Disclaimer: I’m writing about my experience with major OS (Windows 10, macOs High/Sierra, Ubuntu/Manjaro) using a Solid State Drive. It has a huge impact in term of speed and it could be different from your own experience.
Hello there. To begin with, this post isn’t about what’s the best OS for everyday programming, it could depend on the stack used, Misc programs and specially YOU, so i’ll try to describe all the good/bad things that happened during my everyday workflows.
But before that I should let you know my programming stack so you won't get confused later. I mainly use:
- PHP frameworks and CMS
- nodejs frameworks for frontend
- react native/ionic for mobile dev
- Photoshop (with CssHat) for HTML Integration, banner for mobile apps.
- ms office due to my current job.[1]
Ubuntu (Unity/Gnome):
By the end of 2015 and after a good run with Windows 7 and using Ubuntu just occasionally in virtual machines I thought I would give it a shot with a daily usage so I installed the 15.10 version. back then i was programming in PHP, Java and C# (because of my Software engineering Studies), php and apache had great performances locally, same for java but used a windows 7 VM for Visual Studio, Ms Office and Adobe Photoshop, because all the alternatives (Darkable/Gimp, Open office) weren't at the same levels. I tried but the more you use them the more you notice their weak points such as ease of use, backward compatibility.
I had a good (exactly 2 years) run switching between Unity and Gnome DE (I was the n°1 hater for KDE btw), but over time and even with SSD it felt a kinda slow (I was always stuck with 16.04 LTS) and honestly, I wasn’t fan of the Ubuntu’s PPAs either and then I discovered the Hackintosh community.
macOs (10.12/10.14)
So after a hell of an installation process I managed to run macOs Sierra smoothly on a laptop that has hardware near to macbook pro late 2012 (HP elitebook 840 G1). Apps installed with one simple drag n’ drop (applies to android studio too). It run the Android Virtual Device smoother than windows 7 and ubuntu with the same laptop, i was very surprised, the memory management, the apps integration and the overall stability was so great. At that time I finished my studies so no more Java or .Net programming, and the adobe/ms office suite was a strong point compared to Linux in general so every program ran natively without the need of any VM, with our beloved Unix cli.
The only drawback I had with mac, or with hackintosh, is the system updates/upgrades it was so painful to do it breaks your system every time, I was backing up the whole bootable system image whenever I attempted to update. Because the Kexts (Kernel extensions or “drivers”) weren’t always backward compatible.
So in the end i was thinking to go back to linux again but not sure which distribution i will stick with again, I wanted a stable distro that i forgot completely about something called upgrades of “big updates”. In the meantime I give Windows 10 another shot after hearing it got better and better in the last years.
And again, after 2 years with no workflow complaints I backed up my hackintosh installation and installed the last build of windows 10.
Windows 10.
I’ll resume my experience with one line: “not great, not terrible”
Compared, again, to mac os the system was very smooth in every way, snapping windows, switching virtual desktops, programs and files search in the start menu, no problem but! I already missed the unix cli. Yeah I know there’s cmder and other tools. The overall performance was okay but there was some latency when compiling node js apps. My workflow didn’t change. I used Laragon for all my php projects with phpstorm and it was perfect honestly. On the other hand Android Emulator was terrible even with 8gb or ram and ssd, mac os was handling it way better.
In the meantime I played with some linux distros in VMs and made the choice: Manjaro, KDE flavor.
Manjaro:
“You said you hated KDE right?” well yes but for a cause, one I didn’t want to bring back the Gnome memories i had with Ubuntu and second, I disliked is because its similarity in UI compared to Windows in general, 10 specially then I found how very customizable was and again i’ll resume it with one line: “everything is a widget”. So in term of UI I made my simple comfortable setup.
Now in term of programs and workflow I still use PhpStorm for my php and nodejs projects, npm and yarn installed globally and surprisingly npm run very fast compared to windows and mac; git already installed, but for my php projects I migrate all of them to docker with docker compose, majority of projects were based on Laravel, Prestashop, Wordpress and old native php apps. I managed to dockerize some of them from scratch, some with Laradock.
Java/.Net: RIP.
