I'm glad Linux exists, because any alternative to the Microsoft/Apple world is nice, but at the same time the ability to troubleshoot and fix things that don't work (historically one of my favorite aspects of Linux) has really fallen-apart.

Case in point Gnome Music. I put a bunch of music in my "Music" folder, I install the Music application using my distro's package manager and I get this screen.

I'm not sure "when" it will appear, there's no indication that it's doing anything and there's nothing in the menus where I can try to help it or coax it along. All I get is this big dumb screen.

I've had this program work at times and fail to work at other times. In each case it's on a System76 laptop running the current version PopOS. The music files are always the same (FLAC), it's just a mystery.

Of course I'll go use some other random music player, and it won't be properly integrated with the desktop so the media controls on my keyboard won't work, etc. etc.

This is just an example, and I'm sure if I sink hours into it I can get to the bottom of it, but it's really this class of problem that I am complaining about. Linux has blown-up to be everything for everyone and I'm hungry for a computer that is just a personal computer, not something running an operating system designed for a 1970's time-sharing minicomputer, not something mutated to meet the desires of billionaire hyperscalers, not something designed to lock people into a buggy, non-secure software subscription.

I know, I know, I should probably just shut-up and build it myself already but dammnit I need something between now and then to get some work done.