For desktop computers, either Windows or Linux. Windows on my main computer since I rely on so much Windows-only software (MS Office, Many Games) despite the BS that Microsoft does to windows in new versions, but Linux has gotten way better lately, especially as it picks up new users as Windows declines. MacOS to me the worst of both worlds when it comes to lack of software support and corporate BS
For Mobile, definitely Android. Android is what I wish Linux was for Desktop computers; Loads of software you can get from many places, open source, and not locked down. It’s mainly the way it is because for Mobile OS’s, Microsoft was spending too much resources shooting itself in the foot with the Zune than to make the necessary improvements to make Windows Mobile to be competitive, and by the time they realized their mistake it was too late. iOS is such a pain in the ass for me to use due to how locked down it is, and while it has more software support than MacOS, its locked down nature and being mostly restricted to getting software from Apple means that several apps that I rely on (including a few apps not on the Google Play store) will never be available for iOS. I also like to see where every single file on my phone actually is
I have a windows pc. And unlike a lot of users, I haven’t gotten recall, ads, etc. Perhaps it’s because I actually paid for my license? Maybe it’s that I’m in Europe?
Whichever it is, it plays my games and lets me do my hobbies.
I also have a laptop that runs linux, as a file share and such.
It’s the European version yeah. I pirated a copy of eu windows and don’t have any of that trash either.
Wait! I didn’t know this. If I use a VPN can I simply download the Euro version? I don’t mind paying for it.
Edit: I’m i dumbass. You simply select the location on install. How stupid is that? Why does nobody tell me these things?
Hah, nicely done!
I generally use the OS which fits what I am trying to do. For my desktop PC, I run Arch Linux as it lets me game, run VMs and have a high level of control over what the system is doing. The VMs are mostly Windows for testing stuff and one running Ubuntu as a host for PolarProxy. My server runs Ubuntu, though really just as a platform to host docker containers. That was a decision I made years ago when I knew a lot less about Linux and was looking for something which was more turnkey. My work laptop is Windows, because my work is mostly a Microsoft shop. But, I have WSL running both Ubuntu (for the SANS Sift framework) and Kali.
An Operating System is a tool. Don’t get wedded to any one OS.
Like many respondents on this decorporatized FOSS wang-dang-doodle, my answer is some variation on “Linux for desktop/laptop unless I’m forced to use the W-word” and “Whichever mobile OS makes the browser happen while I’m away from Linux, but I’m sad that it’s not Linux”.
Ha, shame my response wasn’t nearly as succinct as yours, you hit the nail on the head
On desktop: Linux since late 1996. It is the only operating system that I can perfectly tune to adhere to my - often weird - ideas, and can run all the software I need. I’m a developer, mostly working on free and open source software, so Linux is right there to assist me with that. When I play games, I play them through Wine/Proton, have been since I started gaming on Linux some two decades ago. If a game does not work under Wine/Proton, that’s simply not a game I will be playing.
For portable gaming, I have a Steam Deck. Surprisingly, that also runs Linux.
My phone is running stock Android, and I hate it, because the way I function, and how Android imagines I would are not compatible, and the system does not let me bend it to my will, there isn’t enough flexibility built in. Like… I can’t uninstall a bunch of applications I’m never going to use, because my phone came preinstalled with it, and they’re not removable, unless I jailbreak it. Unfortunately, I can’t jailbreak it, because then my bank’s application would stop working. Which would be fine, since I don’t do banking on the phone. Except the application is required for mandatory 2FA. FML.
Thankfully, I can go days without touching my phone, so I can live with it being a piece of crap.
(The rest of my family is also on Linux: both parents, wife, and eventually the kids too.)
If you hate stock Android, definitely try Graphene. It doesn’t come with preinstalled bullshit and let’s you run your banking and other shitty apps in a different user profile. Google Play Store and Services are completely optional. You get nearly full control without the negatives associated with rooting.
My bank app does not function under Graphene, because my bank is doing anything in its power to force using a stock Android. I have friends, who use the same bank, and while the bank app works under Graphene from time to time, it is broken often enough to render it unusable.
But it doesn’t matter, because Graphene does not support my phone anyway. As I wrote: most alternative operating systems for phones support only a very limited set of phones. Mine’s not one of them.