For mobile development there were some struggles during configuring ionic and react native’s first run but done with them quickly, no problem with android studio but the emulator “again” wasn’t that good as mac os, but not that bad like windows. And I discovered a helpful package that cast my connected android device to my screen and it’s shown as a virtual device but a physical one, called scrcpy from the genymotion team!
And finally these are just some of the benefits why I picked manjaro:
- No big breaking updates.
- A rolling release distro.
- Fast security patches.
- The Great Arch User Repository (AUR)
- Snap and Flatpak support (but why?)
- Very stable.
But still there are some drawback, linux’s ones in general:
- Still needing photoshop and lightroom.
- Ms Office for work purpose (Managed to use Web version since we have ms365 but still miss Excel for heavy use)
Conclusion:
Finally and personally I’ll stick with linux for these main two reasons: native support for docker (future projects could be deployed with it) and the unix environment similarity to production servers (cli, ssh and packages’ configuration).
I understand many of you will disagree for many things said in the post but that’s okay! because, finally, we choose what will help us to give the most of us in terms of productivity.
Thank you all for reading the most boring post ever made on Dev.to platform! I would gladly hear from you some of your thoughts and experiences as well. Thanks again! [1]
[1]: edit. added used stack and a conclusion.
Top comments (142)
I was using Linux few years ago, but yes I got tired of no Photoshop no advanced drivers for specific hardware..
So at the end of the day switched back to windows 10..
Since windows 10 has windows subsystem feature I feel like I'm in Linux server with command line..
So my os to go is Windows for now...
Author is talking about programming, not designs, so jumping onto commenting about photoshop is just not cool man,
advanced drivers, I slightly agree, but what I've seen with my system, I might have to find drivers online, but with ubuntu, they're automatically working, no need to install anything. Where I agree is with some WiFi devices, and nvidia driver (ubuntu does have nvidia driver, but it's not the same quality as windows)
also windows subsystem is shit, it's so slow, and so PITA, I've used it once in the past, it doesn't work well with symlinks for mono repo, and it's slower.
For every day programming, Ubuntu, Arch, Manjaro (any linux based OS) actually work much better than stupid windows,
I've a desktop at home, ubuntu is my primary OS, I do programming on that, and the only game I play (CS:GO) is now available for ubuntu, and you know what? it's more stable and more smooth on ubuntu. The only times I use windows is to play NFS, some battlefield.
Also for people commenting "WSL gets the job done", that's not what I'm looking for in my PC, I'm looking for myself to be the best version of me, the most productive, and no waiting for build to finish. On linux, you get significant boost when you're working. (Try deleting node_modules on windows vs linux) and you'll notice the difference.
WSL2 is leaps and bounds better than WSL. It has the same access to hardware as a native Linux installation and runs just as fast. Since WSL2 was released I've finally ditched my dual boot Linux installation.
With you 100% on WSL2. It's been running Ubuntu 18.04 very nicely for me. And I've found instructions for installing CentOS. WSL supposts installing multiple Linux distros and choosing which distro runs. WSL2 does prevent Linux access to GPU and serial ports, but MS says that's "high on their list" of improvements to be made. Still WS2 is performant and highly usable.
GPU access is available in the latest Windows Insider builds now
I'm bored of EEE strategies of Windows, and WSL is one more of them. So if I will continue using GNU/Linux for GNU/Linux applications
Author wrote about Photoshop, and Lightroom, and MS Office, not just about programming.
He wrote about it, I understand, but the question again is:
I don't see myself using photoshop, lightroom, ms office for everyday programming.
I understand they're a factor, but again, looking at what's desired (everyday programming), it doesn't make sense to compare with programming, (and everyday programmers don't need fancy photoshop tools, inkscape, gimp etc can do those just fine)
sorry to disappoint you but I needed Photoshop (and firework earlier) for PSD/HTML template integration, for ms office and specially excel we used it for projects management and collaboration since we have a microsoft 365 subscription, and the web version wans't enough for me a least
again, you're using wrong tool for the job and blaming a OS for it, PSD isn't for UI designs, heard of either of XD, Sketch, Figma? they're meant for designs, and it doesn't matter which OS they support, because in the end you can see the spec through online interface.
What's "not cool" is putting someone down because you disagree with them.
