01 / Why Linux
Why it matters for a design studio
Linux has a reputation as a system for server admins. That is part of the reason we use it. A website is design and code at the same time, and the code ends up on a Linux server. Working on Linux keeps the distance between our desk and the place your site actually runs short.
This is a decision about how we work, not a verdict on anyone else's computer. Plenty of very good designers work on a Mac. For our mix of design and code, Linux is where we are quickest.
02 / Why Linux
What it changes in our daily work
The same system as the server
Client websites are hand-coded and deployed to Linux servers. Linux treats Logo.png and logo.png as two different files; macOS and Windows, in their default settings, do not. A broken image path like that shows up on our machine before it shows up on your live site.
Repetitive work becomes a script
Converting a folder of photos into modern formats, or screenshotting every page at phone and desktop width, is a short script with ImageMagick, ffmpeg or Playwright. We write it once and reuse it.
A preview is one command
Starting a local preview of your site or building it for launch is one line in the terminal. The time saved goes into the page itself.
Updates in one place
System, browsers and development tools come from a package manager, and one command updates almost all of it. Snapper on btrfs is there to roll back an update that went wrong.
03 / Why Linux
What you get from it as a client
- Fewer companies see your material. Drafts, logins for a migration, a customer list for a CRM import: on our machines the operating system reports no usage data to a vendor, needs no account and has no advertising ID. Individual apps can still contact their makers, so we check that app by app. For comparison, Windows sends diagnostic data to Microsoft by default.
- The same rule as on your website. On client sites we serve fonts from your own server instead of Google's (here is why) and prefer statistics without cookies. The analytics of tanomedia.com run on our own server in Germany, without third-party trackers.
- Routine work stays cheap and consistent. Image conversion, builds and quality checks run as scripts. They come out the same way every time, which shows up in the quote and in fewer mistakes.
- No dependence on one vendor's licence terms. The operating system and most of our tools are open source. A price rise for a subscription would not stop the studio.
- The same approach for your business. We set up servers and Nextcloud as an EU alternative to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
04 / Why Linux
Where Linux makes our work harder
| Limitation | What we do about it |
|---|---|
| Adobe's apps, such as Photoshop and InDesign, do not run natively on Linux. | We work with open formats and exports. A web project ends up as SVG, AVIF and code anyway. |
| Clients sometimes send .psd or .indd files. | Layered Photoshop files open in open-source and browser-based editors, though complex effects do not always survive. For InDesign files we ask for a PDF export plus images and text. |
| Fonts and colour management need more care than on a Mac. | No single screen is the reference: we judge type and colour (sRGB) in the browser and check the finished site on phones and other systems. Print files are checked as PDF proofs. |
| Safari only runs on Apple devices. | Playwright's WebKit engine for Linux catches many Safari layout problems. It is not Safari, so the final check needs a real iPhone or Mac. |
05 / Why Linux
Why we build our own tools
On Linux, changing the tools you work with is normal: the system is open source and nothing stops you from replacing a part of it. That habit shaped two of our products.
CORE is the CRM and client portal we programmed ourselves and host in Germany. Onda is a web browser for Linux that we build on top of Helium, a Chromium-based browser with strong privacy defaults. Onda adds a sidebar and workspaces, and has no accounts and no telemetry of its own. It is in private testing and not released yet.
If a tool slows the work down, we change the tool. We think that attitude is easier to keep when the system underneath allows it.
FAQ
Common questions
01Do I need Linux to work with you?
No. You get previews as links that open in any browser, files in common formats and emails like from any other studio. Your website works for visitors on every system.
02Can you open my Adobe or Figma files?
Figma runs in the browser, so a Figma link works for us as for anyone. Photoshop files usually open, sometimes without every effect. Illustrator files saved with PDF compatibility often open; InDesign files do not, so a PDF export plus images and text is quickest. If your project depends entirely on Adobe files, tell us at the start.
03Is Linux more secure?
Not automatically. Software comes from signed package repositories, the code is open to inspection, and desktop Linux is a less common target for mass malware. But a neglected Linux machine is as vulnerable as any other, and phishing works everywhere. On our machines the firewall is active and the screen locks when nobody is at the desk.
04Which distribution do you use?
CachyOS, which is based on Arch Linux, with GNOME on Wayland. It is a rolling release, so updates arrive continuously and the browsers we test with stay current. On servers we value stability over the newest versions.