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I'm liking the recent posts about switching to Linux. Some of my home machines run Linux, and I ran it on my main laptop for years (currently on Win10, preparing to return to Linux again).

That's all fine and dandy but at work I am forced to use Windows, Office, Teams, and all that. Not just because of corpo policies but also because of the apps we need to use.

Even if it weren't for those applications, or those policies, or if Wine was a serious option, I would still need to work with hundreds of other people in a Windows world, live-sharing Excel and so on.

I'm guessing that most people here just accept it. We use what we want at home, and use what the bossman wants at work. Or we're lucky to work in a shop that allows Linux. Right?

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[-] theparadox@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

Yes, and I'm forced to bring Win11 home if I need to work remotely because they allegedly would need to install drivers (?) on and reconfigure their firewall for me to use the Linux Cisco VPN client? So it's too much work.

I have a small homelab and I've never had to install drivers to support another operating system connecting. I also don't have to pay a subscription for access points and can reconfigure them myself so maybe it's a Cisco thing.

[-] fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 hour ago

Was macos at work, now Linux dev machine. Its a big up.

To be honest, all those are web apps now shrug. Zoom, slack, teams, docs, sheets, , all open in the browser. So IDC what the OS is for them. Linux Zero-Touch deployments are still in progress IMHO so I get why they arent here yet for a lot offices, but we are closer now than ever (thanks atomic OSs!).

[-] qaz@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

Yes, unfortunately

[-] eli@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

We're a Linux shop at my work. We do have a windows PC due to corporate policies...but everything we do on our windows PCs we could do from Linux.

Outlook? Website. Excel? Website. Jira? Website. Teams? Website. Nearly everything we do front end wise is all web based. Which, I know electron sucks, but from a "Linux as a main desktop environment"...I'm pretty damn happy with everything being web based nowadays. It's all OS agnostic.

[-] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 hours ago

I've been lucky, at two of my previous jobs, I was permitted to use a Linux laptop instead of the default Windows ones, it was wonderful.

Sadly you're right though, at least in the US, even in the IT world, unless you're working specifically at a Linux company, you're almost certainly using Windows.

My current job is all Windows, even though my team spends a significant amount of time maintaining Linux systems. I just open up WSL and try to pretend It's running on bare metal. 😞

[-] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago

My main computer at work is Linux, I do have a Windows build box where I compile code for Windows, and to make my life easier I usually develop it there as well. But outside of platform specific code, or code related to a product that's Windows only, I don't have any issues.

As for other software Teams, slack, zoom, Google meeting and docs work well enough that I can use them daily without issues.

At a previous job for some reason they wanted me to use Windows, which was absurd since I worked on the backend of a site which would only be deployed to Linux, didn't last long in that job after that was made official.

In short, as long as my main machine is Linux, I don't mind having to have a Windows machine to do Windows stuff. But I get annoyed out of my mind if I'm either forced to use Windows as my main OS (it's just not ergonomic for me), especially if there's no reason for it.

[-] jcr@jlai.lu 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Yes you are right, usually linux users that are not in IT have no choice but using bad microsoft computers (or Apple for designers/upper upper management) when they are employees.

But if you are general manager, or an independant contractor, you do whatever you want, and I have been on Debian, Void since 3 years now and it is just great.

People complain that "your files are not compatible" (i.e.: their excel version can not open a moderately complex xlsx file), and you use stupidly dumb webapp for Outlook and Teams, but otherwise if you don't need to commit for a specific software (built for windows or mac, like Adobe suite, 2D or 3D CAD softwares, some kind of old school ERP or CRM), you are all good. Basically everything done by management staff can be done using LibreOffice.

The "cloud revolution" at least has given us this good result : you can have basic business utilities solved through a webclient, hence GNU/Linux OS is ok to work with.

[-] art@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

It depends on your work. I'm a web designer and I can use anything I want. I also work from home.

[-] Goingdown@sopuli.xyz 1 points 4 hours ago

I am working in company where about 35% of users are on Windows, 40% on Linux and 25% on Mac. In Linux, official way to use MS Office is web apps, but Libreoffice is quite heavily used too.

[-] redwattlebird@lemmings.world 2 points 5 hours ago

I'm constantly looking for a way to convert the entire office. At the moment, it's 'how to replace Revit' and I found Bonsai but the 2d drawing elements are still being developed. If anyone has any suggestions on BIM software that can use IFC files, I would be most thankful.

Other than that, I'll bet our IT company will advise against using Linux because they won't know how to use it.

[-] deathbird@mander.xyz 2 points 6 hours ago

I use Windows at work and it reminds me of how much I love Linux.

I think it's certainly possible for us to move away from Windows and Mac, but convincing people isn't easy. The end users would be easiest to convince because most of them are just using the limited array of applications required for the business and don't much care what's under the hood. The people who really need convincing are the reat of local IT support and maybe vendors.

I think the path to broader business adoption of Linux runs through IT support.

[-] burrito@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 hours ago

All my jobs back to 2002 until now I have had full authority to run any OS I like on my work computer. I've run nothing but Linux on all my work machines and I have convinced many coworkers to do the same.

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 2 points 6 hours ago

I have been on macOS at work since December of 2019. Before that it was Windows since 2014. If I had the choice for Linux I might take it over macOS, but I'd happily take either over Windows.

[-] Routhinator@startrek.website 5 points 8 hours ago

Mac, actually. Its a different kind of bad. At least I can use many of the same cli tools.

[-] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 hours ago

TIL companies have Mac fleets

[-] Routhinator@startrek.website 2 points 8 hours ago

Oh sorry, just realized we are talking app servers.