Probably is not going to make your phone experience much better but I followed this to disabled (not uninstalling) some stock apps on stock Android phones, works great and if you made a mistake it’s easy to rollback.
I did that, it did not make my phone experience any better.
Windows 11
...
I’m just fucking with y’all. Debian, of course.
Trisquel GNU/Linux
Because it is a fully free distro, which is important to me.
I use Trisquel because it is the most user friendly I’ve found in the free distros.
Some hardware drivers are unavailable, but that’s fine, just transferred away from non-free hardware.
For compatibility, usually export to PDF.
–//–
Also GrapheneOS on phones and tablet. Has less nags and bloat. Privacy centric mobile OS.
It’s nice to see such a willpower to use fully free distro. I am often prevented from using a fully free distribution only by the non-free firmware for AMD GPU.
Freebsd for servers
Linux for everything else a user interacts with, including gaming
My setup is:
- Arch (BTW) & KDE on my laptop, that’s the tinkering machine that only I use.
- Dual boot Pop!_OS & Windows on the desktop, that’s the one that other people use too so I’m not allowed to break it.
- I also have a bunch of other OS’s in VMs that I mess around with like little specimen jars lol
Overall, ignoring the kind of device, it’s my preferred linux distro, followed by android, followed by other distros, followed by windows 7.
I wish Linux mobile was ready for what I need, but there just isn’t app parity currently.
The learning curve switching from win7 to whichever version Mint Linux was on at the time was acceptable. No harder or easier than picking up android for the first time once installation was finished. Easier than when I’ve had to dick around on iOS. I can’t say what the switch would be like now since only my laptop is running dual boot with 10 right now, and I never open it at all. I kept the windows partition for some of the crap with self publishing that isn’t as easy on Linux, but I find there’s no motivation to boot to Windows lol.
I really like excels android overall, and I used to run custom roms on everything, and had a ton of fun playing around like that. But Google has made android suckier, if not sucky enough to switch to iOS or put up with the flaws of mobile Linux (though it has been a while since I tested anything in that regard). So, as long as android is essentially controlled by a for profit company, I don’t know that it could be my favorite os.
Linux wise, Mint is the tits. Yeah, there’s distros that do some things better. But damn, I’ve thrown mint on all kinds of boxes and then just got to using it for what i want to do, not fiddling around with things. The bullshit canonical pulls isn’t an issue, and that’s nice. Popos is pretty similar in that regard tbh, but I prefer the default looks of mint better. That’s a niggling little thing, but such is life.
Desktops: Linux (Mint)
Laptops: Linux (Mint)
Phones: Linux (Android)
Servers: Linux (Debian)
SBC: Linux (Armbian / Raspberry Pi OS)
ESP32/ESP8266: Arduino (I’ve never really taken to MicroPython)
ATMega 328P/etc : ArduinoDebian GNU/Linux
I like the LTS style, I love the organised way they have for documentation and configuration, is well supported and I like the adaptations they make for a lot of software such as Apache HTTP Server (their custom layout).
Arch.
you rebel/rapscallion
It’s simpler than that. Arch is dead simple. Everything is documented. If you want to know how to do anything, they tell you how. Where’s the config file? Right here, per the wiki.
People pump it up to be this impossible thing but it really is just the most blunt, to the point Linux distro and that’s what I enjoy about it. You never have to look two places for anything.
Desktop and phone: macOS and iOS
Smart home, Docker containers, VPS servers: Alpine Linux
Sadly the nanoPi R6S I bought came with OpenWRT preinstalled which is a very annoying OS in my eyes. Wish I had enough time to get Alpine Linux built for it.
And technically I’d use FreeBSD UNIX (huge UNIX fan!) but Docker and a lot of stuff I want in unsupported, which totally blows.
NixOS is a bear to set up, but it is easy to keep it running for ages since the config is declarative & irons out configuration differences better than other OS since you config will refuse to evaluate.
I am thinking of moving to SailfishOS next year if my LineageOS phone keeps acting up.
In order:
Android (home)
Windows 11 (work)
Playstation
Xbox
Windows 11 (home)
Steamdeck
iOS (work)
SwitchI’d gripe if I ever had to use an iPhone for work
I needed one for testing. :)
