I still run a windows machine because I just don't know enough about linux to make the switch because my use cases are both niche and varied. I am an audiofile and I run EQ on my system constantly, I am a music producer who uses ableton live, not all my hardware is natively supported (motum2, razor mouse), I have an Nvidea GPU, I draw, 3D model, animate, edit videos, and game. Those are all things that *can* work on Linux, but need to be figured out, or some sort of switch to a new tool needs to be made before it can work. As for music production, I'm pretty sure that is just going to happen in a windows VM if I switch, since the VST plugin filetype is closed source and anything that uses it also has to be closed source due to the license of the file type (It's pure evil). For a while I also didn't have anywhere to put my important files for when I make the switch as well.
On top of that there are so many different file systems (btrfs, ext4, zfx, xfs), window managers (KDE Plasma, Hyperland, Awesomewm, etc. etc.), distros, communication protocols (wayland, x11), audio systems (pipewire, pulse audio), and more that needs to be considered before I commit to a switch.
All of this NEEDS to be ironed out before I make any sort of switch, and I'm working on it. So far I'd say I got half of the problems I mentioned ironed out, but its taken a year to get to this point.
4 Monitors. I can NOT get 4 monitors working well in a 3x monitor row with one on top layout (what I use for SimRacing so it has to stay this way).
Almost had it with Pop_OS but noticed that sometimes an app would run but not display on-screen. Disabling a 4th screen brought it back, then I could re-enable the screen, but who wants that workflow? Yes I use Nvdia cards (hence the Pop_OS test). :-(
Even 3 monitors are a pain. I had Arch with Hyprland running fine for a while on my secondary computer. Then I started to use Windows more often again because of gaming and when I decided to use my Linux pc again, I did the normal system updates and suddenly only one of my 3 monitors seem to work.
Tried to tinker and figure out why it's not working but I just gave up. I've even asked on reddit for help, but no response. Never used the Linux system since then again.
Why i switch to Linux is simple i hate windows telemetry, spying, keylogging and so it goes. And Microsoft different requirement to be able to run Windows. The privacy aspect is important for me, as well on my computer i do what I WANT without Microsoft or Apple know every click and how long i use a program and so on.
When its comes to stability Linux is why more stable (if I stop fuc*ing around in all settings files and editing) as Linux and computer geek i am. The main reason Linux is way easyier to config to work the way your workflow is, and I know it a shocker that we humans work differently and have different workflow and here is Linux strengths compare to Windows or Mac Os X.
Of course not all is Perfect on Linux (and or Win and Os X) that's the nature. But if you willing to learn (which i am and was and still iam) then Linux teach you way more about your system then any other system. And did i Say Linux is Fun yo use, Why because i i am going to sit in front of computer for 6-12 h a day then i want i computer i can trust an looks good but most important works with me and my workflow, that i cant get on Windows or Os X.
Its sweet know i have control over all the part of the system and i CAN edit it if i wish (or know how) without any Corporation yelling at me for breaking the License agreement.
Then The work is one another story (the company decide most cases the computer for you) but home is different. And to be honest how many apps do you really use that does not have a equivalent (except Games) on Linux. I am 95% sure that mayoralty of people could use Linux if they really want. Like Ubuntu or Mint would be fine. I mean if my 82 year old farher and could learn Linux at 79 years old and use it still and my mom at 76 and now are 78 and still use Ubuntu Mate 22.04 LTS. So saying Linux does not Works is a little understatement. and i know my some if my relatives as well use Linux at the same age as my dad.
Yes Linux takes time to learn but when you get a hang of it its actually more logical and easyier then both Window and Os X. The main problem is people has become lazy (or to comfortable) and don't want to learn and to put the time need to learn new Os or any new software.
i am happy user of OpenSuse Thumbleweed after couple years of distro hopping i finally have landed in OpenSuse world as my home.
Yes, there are other options. Yes, there is a web version.
However Excel and PowerPoint have features and capabilities that are just better than anything else. It's the main reason I have windows hanging around.
Second item, 3D printing. Many convenient and useful tools for repairing and analysing models are not accessible in Linux. It's not impossible to use Linux, just easier in Windows.
Simplify3D, Cura, Repetier-Host, PrusaSlicer, Lychee Slicer, Chitubox, UVTools and MeshLab are available on Linux and I've use them. I can't imagine what else you'd need both for FDM and SLA printing.
Sadly, it doesn't fit here, but I mentioned every single problem I could remember over the best of 10 years that I have been using it.
The spoiler is is that I wouldn't recommend it, even if I use it. I still think there is some good things about it and it's great I'm away from the Microsoft cult.
Read the article. I can't tell people what to do, but I would warn new comers not to continue, and t hose who haven't used it to not use it. Give Freebsd a go instead even if I don't know much about it.
Sorry about the confusing link. I don't have any control over that, but I speak in the negative about Linux despite some silver linings I have.
Bottles is a wine front end. I’m saying I’ve only tried it using bottles. I’m sure it would still work with playonlinux or any other front end or even through CLI, but I can’t verify as I’ve only run it through bottles.
Check out Autogridder. It can basically stream the GUI for whatever you want from a win PC to a Linux PC. I use a win VM and "stream" softsynths to my Linux host
Cause it's an interesting project and cause it lets me keep my main daw Linux along with all the benefits of Windows software in a relatively seamless environment.
Frankly I was dealing with a lot of latency with windows only and this setup magically solved it.. I'll give you that it's a bit convoluted of a setup on the backend, and it requires two audio interfaces, but once I got everything nice, configured and tweaked it's been set and forget (except those stupid Windows updates)
If you read the subtext of the OP and a good chunk of replies, it's heavily implied people are answering the question "why do you not exclusively use Linux / why do you still use Windows".
I use Windows as my main OS but I run Fedora Remix through WSL2 and use it not only for development but for a lot of stuff where I prefer the Linux version. I don't use Microsoft's RDP client anymore I use Remmina through WSLg, I also use command-line stuff like ffmpeg and iperf3 with Linux because it's updated way more frequently and I just have to sudo dnf upgrade.
Honestly it wouldn't be impossible for me to just switch to Fedora full-time within five years. I'm already fairly at home on Linux, it's just not my daily driver because I don't need it to be. Who knows, Microsoft might end up forcing my hand depending on how Windows 12 shakes out.
My step-grandma has been using Linux since she switched from some UNIX family OS she had learned in the 80s at work writing SQL for their mainframe. She finds it funny that she's never used Windows meanwhile I haven't even switched. She's probably got a point lmao.
How is Linux performance through WSL2?
I Don't like VMs and emulation in general because it always seem to slow down the experience . If I could have full speed I would use Windows with Linux Mint in WSL2. In fact I did something like that on a previous Mac" it was faster to install Linuxi in VirtualBox and then run docker inside it, than the scrappy OSX emulation layer. Now I have a Dell and lots of stuff just don't work on Linux.
Your step grandma knows some shit, I'd be interested in reading her views on how Linux has changed it she'd adopted it in the early days from the UNIX side, I can just about remember that the very earliest full distributions were released shortly before I started working full time in the early 90s and I bought a Slackware CDROM set to install on my 386 because I hated DOS with a passion after being an AmigaOS user before that.
My problem with that is that the result of telling people specifics will most of the time get you a reply saying how you are "using it wrong" how you are not supposed to do that, tell you to use X repo o Y DE (which would "solve" your issue at hand but break 2 beware things, playing whack-a-mole).
I get it, people are trying to help. 99% of the people that try to help do not have a cku are not Developers and less devs of the software at hand.
But I understand people wanting to vent their frustration.
I'm myself half doing it here, even though I like using Linux (I use it exclusively in my home computers, including a Mac 2012 which runs good in mint) and run the tech side of a FinTech with that (mostly Linux based docker through ECS) .
But really most days I don't have time to deal with Linux bullshit deaktop . (Although it beats the alternative for me)
I used to use linux (ubuntu) but then returned back to windows, because games. I recently got interested how linux has changed since, so I lurk here now. Its not impossible ot be interested in something you dont use.
Except the anticheat-enabled massively-multiplayer games like PUBG or Fortnite, Windows games run under Proton just fine. Three or four years ago, I checked ProtonDB and did some research before buying Windows game; now I just buy it and it runs.
Totally nothing, it's the first step in the very right direction
Back in old days, I switched to Linux to make my dev environment compatible with my hosting environment - it really paid off
I get irony of your question, but actually it's quite useful to read opinions from people who're pretty familiar with Linux about it's blockers or problems that prevent them from making the last step and switch completely. Reading the comments and quite surprised by the level of the discussions, so kudos to TS for bringing this up
I'm interested in keeping somewhat abreast of the ecosystem: I've used Unix & Linux in the past (since late 80s). I currently use MacOs which is a Unix-y OS. I'm also an IT consultant and it doesn't hurt to know enough to be dangerous.
the pinned post on 2 x chromosomes literally says they're inclusive to all genders, i don't see the issue. there might also be people who use linux [servers] at work or are generally interested in it but don't use it privately. the question is not unreasonable to ask if you think about it
For me personally its gaming, a lot of games work. But I can't tell you how many times I've gone to play a game like smite with some friends and then its me spending half the night trying to figure out why the hell the game worked 3 days ago but suddenly doesn't work today.
And laptop battery life. Watching any video or anything on my AMD laptop absolutely decimates the battery. Trying to get GPU accelerated video playback and setup shit like TLP...
Its a pain in my ass, and while I've used linux for years at this point I just don't feel like messing with stuff that plain just works on windows with minimal effort.
If we ever sort out this stuff I'd be back to pure linux.
Actually i use Ubuntu but i rarely upgrade, especially when bachward compatibility is explicitly broken. I think that was true of Cinnamon v18 to v19 or some such.
I used Linux exclusively for more than 20 years. A few years ago I gave up.
My problem was the quality of many apps.
Many times the following would happen:
* I would get an app working to a satisfactory level.
* after a few months I would either find functionality will stop working requiring me a lot of fiddling again, the app will become orphan and not have new features, the service that is connected to the app will change the compatibility locking me out.
Also for work usage I found that many applications are not the native application from the vendor creating a situation where I need to solve all issues myself wasting important work time.
I couldn’t justify anymore the time spent on making things work.
I have been using the following for the last few years giving me the tools that I need
MacOS for work: Almost all commercial software is available. A wonderful Unix like environment. Long term stability. Really nice hardware.
iPad & iPhone for personal work: Really good quality software. No maintenance required other than an update once in a while. Give me access to my personal stuff while using the work computer. When on the road I can use the iPad as an additional screen for my laptop, camera etc.
I think the best thing long term for Linux adoption would be a cultural change where long term stability, better governance would be given a priority. A good example that show this can be done is the Kernel, the GNU toolset, etc.
I couldn’t justify anymore the time spent on making things work.
Freaking this. Do Linux fans not have this problem? Honest question.
Getting and keeping certain things running on Linux is just work. If I wanna get something done, I don't want to spend all this time putzing around and Googling and troubleshooting. I want to install, run, and use my tools.
Y'all are probably going to judge and downvote, but whatever...
When I want to install something, I just want to run an executable and click next a few times.
I'm sure with some more experience with the command line, things wouldn't be a problem, but to me, I honestly don't understand why "go to a web page, download it, and install/run it" isn't more common on Linux. It seems like going thru command line or an app manager for everything is just unnecessary hassle. I don't get it.
For me, it’s mainly the games - yes, Proton and Linux native compatibility has been amazing, but there are still AAA games that I still need Windows for, so for home use I take the coward’s way out and just leave it with Windows 😄 For work and for other home projects, Linux is still my preferred tool to get stuff done.
One other thing keeps me on Windows for my daily driver at home - there’s something about “look, feel, and mouse responsiveness” that keep me off of LibreOffice - it’s hard to quantify, but just the way that mouse interactions go, or dragging objects onscreen and freedom of placement that cause me to dislike LO over MSO. It’s likely more familiarity than anything, and if I were to dedicate myself exclusively perhaps that would disappear over time.
A working Fractional scaling capability? Native gaming for all games? Natively run Adobe, AutoDesk and many other mainstream programs? I love what linux stands for and glad to see it’s improving but it’s far from being a mainstream home OS for the majority of people. For servers, developers, pen testers/cybersecurity experts, and anyone who mostly just uses a web browser it works great - but lets acknowledge that a Chromebook can do all the web based just as well.
Fractional scaling works for me, and all games I want to play work for me (basically anything that don't require draconian anti-sheat software works flawlessly in Linux, and even some that do require it works as well). I'm not a professional graphics designer or a photographer, so I couldn't care less about Adobe or AutoDesk, and for the little graphics work I do in my spare time, free software alternatives work brilliantly. LibreOffice has worked perfectly for me, I haven't felt that it is lacking compared to M$ Office. My day job requires me to develop HPC software for the world's most powerful supercomputer in Fortran and C++, this would be a hellish task in Windows but is simple in Linux, and doing this in a web browser is just foolish. I have used Linux for 15 years now, I did once try to go back to Windows, and it was just a painful experience.
In case anyone doesn't feel like loading up Mastodon:
Boost for visibility.
To the #Windows and #macOS users of Mastodon who have tried #Linux and ended up still using Windows or macOS:
What is it about the Linux distro(s) you tried that made it/them unsuitable for your use? If some problem or set of problems was fully resolved, would it be enough for you to be able to comfortably use Linux?
When I got fed up with my old GTX660 being too slow for any modern-ish game, I bought used AMD RX580 and I'm happy (for the price). I'm not a good customer anyway, but nvidia lost me.
Nvidia user here - the only thing that's never quite worked right for me is vrr under wayland. Everything else has been peachy - often better than Windows in terms of performance.
Bought my laptop Feb 2020.
I'm sure there are genuine issues out there, but my experience doesn't justify the echo chamber hate nvidia gets.
I'm an amd user, I've been eyeing a used nvidia gpu though (I'll be damned if im buying new from them right now), I've been super happy with amd, and my friend had good experiences with nvidia. Gaming on linux has had huge strides to make it pretty gpu vendor agnostic, which is absolutely awesome.
The issues that nvidia on linux has are numerous, and almost always only apply to them. Until they prove that their new driver is worth a damn I'm still saying that Nvidia is actively hostile towards desktop linux, anybody that cares about FOSS should avoid them. The only reason I can see using an Nvidia card in linux is if you are somehow making money with CUDA applications.
