Linux is desktop ready.
The Year of the Linux Desktop has been around a while..
Every year or two I'd try things out, there was always a big blocker (some missing feature / functionality / broken hardware support), and I would << retreat << back to Windows, and later Mac systems.
Linux in the enterprise / datacenter / server system is a good solution for most things, no problem there!
This time I tried Debian 12 with Cinnamon Desktop on an old Dell Latitude 7940 laptop.
I quite enjoyed the it just works experience!
Features I have working include:
- Full disk encryption (LVM during install)
- Hardware support out of box, everything works:
- Wifi
- Trackpad
- Display drivers
- Sound
- Bluetooth
- Power Management
- The desktop experience is what I expect:
- Point and click setup of most things
- Command line setup where I like it (apt, vi etc)
- Easy to install software via apt, downloaded .deb package
- Built in software tool to find and install applications
- System updates via system tray notification
- Printers just work
- Thunderbird connected to my iCloud email and Contacts
- Libre Office feels polished and my documents just open
- and VS Code of course is my fav GUI editor, vim still gets plenty of use too
- Batteries Not Included:
- Documents and Desktop replication
- Appears to have built in support for Google and some others
- No iCloud of course :-)
- Was able to configure Unison to easily replicate Docs & Desk on my main iMac
- Remote Desktop
- x11vnc works fine, but the local desktop needs to be logged in first
- No remote reboot with encryption, the full disk encryption LVM setup behaves like a boot password (its just how it works), blocking remote reboots.
- Since its a laptop system, remote desktop access is not a primary function
- Everything else so far just works, I replaced my main MacBook with CinnaDeb12.
More details + specific setup steps for reference to come..