Yeah, Google apps, and linux hosted apps. Havent had a company that ran windows or MS anything in 14 years.

[-] socsa@piefed.social 29 points 12 hours ago

No. We are a proper engineering company.

[-] absGeekNZ@lemmy.nz 5 points 4 hours ago

So not an industrial automation engineer. Nothing but windows software.

Ignition for scada works on Linux, but nothing else does.

[-] JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 4 points 5 hours ago

Lol what kind of engineering? Because it probably isn't mechanical, electronics, or civil because most of those programs don't work in Linux 😂

I have dreams of KiCAD and FreeCAD becoming good enough to be used a lot in industry and kiCAD is nearly there, but missing tons of productivity and collaboration features, but altium is still pretty ubiquitous, spaghetti code garbage that it can be.

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[-] nimrod06@lemmy.ml 13 points 11 hours ago

Professor here facing the same problem. I am bounded by administrative procedures with grandma school administrators.

I use Linux at home, of course. Debloated my Win11 machine at work but hope to use Linux instead everyday.

[-] railcar@midwest.social 5 points 9 hours ago

Our engineers can use Linux desktop if they want, and I suppose anyone else could as well, but Microsoft Office is really what keeps me on Windows at work. I could use the browser based apps for 80% but that last 20% is nasty. And yes, I use libreoffice at home. The cross compatibility just isn't there without loads of extra time that I don't have.

[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

Sharepoint and collaborative editing is what keeps us on Windows. Everything else we do is browser based so the OS doesn’t matter. I suppose we could live in Office365 but it’s not nearly as full featured as the desktop apps.

[-] linkerbaan@lemmy.ml 1 points 8 hours ago

OnlyOffice usually plays nicer with microtrash formats.

[-] Saprophyte@lemmy.world 12 points 12 hours ago

Debian at home. Red Hat at work. I have tried to talk them into better OS choices, but really I'm just glad to not be on Windows.

[-] jcs@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

If a company is particular about me using Windows for work, I'll be particular about choosing a company that uses Linux for work. But I'm in a unique/privileged position in this regard; my job involves making it easier for people to use Linux for business or personal use.

[-] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 hours ago

Good luck on that job search.

[-] mrcleanup@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

Keep your eye open for opportunities to advocate for Linux in the workplace, change will come.

[-] quick_snail@feddit.nl 1 points 7 hours ago

No. I would never allow them to force me to use Windows

[-] victorz@lemmy.world 8 points 12 hours ago

Web dev, Linux at home and work. Works fine for my scenario.

[-] mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world 11 points 13 hours ago

I'm allowed my own laptop cuz most of my work is ssh to a server and fix shit. You have to register your laptop on the network first though.

Office, Team: these can work via the browser if your company/organizations pay for the subscription. In fact, the web versions run much better than the standalone desktop ones for me.

Code editor, terminal, programing in general: These work much much better in linux. You open a terminal and you write commands to install stuff. Editors are even easier, i.e. nano, vim, vscode, emacs.... etc. just pick your poisons..

Email: now I login to my exchange email using the browser. That works for 100% of the stuff I need to do: basic emails stuff, accept/decline meetings...etc. Unless you absolutely need to use Outlook, there should be no problems.

Now... the real problem lies in specialized software like CAD, CAE tools. I like Linux but there isnt a free CAD / CAE tool that is comparable to what the industries are using. In academic? absolutely you can use for research.

[-] warmaster@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I use an M2 Caddy with a 1TB NVME SSD to boot into Aurora Linux on my work laptop.

The laptop keeps it's Windows license intact and when I need to move to a new laptop, it's plug and ~~play~~ work.

CUPS works with every printer in my office out of the box.

I am the user with less IT support tickets, I don't require Windows, Office nor Adobe licenses.

IT is happy, I'm happy. Every day is pure bliss.

[-] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 3 points 10 hours ago

Why would the "Windows license" get affected by whatever it on the disk?

Also how your sysadmins keeping the uefi unlocked?

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[-] NinjaTurtle@feddit.online 8 points 15 hours ago

Its not my machine, so I don't really care. As long as it doesn't prevent me from doing the work, then that is the employers problem what OS they want to enforce.

On my personal computer, I run what I want and will continue to do so where possible. Hence, why I like using Linux.

Linux admin grey(ish) beard here, work provides a MacBook and I just use it as a web browser and terminal.

Internal chat, mail, etc are all browser based, Google Docs is the office suite of choice for anyone I have to work with.

I get a decent terminal (iterm2), together with ZSH, tmux and Python is all I really need. We do have a bunch of GNU core utils installed as well, although coming from a UNIX background, I don't mind the BSD versions that ship on MacOS either.

Would I prefer Linux? Yes, I would. But at the same time, the M4 performance is awesome, the touchpad is glorious and I don't have to foot the bill, so I'm not complaining!

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[-] djsoren19@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 15 hours ago

Yup, and every time I have to deal with Windows bullshit at work, I get a little bit happier that I don't have to deal with it when I go home.

[-] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

No, instead I'm forced to use macOS at work.

And Microsoft Teams, which is terrible, but somehow still better than Cisco Webex, which we had before.

[-] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 hours ago

Awww macOS is great. What don’t you like about macOS?

[-] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago)

Yes, I'm forced to use Windows at work and that's part of why I only use Linux in my personal life.

Window is so stupid and annoying. It needs to reboot like twice a day for updates. Not to mention individual apps that need to update in the middle of usage. Also the news/spam and stuff. It's garbage. I'm the guy who's constantly telling everybody that we should switch to Linux.

(Also, even though my work laptop is Windows, I do most of my real work connected to a Linux server/IDE.)

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this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2025
191 points (98.0% liked)

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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