Any performance gains that you think the hardware will have will almost always be destroyed by their crap tier drivers.
I think it's not just nVidia/AMD but also X11/Wayland.
I''ve used nVidia cards with Linux for about 20 years, and it's always been a seamless, automatic process. In fact, it was easier than on Windows for a lot of that time, where you needed to dig up the CD that game with the graphics card to get it out of that 640/480 potato mode.
But, all that time was also using X11. I think it's that Wayland that doesn't really work with nVidia, and fair play- the few times I've tried to install a Wayland-based DE, they never got past (or sometimes even to) the login screen.
It's not performance or the hardware/driver specifically, it's that a specific version has to be installed a specific way with specific config or the entire setup is trash. It has gotten a lot better the last few years but it doesn't come close to beating the ease of AMD setup and fluid operation.
That’s the thing though, I’ve literally never had to anything other than let my package manger take care of it. Could be that all the specific this thats and the others are covered by the distro, but as the only time my system has been broken due to nvidia is when I manually installed a beta driver, and didn’t remove it properly. So very much pebkac. Having also used AMD in the past, there has been literally no difference in my end user experience.
Then you're using a distro that has done the work for you, for close to 10 years Nvidia has been a shit show. You throwing around pebkac just means you're ignorant to the reality of the situation.
Then you're using a distro that has done the work for you
Well, yeah, that’s my point. Much like my distro has compiled a kernel for me, configured my init system, made sure my display manger loads the right DE. Loads of things I could (and have, in the past) configure myself, but - to quote the flow chart - I value my time, so choose a distro with less manual configuration required.
So to claim nvidia is a barrier to 80% of users of Linux thus seems somewhat disingenuous to me. It may be a barrier if you want to use Gentoo/Arch, but not so much for the Pop_OS or Manjaro (and I’m sure countless others) crew.
As for ignorance, I’d have thought the fact I’m happily saying I use a distro which does the hard work for me speaks more to my ignorance of low level issues, rather than a frank admission that I broke my own system by fucking around with manually installing beta drivers.
Yup, that's what made me put windows back on this one laptop I have that his this hybrid graphics bullshit. It just never wanted to work right, and when it did, the battery was shit even with Nvidia turned off. That's the only machine in my house that has windows on it. Linux everywhere else
I installed Mint on an old Dell laptop with nvidia and it’s working fine. It even updates the nvidia driver when a new one comes out, never had issues.
Isn't that right now the entire selling point of Pop!_OS too? They're the only ones with the issues solved because they worked with nvidia directly or something?
I feel like even if that was the case, proton needs to start covering a lot more games and when they mark them playable they can't be in the state they are now with many games dropping frames drastically or straight up freezing for a moment on GPU particles. Straight up on acceptable.
I use pop! with a 1660 super and Nvidia 545 drivers, but I can't say the experience is 1100% pain free. Stuttering/locking windows on occasion still happens. I'm pretty sure at least some of my issues surround multi-monitor support or lack thereof polished support and dragging windows from one to the other.
I persist though, and I hope the Wayland bugs are mostly ironed out by the time system 76 pulls the trigger on cosmic DE with Wayland support because it is the future. X11 has had a good run, but she's showing her age.
Meh, Nvidia works. Yes it doesn't run (partially/at all) on Wayland but for X11 it's good enough to not keep you from switching if you plan to.
The real issue is the lack of software, and for some people, stuff like HDR. The good news is, that's a bit easier to fix than begging Nvidia to fix a bug with their drivers for 5 years.
As someone who used to daily drive Linux but switched to macOS, the biggest thing was upgrades that worked with a relative minimum of drama.
To this day, updating to the latest version of a Linux distro on a live system is bound to cause some drama. Something will break, and I’ll be left with a half usable system. The last time I did a distro upgrade was a few weeks ago, and I wound up with a Linux system that wouldn’t boot. Far from being some strange distro operating on a shoestring, this was Fedora. But Fedora is not unique: most distros would rather you reinstall than upgrade.
I don’t have time to clean up the upgrade messes. I don’t have time for a system that breaks when I try to upgrade it. And I don’t want to take a 30 minute break to babysit an upgrade, only for it to break the boot process.
I have the opposite problems with.. Apple regulary breaks kernel backwards compatibility and I have to wait 6-12 months before all the MacOS based software vendors I use tells me that it is safe to upgrade. Software I need have stopped working correctly multiple times after OSX/MacOS upgrades so I simply don't take any chances there anymore.
My main OS which currently is Ubuntu which is also my main work environment for software development typically upgrades without any drama at all. I usually begin to upgrade my TV/media station computer a few days after a new release and then the rest of my work stations a few weeks after a release and as far as I can remember (10+ years) I haven't experienced a single issue that wasn't a simple configuration change.
Meanwhile, I basically don’t touch kernel space. So long as mu interfaces remain Single Unix Specification-compliant, I’m fine. But if you need kernel extensions (what macOS calls its own version of modules, for those not that familiar with macOS), life can be seriously painful.
I also don’t tend to use one-off software that I expect to continue using forever—another place where if that’s your workflow, macOS is not for you. There’s a huge library of Mac software that doesn’t work anymore because Apple stopped caring about backwards compatibility a very long time ago.
Most of the kernel/os api stuff that they break are not related to UNIX compatibility. It's almost always MacOS specific stuff.
A lot of serious professional software vendors will not spend a lot of upfront time verifying that their stuff works on beta versions of MacOS because those can change at any time so proper compatibility verification work often doesn't even start until after a new major MacOS release has been made public.
Then it takes months to test and possibly patches from all those vendors. There is always one or two who lags a bit behind the others, not necessarily the same every time so it is probably due to internal priorities.
Again, if your application sticks to user space, it doesn’t see the drama that happens if it relies on kernel extensions or SystemKit. I’ve genuinely not dealt with that problem at any point in the last 18 years.
Then again, as I said, my needs are very much “keep the Unix system in place, and I’m fine.” I don’t do much virtualization, even in software development. I don’t use a lot of third party apps, and I’d like some citations on the serious developers not even trying with betas—I haven’t actually read those blogs, mostly because I don’t tend to use such software, especially at home. The only specialized software I use on a regular basis is written against the Unix system.
I don’t use a lot of third party apps, and I’d like some citations on the serious developers not even trying with betas—I haven’t actually read those blogs
There are no blogs but I have a lot of evidence of this from.
Of all the software packages I have licenses for (10+ vendors) very few confirm compatibility within a month of a new Major MacOS release.
It makes sense if you think about it, why spend expensive testing and development time trying to validate functionality on a beta when you have to do it again when the release hits anyway because you can not be sure that something important has changed up to a few days before the actual public release.
Apple does not have any kinds of guaranteed freeze periods in thei preview releases so basically anything
Also with MacOS due to Apples update policy you don’t need to upgrade major versions for a very long time letting new releases and software to stabilize.
Yeah, Windows has many problems of its own but compared to Linux and MacOS, its compatibility with legacy apps and ability to update without breaking stuff is really good.
I mean… those updates will move stuff around in the UI for no reason, turn telemetry/spying that you disabled back on, or add completely new junk you didn’t have to worry about before… but your existing apps will usually run no problem
FWIW I have never had upgrade issues as bad as I have on Fedora.
It's ultimately what drove me away from Fedora altogether.
Other distros have upgraded fine for me, and others have had hiccups. But Fedora has literally never worked, ever. 3 failures in a row, I will never rely on Fedora again. It's just beta RHEL at this point, if I want stability I will use one of my "dev" licenses and if I want new packages I use Arch.
For all of the jokes about Gentoo, I find it stunningly reliable for just this reason. There are a very few exceptions, but by and large, if I compiled it on my computer it will run on my computer. By simply being able to compile it you've got the dependencies, and because you compiled with those libraries you can generally run with those libraries.
This definitely is a big pain point, and one that I have pretty much no idea how to fix effectively with traditional distros. Hopefully the immutable desktop revolution will help with that some though.
This is 100% true. I’m so tired of developers not QA testing software before releasing it. I work with Linux for my living and I love it! But I don’t want to do it all day and then come home and do it all night when I want to relax and play. Especially when it comes to gaming.
Gaming has come a long way on Linux but it’s still completely broke. Not in the sense that it doesn’t perform but it’s a crap shoot when it’s going to work. One day all my games work, the next day after an upgrade, 1/2 of them don’t.
We need more stability in Linux for it to be a viable gaming choice!
Normal computing, outside of gaming, it’s a clear winner and has been for years. Just need to hone up gaming and teach developers to test their software better 😀.
I use Manjaro, and I've never had a system failure of any sort. It helps that we don't have periodic large updates, it's a rolling release (you probably knew that).
Ubuntu used to usually mess something up when an LTS came around - I started with 8.04, a long time ago. I switched to Elementary OS which didn't even have update-distro, you had to reinstall. Bugger that. I've seen the Manjaro horror stories but mine has always worked. It's been a couple of years and my mantra has held; trust every distro you use exactly once.
Temporally distributing the drama of an upgrade by moving to rolling releases isn’t so much a fix for my problem as it is replacing the major inconvenience of breaking my computer trying to upgrade its OS with the minor but more routine inconvenience of large, potentially world-changing updates.
It’s still more OS drama than macOS. Even when the distro is competently run, which is something I cannot say of Manjaro of all fucking distros.
I am moving to OS X (been an Ubuntu user since 15.10). For myself it is partly the tpm secure boot mess. I am tired of having to keep plugging in my password.
It’s an absolute shit show I agree. I tried to implement it into our Linux desktop SOE. All well and good once you have it working but how do you get the recovery key for some random machine in the field? There is no central authority that can escrow the keys like AD can with bitlocker. Total mess.
I already use Linux for servers, but for my home gaming PC I still use windows. The main reason I haven’t switched to Linux is, well… why would I? Apart from philosophical opinions about free software (that I personally honestly don’t care that much about), the fact is that Windows is the right OS for my needs, not Linux. Every game is made for Windows, every driver is better on Windows, all the software around it is made for Windows. Moving over to Linux would result in effectively no benefits for me or my gaming hobby at all, but would require a lot of sacrifice and hard work just to get anywhere near the same starting point as Windows.
I’m a big believer in the right tool for the job, and as much as I love and respect Linux and the FOSS community, there are times when Linux still isn’t necessarily the right tool. It’s a tool, and for someone else with different needs and requirements, maybe it is the right one, but for a bog-standard gamer with no additional requirements at all… Windows is, like it or not, the right choice.
Until Linux can achieve perfect parity in this regard, I see no reason to switch. Interestingly, huge strides have been taken in recent years, which is impressive, but as others have mentioned the driver quality and support is still quite poor, and games are still being “emulated” in various ways rather than be native ports. That strategy is, and always will be, just the second-rate alternative, with Windows remaining the default choice.
My boyfriend didn’t like Linux because at the time it was very hard for him to install programs. He’s not very good with computers so type the commands sort of made him get lost on it. I know things are much better now but at the time he never got used to it
I use linux daily, but there are cases when I have to use windows. to E-sign a document using security card my employer as bought. Also to pay some taxes there are just Windows programs for that (the alternative is printing out forms and filling them by hand).
the psychotic thing is that the US government was going to release a free tax software that would work anywhere and do everything, but then Turbo Tax, Intuit and H&R block lobbied the government to not do it because it would have killed their business lmao its so messed up
I use a website called freetaxUSA .com that is free of charge and charges on $14 for the state tax filing. Not too many people know about it and I don't have the power to spread it around. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the whole thing, but I don't have anything complicated, just your average boring tax shit
Actually I did not mean US, but Poland, and the program called "Płatnik", which is windows-only. It is not for income tax but for retirement and health tax (called insurance, but it is a tax - it is obligatory and proportional to the income, unlike insurance). In principle runs well under Wine. It runs well until it does not, and you don't want to discover that it does not near any deadline. You use that each month. Even if you pay $4 a month, you submit that monthly.
If you want to file your taxes and don't have complicated filing, then I'd suggest using freetaxusa .com. I think they have the ability to do more complicated stuff, but I don't understand most of it, so I couldn't tell ya, but I would definitely take a look and see if it helps. Free federal and $14 for state. That's assuming you are in the US. lol
Yeah, but I do not live in the US. I have now the working solution. In any case filing is very easy (one employee - myself), but obligatory and done on monthly basis. It is more of a hassle to actually fill in the forms and send them via mail than the amount to be pair.
Yeah, until your taxes are lost by mail operator, and you have to petition them to lift the fine (and prove you sent them). Also paper taxes have to be read and typed in by someone, so it takes 2 months longer to have that processed than electronic tax form, which is processed semi-automatically.
Yes, it might take longer. I have an accountant handle my taxes, and he can run whatever OS he wants. When I submit in payroll information for my company, I do it by hand. The mail hasn't lost them yet.
I feel like if you need a windows vm Linux has failed as a complete OS. You don't need Linux on Windows and that's because it's a complete OS. Despite that Windows has even incorporated the Linux kernel in Windows as a subsystem as an option to web developers and others.
Linux is a complete OS it just doesn’t get the same level of app support Windows and MacOS does on a Consumer level. Once more software starts being Cloud/Browser based and not tied to OS. Linux will start becoming more common for Consumers
if I remember correctly in Germany for years their tax software called „Elster“ was online available for Windows (but could be run under wine) but for a while the software now exists as an online version (Web Browser)
Don’t get me wrong, I like and support linux and FOSS. I am into what they stand for and for the people that can make it work for them, great. But needing to use an emulator (WINE, PlayOnLinux, Codeweaver, Proton, etc…) means that linux (natively) can’t do what is needed and this isn’t the fault of linux or its developers. This is because the mainstream software industry doesn’t support linux.
I had the same issue switching from Windows to MacOS for a couple of years. I spent a lot of time finding Mac versions of programs I used, some didn’t exist for Mac and alternatives had to be found and when an alternative wasn’t available I had to resort to a VM, emulation, or just had to go without. But why go without when Windows does what I need? I dislike the direction Windows is going, I dislike MS’s business practices, but the product has all the market support and does what I (and the majority of people) need it to do.
I ise Linux on my work laptop + servers at home. But what prevents me from using it on my home desktop is my wife. We share the desktop and she does not like change at all. She refuses to ise anything that is not the default settings. Linux home desktop is just not an option ecen if I'm convinced she would love LMDE if she woukd just try it.
