Re: This FOSS Thang :-)

On 3/21/24 1:52 AM, vallor wrote:

On Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:13:02 -0400, -hh wrote:

On 3/20/24 5:46 AM, vallor wrote:

On Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:36:53 -0400, -hh wrote
>

And who sells hardware with Linux OS preinstalled out of the box? That
alone takes some searching for the retailers, so that's even more
touch labor time spent.

>
If only there were some kind of global database that one could query
for such information...
>
BTW, what hh really wants in a Linux system is something running
ChromeOS.  You telling me he can't find a Chromebook?

>
>
I've found that the off-the-box ChromeOS solutions have been pretty
lightweight on hardware specifications.
>
>

(Not to mention the offerings by System76, as well as Dell.)

>
And HP.  They've offered some decent towers with Ubuntu, but there's
still then the DIY search for Apps.
>
>

Oh, you'd better go to a Linux vendor, though -- otherwise, you'll
spend "hours and hours" to "make it work".
>
Right?  Anybody else have that experience?  "hours and hours"?

>
Let's not forget how DFS has frequently ribbed chrisv about how chrisv
had refused to show spending the time to optimize a build on NewEgg
because it would take too many hours...think it was part of the "more
choices are always better" which backfired on chrisv due to it being a
clear example of do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do.

 And how is this related to the price of tea in China?

chrisv is merely illustrating just how determined some fanboys can be to try to deny even simple stuff.  Here, it is of their time investments.

 

BTW, this Linux workstation (bought "turnkey") blows the doors off Mrs.
vallor's new Mac Studio.

>
And this turnkey is ... what?

 I've only mentioned it half-a-dozen times.  System76 Thelio.

Ah, that rings a bell; thanks.  I did a quick gander and a basic build for a probably suitable tower rang up to ~$3.5K.

And what came pre-installed and are you
still using the same?

 No, and I didn't spend "hours and hours" to switch
it over to Linux Mint.

But there was still a switch over to Mint, right?

[[ There _is_ a problem with Linux, but it isn't what
you say it is.  I will post that under separate cover. ]]

I read it and I wholeheartedly agree.  I'll try to remember to elaborate more on that thread, but the jist of it is that the "go it alone" aspect of Linux is a barrier to marketplace adoption for new customers, which would be referred to as a point of "friction".  Similarly, what you reference as 'lock in' would also be referred to as how customer retention to a product is (or isn't) "sticky".  For maximized success, one wants one's product to be low friction and sticky ... easy for people to adopt, and once they do, they never leave.  That takes work to be able to accomplish in the marketplace.

 

>

My benchmark:  running Foocus,
which uses pytorch, which is apparently not well-supported on the Mac
Studio.  Maybe someday...

>
Different tools for different jobs...

 Can you elaborate?  Why would you expect a system that touts
having a "neural engine" to utterly fail against the Thelio
when it comes to generative AI?

To be honest, I wasn't thinking of Apple's "Neural Engine" bit, but more that the typical user use cases for Apple isn't focused on the newer ML/AI stuff, so I'd not be at all surprised if the current generation of tools that are out there are better optimized for other (eg, non-Apple) CPUs/GPUs.  After all, isn't that really the point of why NVIDIA's stock has taken off to crazy high valuations?

...and yet quite ironic that even Mrs. Vallor chose to buy Apple,
despite having an in-house Linux IT family member expert support.

 Beats the pants off of using Windows.  MacOS is Unix, and I do know
Unix, which is one reason why this is a Unix household.

Sure, there's (IIRC BSD) Unix under the GUI, but that observation is really only germane if one is engaged (and skilled) enough to meddle at the Terminal's command line.  I don't know what percentage of users still do that, but I'd expect it to be well under 1%.

I'm the one that got her the system.  Her iMac was too
weak, and don't get me started about "Mac minis".  Almost got her
a Mac Pro, but she thought that would be too extravagant.  So
a Mac Studio splits the difference if one wants to throw money
at the problem that Apple performance sucks.

My understanding is that the design intent of Apple's "M" chips really were focused more on power with efficiency, so it can be a bit problematic to really complain about horsepower for a desktop, since the mainstream personal consumer market has migrated so broadly to small mobile systems even if they use them mostly docked into a desktop.
Nevertheless, I've found that the Studio is sufficiently powerful for my use case and a noticeable step up from my old Xeon based Mac Pro.

She also wants another system to run games on, since Apple has a blind
spot when it comes to modern immersive entertainment.  That will almost
certainly be Linux, depending on how important MS Flight
Simulator ends up in the equation.  And, will be potentially using
the same Studio monitor if Apple hasn't walled people off
of that with their "stupid connector tricks":  in other words,
the only "hours and hours" to be spent would be to make it work
with Apple hardware.
 Actually, scratch that, my time isn't worth the effort to fight with
Apple hardware, when I can find her a nice, standard, 4K monitor
for less.  So there you go, Hugh -- no "hours and hours", problem
solved.

Yet it still sounds like you're spending brainpower to figure it all out (gaming system & desktop), which carries a non-zero cost.  But to speed you on your way, if a display is going to be used with the Mac, then you want to avoid a 1440 display and get a 'true' 4K display.  Personally, I ended up spending ~$400 (instead of Apple's $1600) for a 27” LG HDR 4K.
Specifically, the LG 27BL85U-W (a 27" 16:9 HDR FreeSync 4K IPS Monitor).
Its shortfalls are that the brightness & sound aren't integrated into the Apple keyboard like my Apple displays have been, plus it doesn't have a built-in webcam for Zoom calls.  But it does have a decent enough sized bezel to attach Post-it notes without covering any of the screen. But the top bezel is "too thin" because the old Logitech webcam that I tossed on its top rail is fairly large and it obscures part of the display.

 Now for my other post...
 

Later on that, hopefully.
-hh