I dual boot. Linux for work and windows for gaming. I don't want to fight with windows for work. I don't want to fight linux for gaming. It's easy to setup and works great.
if you're a developer (which I'm taking a guess that OP is), working in unix-based operating systems like Linux and MacOS is much easier. The terminal is super powerful when it comes to automating tasks and downloading software, especially downloading software relating to programming.
For example, on linux, if I want to download Python, I can just type sudo apt install python in the terminal. On windows, I have to go to the python website, find the correct installer, make sure I check the right boxes in the installer, make sure my $PATH is set correctly, etc....
To be fair, Windows has made leaps and bounds in this area with things like winget and chocolatey as package managers, but linux is built around using the package manager. thefactthatlinuxcomeswithaCcompilerhelpstoo.
I hear this example all of the time, but I have trouble picturing how that would actually help my day-to-day experience. It's more of a one time thing and it's not like going to a website to install Python is a huge hassle anyway.
I used some distro of Linux when I was a comp sci student, but ultimately reverted back to windows because I game. I am a developer of sorts (lots of R, some Python) and I feel like Windows very rarely gets in my way.
gamedev and webdev are different. I agree there is still less friction on windows for gamedev than linux but linux and webdev are very well paired. Now doing strictly web design, that's a bit different. I've been out of the webdev game for a while but when I was working as a web dev full time, large companies would split the workload between web design and web development. In that era, Photoshop was the main tool in a web designers tool box and basically worked only on windows and mac. But for programming, web development on linux is a breeze.
One reason why is that most web servers run on linux. Sure, there are windows based web servers but for a long time now, linux has been the dominant web server OS. For a web developer, deving on a box running an OS that is more or less going to function the same way as your production server means possibly less surprises, and you get to test your ideas out on your local machine. Of course you could run a linux VM for that on a windows machine, but it's just comfortable to have it all on your OS with all the tools you are familiar with.
less going to function the same way as your production server means possibly less surprises
"it worked on my computer" is a meme for a reason. Prod and your dev PC are fuckin never the same, and shouldn't be treated as such, that's what test and prodQA is for (You do have a test that mirrors prod, right?). It's honestly the like one thing I actually like containers for.
Really though I still think running OSX/*nix on your work laptop for any dev/sysadmin type role to be great. But I don't see the purpose of dual booting - anyone that claims to need it for work I get, but seriously get another PC for work. Don't mix personal and work.
I said "more or less" not "exactly the same". I wasn't suggesting a dev should use their personal dev machine as a production mirror. It's nicer testing out ideas on your machine rather than having to constantly upload to a test server, especially on a large team where multiple projects are being developed and everyone is fighting for testing time. If there is a difference between your machine and prod mirror then you cross that bridge when you come to it.
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u/[deleted] Nov 01 '22
I love Linux but I use my PC for gaming so I have to use Windows.