Can you give her some sane distro and leave all default settings? (ok, I was kidding; you can't fool around with wife's machine). On the contrary, my colleague once installed Fedora on his wife's laptop, and since she uses only browser, couple of messengers and, rarely, a word processor, it was totally ok for her.
You can get an internal ssd (like the crucial mx500 on amazon), then install your favorite distro to it with a usb to sata adapter (Sabrent makes good ones). Then you can boot up from linux without altering the host computer. Just be sure that when you’re installing it that you format the ssd dongle, NOT the host computer’s storage. If you’re unsure, you can use an old computer to install it to the ssd, then just hook up the ssd dongle to your main computer to use linux.
I love Linux, but because sadly there are no native versions of Outlook (wine sucks). Yes, you can use O365 webmail or Thunderbird but it’s clunky. Some companies don’t allow IMAP. I use WSL for a lot of things, I think MSFT knows if they publish Outlook for Linux there would be a lot of folks switching.
At work, the fact I teach students how to use screenreaders that are only available on windows (JAWS and NVDA). I need a parent to request Linux me to be able to move over to teach orca.
At home I dual boot fedora and windows so I can use fedora 99% of the time but test accessibility on windows side.
Started wondering this couple days ago. Although I do have some (arguably little) experience with linux from my study, I'm still anxious to switch. Don't really know why because the things I use my pc for are almost all available on Linux as well.
Kinda sick of Windows, but also grown 'dependend' on it. At least that's what I like to tell myself.
Probably gonna try to switch this week or the next.
Over this holiday break, I decided to try coming back to Linux after a 6 year break. I previously used it from 2007ish to 2017. The things that are giving me the most grief this time around:
Fractional scaling: Seems to work well in some DEs either as an experimental flag or under Wayland.
Global app menu support: This above requirement pushes me towards Wayland for best results. However, this results in the global app menu to not work on a number of apps (ex: Firefox).
I have yet to plug this into my two monitors (one high resolution, the other low). My hope is that this will work better than in the past when I had to do things like write X11 configs or mess with randr (Are those a thing anymore? I’ll be finding out soon.). I suspect that I’ll run into trouble there too.
The paper cuts I’ve experience so far (but can live with) are:
- KDE frequently crashes when the laptop wakes from sleep.
- The apparent death of Latte dock and really having no good dock for KDE on Wayland.
There’s a ton that’s better now like GPU support + graphics switching, gaming, and overall smoothness/polish of the DE experience. However, I’m past my tinkering phase and likely won’t continue down this experimental return as I don’t want to manually patch things or spend a lot of time in config files every time I run into something that works in one DE but not this other DE. I just want a cohesive environment that I can use day-to-day without having to Google every odd quirk.
New issue as I move further along in setting things up:
Gesture support is pretty lacking on KDE at least. Pretty huge minus and one reason I moved away from running Linux as my main OS. Kinda surprised that hasn’t improved in the 6 years that I’ve been away.
99.999% of my stuff is/works on Linux with no issue, altough the 0.001% that keeps me on Windows is Fusion 360 for CAD modeling, the FiveM mod for GTA V & steering wheel drivers for my Thrustmaster T300; I couldn't get the first two to work through Wine & for my wheel I need to install some kind of driver from GitHub which is a bit ehh of a workaround
Games, but I think we'll get there at some point in the next decade.
HTPC, and this I'm less certain about. Windows has easy and good scaling which is important for a 4k tv. Also madVR, though a while ago I got MPV reasonably close. Unsure about HDR stuff but I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues there as well.
I know I’ll get downvoted for this, but here’s my honest thoughts, as someone who would love to switch over.
The desktop doesn’t look as polished as other OSs. Not sure why, I know it’s super customisable, but it just doesn’t seem as polished.
I don’t know where anything is. So I’m always looking for what I need. That’s time consuming and a pain. Also the “place” of things is different depending on which distro you use.
I’m not sure what software/hardware will and won’t work once I’ve installed Linux. Again, it depends on which distro you use.
If I do need to use a windows program, do I use Wine, or the new layer thing whose name I forget now? Again, more research, more hours spent searching forums for the info I need.
I’d try a dual boot setup, but last time I tried grub hid/removed the windows partition, so I had to do a fresh install.
On Windows and MacOS, Microsoft and Apple respectively have almost all the power in shaping how the desktop will look, features it provides, etc. Unless you feel like buying a new machine, you just have to suck it up.
We can all collectively shift away from a desktop (or any software project) that starts to suck too much. And then the project can either roll back and look for a better solution, or it dies and someone forks it. But either way at least bad decisions don't lead to more bad decisions.
Well what desktop? Cinnamon? GNOME? KDE? LXDE? MATE? Unity? XFCE?
Gnome is close to having a polished look, I just hate how it works, KDE is weird with margins, fonts and colors. LXDE is fine if you prefer how older OS' looked. MATE looks worse than LXDE IMO, though I havent tried in a while. Unity looks okay, I don't think I ever used it. XFCE looks ancient and terrible. LXQt is terrible.
I will admit these opinions are mostly vibe checks based on my past and current computer usage, but I would guess that many non-Linux people would mostly agree.
I still think I'd rather KDE to GNOME just as a personal preference; if the main theme removed a few of those harsh lines and scaled icons a bit better then it'd be really nice to use in general.
Plasma's gotten a lot better with the default settings though.
I'm currently on Gnome with a few extensions to make it almost look like W10, but I like KDE a lot. If touchpad kinetic scroll worked properly I would be on KDE
I've found that majority of the times where people say "the desktop" without mentioning the actual environment and say "it's not polished", they're really just complaining it's not exactly line what they already are used to and prefer.
The majority of what you have said is generic bullshit. You'd be capable of stating specifics had you actually tried anything.
Since Windows and MacOS have only one desktop environment, most regular people confuse the OS with the environment and thing it is the same. Linux has plenty of environments and desktop engines, mentioned in another excellent comment. You can find one that is as polished as in Windows, but, unfortunately, there will still be a pain points related to frequently-used operations, for example, when you open some file - I mean, no matter what desktop environment you use, such trivial operation as selecting the file with a dialog will give you some frustration. But you will get used to it if you'll switch. Also, you need to understand that Linux is about software, not environment. Once you will have your set of tools, you will use them, and what distro or environment you are using will become a matter of taste (which will take some time to develop).
I think it depends on the distro and desktop you're using.
For me, gnome is very chaotic and doesn't look good. KDE or Cinnamon are way better because they are familiar to the windows desktop.
Yes, you are right. Most of the apps in the store should run without problems, but at this point it's more like a lucky game.
For windows apps you can use wine or bottles. For Windows games you use steam, heroic or/and lutris.
You can use dual boot but in my opinion, its very risky and i would not recommend it. Yes, it could work but most of the time it fails. There are really many of help posts, because dual boot fucked up.
I like the way with the second hard drive. It cost probably 50€ for a new ssd and you could switch the os, if you need windows again. But i also know, not everybody like this solution.
Creative workflows such as music and video/photo production. Suresure there might be some open-source alternatives but why the fuck would I bother when I can just use windows
Everything works in linux except small details and these small details matter when they accumulate.
Recently I convinced my friend to use linux. He installed ubuntu on a separate disk and booted. The speakers sound was very low even if he set it to the max. Solution was maxing the sound in console with alsamixer and to make it permanent with sudo alsactl store. He said fuck that shit and deleted ubuntu.
This right here. The details, the Quality Of Life, the little things. Sometimes using Linux feels like using Windows XP where you had to fight the OS to be able to work
This is a really old (6 years or so) event but it goes to highlight the problem:
- I wanted to add a shortcut to the desktop on Ubuntu.
- I went to the file in question and I right-clicked and chose "make a shortcut". But it seems I didn't have permissions to write in that directory so it failed
Here comes the first problem, this can happen in Windows, and when it happens the OS immediately asks if you want to send the shortcut to the desktop. Ubuntu just failed.
Then I had to look on the internet, the proposed solution in forums was... To use the command line to make a shortcut. That's not user friendly, that shouldn't happen.
Also, the Linux kernel(userland?) has really poor out of memory management. I don't know how it works, but in my Windows machine an out of memory condition didn't ever hang the OS important apps/services. Linux comes to a complete halt in that case and it takes a lot of time till you can use the desktop again
For me it is multiscreen wonkiness. Windows don't stay where I put them. Everything feels fragile. I have work to do. Don't make me fight with my system.
FL Studio...I have paid for it. I can't buy another software. Alss FL studio is just awesome. Free daws that are available on Linux aren't as good as FL studio.
For work? Nothing, I prefer it unless I have no choice due to some windows specific need.
For personal stuff? Gaming on linux sucks.
Also, although DEs are sophisticated enough to be nearly as good as windows at the actual window management stuff, Windows 10 and even 11 (if you ignore the bullshit adware baked in) is far superior, especially with multiple monitors. Even better than Mac.
If I could have my cake and eat it too, I’d have the windows graphical shell running on a debian-linux-organized kernel and filesystem (not some bullshit linux over windows “subsystem” which is bash over ntfs and definitely not the same), but the incompatibilities of all the various services that make up both OSs keep that from being a reality, so the best I can hope for is a DE that tries really hard to ape Windows while also trying to maintain compatibility with programs written for still other DEs resulting in a mostly fine but occasionally frustrating experience.
I’m actually curious about how running Windows in a VM with GPU passthrough would handle this. Game Pass is what holds me back right now as well, but if a VM is an option, I’d be comfy with switching
I played from a VM for years. It works fine, but some games started refusing to boot up due to VM environment detection, and that's what brought an end to it.
Oh I'm not saying there are no workarounds. But after hour-two trial-errors the time cost became too big for me personally and decided to give up. Plus this feels like yet another cat-and-mouse game, so who's to say how long a fix would last for. Were I 15 years younger, I'd try to fight it for sure.
I don’t play competitive games and nothing that uses anti-cheat, so I figure that might not hit me as hard? But thanks for the report! I may just go ahead with it
Gnome is a thing I haven't even tried on OpenBSD. It is legendarily problematic (though I've seen the obligatory "How to get Gnome running" type guides float around), since it is developed 100% for Linux. Thus, to get it working on BSDs, a lot of work is needed from the porting.
KDE is easier (I haven't tried it on OpenBSD, but FreeBSD it's a simple package install) since the KDE project have a more OS-agnostic approach to developing the DE.
Personally I'm more of a tiling window manager person on laptops, so haven't bothered.
Hardware is one of those near-binary things. If it works, it just straight up works. But one should definitely pre-check hardware before obtaining it with the intent of testing OpenBSD. I had an old Acer previously, and it was compeltely dead in the water. Switched to Framework 11th Gen and it was a pure turnkey experience. And, of course, make sure to always run fw_update after install, to make sure you get the latest firmware. For example, my Intel wifi needs this, since they cannot (licensing stuff I think) ship the firmware with the installer.
Yeah I think it's maybe a issue with the package. I manager to solve other issue, also I follow some man pages to do so. I was kind of hyped thanks to that. If gnome had worked, that would have been be the best experience for me. I'll take a look and report the issue. I guess I can try cwm or Xfce in the mean while. Thanks for response
I use epic on my steam deck via the heroic launcher. It runs more smoothly than epics own launcher. There are maybe 3 or 4 games that it says it can’t handle but the rest have been perfect.
I still use Linux, as I refuse to use anything else. But Linux has been invariably more of a pain in the ass than any other operating system I've tried. I used to be all for the bleeding-edge, using distros like Arch and whatnot. And don't get me wrong, you can perfectly have a stable setup with Arch and other distros. But as I've grown older, the more I care about stability and less about fucking around with stuff.
All my servers are Linux based (Debian usually). I've made numerous resolutions / attempts to switch my desktop to Linux but never quite made the jump.
I think the problem is Windows is good enough and generally less hassle. I prefer the KDE desktop to Windows but there's no getting away from the fact Linux is more work. My last attempt to switch to Linux on my desktop machine was a few months ago. I decided to try Wayland and it didn't play with with something or other, I forget what now, so I ended up back on X with a bunch of faffing around with nVidia drivers etc etc. I know, nVidia don't play nice, but the exact same hardware works flawlessly under Windows. Maybe I'll try again in 2024.
I love linux, the desktop environments are pretty good, but to my taste they don't beat the macos user interface, which is why I'm still stuck with macos.
Personally, the last time I updated my Arch install it blew up. On top of that, I spent more time debugging the games on my Nvidia Optimus laptop than actually playing them.
I love Linux, and I run Debian on my server. I just deal with fixing software all day at work and don't want to deal with it at home all of the time.
I use it for programming since the tools are much better in a Unix environment than in Windows though that doesn't have to necessarily be the case. I also use it for web browsing and occasionally document editing.
For gaming and most everything else, I use Windows.
Honestly as someone who has graduate level education in CS specializing in OSes I am not happy with any modern mainstream OS when I know that we could make something so much better but most of the user and developer communities would rather rather stick to what already exists and is good enough than any number of potentially better solutions but one which would take some getting used to not to mention significant development effort.
I still remember the old days of running linux on a desktop. You were all set and ready for an evening of gaming. Unfortunately some kernel upgrade had happened, which meant you had to rebuild the modules for your graphics card (which off course didn't auto update). Doing that, you noticed the 1.000.000 other updates which also had to be done and you ran into the fun that was called dependency hell.
After you spent most of the evening updating your system again and everything was running as it was intended, you booted the game (or better, you started Codeweavers, since the amount of games available native on linux was disappointing to say the least, only to find out, they hadn't released the patch yet for the game update you were so pumped to play. The positive part, you had updated your system, you had spent a useful evening and got the chance to go to bed early anyway
Now I must admit, this was my experience from about 1998 to 2001, but I was so glad Apple released OSX. I could FINALLY play games on a decent system, that actually worked and looked good.
I had been using Windows 95% of the time before I switched to Linux this June. (MS just kept making me more and more annoying with their garbage so I finally couldn't take it anymore.)
I've been playing with the idea of switching to Linux for years, I had dualboot & used Linux for some niche things.
There were two prime reasons to stay with W, one is the software I need for photo editing. (LR, Capture One) The second is that I thought Wine/Proton must be much worse than native Windows gaming.