Where have I put someone down? I'm just expressing my thoughts, if you think Linux isn't good enough for everyday programming, state facts and try to change my mind.
I've done so, I've been using Linux for heavy programming, and is my goto os for a while now, it's a fact and I can prove how much I use it.
What's actually not cool is you trying make me look bad without shedding any facts.
"Author is talking about programming, not designs, so jumping onto commenting about photoshop is just not cool man"
This was you putting them down.
It's not that I think Linux isn't a good development environment - it obviously is, though living with it for tasks that don't directly involve writing and running code can be a bit painful. You're right - use the best tool for the job. I commented because I thought what you said was dismissive and a bit rude.
Actually re-reading it, yes, I hear it too, I'm sorry about it. Thanks for pointing it out :)
Such an old-guard way of thinking about things. Ask yourself, why do I think Photoshop is not a barier to entry for an OS? Why do I even need a node_modules directory, and why do I need to delete it?
Your development OS or delivery method should be influenced by the target audience, not your needs. If your app needs to run on WSL, then WSL and Windows should be your OS. This is why Docker is so popular.
Actually, I strongly disagree, ideally I should be able to work on whatever I'm comfortable with and build for whatever platform I want, take a look at golang,
And if you do stuff correctly, your CI needs to build and release stuff, so you can stay on what you're comfortable with.
If you're interested, I can write about how I get these things done
About photoahop I use it often when I have a project design integration to HTML or when designing/updating my app shreenshot on playstore and also I just got comfortable with it even with small editing :D
If you need photoshop then it's got nothing to do with the OS, it's got everything do do with whichever platform Adobe decides to support.
I'm yet to see what photoshop does that gimp can't. But you're into photoshop, then Linux is probably not for you.
For hardcore programming, assuming its not dependent on MS stack, Linux is second to none.
Yes sure..
But for example, i have laptop with one hdmi, but i wanted to attach 3'd display, so i purchased usb to hdmi: displaylink.com/products/usb-adapters
Guess what: linux drivers not working very well..
I have master mx2 mouse, guess what: No drivers on linux..
So it's small details like this..
Still if you are developer from time to time you need some advanced graphics.. it's pain in ass that you can't use it property..
But yeah, if linux would have all drivers available it would be my to go platform..
I'm using MX2 and MX3 mouse, I've had no issues, like I said, it's plug and play, sure I don't have logitech flow, but it does work,
I've 3 monitors at home and I don't even need to use those adapters, I don't see why you'd use it,
Maybe you're not buying tools correctly, if you want to have extra monitors, buy a laptop and a dock, and maybe a dock with 3 hdmi or display ports,
I think the argument about display was like, ahh, this screw driver isn't driving this nail into the wall, screw drivers are bad.
Maybe buy a docking station? While I'm typing, I'm using a docking station right now,
Also I'm sure there are plenty of usb to hdmi things which follow some open standard and linux works even without manually installing a driver (most of things are plug and play, like my mx mouse here)
Ubuntu user here, with an MX3 sitting next to my laptop after upgrading from the MX2.
In the office, I have a docking station, at home, I work with a single screen just fine, and when at remote sites etc, I have a USB3 hub with extra HDMI etc.
Sure, the drivers on the docking station & USB hub didn't want to play ball, but I grew up on a BSD command line, so it wasn't tricky to sort it. My problem there was the choice of laptop not being explicitly designed for a docking station, and I wanted a USB hub for travel (that I've used all of twice).
By & large, everything in modern Linux is plug & play, and I've managed to convince a few people to move over from MacOS just by them seeing the way I work.
That's the point, mate. The comment you replied to, said the same thing. He told about his own preference and why he chooses it. So I don't see the reason why it's "not cool".
Mixing hackintosh and its kext nightmare into mac os discussion is not fair either, but here we are ;)
Im doing some frontend dev work and i cant go by without PS/Illustrator.
I don't understand this, for frontend work, I've never had to use PSD, because I expect UI designs on XD, Sketch or figma, and they have web interfaces to get specs and sometimes even parts of code that can be copied/pasted,
I'm sorry, but if you're using PSD to do UI design, it's like using hammer to drive screw through a wood, it can be done, but that's not what it's for.
