this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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They probably have been using it for years, and for the last more then a decade I've been using Ubuntu as my main Linux distribution since I have work to do and I'll get to doing work faster in ubuntu than any other distribution.
Why did I start with Ubuntu? 10+ years ago Ubuntu was lightyears ahead for community support for issues. Again, I had work to do, I wasn't hobbyist playing "fuck windows".
In fact look at things like ROS where you can get going with "apt install ros-noetic-desktop" and now you can build your robotics stuff instantly. Every dependency to start and all the other tooling is there too. Sure a bunch of people would now say "use nix" but my autonomous robotics project doesn't care I am trying to get lidar, camera, motors, and SLAM algorithms to work. I don't want to care or think about compiling ROS for some arch distribution.
I won't say I don't dabble with other distributions but if I've got work to do, I'm going to use the tools I already know better than the back of my hand. And at the time, when selecting these tools, Ubuntu had it answered and is stable enough to have been unchanging for basically a decade.
Oh and if I needed to, I could pay and get support so the CEO can hear that risk is gone too (despite almost every other vendor we pay never actually resolving a issue before we find and fix it.. Though I do like also being able to say "we have raised a ticket with vendor x and am waiting on a reply").
I think your first point is the main reason Ubuntu has its popularity to thank for; 10-15 years ago it was (one of) the best desktop Linux OSes, people used to its workflow will continue using it as there's no imminent reason to switch to whatever new thing just came out
Inertia is just a sign of maturity. It's fine. Nothing wrong with it. Especially when the new stuff is happening along side it. In 10 years there may be people asking why you're using arch or nix, when whatever new thing is superior. But it'll just be proof that nix can run in production for 10+ years.