The latest debacle over the "forced" upgrade to Windows 10 and Apple's increasingly locked-in ecosystem has got me thinking. Do I really need to use a proprietary operating system to get work done? And while I'm at it, do I need to use commercial cloud services to store my data?
I've always used Linux since the first time I tried installing Slackware in the mid-90s. In 1998 we were the first national TV show to install Linux live (Red Hat). And I've often advocated Ubuntu to people with older computers. I usually have at least one computer running Linux around, in the past couple of years Dell XPS laptops have been great choices. And a couple of months ago I bought a 17″ Oryx laptop from System76, an Ubuntu system integrator, for use in studio.
Using these Linux systems and the Chromebook Pixel have convinced me I don't really need to use commercial operating systems for anything I do. And for almost everything Linux is faster, better, and more reliable. At this point the only reason I can see for NOT using an open-source OS is a lack of software for something you need to do, like video or photo editing, music making, and rocket launching. But in the 20 years I've been using Linux, great alternative libre software has evolved to replace those commercial solutions. I think the time is right to make the switch.
6. Photo editing – this is the toughest to replace. I love Photoshop and Lightroom. Can I get by with, say, GIMP and Darktable?
I love Linux and will continue to use it on my laptops, but for my main workhorse desktop I think FreeBSD will be a better choice. I also look forward to learning and administering a true UNIX system. All the userland apps I currently rely on with Linux are also readily available on FreeBSD. Why FreeBSD not OpenBSD, or NetBSD, or PC-BSD, etc? FreeBSD has the largest community of all the BSDs and the FreeBSD handbook is quite impressive. That said, I think any BSD would suit just as well, but I had to choose one.
I do have a contingency plan. I'm not throwing away my Windows and Mac laptops, in fact, I'll probably buy a new Macbook Pro the second it comes out, so if need be I can use them when I need commercial software. I'm also stuck using proprietary mobile devices for the moment. And for that reason, a good cloud architecture is important. Can I, for example, replace Lastpass and Evernote with a self-hosted, open source alternative? More on my planned self-hosted cloud later.
There's another reason for this experiment, it's going to be fun!
I've ordered a beast of a machine from ABMX.com, a FreeBSD system integrator. That way I know all the hardware will work with my shiny new OS.
Some old Microsoft mouse I have lying around.
I've also ordered a small NUC-style box from System76 to act as a server for my self-hosted cloud. I'm planning to run sandstorm.io on Debian stable behind a Ubiquiti EdgeRouterX on my Comcast Business Class cable modem. More on that next time.
And I'll continue to chronicle my journey into the land of FOSS here when The Beast arrives. But in the meantime, please excuse me, I've got some reading to do.
I welcome your thoughts below!