Now I just reboot into Windows to edit my files like twice a week & once a month I feel really angry that I have to join wifi to authenticate Capture One.
Even migrated from KDE to using AwesomeWM and Labwc as my daily drivers now.
Anti cheat. On my main PC I play fps games, specifically Destiny 2 and Apex Legends. One works on Linux one doesn't. But I'm also worried because I've seen a number of people receive false bans in Apex seemingly just playing on Linux.
Some friends of mine play Fortnite too which isn't my jam but I might get into it just to play and hang out with them.
I'm thinking about setting up dual boot and striping windows down to just steam, Firefox, discord and apps that my peripherals need and then moving all my personal files to the Linux side. So effectively making windows just the fps gaming side and seeing how things go in Linux.
I think there are several reasons: linux allows more customization, so it is believed cheating is more possible with it; not all anti-cheats are linux-certified; companies are afraid to have a surge of support requests from a "marginal" segment of gamers; some pressure from MS to not have some ultra-popular titles on Linux is also possible (while I'm not into such conspiracies).
I am dual booting. The reason why I use Windows as my daily driver and Linux for professional purposes is because, and people won't like this - Windows just works. It really does.
When I want to play games, I don't have to jump through a million hoops to install them. Why use Wine/Lutris to have a windows-like environment when I can just use Windows instead? My go-to reader for e-books is SumatraPDF, which also doesn't work with Linux. I can use a snap version or Wine to install it, but why would I?
I've thought about using a GPU passthrough for Windows inside of Linux, but as far as I can see it this is more of a thought experiment than an actually feasible setup. It's far too chaotic to work properly, it's a pain in the ass to setup and it requires one hell of a rig to have.
So, like I said - people here won't like it, but Windows just works. Linux requires you to make it work. And both of those are perfectly fine, that's what I love about each of them and why I'm using them in the first place.
I daily drive Linux but have many issues that make me miss my Mac:
1. Sync between phone and computer. I’ve tried KDE Connect many times but have had no success in getting it working (I use iOS for uninteresting reasons)
2. Office. I use only office and it’s good enough but where I used to be able to do office stuff very efficiently before I now face a bit of a battle for many tasks
3. General bugginess
You hear people say “accept the jank” and I get it, and I do accept the jank, but less jank would be nice
Not enough support for AAA video games. Yeah I know I can run WoW f.e with wine etc but it is still a bit critical in the EULA. Also Outlook as someone who uses Outlook daily and knows every shortcut etc and no O365 isn't really an alternative.
Gaming. I play Valorant, which does NOT work on Linux, not even a VM.
It's really not only Valorant, gaming in general is way better on Windows.
Linux has gotten a lot better, but when I want to play a game, I don't want to spend time fixing it after every god damn update, then I just wanna play.
But I actually use a ton of Linux at home, like 95 % of my servers and desktops is Linux. It's only my desktop, a single laptop, and then a few servers that's Windows, everything else is Linux.
I also need to keep up on Windows for my job, since it's only Windows. So either way, I can't let it go completely.
Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Cinema 4D, and various VST plugins are not available on Linux... other than that, the bases are generally covered. I know there are alternatives, such as Blender and Inkscape, but that's different from where my decades of workflow knowledge exist. I could manage on Linux daily and have done so in the past, but it's just inconvenient enough that I don't do it.
I use Linux for everything except for sometimes that I need to use softwares like OriginLab and etc. For this purpose I installed Virtual Box on my debian os, installed win 11 on it, and fire it up whenever I need windows.
I'm into gaming, used to Windows and don't really want to bother learning a new OS, and don't like to tinker too much for things to work. And I never had a use for Linux since I'm absolutely not into coding, dev, network, etc. or anything like that. My pc is for games (modding sometimes) and basic internet use, not much more. Maybe some Linux distrib could do the same, sure, but it isn't worth the change imho given that there are still some incompatibility issues (mainly with some anti cheats iirc)
I use linux almost exclusively. If I want to play something, I buy games on steam or run them with wine, which works much better than on windows lol (windows was slower for me). There weren't a single app yet that I couldn't run on linux (which I needed to run). The only one I can think is Office, but Libre/OpenOffice works fine, though I occasionally use gdocs in browser
In essence I’m not the target audience for Linux. With the right knowledge and tools you can do everything but I simply haven’t found a distro and environment that combine the things I love with the ease of use I require. Because I don’t have the patience and time anymore to build what I need to close the gap.
I am a simple man. I find the command line a vague and frightening thing, and my coding skills are zero. But I keep trying. So far as I remember it was an issue with key commands I just couldn’t overcome on my old MacBook that got me last time. I believe I was using Manjaro and KDE that time. We’ll see what happens when I try my hand at Linux next time. I keep hoping it’ll finally stick for me. Every time it does come a bit closer.
In my experience, Linux does much, much better when you play to its strengths and don't try and use it like a generic desktop OS.
If you use it as a special-purpose OS (eg. for your embedded product, as Android, as a single-purpose desktop for a very specific set of application(s), as a media server), it's brilliant. Rock solid, reliable.
If you want to use it as a generic desktop OS like Windows or Mac OS - the problem you run straight into is lack of polish. Most desktop applications are over a decade behind their commercial counterparts, and that problem is getting worse.
This isn't me having a go at the various people working on desktop Linux applications - quite the reverse. Given that most of those desktop applications have an annual budget of approximately $3.50 and a packet of chewing gum compared to their commercial equivalents, frankly I think it's a miracle they can even ship something that compiles.
But just to put it into context: The Gnome foundation (year 2021-2022) in their annual report received about $350k in donations.
$350k.
That's not even enough to pay salaries for a small team of programmers. And it's not just programmers F/OSS needs - programmers will occasionally do their day job for fun, but a professionally run project needs people who you're never going to persuade to do that. Project managers, testers - there's a list a mile long.
This is nonsense. Wtf does lack of polish mean? It's daily general desktop is for many millio of users. For me having to go into windows for any reason is now cumbersome and bloated. They can keep their polish, what6tf that means
It's in most Linux communities in spades, and usually it's a syndrome that has several stages that go something like this:
Why would you need [feature]? You're an idiot for wanting that! Nobody needs it! If you really need something equivalent, do [insert absurdly over-complicated process].
[feature] is broken by design! Nobody could possibly implement it properly, here's half-a-dozen proofs! I don't care that there's a dozen commercial implementations that exist right now!
[Project] version 2.3 is very proud to announce [feature].
Yes, there is hubris in some communities and projects, but you are always free to find one that doesn't have it. For example, XFCE project is extremely conservative - and their desktop is extremely polished.
That’s a good start, but the desktop environment doesn’t stand alone. You need software.
And let us be blunt, Gimp and LibreOffice are both 15+ years behind their commercial counterparts.
Hence my assertion that the general purpose Linux desktop is a non-starter. The special purpose one, however, is being actively used worldwide in businesses already.
That's a first thing you need to check - that Linux has the software you need to use daily. I'm glad I don't have to use photo editor or word processor on a daily basis, but when I do, Gimp or LO are good enough.
A lot of these anti Linux trolls are not comparing on a technical basis, but most likely to what they're used to. I'd say - aside from the genuine gamers or driver complaints - most criticisms of Linux are some bullshit about how it's "not polished enough" or whatever the fuck that means, and simply boils down to "it's not what I normally like and use so therefore it can't be good for anyone".
When people say ‘lack of polish’ they mean stuff doesn’t work when it’s supposed to like fractional scaling or variable refresh rate. Fractional scaling looks awful on Linux and VRR is so bad that you’re better off not using it.
Also it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, if a piece of software isn’t compatible with Linux but is fully supported on Windows or macOS then that’s a problem for Linux. If your job requires Adobe, or M$ Office, or you play games with unsupported anti cheat then Linux is just a non starter.
But it's not a problem for Linux. It's a problem for the user.
"Linux* isn't a corporation. It's not competing with Windows or Mac in the way you think it is. If it's not for someone's needs that's fine.
There's a spectrum of users. From those who give it a try and give up to the expert user who keeps tweaking, and everything inBetween. Stop making it dichotomous, it's not.
Hence my assertion that the general purpose Linux desktop is a non-starter
This is ridiculous assertion proven by the many millions who DO use it as a general purpose fucking desktop system day in day out.
Noone says it's suitable for everyone. If it isn't so be it. But to then claim for everyone else its suitability based on your own specific opinion is serious fucking hubris.
Nonsese. You're touching on a point without making it explicit. If Linux doesn't have something you can find a way to make it work. Its free to change, adapt, and experiment with from the source code up to any tool or app you want or need.
It's in most Linux communities in spades
More nonsense. You think people who work on Linux projects have "oh we must keep windows and mac people in mind". Erm, no.
I use linux on my laptop that works great, and always have a dual boot drive ready on my desktop for testing Llnux.
Not sure why, might be my general config (thought, it's pretty bog standard mid-range AMD setup, so it might be the motherboard?), but any distro I've installed is extremely unstable on my desktop pc. Usually I install a distro, install the tools/software I want/need, use it for a months time and then settle back to Windows because there's alot of annoyances that don't occur on Windows (not on my Laptop with Linux neither for that sake).
The last issue was with the sound (I ran Ubuntu 22.04 on my desktop for the most part of December). Every now and then it stopped working properly, it sounded horrible and required a reboot to fix. In addition, there was this occasional time where software just plain stopped working too, which isn't bad. Neither of these issues occurred in Windows.
I am set to switch completely over to Linux at some point, as basically all the software and games I need/want is available in some stable form, but for the time being, it's only when I'm out of house (Laptop), on my home server or dual booting to test if new updates or distros is stable enough for me.
Oh, and for the hardware:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
MB: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
Memory: 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000MHz
If anyone has any idea for a better setup for Linux, I am willing to consider it, I will probably upgrade this year.
I had to switch back to windows on my laptop because I couldn’t get Minecraft to run well on any distribution lol. Love Arch and Fedora but I gotta have Minecraft lollllll. Everything else is so great tho. Once I get my desktop I’m gonna switch back….
Strange, my doughter keeps arch for maincraft gaming. Her low spec laptop is not capable to run playable maincraft with windows but it is enough for linux. Tune some java memory options to improve maincraft. there are also some helpers for maincraft to do it for you.
I use Linux like 97% of the time, but still have a notebook dual-booted to Windows just in case I need to collaborate in teams that use software not compatible with Linux like Adobe or company specific software.
If you're referring to Linux desktop, then it is because my new laptop is a ASUS Zenbook UX3402YA . There's too little support in the kernel for its proprietary drivers, but I am still using WSL to use Docker for instance.
In general, gaming is a hit or miss as well when running Linux.
Linux is my primary OS, but what hinders me is the FUD about services and proprietary approaches. Linux has the best support for services, but also the most people that hate them.
I'll say: I'm glad I have some open source code, but I'm glad that's not all I have. And then some people will be angry/jealous.
Stability. I can't have down time for my own reasons. All I hear are horror stories about how often things break. How upgrades break stuff. How you walk away and come back later and something is broken that wasn't before.
This isn't a game, it's my life. I need stuff to work.
I want *desperately* to be off Windows because the writing is on the wall. AI is coming and it's going to be invasive in ways that make current telemetry look childish.
Lack of support from peripheral hardware vendors. iLok, Fractal Audio, audio interface manufacturers just to name a few. Tried to do without them but it's too much of a sacrifice and it's unfortunately not economically viable.
At work mainly old legacy CRUD apps and government related applets.
This is one of the main reasons I still have a Windows VM. To configure my mouse, motherboard, fan controller, or MIDI controller requires proprietary software that only exists for Windows.
Focusrite is luckily an outlier, but there are a lot of interfaces (especially on the higher end of the spectrum) that either just about work, or work with issues, or won't work at all.
By just about I mean that you might get basic audio I/O functionality, but might not get the ability to control the internal mixer or DSP, which are features these interfaces are bought for.
Most of the Focusrite stuff is simply class-compliant, same with the little SSL 2 and I believe quite a few of the Behringer interfaces too. The peak of this stuff is the ancient ff Saffire 40/56 interfaces - Using ALSA and JACK you can very easily use just the audio ins, but so much of their functionality relies on arbitrary routing controlled by the Saffire software - Unavailable on Linux.
Hardware isn't the issue for me any more though - lack of audio software support kicks me up the ass. I didn't get on with Reaper, OK fine that might just be a skill issue, but half of my plugs just don't support Linux, and I'm sure as hell not pissing round with emulation or Wine or whatever just for something that'd be a 1-click endeavour on Windows.
yea it sucks. What Ive been doing is just using a Windows VM with Qemu and passing through my drawing tablet directly from the USB. Its a nice video touch screen tablet. Also I need clip studio paint so I just pass it through and use it in a VM. It works surprisingly well. Still its not the perfect answer but definitely good.
There was a time where I could get clip studio to work under wine and configure the tablet to work under Linux thanks to Huion actually supporting Linux with their drivers (which is amazing and extremely helpful) but it is annoying to get clip to work under Linux, its so finnicky as are a lot of those apps. Krita is great but it just doesn't cut it unfortunately for a lot of cases.
This is a major one that holds me back too. Linux drivers for Wacom have issues with some Nvidia cards. Additionally, Xbox controllers are downright unsupported unless you manually install some random GitHub repo kernel level driver. Overall it's super easy to fix that one if you know what you are doing and why and also remember to reboot.
Yup, that's nice. I use an xbox one controller over the better wifi 2.4 ghz dongle which provides better connectivity and reduced latency. It requires Xone to be installed to work properly.
I use Linux because I just cannot get myself to use Windows 11 now. I've tried, but it's just ugly, full of ads/moving-flashy crap and powershell/cmd is just so non-standard.
HOWEVER, freaking linux crap: it doesn't detect my intel mipi Webcam (yes I have followed all tutorials, installed all drivers and firmwares and tried different kernels including latest and OEM ones).
Also, Linux battery drain is batshit crazy... and Sleep doesn't work (yes also I've tried mist tutorials under the sun).
And the fingerprint reader works half the time, for some reason it is not detected for login but it works OKish for sudo stuff.
And sound gets fucked (soundcard disappears) after resuming from the broken sleep.
