> In practice it’s: clone, build, read compile error, google the dependency, install the dependency, build again, see new error, repeat 10 times.
This just isn't my experience. I just run apt build-dep and it just _works_. It works basically every single time. Have you tried doing the same?
I'm not saying there aren't issues, just that my experience with compiling code on Linux is much easier than anywhere else. Of course Windows apis are much more stable, but that's never much a barrier to building code for me.
Edit: By the way even if you run into build problems, I still don't see how it's an issue with Linux. Projects that can't easily be built with very clear instructions need to improve their instructions. Lazy developers will always produce badly documented software. That's an unfortunate fact of life.
There is a certain "Linux philosophy" such that the user expected to have a kajillion different things installed into the global path. If your environment isn't precisely correct either it won't build or it won't run. I find that philosophy less common for other platforms.
My personal experience is that Linux is FAR AND AWAY the most painful OS to develop for. I fully admit I'm not a Linux expert! Getting anything done requires a LOT of Googling and running of arcane commands. It's quite frustrating.
This just isn't my experience. I just run apt build-dep and it just _works_. It works basically every single time. Have you tried doing the same?
I'm not saying there aren't issues, just that my experience with compiling code on Linux is much easier than anywhere else. Of course Windows apis are much more stable, but that's never much a barrier to building code for me.
Edit: By the way even if you run into build problems, I still don't see how it's an issue with Linux. Projects that can't easily be built with very clear instructions need to improve their instructions. Lazy developers will always produce badly documented software. That's an unfortunate fact of life.