Well, you should expand your horizons then.
Im working as FED longer than XD, Sketch or Figma exists, and PS was the ultimate slicing tool. And illustrator often is my go-to tool to edit vector graphics, because its just good.
How can you talk about expanding horizon when you aren't willing to use right tools for the job?
Also, if you're making ui designs, you aren't programming, you are designing, and if the title of this post was "is Linux good enough for everyday designing?" my answer would be no, just go with mac/windows, unless you can get away with just figma and need nothing else.
So again, if you use right tools for the job, and the job is building apps not specific to a platform, then yes, it's not just good enough for programming, it's better at most situation, and I standby this statement,
Now please talk about programming, don't talk about how I should now start to learn design and change my answer, that's not gonna happen
So now know better whats right tool for MY job? ;-) This discussion is over. Have a nice career.
Yeah, and even if I see a carpenter trying to drive a screw with a hammer, I'd do the same, I'd just assume he's an inexperienced carpenter,
Psd isn't right tool for design, and it's certainly not a tool for programming, unless you happen to code something related to psd.
One day you will discover the difference between fact and opinion. This day will be huge for you, cherish it ;)
Where did I miss that?
author of a comment said "putting them down because you disagree isn't cool", what I said was, I've been using linux for quite a long time, and it's working awesome for me, (for me it's primary OS), so obviously it's good enough for every day programming (which is the title of this post btw)
and the fact I've been talking about (which I have evidence for btw,) is that I've been using linux for more than at least 6 years.
And not once have I had to say, ahh, linux sucks for programming, (but on other OSes, I've said it btw),
Now this thread is becoming a bit toxic, and I'm partly at fault which I noticed before in one of the comments.
But we're just expressing opinions and getting offended.
I'm gonna stop replying to this by just stating this:
And now I'm using both OSes, windows for gaming (NFS) and ubuntu for writing code (also CS:GO on ubuntu)
I have to use windows for my office work because it's not cross platform, and every day, I notice so many issues.
I standby this: "Yes, linux is good enough for everyday programming"
But obviously not if you're doing iOS development, or windows app development, or something similar.
But here's the thing, IF your target platform can be developed through Linux, (and you're new to linux), then you might find a bit friction at first, but once you start getting used to it, you won't feel like you're using your IDE on linux, it'll feel like you're using your IDE, unlike on windows, it's very apparent that you're using your IDE on windows. (it's that icky feeling)
docker runs faster, builds happen faster, consumes less memory and so on.
Again, the title of the article: "Is linux good enough for everyday programming"
I say yes
Using a windows VM from Linux does it 😋
Same bro
I wasn't into the need for WSL since it doesn't increase my productivity, at least for me but I heard some positive feedbacks since the WSL2 came out. does it worth it for general web development?
I've been using WSL since the early days and can say that WSL2 is a huge improvement. It's not perfect, but for day-to-day web development it gets the job done. I've hardly had any issues with it.
I use a Macbook for work and it's definitely a more seamless experience, but WSL2 gets the job done for me.
If you decide to try WSL2, I highly suggest Pengwin because it comes with many dev tools installed out of the box and has a custom installer to install other tools (like GUI support, language runtimes, etc.).
I really want to upgrade to WSL2, but apparently there's a known memory leak issue, so I'm reluctant. WSL1 is so slow >:|
Krita, Inkscape, Gimp, who needs Photoshop anymore except for graphic artists?
Precisely this. And with modern web design, it's vector graphics we need, not bitmaps.
Some of the things we used to use Photoshop for can be done with CSS3, too.
The last time I used Windows was XP, and I haven't needed it since. If you miss the UI, use the Plasma or Cinnamon desktop.
use latest version and get best distro depends on your work... Linux is the greatest OS of all time...
I'm able to run Windows and even macOS VMs on Linux which allow me to use Photoshop.
I have three laptops: a Windows 10 one that I do most of my work on; and a MacPro and Linux Ubuntu 20.04 that I use to confirm everything on MacOS and Linux. All have their purposes. In most cases I use emacs for quick code/doc changes; VS Code for larger changes. If I need to create graphics, the Mac is best; if I want to quickly compile/build an app, Linux is fastest; one should use the appropriate tool for the task, not look at every task as a nail for a hammer.
