. Like the old saying goes "many ways lead to Rome" you just need to find the one you feel the most comfortable with, and follow suit; it's not always the destination that matters the most, but the whole journey. :)

Not to sound rude by saying this, being that this has more to do with what @f33dm3bits was saying, I found it a little strange that you quoted what I said about what isn't being powered by Linux.

To answer your question, yes I am tired of it because it's not the OS for me. Because I don't want to run Windows or Mac because of the spyware, I feel like a sitting duck until I get that tablet. TBH, if I had to describe my ideal OS, it would most-likely be a fork (not a distro) of FreeDOS that would look and feel like Windows, but wouldn't have proprietary software or Microsoft's spookiness.

As I told @f33dm3bits, I'm not a technical-oriented person. I don't mind improving my skill set of using Linux, but because absorbing technical knowledge doesn't come naturally to me, that's why I continue to struggle with it.
 
Not to sound rude by saying this, being that this has more to do with what @f33dm3bits was saying, I found it a little strange that you quoted what I said about what isn't being powered by Linux.
You're not(being rude). Because you're going back and forth, or at least that's my impression. I've been using Linux like for 10 years or so, and have had issues, which are less and less these days, and in fact, it's been a while since I had one. FreeDOS seems even way more technical to me; tried it in a VM and had no idea what to do. Linux's distros are easy to use, specially the Ubuntu based like Mint(or so I've read, haven't used it extensively but only a couple of times inside a VM, never really could get into it).
 
FreeDOS seems even way more technical to me; tried it in a VM and had no idea what to do.

What I was thinking of doing was clean rooming Windows 10 (and other versions after it), and then modifying the code of FreeDOS so it mimics Windows without actually being it. This is like how someone forked the Chromium browser to remove Google's connection to it, but unlike other forks, they made it still feel like the same thing.
 
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What I was thinking of doing was clean rooming Windows 10 (and other versions after it), and then modifying the code of FreeDOS so it mimics Windows without actually being it. This is like how someone forked the Chromium browser to remove Google's connection to it, but unlike other forks, they made it still feel like the same thing.
Have you heard of ReactOS?
 
Have you heard of ReactOS?

Yes, but it's not intended to be used as a daily OS because it was never completed. Your guess is as good as mine of why that is. Why do you ask?
 
Because of your expressed desire for a Windows-lookalike and compatible OS that is not Windows.

it's not intended to be used as a daily OS because it was never completed
It's certainly farther along than your FreeDOS fork with a Windows interface is at this point, seeing you haven't made the fork yet. :)
 
Because of your expressed desire for a Windows-lookalike and compatible OS that is not Windows.


It's certainly farther along than your FreeDOS fork with a Windows interface is at this point, seeing you haven't made the fork yet. :)

Because React uses the NT kernel, putting it into my proposed OS and profiting from it would be illegal because I don't own the rights to it. The FreeDOS kernel is perfectly fine because it's FOSS.

Being that I was speaking hypothetically, I'm aware I haven't made the fork yet. I'm guessing you were being sarcastic?
 

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