Technology

If the alternatives are not there or lacking then people can't switch. If people don't use it and contribute (e.g. reports, donations) then it is difficult to justify creating alternatives.

This is not a stalemate however. It is a slow transition of pioneers frustrated with the status quo.

More importantly, the reason why all of those apps don't have Linux versions is not because of some anti-Linux conspiracy, but because Linux userspace has for most of its existence prioritized distro-packaged-and-provided software, at the expense and sometimes even exclusion of binary software distribution.

This is not just a technical limitation, but I'd also argue a cultural one, driven by folks who consider proprietary/nonfree software irrelevant and not worth supporting in a first-class way. Unfortunately, the companies who make both the software that entire industries are built around and the games that you play when you get off work disagree. Valve was probably the company in the best position to make native Linux games a trend, and the fact that they're more focused on Proton these days is pretty telling.

The only developers in the Linux ecosystem who I feel are taking the problem seriously are the Flatpak developers. They do amazing work, with great tooling that builds against a chrooted runtime by default. But it needs more widespread usage and acceptance, as well as better outreach to developers from other ecosystems who might've had horrendous experience making Linux builds in the past.

There is a future out there with native Linux builds of industry-standard tooling and even games. But it's a future the Linux community has to willing to actually work towards.

Yep, definitely have to pick the right tool for the job. If you use these things, you're stuck with Windows. Would be nice if you could install needed software on whichever OS you choose.

I'll add Visual Studio.

And, no, VS Code is not a comparable replacement no matter how many extensions you add. I say that as someone who uses VS Code for almost everything...except C#.

Honestly, I would like more people using it as support from companies would improve and my experience would get better, and competition breeds innovation. But I'm not going to push for it. I'm happy with what it does for me and I don't really care if other people use it or not. I just get annoyed when people complain without wanting to hear about solutions or alternatives. I know people who complain because they are chronic complainers and they are not interested in actually fixing any of their problems.

Agreed. You're making compromises no matter what you choose as an OS.

I disagree, Microsoft is very abusive to both its users as well as other companies. Just because you want to bury your head in the sand about how they have zero respect for their customers, build shit software, are anticompetitive and have a stranglehold on the entire industry, that's on you.

I'm not suggesting you use Linux, honestly every OS sucks, but Windows actively works against you. If you want to complain about these problems deliberately created by Microsoft but reject any suggestions of something that might be a better alternative, you're just a whiner.

But hey, at least Apple didn't win the OS war. We'd all be stuck with only Apple hardware, no standards and walled gardens. I guess we can thank Microsoft for having an alternative to that.

Anyways, use whatever works for you. And I guess you can complain without wanting a solution to your problems, a lot of people complain like that.

Interesting, I kinda figured that there was some funding by governments but not nearly enough. SE Linux I always assumed was maintained by Redhat, like many other Linux components.

That makes the Nvidia situation a little more interesting. I'd imagine other proprietary software uses GPL'd libraries, like Steam? Doesn't seem fair if only certain software is being targeted for violating the license. At the same time I'm annoyed how little Nvidia contributes back. It feels like AMD is creating open standards like Freesync while Nvidia won't let others play with their toys in the sandbox, like G-Sync.