Part 2 of – Goodbye macOS, Hello Ubuntu!
2 weeks ago, I wiped my hard drive and booted the Linux distribution Ubuntu with no intention of ever going back. I had already made the permanent switch away from iOS so moving away from macOS seemed like the logical next step.
Well, unfortunately 2 weeks, or 2 hours really, was long enough for me to want to take my computer and throw it into my community pool.
It wasn’t all bad though. The truth is, I LOVED it. I was on cloud 9 getting everything configured to my liking. I loved how fast everything was. How simple everything was. As someone who was comfortable with the command line, I felt like there was no obstacle I couldn’t overcome with a little patience. It was fast, lightweight, and invincible.
Or, so I thought…
Ever since COVID-19 came around and graced us with it’s presence, the unit across the parking lot from us became a full time gym for Diamondback baseball trainers and players. So each day, on queue, I reach for my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones to keep my sanity and get my work done.
It was in this moment that I first realized the main and overarching difference between Windows/macOS and the open source alternative, Linux. And the expression, “It just works” now made more sense.
I connected my headphones to find the audio coming through extremely choppy. Similar to being in a car slamming on the gas then slamming on the brakes one after another over and over and over again.
The saying “You don’t know what you got until it’s gone” had never rung truer in my mind than in that very moment.
…the freaking Bluetooth doesn’t work.
As someone who has never really crossed the chasm between hardware and software, I have no ability to speak to how easy I’d like to think this should be to just make work out of the box. But it did seem strange to me that Linux has been around for so long and in my using the most recommended desktop distribution, I can’t listen to my Bluetooth headphones while using the software.
I’ll be honest, I did expect there to be a learning curve. I expected to hit some road bumps – no doubt. Heck, I expected to fundamentally change the way I used my computer to do things. But, I did not expect such a core part of using computers in the modern age to be totally worthless.
And as much as I want to kick and scream about how annoying it was, who am I suppose to complain to? Where do I leave a google review? What help line do I call in to and complain?
None. It’s open source, dude. It’s free. And I guess it’s like my dad always said, “You get what you pay for.”
This is not meant to totally bash on open source or Linux. I happen to use Ubuntu to power my virtual private servers and love it. Never had issues. Happy as a clam.
But, I am humbled and surprised that something so seemingly simple can be a going issue today.
Bluetooth headphones… smh
It’s still funny to think about. Everything and I do mean EVERYTHING was better, in my opinion. But I have to have a working Bluetooth audio connection to be able to operate on a day to day. And after 15+ hours of configuring, downloading 3rd party libraries, scouring the net, I still had issues. And when I finally did find a duck taped solution, it involved a 4 step process every time I turned on and off my headphones.
I hung in there for 2 weeks before I realized that I cared more about things ‘just working’ than I did about sticking it to Apple and supporting open source. I could have easily sacrificed in so many areas, but how can you sacrifice in something like that?
I was proud to say I was leaving macOS. I was thrilled to go over to the dark side and join the Linux community (maybe they’re actually the light side?) Either way, the annoyance built up long enough for me to go back. Reboot a fresh version of OSx. And here we are. Back to where I started.
I don’t think this is the end for me. I do want to go back some day. But for obvious reasons, I need my work time to be work time, not duck taping the operating system time.