And the funniest thing is that people "recommend" you trying X or Y distro (cue PopOS, vanilla Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, etc) to deal with each of the issues... am I supposed to install each one of them and boot one when I want to use webcam , and another one when I want sleep to work? Why cant everything work in all of them. It's open source, steal the code FFS!!
This may sound harsh, but is my day to day experience as a daily Linux Mint user. As I said, I like the desktop/ development experience in Linux. But it just has so many rough edges, it feels incomplete.
I'll still use it, for the lack of something better. I was marginally happier I Mac. But I like using Intel computers that don't require VMs to run x64 containers (and Mac virtualuzation is known for having performance issues R/W small files. E.g running magento, odoo or similar stuff in docker is a PITA in OSX).
On Manjaro, it doesn’t recognize the speakers or headphone jack on my iMac, but Bluetooth audio works great. So I can use my Bluetooth earbuds or pair an Alexa Echo Dot & it works just fine.
I’m sure there’s a way to get my internal speakers and jack working, but I just don’t know how. Maybe some drivers I don’t know about or something.
Sounds similar to the problems many have with some brands of WiFi. I know Focusrite works to make their hardware Linux-compatible, but saying that's an acceptable solution is a bit like saying everyone can just use Intel WiFi.
Hopefully as people migrate to Linux from Windows 10 (if they do), maybe the popularity will grow enough for vendors to make good drivers (no, not the bolted-on afterthoughts that are most proprietary WiFi drivers that only are guaranteed to work on one ancient kernel version and are never touched again).
1) Awful trackpad scroll speed on laptop. Everything scrolls way too fast on Gnome. I can tweak it a bit in Firefox but not in other apps. I tried the libinput hack but it made the mouse very laggy.
2) Fractional scaling
Windows simply has more software. At work, everyone else is using Windows so collaborating with them is a breeze. At home Ableton Live runs on it (does not run on Linux). If and when I want to drop into a bash shell, WSL is there. I don't do a lot of systems programming, so the operating system doesn't matter much to me. Remote desktop works great for when I'm not in the office.
I use Linux for all my servers, much better than Windows in that environment.
driver and apps, its also like chiken egg problem dev and vendors dont target linux due to low market share(desktop usage not server) and linux has low market share due to lack of their support
Just what I grew up with. I still use windows cause it's what I grew up with and most comfortable in. Don't get me wrong I like Linux, but for day to day stuff I feel more comfortable in Windows. I am a programmer however, so I've been considering getting a used ThinkPad and put Arch/Fedora on it for a dedicated coding machine.
I use linux on my gaming rig and for 3D printing (others in this thread are having issues with this, but im not sure why). I used to use a linux laptop but after the M1 chips cam out for macbook it was hard to use anything else.
Compatability issues. Sure there is almost an alternative for everything. But I don't have the time to be researching what all the alternatives are or figuring out the esoteric processes I have to go through in order to get things working correctly.
Is it possible? Yes.
Is it timely for noobs/novice users? Hell no.
I run Debian Sid on my gaming computer but I would switch to FreeBSD in a heartbeat if I could play more steam games on that.
They really need to up their Linux compatibility. Still use it on my laptop though.
I just don’t understand why not a single Linux distro doesn’t have a base system separate from third party packages. I absolutely love that about FreeBSD.
I swear to god BSD is the most documented “obscure” os around, it’s the only OS that could make Arch and the Archwiki feel inadequately documented.
For a OS that I swear to god has 14 regular Desktop users (and a few million servers/NASs) you can open a book and find a fix for any possible obscure problem, and I mean a book, people have documenting this shit for like 4 decades now. It’s probably because macOS is bad at its core but it still blows my mind
I have my main Win machine, and my Surface Pro 4 for mobility.
I have another desktop I put Ubuntu on and was using alongside my main pc trying to wean myself from the Windows PC, but I haven't set it up since I moved 6 months ago.
I also have two old laptops I put Ubuntu and Mint on (one each) for various reasons, but I have yet to really start using either in place of the Surface. I mean, both are much heavier and bulkier than the Surface...
There is a really nice custom kernel out there for surface devices. On Debian based distributions, it takes about a minute and a restart to install. Everything should work and touch is natively supported on Wayland.
I've tried many distros on my surface book 2 (hybrid graphics) and most worked well. Wayland is a must for tablet mode, but other than that, everything was perfect.
Pop OS was the best optimized for laptops with hybrid graphics in my experience, excellent battery life out of the box. GNOME desktop is also great for touch
To overcome habit, you need time; so better to switch now, so that time comes faster. That being said, Linux is not the best option for mobility - I needed to tweak lots of things to have good battery life
I run a dual boot system (Windows and linux) but I question why more and more. Been using linux off/on since the 90’s and it’s come a long way since then but it won’t be a full Windows replacement until the market fully embraces it. Why boot into linux for some web browsing and tweaking on the OS just to have to boot into Windows for gaming and Office/Adobe work? More efficient to just use and maintain a single OS. As much as I don’t care for the direction Ms has/is taking Windows, it’s still the one OS that does everything I need it to do without a ton of customizations and tweaks - and that’s not because the OS is “better”, it’s simply because it has the full support of the software/hardware markets.
Feel The exact same way, ultimately a OS is just a tool to use the programs you want to.
Why would I switch to another OS that can’t do half of the stuff I want (not because Linux is incapable, rather the big players don’t support it) because I get to screen shot a neo fetch page and circle jerk with the boys on r/linuxmasterrace?
The fact that I can’t do “I’ve just going to finish a quick photoshop project and then play a couple of rounds of Fortnite with my wife” is enough for me to never want to touch Linux desktop, never mind that you have to choose between a modern looking but feature lacking desktop (gnome) or a weird super dated hybrid of windows XP and android 4.0 that has most features but are mostly buggy (KDE).
I love my steamdeck for single player games and I wouldn’t use any other OS for server use but Linux is just not a great OS for desktops for the vast majority of people and if your work flow isn’t affected by the lack of support you’re either a Developer or someone who probably wouldn’t be hindered chromeOS
Nothing, except for the odd job that requires it, or (currently) a piece of hardware with poor Linux support (for my skill level) at the moment.
I just bought an Arm Windows laptop that I intended to run desktop Linux on, but the support is still earlier stages still , and I haven't had the time to work it out from scratch yet.
On the Windows side, you'd never know it was an arm system, except for the massive batter life. And Libreoffice Writer crashing when opening it (Calc and Slides work just fine?) I haven't done much outside of basic work in a browser. There supposedly isn't much Windows software on Arm, but outside of the broken LO Writer, I haven't come across anything so far, in my brief journey.
I've tried both Mint and Zorin and neither one felt as 'good' as Windows. Yeah some things were better but games don't feel as good and videos would get sluggish when booting a game up, like my computer wasn't good enough to run it.
Because shit never just works unlike windows. Because the community, or at least the louder portions of it, are toxic af. Because if you're not a thrill seeking fix it yourself kinda person, you are told
Dunno, except the anticheat, Windows games look and work great under Proton. More of that, if the game has native Linux port, it will be usually more buggy than Windows+Proton variant.
Can anyone give me the short cliff notes version of how to set up proton on Manjaro? I gave up just trying to make a steam account because they gave my literally endless captchas. I was there for like 10 minutes doing hundreds of captchas and just gave up.
Download Bottles, they recommend using the Flatpak, its the only method they personally support (because they have had issues with distro maintainers releasing broken versions and causing them issues.) or you could download Lutris. Steam is by far the easiest for a beginner though. You can also use Proton through the CLI, there is an app that will download it for you called Proton-GE.
My favorite way is to just add everything as a non-steam game and I also wrote a program that just runs all my games from the cli... but manually managing proton and wine is a pain in the ass and is extremely finnicky, its best to use Steam, Lutris or Bottles with a preset configuration. Its hard to know what needs to be overridden etc... To make a steam account you literally just need an email and it makes you enter a code once.
You download steam or heroic or whatever launcher, and then (in steam) click settings, then click compatibility, and then turn on steam compatibility mode and select the latest proton version. In heroic it’s pretty much the same except the setting is much easier to find. Idk about Lutris I would guess it’s the same.
Reddit is general social media site and lot of of /r/Linux users are just dabbling with Linux, after hearing about it on other sites or subs. They might give Linux a try, but end up going back to Windows/MacOS when their games/proprietary software/hardware/etc. doesn't work the way they expect them to. But they still hang around on /r/Linux to keep an eye on things (and some occasionally troll).
C# windows developer by day who likes playing fortnite after work. I wish I could use Linux all the time. I use WSL and love it, and prefer the Linux way of doing things. My HTPC will probably move to Linux once support for Windows 10 ends as it's probably not compatible with Windows 11.
I have a few servers where I'd hate to use anything but Linux.
I tried Linux as my main-driver-desktop-os a few times in the past 15+ years, but I usually end up having to fiddle with stuff too much to get everything working. And then something goes wrong, or an update breaks something, and just when I really need my PC I get a "busybox" CLI and I'm told to fix stuff myself. Plus the desktop environments always look amateurish and odd.
I guess once Windows becomes too awful even for a boiled frog like me I'll be forced to give it another go and get ready to research issues every week where you google something, find a matching question, and the answer is of course "just google it lol".
The fact that I understand why all of this is the way it is doesn't really help either.
That said, at least it's now possible to get lots of games running on Linux, which one time used to be a reason why I kept dual-booting windows.
For me, Linux weakest point is its much poorer UX - there is no trackpad for linux that feels as nice as the magic trackpad for example. Consistent kinetic scrolling across all applications, no consistent touch gestures across applications (not that they’re super consistent on mac, but much more than on linux!) Along with many more smaller things that don’t spring to mind right now, Linux has always felt much rougher around the edges to me than macOS.
And all Windows is good for is gaming, its UX is the worst of all!
I use Linux in a lot of places, just not exclusively. The two main things are: 1) Linux doesn't support all the applications I want to use, and the close alternatives do not work well enough for me to switch and 2) I don't have any problems when using Windows or macOS.
A full desktop environment that doesn't feel janky. I've tried kde, gnome, xfce, mate, cinnamon and probably more. On the most popular Linux distros including Debian, fedora, Linux mint, Ubuntu flavors, opensuse, and more.
Overall every de had some sort of show stopping issue. Kde didn't open start fast enough, gnome doesn't support multiple monitors oob, xfce was featureless, mate and cinnamon were further featureless like I went back to the 90s. Kde was the endorsement I best liked but if I can't hit there start key, type something and hit enter before it's done searching to automatically bring up the first thing it finds them it breaks my workflow. That's a key feature in Windows and I believe in Mac as well. Plasma 6 might fix it but I'm not holding my breathe since kde is known to be slow.
beacause if i don't use linux, i would have to use windows or mac os. the problem is : i had an extremely bad experience with windows 11 and windows 10 is getting to the end of his life. i don't want to use mac os beacause i don't want to suffer.
Easy HDR support, loss of gaming performance, lack of Atmos transcoding for the HDMI output, and the need to have a really tweaked kernel when I need to heavily multitask with a lot of apps.
Personally, I think that Linux is good for well limited use cases of final products (servers, gaming, móvil) and not so general purpose (user desktop).
The post'replies have people giving examples,
I just want to give my thoughts about the topic. Many of the problems of desktop Linux exist cause there is no company taking care of the use case of a desktop user.
For example for red hat, its DE (gnome) is an add on and doesn't need many functionalities there priority is security.
In my understanding, Gnome is the umbrella, the developers are independent or from companies (e.g RH, Canonical, etc), so the features are driven by companies products, decisions and customer use cases. The standardization and cycles are mostly companies decisions.
I was rather hoping to get some specific answers though, rather than something vague.
Well, some examples could be like connecting accessories, having to wait for a new kernel version for a device driver to be supported, and the most annoying is the security model in Linux is (root or no-root) for my server with virtualization is not a problem, but in desktop that doesn't feel secure.
Well, some examples could be like connecting accessories
having to wait for a new kernel version for a device driver to be supported
I'm pretty sure these are the same problem effectively. Developers could write and publish drivers for Linux before releasing the hardware, and really should. And similarly connecting some devices but not having software is frustrating. I had to connect my mouse to a VM to configure its macros. Definitely a good problem to highlight.
and the most annoying is the security model in Linux is (root or no-root) for my server with virtualization is not a problem, but in desktop that doesn't feel secure
Isn't that the same in Windows though? Programs either run under your user permissions or with admin access, but there's nothing in between.
I used apparmour for a while to limit some software access, use docker for some server usage, but in the end I think Flatpak (+Flatseal) has done more for permissions than anything.
Right, that's mostly it for apps, in cli it's a bit more complex (cause Windows server). But in the end, windows is not about security but software support. It's a product and it could be sued.
MacOs is very good in that, but I prefer the security model of Android, the permission system takes care of many things like gps precision, choosing files, background task and it's improving
About Flatpak/Snap/etc, it feels a bit beta with security opt-in and a permission system that relies on portals that are not so develop as android and with many more things to take care (android is more limited in uses cases than desktop)
in cli it's a bit more complex (cause Windows server)
I'm confused now. You said it was unsuitable for general desktop usage, but this is mostly an argument for workstation/server usage.
In the case of servers, on Linux we run server applications under different users as standard.
About Flatpak/Snap/etc, it feels a bit beta with security opt-in and a permission system that relies on portals that are not so develop as android and with many more things to take care
That is true, it's still being actively developed. Though it's more security than before and slowly improving. Android came from a vacuum so it could integrate security in an entirely different manner without breaking things. And full control over APIs and their willingness to just let apps die if not updated..
I'm confused now. You said it was unsuitable for general desktop usage, but this is mostly an argument for workstation/server usage.
Yeah, I was trying to mention that windows bring this mechanism from server to desktop for the cli. At the end, someone doesn't choose windows for its security but its support
In the case of servers, on Linux we run server applications under different users as standard.
That's good and on Android it has a similar principal
The state of things right now really isn't bad, especially if you take a look at a KDE-centric desktop. Other than fringe cases like HDR, things are going rather well from my point of view. I urge you give it a try sometime, grab something like Kubuntu or Opensuse Tumbleweed in a VM just to get a feel.
I don't on my desktop mostly because of Adobe products. But I more generally don't feel an urgent need to.
