Ubuntu Pro subscription – should you pay to use Linux?(optimizedbyotto.com)
5 pointsby ottoke7 hours ago5 comments
  • breezykoi6 hours ago
    Paying makes sense when you actually need/use those services. Paying "because you can" feels wrong to me. If the goal is to support FOSS, there are many more ways to contribute than subscribing to a service you don't use.
    • ForHackernews3 hours ago
      Without commenting on Ubuntu Pro specifically, the whole point of a Linux distribution is that users don't need to know or care what specific services they use. I'd happily pay $50/year to use "Debian" and trust that the Debian Foundation figures out how to feed that money back to the appropriate upstream projects.

      Please don't try and make me give $0.05/week to dbus maintainers or whoever.

  • JohnFenan hour ago
    For me, the immediate question isn't "should I pay to use Linux" (I already do).

    This is a nonstarter for me simply because I don't do software subscriptions, and especially not for operating systems. However, this appears to be aimed at enterprise usage rather than personal anyway.

  • willtemperley2 hours ago
    I would happily pay for Linux if it came pre-installed on a machine it's guaranteed to work with. I mean flawlessly - I really don't want to configure a driver ever again.

    Please someone create a linux laptop that:

    1. Just works out of the box.

    2. Has really good keychain management.

    3. Comes with no bundled AI.

    4. Good clipboard managment (like Handoff).

    5. Excellent graphics APIs and an good UI framework.

    Apple and Microsoft have lost the plot and there's a gaping wide space to fill here.

    • utopiahan hour ago
      SteamDeck, System76, Pine64, Slimbook, Tuxedo, etc there are PLENTY of Linux devices to buy in all form factors.

      Source : I'm using at least 2 of these and use Linux on my desktop daily, for years. Spent maximum 15min total caring about drivers and yes I do also game.

    • adithyassekhar2 hours ago
      Sadly people can't do much with an OS that doesn't run the applications they want. Until that becomes a reality no one is paying for Linux.
      • willtemperleyan hour ago
        Gaming works well on Linux, probably because people pay for games.

        There's already tons of power software for Linux (e.g. Blender) but it's not always easy to use.

        I don't see why the App Store model wouldn't work on Linux too.

    • rjh292 hours ago
      Great now multiply that bullet point list by 1000, because everyone wants different things and has different hardware, and you'll see that even the current state of Linux is a miracle. We're at the point where 90% of the time you can install a modern Gnome distro on a laptop and it'll work. Completely for free.
      • willtemperleyan hour ago
        > everyone wants different things and has different hardware

        Did you read my post?

        > Please someone create a linux laptop

        That means the hardware is alreaty there. I'm talking about the macOS model for Linux.

        What would be top of your 5000 bullet point list?

  • egorfine40 minutes ago
    Paying to have rust slop and systemd-something shoved down my throat? No way.
  • pjmlp7 hours ago
    Contrary to Betteridge's law of headlines, I would assert yes, and that is also the answer on the article for the TL;DR; folks out there.

    Otherwise don't whine when projects die.