I can tell you my story.
I first was a Windows User, then I got introduced to Linux, it was awesome. A few years later I got a job where they gave me a macbook for work, it was nice, I looked fancy and it was similar to Linux but with a nicer GUI, but to be honest, I really hated knowing my macbook constantly communicated with apple, most of the time to send stats about the OS behavior, but really who knows what is really sending out there, it could be anything.
After I left, I bought a new laptop and immediately I installed Linux (Debian), I code, write, surf, design, pretty much everything and I am happy. Recently I got stuck in a course, it was about flutter and the course only covered mac and windows, but I moved around tweaking my laptop and finally got android studio up and running correctly and I am happy with it.
Linux Lover 4ever. having control of what you do and what you have for me is a must have. If you like nice GUI mac is ok. Sorry not a windows fan hehe, not even with the new win10 that runs linux inside.
GIMP for Photoshop and Inkscape for AI
MSOffice on linux can be run using wine, but I use google drive (docs and sheets)
Hope it helps
There is a snap package for flutter now, just FYI
snapcraft.io/install/flutter/ubuntu
Interesting. This is about as far from the reality I have seen as a professional programmer for more than 15 years. Every developer I know complains if forced to use Windows for development as it is slow as hell and the tool chains are cr*p (unless they are by Microsoft and for Windows apps only).
Everyone uses Linux as all the tools are available there, it is fast and can be modified easily to fit everyone's needs. If some company policy forces the devs to use Windows or macos then they still prefer Linux in a VM over the other alternatives.
I do not recognize the stability mentioned with macos. For various reasons I have had to develop ios and macos apps which forces you to use macos. Never have I seen so many crashes, cpu hogs gone Wilde and memory disappearing for no good reason. Xcode is about as bad as any tool can be and constantly crashed - especially during debug sessions which forced us to restart everything as it could not reconnecd to the ios devices after that point.
But hey, there might be some Web devs or similar that fint it usable.
That's not my experience. In the last 15 years or so, most of the programmers I've worked with have preferred MacOS, a minority Windows and I've only known one or two who genuinely used Linux as their host OS - I'm one of them :)
You should get new friends 😊 I have yet to find others than Web devs (who are more fronted designers) that actually like macos. It is just too closed down for hardcore development. We have around 200 devs where I sit (c/c++/python/perl/java/kotlin/asm) and less than a handful use win, no macs at all. Seems to be the same with most of the companies we work with.
Anyways, the fun how it differs in some orgs around the world.
I totally agree (except for a couple of exceptions of developers I respect and use Mac).
This is probably the same case discussed in other posts above: developers that need Windows or Mac to use Photoshop... whaaaaath??
In my experience, it's usually because of the (genuine) reputation of Macs being reliable, fast and pretty, the (false) reputation of Linux being unreliable or technically confusing, and the (false) reputation of them being somehow "better" for graphics or design.
The last isn't usually relevant to programming, but phrases like "web design" have muddied the water in recent years. They're also a status symbol in places like the US because of their price.
Most people who've used them would agree MacOS is a better general-purpose programming environment than Windows, but the trek to MacOS is daunting for someone used to Windows (and vice-versa). The switch to Linux is seen as daunting by both camps. Almost nobody starts off on Linux.
I agree.
My question is: If MacOs fits your development requirements, why Linux shouldn't?
If you are developing for MacOS, then you'll need MacOS to do it on. That's all I can think of.
I use windows because I love my surface book and it's pen, so I can't switch. I'm not a professional programmer but do it as a hobby and also need to write a lot of analysis code at work (medical lab).
WSL2 works nicely. The new windows terminal app is a big improvement.
With those two things and windows 10's multiple desktops I have all the special needs figured out. Granted, there are issues here and there but I it costs me maybe 30mins per month for personal and work related issues to resolve them, and I'm sure I'd have other issues with a different OS when using some non-programming related apps. If I only used my PC for programming though, I'd certainly switch to Linux.
WSL2 is really underestimated though. It works very well for me and is way faster than WSL1 so no matter if it's running a complex analysis function or just compiling some webpack stuff, I've had a great experience so far.
