The Fragile Trust Between Hardware and Open Source
When a single BIOS update can cripple an entire Linux workstation, it raises bigger questions about trust. For productive environments that rely on speed and reliability, hardware vendors hold enormous power and sometimes, their decisions can derail years of stability overnight.
From Rock‑Solid to Broken Overnight
For years, my setup consisted of three Dell PCs and a laptop powered entirely by Linux. Between 2018 and mid‑2024, the setup was fast, efficient, and trouble‑free. Linux felt like a dependable workhorse, exactly what a small studio needs when deadlines are tight.
Then Dell rolled out a series of mandatory “critical” BIOS updates. After installing it on a Dell Inspiron 5680, the machine became almost useless. After waking from sleep, the PC used only a single CPU thread instead of twelve. Nothing fixed it: kernel parameters, ACPI toggles, BIOS resets. The only workaround was disabling modern sleep states entirely, which was unacceptable. Windows 11 Home for which this PC included a license worked perfectly.
Shortly after that, I sold the machine, and with it, my trust in Dell.
Goodbye Dell, Goodbye Confidence
When it came time to refresh another workstation, an aging OptiPlex 3060, I couldn’t justify sticking with a vendor whose firmware updates repeatedly broke Linux. At the same time, newer kernels introduced fresh issues: audio hiss, power quirks, regressions. The Linux hardware story wasn’t improving on my systems.
I needed stability, not experiments. So I pivoted.
Enter the Mac Studio
In the spring of 2025, I invested in a Mac Studio running macOS Sequoia. MacOS isn’t as customizable as Linux, but it was undeniably stable. Every day it booted, it worked, it delivered. To me, consistency matters more than philosophical purity. Reliability beats nostalgia.
Linux had been my preferred workflow for years, but I needed my computers to function without drama.
A Hiatus… and a Surprise Return
I told myself I wouldn’t return to Linux until it reached a substantial desktop market share of 20% or greater. I was ready to walk away for a long time.
But then I tested MX Linux 25 and for the first time in years, a distribution impressed me. MX Linux felt fast, stable, mature, and thoughtfully designed. It didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it simply got out of the way and worked.
MX Tools: Hidden Superpowers
The standout feature was MX Tools, especially MX Snapshot. This utility lets me create a full ISO image of a running system, essentially a snapshot I can boot and reinstall. After rebooting, every tweak, every setting, every customization came along perfectly.
That was the moment I knew MX Linux would become my long‑term distribution of choice.
Windows 11 on the Zephyrus
Around the same time, I switched my ASUS Zephyrus laptop back to Windows 11 Pro. Despite the noise online about ads and telemetry, my setup runs clean and efficient. With a few well‑chosen debloating tweaks, the system feels responsive and reliable. I keep it air‑gapped most of the time, using it mainly for GPU‑heavy work like Blender 3D.
If Microsoft ever forces mandatory accounts on Pro systems, I’ll gladly switch the laptop to MX Linux. With snapshot ISOs, I no longer fear breakage and if necesarry, rebuilding takes just minutes.
Final Thoughts: Linux Needs Better Allies
My journey says more about Linux’s ecosystem than my hardware choices. Linux itself isn’t the problem, it’s the lack of cooperation from BIOS vendors, particularly Dell, whose firmware updates crippled two of my systems.
For now, my daily workflow is a hybrid:
- Mac Studio: Stability and production work
- Windows 11 Pro: Compatibility and GPU-heavy tasks
- MX Linux 25: The best Linux experience I’ve had in years
I was ready to close the Linux chapter for good. But MX Linux reminded me that when developers care deeply, Linux can still be extraordinary.
To the MX developers: Thank you for keeping the torch lit.