Going from Windows to Linux then back to windows sucks.
Protip: don’t ask, just do it.
Yea, but at a small company (~15 workers). It took a few weeks of back and forth because I didn’t have a real work-related reason to switch.
Not so much convinced as in that I always just installed Linux, period, and then proceeded to do everything I was told I wasn’t going to be able to do on linux
What magical company do you work in that gives you UEFI access on your work computer? Mine’s so locked down.
My previous job, yes! A few people had that fight years before I started and won. It was decided on the basis that we’re Linux sysadmins who already operate a sizeable fleet of Linux systems and running our own desktops would be beneficial and self-supported.
Sadly my current employer doesn’t share this view. We used a crippled Linux desktop through Apache Guacamole which is a bit average to say the least. I have to put up with the constant bullshit that is Windows and all of its ads, news headlines and trash that I don’t want on my computer at work. I hate it but I have very little influence in that space.
The custom software which is absolutely required for my job is only developed for Windows. There would be no point even going to work if that software wasn’t available. So I’d never ask.
There are some people in authority who think the native windows application should be swapped for a “more modern” web/cloud-type. Which would be awful, but say they got their wish and the primary software therefor became more portable. I don’t think it would be worth asking or even a good idea.
I know the IT people have zero familiarity with Linux. Their role is to provide me a workstation that facilitates every task required by my job description. It must be stable and secure. It’s a complex technical environment where each workstation interacts with other devices. Even with the most constrained, homogeneous ecology that can be arranged, there are constant hiccups that need to smoothed out. I can’t be the only person who knows how to use my computer. There are aspects of the environment that are out of scope for me to know about so even if I was a much more skilled linux desktop user, it would be impossible for me to set up my own machine. It would be irresponsible for IT to allow me to run whatever on my system without their being able to properly supervise things.
I have advocated for use of free/libre software at every chance for the workplace as a whole. I try to get people on board with switching secondary/helped applications when available. At some point in the future, I think the software we are using will be discontinued so the question of what to switch to will become live. So I am hoping to propose everyone moves to linux, or at least that we prioritize a less proprietary solution. I have some strong arguments based in our business needs. I doubt the bravery exists for a full switch to Free software (if it is even possible, which it might not be). A better plan would be to find some way to get IT comfortable with Linux first. They would need to have the skills to support all the users properly.
At the end of the day I wish someone had done this in the 80s-90s-00s when everyone was transitioned to using the computers. Now there is so much intertia with windows and everything that goes along with it. The work would be much smoother in a linux environment but 999 individual things need to change to get there.
I work for a big enterprise, we have very strict policies when it comes to work PCs, no way anyone would be allowed to change the operating system.
BUT I got permission to install Virtualbox so I can happily use Linux for many things nonetheless.
I started unplugging the Ethernet cable when I leave for work so IT can’t do any behind the scenes when I’m away.
It’s not your computer, why do you care?
All that’s going to do is make you an annoyance and potentially end up with you being called into a special meeting.
It’s not your computer, why do you care?
The other commenters is right, my work desktop has access to my home server so I can remotely monitor on my breaks an such as well as my password manager.
All that’s going to do is make you an annoyance and potentially end up with you being called into a special meeting.
IT can’t tell the difference, they see an offline desktop and just think it’s turned off.
The other commenter is right, my work desktop has access to my home server so I can remotely monitor on my breaks, as well as my password manager.
Well, that’s your own fault and poor opsec. That’s also a likely breach of your employer’s acceptable use policy in using their equipment for your personal things.
I know you’re going to say “They don’t care” and that’s probably true - right up until the point when they suddenly do care, or are looking for reasons. It doesn’t matter if your IT are in-house or a MSP, they’re still paid by your employers and so answer to them.
I know you’re going to say “They don’t care” and that’s probably true
Yup, my boss an president are relatively chill until it starts effecting production.
Well, that’s your own fault and poor opsec. That’s also a likely breach of your employer’s acceptable use policy in using their equipment for your personal things.
