@yaelwrites But the beauty of Qubes is that all your problems are compartmentalized.

@kyle linux and qubes are on the very very long list of things people tell me to try, most of which end up with a massive headache and me not doing whatever it was I originally set out to do, thus not solving whatever problem I had in the first place. (I also have an abandoned RasPi and a WireGuard setup I don't use, a broken watch, and many other projects). I may just stick to cross stitch from now on lol.

@yaelwrites Well if you ever decide you want to take the plunge, let me know. The main pain with both are having hardware support everything, which we do out of the box.

@kyle I had an editor who used a Linux box for a big project, which meant that he couldn't use the search feature and his formatting was always all fucked up. So he was basically just outsourcing the work to everyone else (who wasn't hourly or on salary).

@kyle the other thing that happens with these projects is that people get really excited about helping me get started and then lose interest while I'm still stuck with a non-working product. I really need to stop starting things.

@yaelwrites You've just summarized why I disagree with the folks in the Linux community who think you just need to make Linux easy to install or easy to use, for it to be successful.

I argue it's *already* as easy (if not easier) to install or use than alternatives. What it needs to be successful is good support for when people get stuck. That's why it's important that vendors not only pre-install Linux, but also fully support it as a first class citizen, with professional support staff.

@kyle but if there was support and help available, how would people be able to differentiate between new users and the elite?

@yaelwrites People who think only geeks deserve freedom and privacy are wrong.

I think a lot of people would be surprised by how many Purism customers are using Linux (by way of PureOS) for the first time. Our support team is a critical piece of that.

@kyle I agree with you! I just don’t think most people do.

@yaelwrites Sure, if you use something that isn't mainstream, whether it's a game written for Windows on a Mac, a website written for Chrome on Safari (or sometimes even Firefox), or some web app written for Windows on a Linux desktop, there's a chance something won't work.

That said, modern desktop Linux, like the PureOS we ship on our stuff, is easy to use and works well with a lot of things.

@kyle I feel like it's just adding friction and times I feel dumb to my day, IDK if any benefits would outweigh that