Ask HN: Are you more likely to use something because it is open source?

Re:Ask HN: Are you more likely to use something because it i... by mikewarot on Sunday October 15, 2023 @03:56PM (#37892871)

Yes, but only if there is an executable or installer I can save in my downloads folder and use again in a few years.

I got burned by WikidPad, an open source personal wiki, which I've been using for a decade or more. The 2012 windows installer still works great, but the source code on Linux is effectively worthless because of breaking changes in the WxPython library[1] it depends on. Initially it seems to work but only later do you realize that none of the dialog boxes, effectively killing its utility.

It was that instance of failure that is the primary reason I still run Windows instead of Linux. I had moved over and all seemed good for a week, until I couldn't use WikidPad.

I tried to fix WikidPad myself, or find a fork that worked, but it was too far away from my skillset. There were 43 dialog boxes to fix.

Eventually I gave up and reverted to Windows.

[1] https://www.wxpython.org/

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Re:Ask HN: Are you more likely to use something because it i... by bsmith on Sunday October 15, 2023 @04:09PM (#37892972)

Wouldn't NixOS be able to run this, albiet with a steep learning curve?

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Re:Ask HN: Are you more likely to use something because it i... by mikewarot on Sunday October 15, 2023 @04:31PM (#37893146)

I don't think NixOSs library goes backwards to 2012, so its unlikely.

However, that does look like a way to fix the problem with other projects.

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