Linux's decentralization is both its major strength and its major weakness. The differences between distros can be so large that you might as well be talking about two entirely different operating system. There is little consistency in design of tools. Many tools used to follow the UNIX Philosophy ("do one thing well"), but that no longer seems to be the case.
We (as in Linux users) used to make fun of Windows for how stupid everything was. You need a GUI for configuration because many options are hidden away in some kind of cryptic registry, deploying services is a PITA etc. Now we have somehow (d)evolved to that same mess. For instance, SystemD and SELinux are such a pain to work with (each for different reasons) that it feels like I have to fight my OS. Wanting an OS that works for me, instead of against me, was one of the major reasons why I switched from Windows to BSD and then Linux back in the 90s.
There's definitely something to be said for *BSD's boring, predictable simplicity. But perhaps there's some kind of force that automatically drives operating systems to bewildering compelxity as their user base grows?
We (as in Linux users) used to make fun of Windows for how stupid everything was. You need a GUI for configuration because many options are hidden away in some kind of cryptic registry, deploying services is a PITA etc. Now we have somehow (d)evolved to that same mess. For instance, SystemD and SELinux are such a pain to work with (each for different reasons) that it feels like I have to fight my OS. Wanting an OS that works for me, instead of against me, was one of the major reasons why I switched from Windows to BSD and then Linux back in the 90s.
There's definitely something to be said for *BSD's boring, predictable simplicity. But perhaps there's some kind of force that automatically drives operating systems to bewildering compelxity as their user base grows?