Free As In Beech and Speer.

Nowadays I find myself checking changelogs to see what features they've broken and what AI features I now need to disable...

I'd venture some Linux folks refuse to upgrade because of fears of compatibility issues.

The nice thing is having the choice.

This whole thing seems inaccurate. I literally never get even remotely excited about a Linux update, it’s always boring stuff that means nothing to me. I don’t Windows updates because I feel like it delivers them in a big lump and lets me install as I shutdown, which is easy. Apple hasn’t charged for updates in well over a decade.

Macos is free at this point
- And you know what they say about free

Linux: hope nothing breaks.

Windows: hope nothing breaks.

Mac: hope nothing breaks.

I use Mint. It don't break.
- Except the audio. Its always the fucking audio drivers.
- Mint ftw. We need community flairs on Lemmy so I can rep my distro.
- i use arch btw. it dont break btw
- Linux mint was the only distro where things continually broke for me (just software, not the system, and this was 10 years ago now)
If something breaks then roll back to the previous version?
- Hope I don't have to roll back. Hope the roll back works. How the hell do I roll back again? 😋
I honestly don't get where all those "Windows is constantly updating" memes come from. The thing updates once a month - after Patch Tuesday. You can set it in your calendar if you're the forgetful type and know exactly when to expect updates. On Linux, updates hit non-stop, not a day goes by without some packages needing an update...
- Its because of how it disrespects the user. it keeps nagging you to update, then forces it at an inconvenient time and because the updates take so long in comparison.
- Nothing stops you from apt/dnf/… install every first Tuesday of the month on Linux.
- It comes from people being unwilling to learn how Windows works or how to configure it, but being 100% on board to tinker to hell and back with Linux. So you get a lot of innaccurate info from people who think their Linux skills confer some amount of knowledge with Windows when they never took the time to learn it as well, or when they haven't used it outside of corporate controlled work machines (if they even encounter Windows that way) in half a decade.
  There's an argument (which I agree with to a point) that you shouldn't have to learn how such a big paid product like Windows works in order to avoid frustrations, while it's understandable in an open source thing like Linux distros. But it ultimately boils down to a combo of "Windows bad!" and learned helplessness when it comes to Windows that people are willing to push through for Linux.
- Corporate installs have constant updates, mandated by the IT department, not by the user. I can’t get through the start or end of a work day without the twirling dots waiting animation.
- I update my arch every day, takes maybe 30 seconds. So easy.
- nah they don't seem to roll updates all at once, i've had two win10 machines a few years ago (started from same fresh install iso) and they always got auto updated in different day.

macOS does not have paid updates

The payment is you gotta buy a new one

First two are right on, but I haven’t been charged for an actual software update on the Mac in 30 years.

IIRC, the last paid OS update for Mac was Snow Leopard around 2007-2008.
- I distinctly remember seeing this comic many years ago, so it could be from around that time
- I bought it... i wanted the physical disc so I could make a few hackintoshes.
  It was only $29.00... I thought that was a weird price, but cheap enough that I didn't feel the need to try to pirate it. I don't think windows has been under $100 In decades.
tbh, microsoft used to charge for updates too. You didn't get windows 7 or XP for free, did you (piracy notwithstanding)?
I’d love to know where you got OS 9 for free
- OS 9 released 25 years ago. That’s technically less than 30 but I think the point stands.
- Macintosh Garden has various OS install images among a bunch of other software. There are also preconfigured installations of Mac OS 9 for Windows and macOS in Sheepshaver with integration with the host system.
  QEMU is also an option for running Mac OS 9. It can run the final release of Classic Mac OS (9.2.2), unlike Sheepshaver. It has overall better software compatibility. Preinstalled versions for QEMU can be found on The Internet Archive. File transfer in and out of the emulated system is a bit more involved than with ShespShaver, though.
  If you just want to play around with these systems briefly and won’t necessarily be using them on a regular basis, Infinite Mac is a really cool project to emulate them right from your browser.
- Arrr, we had the ships and sailors back then to make yer dreams come true, matey!
No, it’s more like, and update is availa…. Ooooh, your MacBook is no longer supported. That’ll be $2,500 please.
- So, just like Windows 11.
I'd love to know how well your 30 year old Mac runs the latest OS.
Agreed. Typically just buy a new machine when the first one fills up.
- I just throw my laptop in the ocean when the battery runs out

I don't know.. first time I installed Fedora as a desktop experience, I was more like the windows user in this comic.
On every boot: "Oh, lets see if there are any updates! 1.2 GB, 150 packages need updating. No fucking way.". It was just a shock, and I've managed my own headless Debian system for several years at that point.

Right? I honestly don't get where all those "Windows is constantly updating" memes come from. The thing updates once a month - after Patch Tuesday. You can set it in your calendar if you're the forgetful type and know exactly when to expect updates. On Linux, updates hit non-stop, not a day goes by without some packages needing an update...
- the difference is Linux isnt annoying with it, and most importantly i can keep using my system while installing the updates. also if you want updates every patch tuesday, just dont update your repos until then

Mac: oh only 1999,99 (buy a new one)

Also Windows 11 if your computer won't run it and you don't know about LTSC editions from the Mass Grave.
So many hoops to jump through just to keep using your computer... glad I'm on Linux which runs on a potato

Windows has gotten even WORSE lately. Even though I have Windows 10 set to not install or even download updates without asking, I sometimes get a pop-up saying "we are adding new features, please wait" out of nowhere 🤬

In related news, I've installed Zorin OS on my laptop and hope to one day use it on my desktop that I play pirated games on..

Speaking of, is there any way to change settings so that the login password can be just a short pin i stead of the strong-ish password demanded by default?

Since I never leave it unattended (and rarely even use it) in public I don't really need the security against in-person unauthorized use and since I mostly use my laptop for streaming, typing a password every time I start up is a hassle I'd rather avoid..

While some distros let you choose short passwords, most of them don't nowadays. However, you can still change your user's password despite to this. Just open terminal, type sudo passwd username, type your desired password and enter. This way you can even use one character passwords, you really shouldn't though.
- Thank you! 🫶

also Linux: what will it bork this time?

Also windows.
Nvidia. It's always Nvidia.
asking this question is the hallmark of an unstable distro. Sure, having minor bugs come and go is expected with rolling release, but when you're not sure your system will work after an update there is something wrong with the distro