For desktop use, Windows and MacOs (both of which I use, on a desktop and laptop) do well enough, and are paths of lesser (not no) resistance for most tasks. Most things come with drivers for them, most peripherals come with support for them, firmware updates for other devices are made for them. And most open source software I prefer over commercial alternatives is still available for those platforms.
if you just search up "honkai star rail ban Linux" it was like last May. i believe honkai star rail requires a patch. the third party launcher for linux also has the 60 fps limit removed which would technically be against TOS anyways iirc.
from what I've seen the bans are like a week so im fine risking it to not have to hibernate and switch between OS every time I just want to run some dailies.
It does not require patches anymore, been like this for a year now and you can freely use an anime game launcher without getting in trouble for sharing it
Is there any official announcement regarding linux? I don't run the game on my PC apart from a few rare occasions, but I definitely wouldn't risk it on linux and get banned, I'd rather just boot up win10 and be safe.
official announcement regarding linux isnt needed, download the game, run with wine. Anti cheat doesnt kick you or stop you. So it is just running in like windows
Hardware support. As long as I cannot install Linux on any computer I buy and expect 100% functionality, it is a dead horse.
Laptops with multiple GPUs should work. Fractional scaling across multiple monitors should work. Daisy chaining of TB displays should work. Charging battery and data transfer on the same cable should work.
The OS should not freedom of choice for hardware. The OS should stay out of the way and serve as the user do whatever they want to do with their machines.
I am full time Linux but I have some mild tradeoffs I make for it:
It's still 2023 and we don't have Windows App support, just executables.
Can't run Office, stuck using the PWA
Nvidia obv. but that is Nvidia's fault
Can't run Xbox
No good Active Directory drop-in. Those that claim to be drop-ins end up having some nasty CVSS 10 Samba vulnerability or horrible UI or both.
Samba is a pain in the ass as well for file sharing
Sometimes it is just easier to go through a GUI config and not dealing with config files. I understand it is way more efficient to have users edit a file than to develop more UI just to manage the same file, there is nothing wrong with that, but buttons and drop downs can be easier for me to understand what options are there and prevent errors from misconfiguration.
Having a unified experience is nice. Some distros try but at the end of the day not everything has the same look/feel.
There is just way much more that Linux offers in return.
I have been getting more comfortable with Linux over the two years I have been using it with a dual booted machine.
When I use Linux, I tend to blame a lot of problems on the fact that it’s Linux. Then I go to Windows and experience whole new issues that give me headaches.
I find that in general I like Linux more as an OS. I like some software on Windows, but I don’t care for Windows as an OS. I have even started moving a lot of my gaming setup over to Linux. My laptop and steam deck are both pretty much Linux only (I would uninstall Windows on my laptop, but it’s got a non-transferable key, so I’ll keep it around on the laptop’s old drive.
I still use windows for gaming, and KDE needs to fix a few issues for it to be perfect, but I love Linux. I no longer am dependent on Microsoft and it’s freeing. It’s not perfect, but it gets better every single year
Nothing. I use it for work and home. I just recently started using it for work because I am not a heavy app user in my role. I need office 365 and that's about it. Our org uses Kofax power pdf instead of adobe, but I haven't run into any issues that I wasn't able to figure out. The only time I absolutely need Windows is to access our work VPN and browse files on our network.
Outlook and Teams work just fine in the web for me.
I use Linux for everything but a daily driver. Linux is great for server and privacy stuff, but there is almost no software that works on Linux that doesn't work with windows, but it's not the same the other way around. Open source versions of well known software made for windows feels like playing block craft instead of minecraft.
I don't need linux for anything critical and it kinda hinders my ability to flop down and game at my PC. I also have mismatched monitor resolutions and scaling has always been an issue across DE's
So I just run linux on my laptop, which is what I'm on most of the time when I'm doing personal things and not gaming
Nothing.
I use Windows on my desktop (mostly for gaming / specialized uses), MacOS for my laptop, and Linux for my home, development, and production servers.
To preface this, I am daily driving linux on my laptop but not on my desktop.
This is really less of a problem with linux and more a problem with the DE's of linux, but I'd like more intuitive customization and integration with the lock and login screens.
I know it's a minor issue at best but I despise the fact that the login and lock screens are technically different packages. That means I have to mess around with settings or config files for each module to make it look like I want it to. I understand that I'll probably have to use the terminal more to accomplish this, but the problem is either the config files don't exist or there's no documentation to edit the config files. Like with windows, I just want one unified lock/login screen on my primary monitor, and the secondary monitor is either just a wallpaper or a black screen.
Also, the login screen (when I boot up my PC or completely log out) has my monitor arrangement backwards, meaning I have to move my cursor to the left of my left monitor to access my right monitor, or move my cursor to the right of the right monitor to access my left monitor. As far as I know, I don't see a way to fix that.
As much as I hate what Windows 11 stands for, I'll likely still use it as my daily driver on my desktop. For all its reputation about customization, Linux makes it hard to customize some things about it.
Using Ubuntu 22 for work, I love it but some apps really are making my experience a pain in the arse, I. E. Notion, Spotify slack and sometimes Google meet. Random freeze, cpu spikes for 22
-3 minutes... Also, issues with docking station extension monitors Really painful to withstand sometimes, all the reast is pleasurable
Originally, the thing that kept me from switching over was lack of OS features & poor app compatibility. Wine just wasn’t opening SketchUp on Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Eventually, I tried manjaro KDE plasma & that hit the sweet spot. Tons of cool OS features and settings to tweak (check out jelly windows, seriously cool) & it felt easy to use out of the box. Even the installer felt more modern than mint or Ubuntu. The App Store had wine-staging & I guess that was the trick to being able to run my favorite Windows software like SketchUp. Anyways, now I have little reason to go back to Mac (except for a couple rare use cases) & I’m daily driving Manjaro KDE plasma on a crucial mx500 ssd hooked up with a sata to usb adapter, so I can run it on any computer.
What I found interresting about nvidia compatibility is that most of AI work is currently being don on Linux OS. So there is a lot of interrest (=money) at stake to have a stable driver for Linux.
I would consider Optimus support as a hardware (software driver and usability issues as well as instability) issue, and I would personally state that most of my problems these days are based around Optimus or Nvidia driver issues.
Wayland vs X issues are getting better, but there are still plenty of random cases that pop up regularly between the handful of distros I frequent. Typically, at least one distro "gets it right" for any particular issue, but no single distro has gotten everything right yet...
Somewhat unsurprised really - Linux can work on almost anything, but some distros support some hardware better than others. I have some computers that just work with almost any distro, and some that are broken with every distro and each distro breaks them in a different way.
Competitive online gaming is still problematic, yes (with some honourable exceptions). I'll grant that's a pretty large genre, but most other gaming genres work just fine thanks.
And in many cases, there's no technical issue. It's that the games are actively prevented from running on Linux. There's nothing "Linux" can do about Bungie flatly declaring that they will ban you for running your game on Linux.
I play Trackmania and it's fine. The launcher sometimes breaks compatibility, but it's usually fixed within a day. I would still prefer if it could be launched without the launcher, but well, it is what it is.
Competitive is not a big genre but it has by far the largest market share.
Honestly not being able to run r6 on linux was a blessing in disguise. I noticed that after quitting competitive games, I started to enjoy gaming way more again.
I still hope that Linux will get better support for ACs in the future or even better, that companies start using better server side ACs (which if you think about it logically is more effective since you can't bypass it) and ditch the client side ACs.
Well I don't play that kind of game, never have and never will, so I personally can afford to disregard the issue. That said I strongly suspect that invasive client-side anticheat software is ultimately a wrong turning, and the real solution is server-side AI, better matchmaking and better game design.
The best that can be said for the current ACs is that they discourage casual cheating. But they certainly doesn't stop people who are determined to cheat.
Games like valorant, design software like AutoCAD and well, PowerPoint. I still use Linux though, it's just that I have to keep a windows laptop handy for these things.
Nothing, although DRM sometimes causes inconvenience. I subscribe to Criterion Channel, and last time I checked (2 years ago..?) Linux Chrome was unsupported due to DRM.
I'll bite:
Nothing, but I've been using it as my main OS for...shit, over 15 years now, but...
I don't game, so all that anticheat and video card stuff isn't my concern, but I do need to use citrix for work, and previously VMware horizon client, and getting those to run, while not hard, is not something I'd expect anyone without the motivation I have to do it. I still have to launch citrix from the command line passing it the session specific file as an argument. On windows/mac you just click the icon
No mobile integration by default is something that would turn the casual user off too these days when the main computing device for a lot of people is their phone. Yes you can do it, but it's all a bit of a bodge (especially iOs)
It was mostly incompatibility with games, now I’m fully on Fedora 39 budgie spin
I used Curseforge on Windows, now I use Prism launcher (I installed the flatpak version which comes with Java 8), steam had issues with library folders not in /home for some reason, with Fedora this is not a problem, Epic/GOG now I use heroic launcher, I can’t run games on Ultra setting anymore, but I’m ok with that
The only exception are multiplayer games with anti cheat software. They doesn't work, sadly. But i would recommend you https://protondb.com so you can look for your favorit games and if they would run under linux.
Very little to be honest, I've been using RHEL on my employer provided work laptop since version 6.x and Windows since version 7 on my client provided work laptops. If my client moved to Linux desktop they'd lose Office macro and horrible legacy IE/Edge browser plugin code compatibility and Active Directory for domain group policy RBAC but I doubt those are major showstopping migration blockers that can't be redeveloped quickly. Other end users might complain about a sudden change in how things look and work but I wouldn't bat an eyelid as long as I can still do my day job.
I still use Windows 8.1 and have to upgrade to Windows 10 soon.
While i learn Linux for school on various virtual machines, i'm weary to be putting Linux on my main machines because i would be scared to break my system. One misstep, and a whole system would have to be reinstalled. With Windows that fear is much lower. Not only that, in Linux i am still learning where everything is, what i need to open and close in the security to be secure. In Windows i already know all of that and it's easy.
With Windows i feel safer than with Linux because there always might be something that is accidentally left open where hackers can enter through.
I'm probably not the target audience but I'll still say: nothing, I've used it since 2020 without issue as my desktop. And prior to that on a Raspberry Pi and a small home server.
One thing, my gaming rig is a gaming rig, and some of the games I play are not available on Linux. I care not for emulation, I want native compatibility. My son also uses it for gaming, so a change might break the games he wants to play.
Another thing, my non-gaming rig is a Surface Go 2, and at the moment it runs Win 11 really well. All my apps work on it nicely and even though it's a low-power device, it doesn't feel slow at all.
My kids' school division standardized on the M365 platform. My son (16) can bounce between pretty much anything, figure out which apps are which, and just start using it. My daughter (10) likes things to be familiar. My wife uses Microsoft products exclusively at work and similar to my daughter likes consistency across the board.
That extends to software, especially productivity software. There have been multiple occasions where assignments have been completed in LibreOffice and we get an email from the teacher letting us know it won't open properly in Word or there is something missing. They use Excel in math class, and the feature parity isn't where it needs to be. I could use M365 web apps to fill in some gaps, or I could just use the native apps on Windows and be done with it - no more problems.
There is also the choice of ChromeOS, in a scenario where I can get by with 100% web apps and want a secure, easy to use option this one is relevant. For many tasks it offers plenty of functionality and I'll take Docs/Sheets over their LibreOffice equivalents. I know you can run Chrome on most any distro, but when Chrome is the entire operating system the experience is quite good, especially on some of the fancier Chromebooks.
That said, I am still looking at what my own "next device" might be. I like my Surface and the 2-in-1 form factor. Macs are just out of control with simple RAM spec bumps so they are a hard "no". Chromebooks do offer a solid fully-connected experience but I would like the flexibility of a system that can extend into SaaS and PaaS services, not having to bring those services to the device in order for it to function fully.
So that leaves a gap for Linux. Since my default for enterprise computing is Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, SLES specifically due to the investment into compatibility with hardware/cloud vendors and commercial SLA-backed support) I am not opposed to a slim-and-light laptop running, say, 22.04-LTS for example. A mid-spec device with i5, 16GB, and 512GB storage will get an easy decade of use for me That's super compelling, but it hasn't yet tipped the scales in favorite Linux just yet.
But it is really close. And when my Surface Go 2 starts showing signs of bloat I will probably install Linux to see how it goes. My perfect world scenario is likely a Windows gaming rig that my whole family can use for their needs and a slim laptop or 2-in-1 running Linux, customized to my wants/needs that I can use for everything from remote work, tinkering with OSS projects, little bit of development, watching streaming services, maybe some light gaming, running the odd VM, etc.
Wine Is Not Emulation :) Steam Deck runs on Linux which means gaming on Linux is commercially viable. Many games actually run better through Proton than its native Linux port. Eventually I hope the popularity of Steam handhold forces companies to make their games Proton friendly.
WINE is usually the thing I have the most issues with. Just a quick look at some of the games we have installed, 4 of them are listed as "garbage" and 4 more are "bronze" which is a bit of a deal-breaker. Although I'm happy that some of my favorite classics are "gold" or "platinum".
Steam deck on the other hand is really interesting, especially as a desktop-like device. I'll definitely need to look into that option.
Since Steam Deck launch, Steam made a lot of games work flawlessly through their fork of Wine called Proton. You may check ProtonDB to see if the games you like work with Steam Deck
Lack of game support, productivity tools that I use.
My work is mostly Windows based.
HW support issues
It's to fragmented
The community can be so arrogant at times.
The file manager im sure theres one that you can tweak right but i havent put the effort in,i will at some point,but nit having a tree view and not pictures show as preview icons really got under my skin.
Pretty sure the default file managers of Lubuntu and Kubuntu both offer preview icons, and the default file manager in Kubuntu (Dolphin) has tree views too.
The hassle and app compatibility (graphic design stuff for my small business prepress stuff).
Games are doing mich better, but not 100%.
I dint love Windows, but it works rather easily without having to do much maintenance, especially since 10 -- no need to reinstall every 6 months to a year to maintain speed/stability.
But on Linux? Eventually something breaks with an update or a package manager issue. And you can fix it most of the time, but only through digging through the internals.
And while I love FOSS, for my low level things I kind of like having people paid to fix bugs and hard to diagnose issues without WONT-FIX or WORKSFORME. There is some of that in FOSS of course, but magnitudes less.
I use it at work all day.
