The Frustration of a Polished Lock‑In

For years, the developer’s workflow had been dominated by Apple’s elegant hardware and the promise of a smooth, unified ecosystem. Yet, the erosion of software freedom—marked by Gatekeeper’s invasive prompts, relentless permission dialogs, and an overreliance on iCloud—began to erode the very core of his craft. The sentiment was clear: “I no longer want to use a computer I can’t make software (freely) for and share with people.”

"Gatekeeper is becoming more and more invasive," the developer noted, echoing a growing chorus of developers who feel constrained by Apple’s tightening gatekeeping.

A Long‑Running Love for Open Source

The narrative traces back to the mid‑1990s, when the developer’s first exposure to open source came through installing a Red Hat distribution on a family PC. This early fascination evolved into a deep‑rooted passion for Unix‑like systems, culminating in a decade‑long tenure as a Linux desktop enthusiast.

During college, work at the OSU Open Source Lab introduced him to ion3, a tiling window manager that would become a "magical" experience. The developer’s affinity for tiling interfaces—characterized by efficient keyboard navigation and minimal visual clutter—remained a constant thread throughout his career.

The Turning Point: A Windows Laptop, a Linux Dream

A $300 Acer laptop, initially pre‑loaded with a sluggish Windows experience, became the catalyst for a decisive shift. The cumbersome Windows Out‑of‑Box Experience (OOBE) and sluggish performance prompted the developer to install Arch and Kali for cybersecurity work.

"It took me hours to get the system into a usable state, and it was unusably slow," he recounted. The frustration with Windows, combined with the lure of a fully customizable Linux environment, set the stage for a deeper dive into the open‑source world.

Hyprland: The Window Manager That Changed Everything

After experimenting with i3—which ultimately did not meet expectations—the developer discovered Hyprland. Though the initial setup required days of configuration, the result was a "fast, snappy, and responsive" desktop that felt “absolutely perfect.”

# Quick Hyprland install on Arch
sudo pacman -S hyprland hyprland-contrib

The developer’s enthusiasm is palpable: "Hyprland did take days to set up, but that's what I wanted. I can't believe how amazing it is." The platform’s compositing engine, dynamic workspace management, and declarative configuration file provide a level of control that aligns with the developer’s desire for a truly custom environment.

A Full‑Time Return to Linux

With the new setup in place, the developer has embraced Linux as his primary platform for both development and everyday use. The performance gains on a budget laptop—where everything feels "snappy and responsive"—are undeniable.

"I'm back on Linux full time now, and I couldn't be happier. It's not just for developers anymore," he reflects.

The story concludes with a nod to the broader implications: as developers seek autonomy and speed, the open‑source ecosystem—particularly modern window managers like Hyprland—offers a compelling alternative to proprietary ecosystems.

Source: https://zackbartel.com/blog/2025/02/return-to-linux/