Distros are decoupled from desktop environments, you can run KDE/Gnome/cinnamon/mate/i3/xfce/whatever on pretty much whatever distro you want. In fact there tend to be different downloads available for purposes of having a specific default desktop environment.
On a neat note, the installer image for OpenSUSE (at least tumbleweed) is so large because it let's you choose your environment during installation.
Not totally true. Some distros do a better job with some desktop environment than others.
For example, I think Manjaro is the perfect choice for KDE... you need that KDE updates, which you don't have in Kubuntu.
You could instead use KDE neon, kde.org/distributions
KDE neon is the only KDE desktop environment/distro pairing made by KDE (that I'm aware of); one would think if you want the true KDE experience you would get the distro straight from them ;)
Or as with any system you can just build from source.
Yes, I recently tested KDE Neon too! And I like the idea.
For me, Manjaro KDE resulted in a slightly better experience.
In particular some KDE updates (specially recent 5.19 updates) introduced some small but annoying bugs, that I didn't see in Manjaro due to the testing process.
Whatever works for you, but I find it interesting that you call out manjaro for less bugs. In my experience arch and arch related operating systems are bug heavy due to their significant lack of testing capabilities. This is partially why people kinda wear "I run arch" as a badge of honor.
I've run manjaro before and while I didn't run it with KDE, so this experience doesn't particularly translate, I did see a litany of graphical bugs; and this was because of the rolling release style of the system. "Did the package build? Cool, release it"
I tend to find debian based operating systems more stable than Arch ones, but everyone has their own preferences. So I guess back to my original statement
Whatever works for you.
Thanks for pointing the java/.net line, what i meant is I'm not using them anymore since i finished my studies and I earlier worked with Kava in ubuntu with no problem, for .net I was mainly using Asp.net and Windows form apps and really didn't know much about .Net Core compatibility! I'll edit ithe post for that 😁
I was the #1 KDE hater until GNOME 3/Shell. They have made great strides in performance (largely because Canonical has made a large push for it), but even still my every attempt at GNOME Shell ends the same: Quickly unusable due to freezing. I blame this on the Mutter window manager, because I experience the same issue to some degree on every other Mutter-based DE (Cinnamon, Pantheon, Budgie...). Meanwhile, I've considered KWin the best WM since KDE 4 (which was very buggy, but had enough great features that I stopped considering myself a KDE hater). Despite still having occasional gripes with Plasma, I consider it by far the best DE since KDE 5 was released. It's nice to see how much more inviting and personable their devs are too compared to the notoriously difficult GNOME devs, and Nate Graham's "Adventures in Linux and KDE"/"This Week in KDE" posts are an absolute treat.
Windows has improved immensely as an OS for developer (largely thanks to Linux, and again especially Canonical), but as you said, not great, not terrible.
MacOS is mostly great, when it allows itself to be installed - and I'm not talking about a Hackintosh on bare metal or VM, where I've had few problems on either in the last few years going with the newer, more vanilla install method; no, I'm talking about now being on my THIRD MacBook Pro (still supported, not an EOL issue) on which MacOS installs suddenly started erroring out and I was forced to install Linux (hell, on one I even successfully installed Win10 with EFI boot, not the crappy hybrid MBR that Bootcamp forces on you... But no MacOS). As much as I've invested in MBPs, I have zero qualms about running MacOS on something besides bare Apple metal.
I always come back to Linux anyway. I don't miss Photoshop at all, but I barely used it (for the types of small edits which are easy once you're used to GIMP anyway). Same with Illustrator, I'm perfectly fine with Inkscape. I'm looking forward to better Lottie support in both Inkscape and Synfig, because that's the only reason I'd ever bother with AfterEffects, and that seems like a convoluted workflow anyway. Likewise with office, I rarely find a situation where LibreOffice doesn't suit my needs
I'm a big fan of Manjaro (and it's stupid to me that vanilla Arch is still such a pain to install, even to someone with ~18 years of Linux experience like myself), but Ubuntu and its variants have always worked better on MBPs. Also, snaps aside, I prefer PPAs or other third party deb repos to AUR any day (and don't get me started on the horrific RPM collisions I've encountered from RedHat/CentOS/Fedora, OpenSuse, etc.). Also, there's no better distro for widely-supported and organized creative tools (even KXStudio can't compete with ubuntustudio-menu, and I use their repos too for audio). I'm a little miffed that Kubuntu 20.04 is stuck on KDE 5.18 (even if it makes sense because they're both LTS releases), but that will be solved in October with 20.10 (if I don't just go the Rolling Rhino route and pull from the devel repos - have I mentioned that I'm thinking about building my own distro based on all of the above?)
