Dave’s setup is pretty standard, but it makes sense when you read how he described his ideal Linux setup: “The less time I spend thinking about what my desktop is running, and the more time I spend doing stuff, the better.” That wonderfully summarizes how I think about Linux. I turned to it because it was customizable, which allowed me to make it run more effectively for me, but now I run it because it works well, without a lot of fiddling. The customization angle might be less important to me because I now have a handle on what I like and dislike in a desktop experience, or it could be that the desktops are getting better. Either way, this interview is another example of how Linux is a great path for anyone looking to have a machine that just works.
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- Who are you, and what do you do?
Dave Neary, Open Source and Standards, Red Hat. We’re a team of people working to make all the Open Source projects Red Hat works with better.
- What distribution do you run on your main desktop/laptop?
Fedora 17.
- What software do you depend upon with this distribution?
I use Thunderbird for email, Firefox for web, Empathy for IM, XChat-gnome for IRC, LibreOffice for office productivity, Simple Scan for scanning, Shotwell for photo management, Gnote for note taking, and then terminal for other stuff.
- What kind of hardware do you run it on?
A Lenovo Thinkpad X220. Nice and light for travel, with a dock and bigger screen for when I’m at home.
- What is your ideal Linux setup?
Whatever works 🙂 There are some pet hates I have, which are more integration and polish issues than anything else.The less time I spend thinking about what my desktop is running, and the more time I spend doing stuff, the better.
- Will you share a screenshot of your desktop?
Sure! (With extra blurring of email client window).
Interview conducted January 28, 2013
The Linux Setup is a feature where I interview people about their Linux setups. The concept is borrowed, if not outright stolen, from this site. If you’d like to participate, drop me a line.
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