What the hell do you mean, my fault? If I’m on my 30 minute unpaid break I’m going to monitor my homelab on my free time regardless, what difference does it make if it’s through a web browser on the work desktop or my personal tablet.
An HTTPS request to a known and restricted server won’t bring the end to the company.
what difference does it make if it’s through a web browser on the work desktop or my personal tablet.
Yeah what difference does it make? Why don’t you use your own device?
Your work computer likely contains personally identifiable information. Microsoft very likely has a significant profile on what you do at work and could conceivably link that to your other identities outside of work.
Are they actually doing that? It’s hard to say. Microsoft does have relationships with data brokers like Snowflake Inc. and SCUBA plus its own internal capabilities like Xandr Inc.
Cross pollination is more than possible when employees use personsal devices to login to work accounts. Most of the people that I work with login to Slack on their personal device using Microsoft Entra SSO.
I did, in my previous and curret job…e very happy camper
Small company, I’m friends with IT dude so he told me I could do it as long as I didn’t go to him for tech support. He then came to me asking for help installing linux on his machine. LMAO
Uno reverse
What is your job?
For sure. I worked in IT for a long time. After we switched from the mainframe to os/2 I ran it for a decade on my desktop while the company went to Windows. Then once I couldn’t run os/2 anymore due to newer hardware I switched to Linux. Ran it from the late 90s until my retirement 5 years ago.
I had to support it all myself but they let me since I was also the security guy and they realized that Windows sucked.
Convince?
Im a software dev. If you don’t use linux or macos youre a weirdo
Depends on what you work for specifically, at my current job most people use Windows, and it makes sense because our product will mainly be used on Windows, and some of them are windows only. But I also worked in many other places where we were deploying to Linux servers but the majority of devs were on Windows.
If you use macos but are deploying to Linux, you’re also a weirdo.
+10 masochism points if you’re using docker on MacOS as well
Wait, docker exists for mac?
Some software branded as Docker for Mac exists for Mac.
Obviously Docker uses Linux kernel constructs not available on other platforms so on Mac (and Windows) they embed an entire Linux VM and attempt to integrate it with the host system storage, networking and resources.
This works about as well as it sounds, I/O performance in particular is terrible and trying to share folders between the host and the VM (to for example mount the code you’re working on) is super slow and annoying
“But Macs are the best for development, they’re so user friendly” - not even close lol
I’ve been sysadmin where I work for 12 years, Ive been using Linux as my OS there all that time except the first month. After that month I asked the IT manager if he cared what OS I use. He said he didn’t care so long as it didn’t impede me getting the work done. The junior sysadmin who started a year ago now also uses Linux and my manager wishes he could too (he does too much Microsoft office to get away with it)
I didn’t convince anyone, I just did it.
As soon as microsoft announced the recall feature I was like nope this I aint consenting to that even at work. I put Nixos/Gnome on my work laptop and haven’t looked back. Everytime I help someone on their windows 11 laptop it feels like a snails pace.
I wish I could convince our workplace to switch to linux. I feel like Nixos would be PERFECT for the workplace, you could just deploy like a standard config and add more apps if needed.
It would make all the software requests super easy. (given they were FOSS ofc. Even most windows apps work using Wine or Proton tbh.) I don’t use any closed source apps on my laptop, but others could.
Where this doesn’t work is the entire Finance department.
They need proper Excel, full of all the proper Excel shenanigans. Some of them will also have VBA macros and random plugins too that they rely on
It’s definitely doable. There’s plenty of companies and governments in Europe that have made the switch to open source away from Microsoft.
This is true, here is a brief list: https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/who-uses-libreoffice/
But I’m sure it is a massive project you would need to have sufficient motivation at all levels. Not at all a trivial project.
I am curious how these changes feel on-the-ground to the affected workers who had no personal interest in linux or free software.
I failed at convincing anyone at every company I’ve worked with. Getting a MacBook is the only alternative for me.
