🐧 One more angry guy: Why Linux (Ubuntu Desktop) Sucks

31 Oct, 2026

Why Linux (Ubuntu Desktop) Sucks: Converting Markdown to PDF with pandoc, LaTeX and Unicode:

TL;DR

Converting Markdown to PDF on the Ubuntu desktop should be one command. Instead it took pandoc, a 295 MB LaTeX install, a Unicode error that killed the build, an LLM that recommended the wrong package manager, a 328 MB install I cancelled, and a tool called typst that apt flatly refused to install. I eventually gave in, let the 328 MB install finish, and used XeLaTeX – it still threw a warning.

This is just 1 reason that is a drop in the ocean of why linux and linux desktop sucks.

Nothing Works on the Linux Desktop

Nothing works.

On the Linux desktop.

On Ubuntu desktop.

Nothing just works.

You have to struggle, potter around, ask Sloppie, and install some small thing that turns out to need 328 MB of disk space from 42 different packages and their dependencies.

Trying to convert Markdown to PDF takes you on a journey of discovery.

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