When I come home I don’t want to have to debug any issues or tweak my kernel settings, so I use a Mac. I do have a Linux laptop but honestly that’s just for fun - anything serious I will do on my MacBook. Don’t need to worry about backups. Can run most of the DAW software I like. And it’s a nice relaxing experience.
Back in the day I remember having to recompile my kernel on Linux just for usb support. And don’t get me started on trying to get the right X11 settings. I do that all day, I just want peace and stability at home.
Nowadays I can't be bothered to set it up. I go with Windows because that's what's installed by default when I buy my laptop. I'm no longer the teenager who thought she was a superior nerd because she installed Arch.
I make use of Linux at work, though most development happens on a mac.
Literally nothing. But if I had to choose one thing that is more difficult than it should, that’s audio. I record instruments through an audio interface and use DAWs for making music covers. Setting up everything can be time consuming and/or a pain in the ass when you’re trying to get as little latency as possible.
It's the QoL for me, the small things for when I need something done fast and out of my way and for some reason a missing piece of software forces.me to investigate the terminal way... And I really don't have the time. For example compressing PDFs or exporting images from it, in Windows I have software for it, Linux is hit or miss. OBS for streaming in Linux is fine but there are windows only plugins or only some make use of hardware acceleration. For peripheral support, like printers, scanners, plugging in my guitar or audio stuff is like fine but takes many hours of research on Linux..
To sum it up a little bit, what keeps me from removing dual boot is that "end user" feel with highly available solutions at a clicks distance, versus the debugging mindset and having scripts ready for hacks. The whole xorg vs Wayland is becoming very stressful to me, as well the Flatpak vs packages, or Deb vs rpm, it becomes stressful at times.. I don't really want to know but certain things keep bringing them in front of me all times, like software having multiple different installers for Wayland or xorg, for each distro, or community installers breaking, camera and microphone support per app, etc etc.
My work requires us to use a Windows machine. The company has, overall, nearly zero experience with Linux outside of the more experienced personnel. Even then, I end up being the escalation for any non-trivial (read: I followed vendor doc / YouTube video / GitHub README) work. I have zero problems with this. I'm not supporting 50+ people with zero practical experience with Linux.
They provide the hardware and pretty much any software licenses I need. I've used it professionally literally my entire career and it works and gets out of my way for what I do. Without exaggeration, everyone I interact with (across dozens of companies) uses Windows and it's easier to support them when I'm using the same thing every day as them.
I've had exactly one client who specifically used Linux, and I was able to work with them just fine because I've used Linux for a large fraction of my career.
So where am I going with this? I'm at the age in my career and life that I'm sick of dealing with year another thing to support and manage. I keep up within my field (which includes Linux knowledge) to keep my skills sharp. After hearing the myriad of Desktop options, the various problems, having used them periodically over the years, I never had the warm fuzzies or comfort to deal with that daily.
I basically only use my company provided Windows laptop as my everyday PC. The corporate policy on it (plot twist: I wrote it. It's good to be the king) is minimal enough that it has zero impact on my non-professional use.
Everything else that I have or care about is on a Windows Desktop or Linux Server VM, or my (Android) smart phone.
So I'm not wasted my limited time with Yet Another Machine running Linux. I have my VMs. 1 physical box is more than enough.
I'd argue it's too much and I'd rather not deal with a desktop PC and all the crap on it, Windows or otherwise.
For works, pretty much ALL the big corps would support Windows, Mac and some ChromeOS. Frankly I’d rather not have to deal with some obscure problems when working.
For gaming, since Windows is always readily available for cheap I’d rather not sacrifice 10% frame rates.
That being said, outside of work and gaming (which is not a lot these days) I use Linux for web browsing, light coding, music… It’s refreshing.
I have an nvidia card (2060) in my desktop and every flavor of Linux I’ve tried on it, the video cards inevitably creates drama. I have a steam deck so I’m sold on the possibility of forcing windows permanently, and I use Nobara on my laptop with Intel GPU just fine and love it.
Aside from that, I also worry that I can’t take full advantage of my equipment under Linux. For example, I like being able to go into window’s device manager and tweaking hardware settings like for my WiFi card. The options for that same card either don’t exist in Linux or are buried beneath a command line that I’m capable of using but prefer a GUI.
Gaming. Linux is still a second class citizen and it's a headache sometimes to get some games to work. You get patches weeks later if it's natively supported or you have issues playing some games. I've tried twice, even after the steamdeck it's just not as good. My friends and I just jump on random games out of the blue, can't deal with the hassle of debugging why this specific game in early access won't work. Especially online games and that's 90% of what I do.
I've also had more issues doing general maintenance because something would break once in a while. Updating packages and suddenly something would stop working. Nothing I can't fix, I don't mind it when I'm working, but when my brain is off I just want to watch movies/YouTube and game it's a pain.
I don't think the issues will ever be fixed tbh, I love Linux, so many good things. I especially love the terminal/ file system and it's my favorite environment to work on, but it's never going to be the year of desktop Linux unless Linux becomes something else. Macos and windows hit the mainstream because it's streamlined, you can't do that with 10 different packages managers, 30 some fork of a fork of a fork distros, bunch of desktop environments, different toolkits for widgets, x number of init systems, the list could go on for a long time. Just looking at how Wayland transition went/is going, yikes. Nobody wants to deal with this shit. Unless the open source community stops the "I'll build my own, with hookers and black jack" way of thinking it's never going to happen and that's kinda what Linux is about so..
Keyboard shortcuts muscle memory, Microsoft Office, Acrobat Pro, Scrivener. I use Linux on servers and "embedded" RPi setups and on an old laptop on a hangar for basic browsing / LibreOffice stuff but I can't use that setup for work (I've tried!).
They only know Microsoft and anything Linux is foreign to them. Worst part is, we do embedded Linux software development. We have a virtualization solution which is a security nightmare as IT doesn't manage those virtual machines.
Mostly games compatibility, even though I know I'd be willing to try and make my video games work with either Proton or Wine. But also me being incredibly chickenshit in wanting to change over from Windows to Linux.
Just do it. My philosophy is "I don't need to run anything that doesn't run in Linux"
So far I've not found any deal breakers. A few games that don't need my business, and the only business software I've paid for is a program called Insync that keeps all my OneDrives and Google Drives synced to my desktop. (There are others that do similar for free, but nothing quite as comprehensively - IMHO small price to pay to keep windows off my PC.)
I do use it , just not exclusively at home, still need Adobe products and Microsoft 365 too, so Linux has it's place at my house, just not for everything
Nothing keeps ME from using it. I use it daily, and have so for decades.
But, 10 years ago I'd have said the fact that old kernels weren't being removed/pruned automatically with system updates when run through the UI was preventing anyone from recommending Linux to the Linux illiterate.
Yes, someone with the right knowledge could clean up /boot and free up space. Grandparents simply using a machine for email wouldn't have a clue what to do or why their machine started having issues with updates. Back then when space was being eaten it prevented system updates from happening due to lack of space. And that is inherently a security issue with kernel updates. Yes, keeping a few recent versions of the kernel is best practice. But, allowing old versions to fester was causing worse security issues and limiting the potential user demographic IMO.
I use Linux on my home PC's. At my work to be compatible I have to use software that is unique but standard to what others in my profession use, and generally use software that is common to office work. Unfortunately, most of that software is not available for alternative OS's like Linux or BSDs. Those who sell it are not interested in making it available for Linux because the Linux market share isn't large enough, and possibly because the GPL is scary to them. BSD licensing might be less scary for them, but that's an even smaller market share.
the only thing i miss, is nvidia tool that decreases rendering resolution, it saved quite a lot of fps for my poorman gpu, i can't see that setting in nvidia control panel on Linux and would like to know if it ever exists
Thecat66666@reddit
I still run a windows machine because I just don't know enough about linux to make the switch because my use cases are both niche and varied. I am an audiofile and I run EQ on my system constantly, I am a music producer who uses ableton live, not all my hardware is natively supported (motum2, razor mouse), I have an Nvidea GPU, I draw, 3D model, animate, edit videos, and game. Those are all things that *can* work on Linux, but need to be figured out, or some sort of switch to a new tool needs to be made before it can work. As for music production, I'm pretty sure that is just going to happen in a windows VM if I switch, since the VST plugin filetype is closed source and anything that uses it also has to be closed source due to the license of the file type (It's pure evil). For a while I also didn't have anywhere to put my important files for when I make the switch as well.
On top of that there are so many different file systems (btrfs, ext4, zfx, xfs), window managers (KDE Plasma, Hyperland, Awesomewm, etc. etc.), distros, communication protocols (wayland, x11), audio systems (pipewire, pulse audio), and more that needs to be considered before I commit to a switch.
All of this NEEDS to be ironed out before I make any sort of switch, and I'm working on it. So far I'd say I got half of the problems I mentioned ironed out, but its taken a year to get to this point.
Thecat66666@reddit
Update: I don't run on windows anymore! yay :3
devino21@reddit
4 Monitors. I can NOT get 4 monitors working well in a 3x monitor row with one on top layout (what I use for SimRacing so it has to stay this way).
Almost had it with Pop_OS but noticed that sometimes an app would run but not display on-screen. Disabling a 4th screen brought it back, then I could re-enable the screen, but who wants that workflow? Yes I use Nvdia cards (hence the Pop_OS test). :-(
DamianRyse@reddit
Even 3 monitors are a pain. I had Arch with Hyprland running fine for a while on my secondary computer. Then I started to use Windows more often again because of gaming and when I decided to use my Linux pc again, I did the normal system updates and suddenly only one of my 3 monitors seem to work.
Tried to tinker and figure out why it's not working but I just gave up. I've even asked on reddit for help, but no response. Never used the Linux system since then again.
Sjostrands@reddit
Why i switch to Linux is simple i hate windows telemetry, spying, keylogging and so it goes. And Microsoft different requirement to be able to run Windows. The privacy aspect is important for me, as well on my computer i do what I WANT without Microsoft or Apple know every click and how long i use a program and so on.
When its comes to stability Linux is why more stable (if I stop fuc*ing around in all settings files and editing) as Linux and computer geek i am. The main reason Linux is way easyier to config to work the way your workflow is, and I know it a shocker that we humans work differently and have different workflow and here is Linux strengths compare to Windows or Mac Os X.
Of course not all is Perfect on Linux (and or Win and Os X) that's the nature. But if you willing to learn (which i am and was and still iam) then Linux teach you way more about your system then any other system. And did i Say Linux is Fun yo use, Why because i i am going to sit in front of computer for 6-12 h a day then i want i computer i can trust an looks good but most important works with me and my workflow, that i cant get on Windows or Os X.
Its sweet know i have control over all the part of the system and i CAN edit it if i wish (or know how) without any Corporation yelling at me for breaking the License agreement.
Then The work is one another story (the company decide most cases the computer for you) but home is different. And to be honest how many apps do you really use that does not have a equivalent (except Games) on Linux. I am 95% sure that mayoralty of people could use Linux if they really want. Like Ubuntu or Mint would be fine. I mean if my 82 year old farher and could learn Linux at 79 years old and use it still and my mom at 76 and now are 78 and still use Ubuntu Mate 22.04 LTS. So saying Linux does not Works is a little understatement. and i know my some if my relatives as well use Linux at the same age as my dad.
Yes Linux takes time to learn but when you get a hang of it its actually more logical and easyier then both Window and Os X. The main problem is people has become lazy (or to comfortable) and don't want to learn and to put the time need to learn new Os or any new software.
i am happy user of OpenSuse Thumbleweed after couple years of distro hopping i finally have landed in OpenSuse world as my home.
bartleby42c@reddit
Microsoft Office.
Yes, there are other options. Yes, there is a web version.
However Excel and PowerPoint have features and capabilities that are just better than anything else. It's the main reason I have windows hanging around.
Second item, 3D printing. Many convenient and useful tools for repairing and analysing models are not accessible in Linux. It's not impossible to use Linux, just easier in Windows.
_widgeon@reddit
Simplify3D, Cura, Repetier-Host, PrusaSlicer, Lychee Slicer, Chitubox, UVTools and MeshLab are available on Linux and I've use them. I can't imagine what else you'd need both for FDM and SLA printing.
torbeltront@reddit
I wrote a 6 page article about it for those who want to read it. https://librti.com/item/the-truth-about-linuxwarning-i-have-not
Sadly, it doesn't fit here, but I mentioned every single problem I could remember over the best of 10 years that I have been using it.
The spoiler is is that I wouldn't recommend it, even if I use it. I still think there is some good things about it and it's great I'm away from the Microsoft cult.
Read the article. I can't tell people what to do, but I would warn new comers not to continue, and t hose who haven't used it to not use it. Give Freebsd a go instead even if I don't know much about it.
Sorry about the confusing link. I don't have any control over that, but I speak in the negative about Linux despite some silver linings I have.
janne_oksanen@reddit
For me it's audio production software.
xuteloops@reddit
Bigwig and reaper have native Linux versions, FL and Ableton run through WINE, and yabridge lets you run your VSTs.
louigi_verona@reddit
Ableton runs through WINE? Now that's a surprise! Perhaps I should try it. I run FL through WINE.
xuteloops@reddit
Yep, Ableton runs through wine. To be fair I’ve only tested through bottles but it worked without any issues.
louigi_verona@reddit
Got ya, but not sure what you mean by "tested through bottles"
xuteloops@reddit
Bottles is a wine front end. I’m saying I’ve only tried it using bottles. I’m sure it would still work with playonlinux or any other front end or even through CLI, but I can’t verify as I’ve only run it through bottles.
TVSKS@reddit
Check out Autogridder. It can basically stream the GUI for whatever you want from a win PC to a Linux PC. I use a win VM and "stream" softsynths to my Linux host
ycarel@reddit
What would be the value to not do it all straight on Windows then?
TVSKS@reddit
Cause it's an interesting project and cause it lets me keep my main daw Linux along with all the benefits of Windows software in a relatively seamless environment.
Frankly I was dealing with a lot of latency with windows only and this setup magically solved it.. I'll give you that it's a bit convoluted of a setup on the backend, and it requires two audio interfaces, but once I got everything nice, configured and tweaked it's been set and forget (except those stupid Windows updates)
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Yep, it is brought up very regularly in this kind of topics. Also other niche software that is Windows-only and buggy under Wine
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
What would people who are not using Linux be doing here?