I made an account justo to agree with your comment. More than 10 years on Linux in my case, many distros, and Manjaro KDE has offered the best experience (really surprising for an Arch based rolling release distro).
Sorry to disappoint you, then. To be clear, I still prefer Ubuntu-based distros (namely Kubuntu, or soon Ubuntu Studio when it switches to KDE in 20.10, because KDE Neon is even slower than LTS releases to update its base).
I might feel differently when I buy something other than a MacBook for my daily driver (this will be my last, both due to cost and the issues I detailed above). But Manjaro does get a lot of things right... though I don't think including Steam as a dependency of manjaro-{whatever_de}-full is one of them, as trying to remove it (I'm not a gamer) has led to it threatening to remove a lot of packages I do need (manjaro-{whatever_de}-minimal solves this mostly, but it's not a good feeling when coming from Debian/Ubuntu, where metapackages can be removed without uninstalling the dependencies they reference).
Chances are, I'll stick with (K)Ubuntu (Studio, plus a lot of extra repos). I'm not sure I'll ever trust another package manager as much as deb/apt, and I'd say that Ubuntu has done better in hardware support than other distros in 95% or more of the cases I've encountered.
I always try plenty of others, in typical Linux distro-hopping fashion, but always come back to Ubuntu.
Yes, I agree with the general diagnosis. The discussion about distros might be interesting, but currently I think desktop environment discussion is more interesting. I'm glad to see many people recognizing the great job KDE is doing.
(K)Ubuntu is great, solid and a huge community which is very important, my default option to everyone who wants to start with Linux or for work. Manjaro is also great, really focused to bring an usable solution, personally I love having the latest software, specially KDE related updates.
But the original question was another, and the answer is yes. With Linux you have many options to get the most productive version of you. That is what you need for work, be productive, and in Linux environment you have the right tools to do that.
I'm not sure why you would be surprised about this?
Just because of past experiences with ArchLinux.
I don't have a full opinion about Arch... but I think rolling distros can be a bit more difficult to maintain. Generally, I do not recommend Manjaro to newcomers, because you have to worry more about keeping things up-to-date. And with updates, we know, sometimes small things need to be fixed visiting the forums jeje.
With Ubuntu 20.04 and Microsoft having almost completely given in to Linux, you can do some cool stuff now. Install VS Code, Powershell, .Net Core, and Docker. You can spin up a MS SQL Docker container and have a DB in about 5 seconds. Then set up VS Code to work with. NET Core and PS, which is pretty much automatic. Now you can code in C# .NET and MS SQL and publish your code as a Docker container with the web server inside. Or say you'd rather do React Native. Expo runs as well if not better than in any other platform. And as mentioned, scrcpy is the best thing in the world. I have gotten GIMP 2.10 to do everything I need. Mind you, my main system is Windows, but all my laptops are Linux because Linux makes it possible to actually get things done on a Asus Zenbook Flip with the 1.1 GHz ULV CPU. In Windows, it could be 15 minutes before I could use my computer if an update was pending. In Linux 15 seconds no matter what. And I can run GZDoom and MAME with playable framerates, even with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION !
Is linux good enough for everyday programming?
Is it some search engine optimization news ? A SEO troll ?
Now I'm freelance but in my corporate days we switch with nux years ago. Photoshop ? Doh ! Virtualization ! Open your windows VM from a snapshot is actually faster than loading Photoshop.
Fedora+gnome rocks ! Even the font size is better by default on my t470 in FHD. In windows it's too small or you have to max the dpi (but loose space).
And multi destop is working and productive since always. No need to ask your boss for 3 Dell screens to feel comfortable.
But Linux can be picky with laptop hardware sometime. Choose a good laptop (Thinkpads, xps) and your life will be easier.
Good morning troll bro
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