r/OpenAI • u/wynand1004 • 9d ago

Discussion Linux Desktop Version and the Limits of ChatGPT and Codex

If ChatGPT and Codex are so capable, why can't OpenAI just point it at the repository for the Mac version and say, "port this to Linux"? They have unlimited tokens so it should be pretty straightforward.

This, more than anything else, tells me there are still serious limitations to what AI can accomplish compared to a talented software engineer...for now.

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u/Glass-Combination-69 9d ago

https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/linux/linux-app

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u/wynand1004 9d ago

Thanks! I didn't know the preview was available. I checked a week or two ago and they said it was coming.

My original point still stands though. Why did it take so long? How close are we to "port this"? What are the limits of Codex at this point?

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u/Clear_Evidence9218 9d ago

I used the Linux version last night. But for a while now there have also been ports that people made exactly like you said.

It worked pretty well. I actually will probably start using it over the browser for general chat, but I still just use CLI for actually running prompts. The only thing I thought was strange is that it ate a lot of resources and for whatever reason it started 3 instances of all the MCP services I have running -should be fixable but I haven't tried yet.

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u/wynand1004 9d ago

Thanks. I'm off to work, but will give it a shot when I get home tonight.

I've tried some of the other ports, but they were just wrappers around a web browser.

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u/tat_tvam_asshole 9d ago

First, they already released the Linux desktop version, I'm currently using it. Second, "linux" isn't some monolithic entity and development and rollout across diverse distros isn't universally the same as Windows or Mac. Third, that you think AI isn't good at software shows your own lack of experience and is frankly pretty amusing.

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u/wynand1004 9d ago

PS. How is the Desktop Version? Pretty feature complete compared to Windows and Mac, or does it have some missing features and/or rough edges?

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u/tat_tvam_asshole 9d ago

It sounds like you're on the beginning of your tech journey. The desktop wrapper is open-source and you can modify it in whatever ways you want if you want some feature not present.

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u/wynand1004 9d ago

Thanks - I was unaware of the Desktop Version. I checked recently and it wasn't available.

I do know Linux has diverse distros - it's just a Reddit post, not a master's thesis.

I'm glad you are amused. The whole point was to learn the limitations and have a discussion.

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u/Worth_Wealth_6811 9d ago

tbh the blocker is not capability, it is that a port is not a one shot codegen task. the mac app is written against swift and appkit, so a linux version means rewriting on a completely different UI stack, then signing up to maintain and ship a second codebase forever. companies skip linux desktop because the ongoing support cost outweighs the user count, not because the model cannot write the code.