Return of the Mac (Or, Goodbye Linux)
My god, I hate to say this. I am leaving the Linux desktop.
I have genuinely loved using Linux and thought I would forever. It sparks joy in me. But some things have changed on my end:
- I need better accessibility features to keep RSI away
- I need better support for my Wacom tablet
Where I'm at Now Linux-Wise
I'm currently using Bluefin. Overall it's been great, though it can have some weird suspend and wake behavior like nearly every distro I've used on my desktop PC. If I didn't have these RSI issues, I'd probably still be fully enjoying the experience and tolerating the minimal quirks.
Things got worse when I started using drawing tablets as input. I have an old tiny One by Wacom and a new Intuos Pro. Input just isn't as customizable as it is when using an OS that Wacom supports, and it's inconsistent. Some features, like the scroll ring, don't work at all. So input has become a bit of a maddening experience. There's even some issue that causes clicking to not work normally.
I also think that something about the Linux Wacom driver is causing stability issues, because I now have an issue with the GNOME shell freezing, where the only solution is to restart.
What's Driving the Switch
The issue is really this: I could maybe get what I want (excellent dictation in any text field, Vimium-like behavior in any application) on Linux, but I would be doing a lot to glue and hack the solution together myself, even in a world where I miraculously don't run into quirks and compatibitily issues. I can't really spend my personal computing time on just making my computer work the way I need it to anymore. It's like I have a limited set of peripheral-use credits per day, and if I spend those on anything but what I need to get done, it is in lieu of spending them on actual work. Obviously whenever that happens, it's an undesirable outcome.
Anyway, MacOS has what I want built-in, and there are teams of well-paid devs whose job is to make sure those features work so I don't have to DIY so much. There also seem to be easy to use alternatives if I want them. I was a happy Mac user when I had one years ago, so I know that I won't hate the experience.
I am a little sad about my decision, but I think it's warranted and will help me in my journey to sustainably use a computer. And hey, it's still Unix. At least I don't have to switch to W*ndows.