Asking for a Linux (or non-Windows) laptop during a job interview?

I’m interviewing for a software dev job currently (it’s in the initial stages). If things work out, I’d absolutely prefer a work laptop with Linux installed (I personally use PopOS but any distro will do), a Mac will be second choice, but I absolutely cannot tolerate Windows, I abhor it, I hate it… (If all computers left on earth have Windows I’d either quit this field or just quit Earth).

Sometimes it’s possible to tell if they use Windows or not, for example, jobs with dotnet/C# are most likely using windows, but not in my case.

Anyways, is it too weird to ask what kind of laptop they provide to their employees? And to also specifically ask for a Linux (or anything but windows) work laptop?

Discover5164,

i asked for Linux, they said sure… and gave me a windows laptop.

i asked thecnical support “we only supply windows laptop”

seatime13,

Every company I have been in lets me wipe it and start from scratch.

olafurp,

I develop C# dotnet on Linux. It’s fine but normal “I’m the only Linux user” issues apply such as case-sensitive filenames.

iamtherealwalrus,

I develop C# on Linux, but I run the full VS inside of a Windows 10 VM.

olafurp,

Rider works pretty well also if you’re allowed to put add Linux support to projects. The Edit and Continue is not as nice though, even though support for it on Linux got merged into dotnet 8.

Cosmicomical,

I usually ask after the interview and after i’ve received the offer. At that point it doesn’t impact the selection process and you are still in time to reject if you want.

SecretPancake, (edited )

I don’t ask for, I demand a Mac.

Edit: I’m sorry that I’m privileged enough to be able to do that.

Edit2: Didn’t realize I’m in the linux sub, of course there will be outrage. If it helps you sleep better, Linux would be my second choice.

RIPandTERROR,
@RIPandTERROR@sh.itjust.works avatar

Your IT dept tells jokes about you regularly

SecretPancake,

Fine by me if that’s true. We Mac users are also the only ones at the company who don’t have managed computers and can do whatever we want with it.

It’s shit to work with Windows as a web developer. I did that for too many years and hated every second.

flubba86,

We found the graphics designer.

alphafalcon,

Ah, you “work” in “marketing”?

ilinamorato,

I’m a software engineer. My entire team develops on Mac because we have to develop for Mac.

SecretPancake,

Web developer :) I’m doing pretty good and if a job doesn’t offer Macs I can find another one. So why should I accept Windows?

utopiah,

It is absolutely not weird and I would argue it’s even important. The whole point of the interview is that BOTH parties evaluate each other according to THEIR criteria. Maybe for them it is not important but for you it’s a requirement, maybe you discover through that the culture is not aligned. It’s great for both to understand this NOW rather than 3 months down the line, as you started to settle, they teach you everything about their specific infrastructure and… it doesn’t work, now both needs to redo the process again.

So yes IMHO it doesn’t matter how “silly” it might sound to you, now during the interview process, is the time to insure that it’s going to be an actual fit.

You have to also be aware that they might say no, or that the question itself might lead to a rejection. They might just not want this due to internal policy, security, culture, belief system, etc. This might feel like a loss but again, better know now and look for a place that match your needs that later on.

I also don’t conduct many interviews, especially not right now, but when I did anything that could help me understand what made the candidate tick, what got them genuinely excited or angry, was super important. Sure I wanted to insure the technical capability but beyond that I was looking for any clue to see if we were compatible beyond just task in, result out, because in the long run that’s what would make us both happy.

TL;DR: yes, ask for whatever YOU want.

erwan,

It’s not weird, you can ask the recruiter or even the developer doing the interview what is the work environment (i.e. at the end, “do you have any question for me”). It’s a perfectly valid question.

You don’t have to go into details and go into a flamewar about Windows, at most just mention that it’s not your preference.

I think it’s better to avoid talking about how you “absolutely cannot tolerate”, “hate” a given platform because that in itself could be a red flag to some interviewers. If you feel this way about Windows, maybe you’ll feel this way about frameworks/libraries that has already been picked and be a pain to work with.

ilinamorato,

This is the right answer, especially if you can’t afford to not take the job.

pete,

I ask before I take the interview. Location, salary range, linux laptop are prerequisites to me working for anyone. If they punt on the laptop question it means no and they are hoping you’ll want the job even without. I can promise you I won’t, and if you view that as a red flag I can promise I don’t want to work there so I don’t care.

If its a hard requirement for you just say that and say that’s for workflow and you don’t want to waste anyone’s time

arirr,

IMO generally be a positive about Linux rather than negative about Windows. Asking about what systems they support is reasonable though. Just know that you may be passing up jobs if this is your hill to die on.

danielfgom,
@danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

As an IT Technician/Sysadmin who is responsible for ordering the laptop, my recommendation is DEFINITELY ASK because this is info the IT guy needs to know!

CoopaLoopa,

Yup. Our RMM tools work best on Windows machines. Honestly, Linux is fine too, but MacOS is the worst to manage.

If anything needs to be modified/deployed on MacOS, I have to create a new PPPC and deploy it through Intune/Jamf/Addigy, otherwise you can guarantee the end user won’t accept the correct security prompts and things won’t work.

rawn,

You should ask this, but maybe hold back on the “I abhor it” stuff.

While for some places it may even be a good sign you want Linux, serious rejection for other platforms may look like a lack of flexibility. Who’s to say you don’t have the same strong feelings about other stuff?

delirious_owl,
@delirious_owl@discuss.online avatar

Yeah focus on how much more productive and secure using Linux will make you.

flakpanzer,

Yes that’s good advice. Thanks.

Nomad,

At my company this is known as a green flag to the recruiter. ;)

PowerCrazy,

I’m not a software developer, but I absolutely do coding and one of the standard questions I ask is what OS they run on official company approved laptops. Other then a shitty bank I worked at for a few years (bad idea, but at least I got a pension out of it), all of them allow windows, osx, and at least one flavor of linux. If they don’t allow that stuff, you should just turn down the offer anyway.

moon_matter,
moon_matter avatar

You should use whatever the majority of the team is using. If you want to use Linux then you need to make it a priority to find a team that has at least a few people using it. You don't want to be the only person having issues setting up their local dev environment.

LunchEnjoyer, (edited )
@LunchEnjoyer@lemmy.world avatar

I personally got hired recently, and did ask this in one of the interviews, and luckily we can choose which OS we get to run on the machines. However only those with Windows get IT support if needed. Which I guess is fair… Hope you get your wishes fulfilled!

onlinepersona, (edited )

I’ve always asked when talking to the person in charge (not HR, they don’t know jack): “Which OS do you use and are you open to Linux?”

Had to turn down multiple jobs that were Windows/Mac only. They deployed web apps to the cloud aka linux and refused to develop on linux 🤷

Last I remember, according to the stackoverflow dev survey 40% of devs used Linux at work. Don’t be afraid to ask.

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

corsicanguppy,

It’s part of salary negotiation for me. When I figure how much they have to pay me, I add some more in if it’s o365 or teams.

It’s a pittance, easily dwarfed by a RTO tax or forced standby tax, but it’s in there.

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