Around Windows 7 timeframe, I came to peace with FOSS UNIX clones never going to be as mature as proprietary OSes on laptops.
Sure, the situation has improved a lot, but they still require compromises of not having everything supported like on desktop PCs, even when buying from Linux OEMs, my experience hasn't been that great.
For a brief period, netbooks seemed to be on track, but then they suffered multiple attacks that wiped their market segment. First it was Microsoft with their price change for Windows XP, followed by tablets, hybrid laptops.
And now those same OEMs, would rather sell ChromeOS and Android devices, than a full blown GNU/Linux, **BSD experience.
With ARM revolution going on PC devices, something that many might not be yet aware, is that Pluton is also part of the story, adding to UEFI, TPM, and pleotora of other integration issues.
So I just run Linux on a VM, first it was Virtual Box, VMware, nowadays it is either WSL or Virtualization framework.
Missing them, not really, for me it was always more as a cheap way to have UNIX, my favourite one was Solaris, followed by UNIXes with a soul, like Irix, NeXTSTEP, ...
I think the situation is a whole lot different since the days of Windows 7.
The biggest change is that Windows just stopped caring. The UI is inconsistent and messy. It ceased to be an improvement over Linux a long time ago.
Crapware is also another problem. Windows had this problem since the 90s, but it's now worse with Microsoft itself pushing for them. It's the only major desktop operating system to have this problem.
Worst of all, it's a real pain to use. People avoiding it are no longer doing so out of abstract principles. It's just so bad that any person with self-respect wouldn't want to use it. From the constant resetting of user preferences to obnoxious banners and full screen nags, Microsoft is making it very clear that they have no respect at all for the users.
With modern Windows, users are expected to work for Windows and not the other way around. Any data it touches also becomes the property of Microsoft. Or at least they act as if that's the case.
Linux is slowly but steadily maturing. Also, end users are moving away from PCs, meaning those who still use one have a high likelihood of being a power user. I think FOSS desktops are more relevant than they were a decade ago.
Privacy is also becoming a major issue on Windows. Of course, that became some time ago with cloud login (which is becoming progressively harder to work around - it's basically impossible to do so in the most recent Windows installer without mucking around with the terminal; the old "disconnect from WiFi" trick doesn't work anymore!). But on top of that, now there are all those AI features that are shoved onto you that require your data to be sent to the servers. And not even just AI, too - the most recent insult was the retirement of the built-in Mail app and its replacement with the "new Outlook", which, when you try to configure an IMAP account, will tell you that your email "must be synchronized to the Microsoft cloud" in order for it to be able to work with it.
Tons of resources are poured into Linux development by private companies who effectively dictate what features get prioritized. These organizations aren't using Linux as a consumer desktop OS, they're using it for servers, supercomputers, embedded devices and other similar jobs. This is where all the investment goes, so features that support these use cases are by far the most polished.
It means that any normie can get a perfectly working GNU/Linux laptop from a random shopping mall and everything works out of the box without any constraints.
I would really like to see normies do regular computing tasks on their phones, then again HN is full of folks that rather buy an iPad and connect to a cloud VM via ssh, instead of a proper laptop.
It depends. I would have had the same opinion as you until recently when I switched to an M2 for travel work, and it is completely adequete for getting work done.
There’s a handful of edge cases where I’ll fire up the real Linux laptop, but between UTM and Parallels I can get a lot of real work done on the MacBook.
Sure, the situation has improved a lot, but they still require compromises of not having everything supported like on desktop PCs, even when buying from Linux OEMs, my experience hasn't been that great.
For a brief period, netbooks seemed to be on track, but then they suffered multiple attacks that wiped their market segment. First it was Microsoft with their price change for Windows XP, followed by tablets, hybrid laptops.
And now those same OEMs, would rather sell ChromeOS and Android devices, than a full blown GNU/Linux, **BSD experience.
With ARM revolution going on PC devices, something that many might not be yet aware, is that Pluton is also part of the story, adding to UEFI, TPM, and pleotora of other integration issues.
So I just run Linux on a VM, first it was Virtual Box, VMware, nowadays it is either WSL or Virtualization framework.
Missing them, not really, for me it was always more as a cheap way to have UNIX, my favourite one was Solaris, followed by UNIXes with a soul, like Irix, NeXTSTEP, ...