Linux

In the old days, lots, mostly around hardware support and until very recently the ability to run most games.

Nowadays, I’m mostly disappointed with the desktop environments lacking features that BeOS had in 1997. This is honestly a kernel and filesystem issue since most of those features require that the kernel/filesystem fully support indexed, extensible attribute queries. xattrs aren’t nearly sufficient. The remainder are framework/UI threading model limitations, which aren’t really kernel related.

All the time but then I remember it's my fault because it's open source and I am not fixing it either.

with windows i can just blame m$, but on linux it's my fault

It happens. But when I boot into Windows those disappointments ease up.

It's difficult to be disappointed with something that is free.

Actually, one shouldn't be disappointed with things. Only people can disappoint you.

I was disappointed in the Debian crew when they standardized on systemd when it clearly wasn't ready yet.

And I was disappointed in the people running some distros that made Wayland the standard when it clearly wasn't ready yet (a few apps I rely on don't support it or run poorly on Wayland even now).

Other than that, free software, free choice, and a lot of learning possibilities. You just have to adapt your expectations. Change hardware, change software, change distros, and learn.

Yes, I installed Fedora and everything was working OOTB. Nothing to tinker with, no issue with sound, WiFi, Bluetooth or external screens. Then I moved this SSD to a new AMD laptop and it worked perfectly. It even switched from Intel to AMD utils by itself.

So disappointing.

During the early days of Pulse Audio. Sound sometimes would stop working for inexplicable reasons.

Noob take.

More the people behind it than the distro, but CachyOS. Aside from the performance improvements only being marginal, I was happy with the convenience after a decade of using Vanilla Arch. It was the first distro ever to tempt me away in that decade. I was really, really disappointed by the response to the age verification bs. The mods did a terrible job with discussion on the forums and the devs never made a formal response. The upside is I learned more about Systemd and now happily using Artix. So at least some good came out of my disappointment.

I'm annoyed at modern Gnome's hostility towards user customisability. Their refusal to support server side decorations has trickled down to Cinnamon's Wayland compositor and it looks like it's going to be a barrier in Wayland Cinnamon.

Yes because Linux encourages you to make it your OS by customizing it, but it’s not easy as it should to create a backup of all that work so that you can easily deploy it on another computer.

I know that Clonezilla works in some situations or that NixOS coulb be a solution, but it’s not should be easier.

I am disappointed we still don't have a solid FOSS smartphone OS that can compete with the 2 monopolies who have cornered the market.

I don"t want ro sell my soul to Google or Apple just to use my bank (even on my computer thanks to mandatory 2fa apps) or to renew my government issued ID or to buy a train ticket on European public transport.

The moments I have been disappointed by Linux were the moments I learned most about hardware and software.

Linux made me switch the WiFi card of my computer, which is something I’ve never done before and would have deemed “impossible”.

Linux is like a teacher that sometimes slaps you on the hands, but who is always helping you to expand your knowledge.

Oh sure, all the time.

A computer running public auditable software refined by some of history's top computer scientists...is still just a computer.

We taught spicy electrified rocks how to help us fill out tax forms.

It's going to fall short every so often.

Gestures vaguely at Ubuntu.......

I am disappointed at professional application support, but not with Linux specifically. In my professional life I have needed to use products like Visio, Adobe Suite, Autodesk software, and others.

I am often forced to use Windows for my work computer because of these limitations, and while I realize its not the fault of Linux, the lack of install base demanding professional applications run on Linux is a community issue. While I always prefer FOSS over PROP software, sometimes I really do need to run PROP software on linux, and that means convincing enough people to demand that support from the developer.

Edit: not the kernel or the GNU utilities themselves, but rather some people on the various affiliated forums. While most people have been kind and helpful, a handful of bad apples don't know how to behave. They are hostile to the point where one could easily lose the will to have anything to do with Linux.

I have only ever been positively surprised. Just a few of all the good habits that Linux has made me adopt:

1. RTFM
2. Reading logs
3. Keeping/reusing old hardware