mrelementary

I'll add this to the conversation (if this is an add - it's a looooong topic and I didn't read it all). I come from a background in film and television post. Mac is the platform for managers, Linux is the platform for most artists. The notion that 'Linux people don't pay' is false - they pay $1K+ per year for Maya, Resolve, Unity, Fusion, Houdini and Nuke. Linux has a professional version of every type of creative application with the exception of photo editing and print design - the two areas Affinity serves. It can also go from design to code to delivery in a way no other OS can (code is creative!!). I'll add another point as someone who has worked in film, commercial production, and interactive design - Windows is challenging. It's inconsistent. You're never certain what you're looking at. Type changes size. It renders differently in different applications. There is a reason why people in visual arts are always wanting to move to another OS. Macs are great, but prices are astronomical and their need for perfectly reflective monitors is bizarre. We shouldn't have to spend $5K on a machine, and then another $15K renovating our home office so there are no visible reflections. Linux provides a clean & consistent experience, it's extremely stable, there are great distros, and there is an ability to tailor your setup to your needs. Best of both worlds (if we can have the same tools). Is it possible to partner with someone like System76 or ElementaryOS to build and sell machine/OS combos? Maybe companies like The Foundry and Blackmagic? You could work together to drive people to the platform. I can't estimate the size of the opportunity, but it could be big. As others have said, it offers a chance to do something competitors do not do, and creates a potential wedge in an important, but under-served, market - professional creatives. Imagine if you could turn film and commercial production from Mac to Linux. That seems like a good idea. Heck, I'd even pay a fee for cloud services, and i already own licenses for every OS. If you build it, they will come...