I've been preaching this for a while but the era of PC as in "personal computing" is coming to an end and will slowly but surely be replaced with CC, Corporate Computing, where the corporations own everything, the hardware, the software and only permit you to use their equipment against a monthly fee and only to the extent they allow and permit. Everything you do will be controlled and observed and extracted for data for extra revenue streams. (Ads)
Free/libre software is the only bastion of hope but I'm sure if it would ever become large enough to threat the CC revenue models it'd be locked down, amputated, bought out or silenced by any means necessary. For the time being the technical hurdles and low quality is what keep the majority away from it and gets the job done for the corporations.
I'm kind of glad I'm an old guy and got to live through the "golden age" of computing in the 70's, 80's and 90's. I get to check-out in the next 20-30 years or so, before things get really bad. The future really is looking ever more shitty year after year. Back in the 90's I had real hope for the future, but that has faded.
I was born in the 90s, but I'm nostalgic for the 80s/90s at least w.r.t computers.
So basically rented mainframes like IBM did in the '60s but with ads?
I agree about free software but that only works as long as the hardware doesn't get too closed down. At some point even reverse engineering won't keep up with it. We need more free/libre hardware.
The rented mainframes were, imo, far less egregious than what's awaiting all of us. It'd probably be less "massive B2B transactions to cut down on costs and outsource operating a hugely complex machine to its manufacturer", and more "everyone participating in society making mandatory perpetual payments to be allowed to use tightly-controlled devices that they must manage their entire lives through".
> making mandatory perpetual payments to be allowed to use tightly-controlled devices that they must manage their entire lives through
This is the mainframe experience for companies that run on z/OS, the licensing makes Azure look simple by comparison
https://ibmlicensingexperts.com/ibm-mainframe-licensing-z-sy...
Imagine all buildings in New York replaced with mainframes, people living and working inside the mainframes. An Ad on every wall, every floor, internal and external. Actually it sounds kind of cool.
Why don't laptop manufacturers deliver models with Linux?
I presume the problem is that users cause support costs?
Or that Linux and App updates cause costs?
Windows users have many support issues, however the users don't blame the laptop manufacturer?
I guess Chromebooks serve that market. And Google allow Linux installs on Chromebooks (helps attack Windows instalbase, but too little)
Dell offers several models with Ubuntu. Other smaller manufacturers also support linux, for example Framework and System76. A tiny minority to be sure.
Microsoft's EOL for Win10 means a lot of people are either going to e-waste their old laptop or just run without patches if they can't afford new hardware.
I'm actively helping people convert to Ubuntu if they want to give it a try. Their computer is effectively EOL so the risk is quite low. Especially when you can save several hundred or thousand dollars on a new box. The risk/value ratio is properly aligned. It's different to try out a new OS on new hardware - too much risk for your average user.
Yeah. I bought an expensive XPS since I couldn't get a Toshiba any more. I have always disliked Dell consumer product engineering but it was the best choice for Linux at the time. Unfortunately it eventually got flickering vertical pixel wide lines on the 4k screen (looked like a hardware issue - but might have been drivers). I had hoped they had fixed the transformer squeel mentioned as an issue on the older models: however the fucking thing squeeks with load (Dell didn't listen to user complaints, and didn't fix the problem).
I disabled sleep and hibernation because it never worked well (hot laptop in bag or flat battery).
On purchase I felt I needed to install a WiFi module with better Linux support (even though that interferes with warrantee?).
Admittedly Dell had superb ongoing Linux support for updating the BIOS - I would worry about that issue with other brands.
However I suspect overall I would never buy another Dell again.
I would help friends install Linux, however most of my friends either get a laptop through work or they have Macs.
The older XPS 15 were very solid (for a PC, still no where near a Mac)and they absolutely destroyed them. Complete garbage now, and at MBP price point too! They really lost their way.
The PC as a growth segment was at an end, but that’s because Microsoft cornered the market.
It was good enough and they just needed to make security fixes and tweaks; and I still would have paid for it!
Yet, the leaders at Microsoft found a way to lose their marketshare.
tl;dr; it just needed to remain quiet, boring, but reliable to remain a cashcow.