Internet-of-cruft@reddit
Uh, I use Windows as my daily driver. I manage dozens of Windows Servers.
I also manage probably three times as many Linux Servers.
Just because you're not using Linux exclusively doesn't mean you have zero interest here.
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
So you do use Linux.
nathsabari97@reddit
I use linux but only on old laptops that just need a browser and word processing. Anything more serious than that windows is the way.
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
It's okay, I won't kink shame you.
Internet-of-cruft@reddit
If you read the subtext of the OP and a good chunk of replies, it's heavily implied people are answering the question "why do you not exclusively use Linux / why do you still use Windows".
Flynn58@reddit
I use Windows as my main OS but I run Fedora Remix through WSL2 and use it not only for development but for a lot of stuff where I prefer the Linux version. I don't use Microsoft's RDP client anymore I use Remmina through WSLg, I also use command-line stuff like ffmpeg and iperf3 with Linux because it's updated way more frequently and I just have to
sudo dnf upgrade.Honestly it wouldn't be impossible for me to just switch to Fedora full-time within five years. I'm already fairly at home on Linux, it's just not my daily driver because I don't need it to be. Who knows, Microsoft might end up forcing my hand depending on how Windows 12 shakes out.
My step-grandma has been using Linux since she switched from some UNIX family OS she had learned in the 80s at work writing SQL for their mainframe. She finds it funny that she's never used Windows meanwhile I haven't even switched. She's probably got a point lmao.
xtracto@reddit
How is Linux performance through WSL2? I Don't like VMs and emulation in general because it always seem to slow down the experience . If I could have full speed I would use Windows with Linux Mint in WSL2. In fact I did something like that on a previous Mac" it was faster to install Linuxi in VirtualBox and then run docker inside it, than the scrappy OSX emulation layer. Now I have a Dell and lots of stuff just don't work on Linux.
m4nf47@reddit
Your step grandma knows some shit, I'd be interested in reading her views on how Linux has changed it she'd adopted it in the early days from the UNIX side, I can just about remember that the very earliest full distributions were released shortly before I started working full time in the early 90s and I bought a Slackware CDROM set to install on my 386 because I hated DOS with a passion after being an AmigaOS user before that.
tsimonq2@reddit
It's also on r/linuxsucks if that makes you feel better. :P
Annual-Advisor-7916@reddit
What the actual fuck is this sub about?
The posts there all sound made up and unrealistic...
tsimonq2@reddit
What I find funnier is the amount of people who say they don't have time to tell you specifics, yet have time to complain about Linux.
xtracto@reddit
My problem with that is that the result of telling people specifics will most of the time get you a reply saying how you are "using it wrong" how you are not supposed to do that, tell you to use X repo o Y DE (which would "solve" your issue at hand but break 2 beware things, playing whack-a-mole).
I get it, people are trying to help. 99% of the people that try to help do not have a cku are not Developers and less devs of the software at hand.
But I understand people wanting to vent their frustration.
I'm myself half doing it here, even though I like using Linux (I use it exclusively in my home computers, including a Mac 2012 which runs good in mint) and run the tech side of a FinTech with that (mostly Linux based docker through ECS) .
But really most days I don't have time to deal with Linux bullshit deaktop . (Although it beats the alternative for me)
Annual-Advisor-7916@reddit
Totally, the top post is a guy complaining about "bugs" he has to fix to get "basic things done".
Aaaand he says that he is a nerd \^\^
Can't make that shit up...
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Until we daily Linux users will use that sub to vent out, and eventually overtake it completely )))
Honza8D@reddit
I used to use linux (ubuntu) but then returned back to windows, because games. I recently got interested how linux has changed since, so I lurk here now. Its not impossible ot be interested in something you dont use.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Except the anticheat-enabled massively-multiplayer games like PUBG or Fortnite, Windows games run under Proton just fine. Three or four years ago, I checked ProtonDB and did some research before buying Windows game; now I just buy it and it runs.
TopdeckIsSkill@reddit
I use Linux on my server and I like the philosophy of open source. What's wrong with it?
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Totally nothing, it's the first step in the very right direction
Back in old days, I switched to Linux to make my dev environment compatible with my hosting environment - it really paid off
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
So you do use Linux.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
I get irony of your question, but actually it's quite useful to read opinions from people who're pretty familiar with Linux about it's blockers or problems that prevent them from making the last step and switch completely. Reading the comments and quite surprised by the level of the discussions, so kudos to TS for bringing this up
Opfklopf@reddit
Well basically that they are interested in using linux but something is holding them back? Exactly what op is asking for no?
natterca@reddit
I'm interested in keeping somewhat abreast of the ecosystem: I've used Unix & Linux in the past (since late 80s). I currently use MacOs which is a Unix-y OS. I'm also an IT consultant and it doesn't hurt to know enough to be dangerous.
urban_noise@reddit
You could be using Linux for a whole host of different things other than as a Desktop OS.
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
Except it isn't?
urban_noise@reddit
It's implied.
ArrayBolt3@reddit (OP)
Intentionally so. I am focusing on desktop use here, though I guess I didn't mention it outright.
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
Life has taught me to never assume anything.
ayyworld@reddit
In fairness a lot of people use Linux for very specific use cases (server, laptop maybe?) and leave their desktops to Windows or macOS.
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
Maybe, but at the same time, the pool isn't specific about the desktop use-case, and so technically these people you mentioned are using Linux.
realitythreek@reddit
Me! Although I also use WSL on my desktop. It means I don’t need a separate workstation and gaming desktop, so win/win.
My work is 100% Linux though. Just doesn’t matter that I use Windows on the client.
go4zwin@reddit
Where? On reddit?
ObjectiveJellyfish36@reddit
No, participating on a subreddit literally called Linux.
RandomTyp@reddit
the pinned post on 2 x chromosomes literally says they're inclusive to all genders, i don't see the issue. there might also be people who use linux [servers] at work or are generally interested in it but don't use it privately. the question is not unreasonable to ask if you think about it
Mundane_Resident3366@reddit
For me personally its gaming, a lot of games work. But I can't tell you how many times I've gone to play a game like smite with some friends and then its me spending half the night trying to figure out why the hell the game worked 3 days ago but suddenly doesn't work today.
And laptop battery life. Watching any video or anything on my AMD laptop absolutely decimates the battery. Trying to get GPU accelerated video playback and setup shit like TLP...
Its a pain in my ass, and while I've used linux for years at this point I just don't feel like messing with stuff that plain just works on windows with minimal effort.
If we ever sort out this stuff I'd be back to pure linux.
metux-its@reddit
Nothing. For over 30 years now
North-Tip-2938@reddit
Actually i use Ubuntu but i rarely upgrade, especially when bachward compatibility is explicitly broken. I think that was true of Cinnamon v18 to v19 or some such.
Pancho507@reddit
Lack of compatibility with some windows apps I use, wine is not yet good enough for me
jplbeewee@reddit
Nothing stops me from using Linux. All my computers have been running Linux for decades.
ycarel@reddit
I used Linux exclusively for more than 20 years. A few years ago I gave up. My problem was the quality of many apps. Many times the following would happen: * I would get an app working to a satisfactory level. * after a few months I would either find functionality will stop working requiring me a lot of fiddling again, the app will become orphan and not have new features, the service that is connected to the app will change the compatibility locking me out.
Also for work usage I found that many applications are not the native application from the vendor creating a situation where I need to solve all issues myself wasting important work time.
I couldn’t justify anymore the time spent on making things work.
I have been using the following for the last few years giving me the tools that I need
I think the best thing long term for Linux adoption would be a cultural change where long term stability, better governance would be given a priority. A good example that show this can be done is the Kernel, the GNU toolset, etc.
FishermanTerrible864@reddit
Freaking this. Do Linux fans not have this problem? Honest question.
Getting and keeping certain things running on Linux is just work. If I wanna get something done, I don't want to spend all this time putzing around and Googling and troubleshooting. I want to install, run, and use my tools.
ycarel@reddit
I think all users have those issues over time. Some have the patience to fix the issues and some give up and move on.
FishermanTerrible864@reddit
Y'all are probably going to judge and downvote, but whatever...
When I want to install something, I just want to run an executable and click next a few times.
I'm sure with some more experience with the command line, things wouldn't be a problem, but to me, I honestly don't understand why "go to a web page, download it, and install/run it" isn't more common on Linux. It seems like going thru command line or an app manager for everything is just unnecessary hassle. I don't get it.
BetterAd7552@reddit
The need to use MS 365 for work. Like everyone else. Free options are a non starter due to compatibility issues.
I hate Windows, so I use a Mac. Best of both worlds.
captkirkseviltwin@reddit
For me, it’s mainly the games - yes, Proton and Linux native compatibility has been amazing, but there are still AAA games that I still need Windows for, so for home use I take the coward’s way out and just leave it with Windows 😄 For work and for other home projects, Linux is still my preferred tool to get stuff done.
One other thing keeps me on Windows for my daily driver at home - there’s something about “look, feel, and mouse responsiveness” that keep me off of LibreOffice - it’s hard to quantify, but just the way that mouse interactions go, or dragging objects onscreen and freedom of placement that cause me to dislike LO over MSO. It’s likely more familiarity than anything, and if I were to dedicate myself exclusively perhaps that would disappear over time.
Gold_Magician@reddit
The answer for me is nothing, there is nothing I do that can’t be done in Linux, and most of it is easiest done in Linux.
Dusty-TJ@reddit
A working Fractional scaling capability? Native gaming for all games? Natively run Adobe, AutoDesk and many other mainstream programs? I love what linux stands for and glad to see it’s improving but it’s far from being a mainstream home OS for the majority of people. For servers, developers, pen testers/cybersecurity experts, and anyone who mostly just uses a web browser it works great - but lets acknowledge that a Chromebook can do all the web based just as well.
Gold_Magician@reddit
Fractional scaling works for me, and all games I want to play work for me (basically anything that don't require draconian anti-sheat software works flawlessly in Linux, and even some that do require it works as well). I'm not a professional graphics designer or a photographer, so I couldn't care less about Adobe or AutoDesk, and for the little graphics work I do in my spare time, free software alternatives work brilliantly. LibreOffice has worked perfectly for me, I haven't felt that it is lacking compared to M$ Office. My day job requires me to develop HPC software for the world's most powerful supercomputer in Fortran and C++, this would be a hellish task in Windows but is simple in Linux, and doing this in a web browser is just foolish. I have used Linux for 15 years now, I did once try to go back to Windows, and it was just a painful experience.
tobimai@reddit
Games.
I just don't feel like spending time for a worse experience on Linux if I could just use Windows.
pppjurac@reddit
45% of poll is about software that responders use and need either not beeing available or alternative is not adequate
Which is kinda true, OS is working quietly in background , doing stuff , but users need program tools they know how to work with .
eighymack@reddit
It sucks.
firapinch@reddit
Nvidia
nooodles2023@reddit
I perfer using windows in a virtual machine built on ubuntu. It's the best choice for me.
tsimonq2@reddit
In case anyone doesn't feel like loading up Mastodon:
Boost for visibility.
To the #Windows and #macOS users of Mastodon who have tried #Linux and ended up still using Windows or macOS:
What is it about the Linux distro(s) you tried that made it/them unsuitable for your use? If some problem or set of problems was fully resolved, would it be enough for you to be able to comfortably use Linux?
eriksrx@reddit
I bet $20 that is the issue of nvidia drivers were solved for good it would address 80% of people’s issues with the platform.
tslnox@reddit
When I got fed up with my old GTX660 being too slow for any modern-ish game, I bought used AMD RX580 and I'm happy (for the price). I'm not a good customer anyway, but nvidia lost me.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
Nvidia user here - the only thing that's never quite worked right for me is vrr under wayland. Everything else has been peachy - often better than Windows in terms of performance.
Bought my laptop Feb 2020.
I'm sure there are genuine issues out there, but my experience doesn't justify the echo chamber hate nvidia gets.
proton_badger@reddit
Yeah, happy with Nvidia. My distro handles the driver updates itself. Gaming on Linux is awesome nowadays.
__nickelbackfan__@reddit
Myself as well, always flawless experience in multiple distros, just install the drivers and everything works oob
But I personally know people who had terrible experiences with nvidia on Linux
Darkblade_e@reddit
I'm an amd user, I've been eyeing a used nvidia gpu though (I'll be damned if im buying new from them right now), I've been super happy with amd, and my friend had good experiences with nvidia. Gaming on linux has had huge strides to make it pretty gpu vendor agnostic, which is absolutely awesome.
HomoplataJitz@reddit
Nvidia drivers are so shit that I sold my 1080 Ti and bought a 6700 XT to replace it.
_the_weez_@reddit
The issues that nvidia on linux has are numerous, and almost always only apply to them. Until they prove that their new driver is worth a damn I'm still saying that Nvidia is actively hostile towards desktop linux, anybody that cares about FOSS should avoid them. The only reason I can see using an Nvidia card in linux is if you are somehow making money with CUDA applications. Any performance gains that you think the hardware will have will almost always be destroyed by their crap tier drivers.
kooshipuff@reddit
I think it's not just nVidia/AMD but also X11/Wayland.
I''ve used nVidia cards with Linux for about 20 years, and it's always been a seamless, automatic process. In fact, it was easier than on Windows for a lot of that time, where you needed to dig up the CD that game with the graphics card to get it out of that 640/480 potato mode.
But, all that time was also using X11. I think it's that Wayland that doesn't really work with nVidia, and fair play- the few times I've tried to install a Wayland-based DE, they never got past (or sometimes even to) the login screen.
PhukUspez@reddit
It's not performance or the hardware/driver specifically, it's that a specific version has to be installed a specific way with specific config or the entire setup is trash. It has gotten a lot better the last few years but it doesn't come close to beating the ease of AMD setup and fluid operation.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
That’s the thing though, I’ve literally never had to anything other than let my package manger take care of it. Could be that all the specific this thats and the others are covered by the distro, but as the only time my system has been broken due to nvidia is when I manually installed a beta driver, and didn’t remove it properly. So very much pebkac. Having also used AMD in the past, there has been literally no difference in my end user experience.
PhukUspez@reddit
Then you're using a distro that has done the work for you, for close to 10 years Nvidia has been a shit show. You throwing around pebkac just means you're ignorant to the reality of the situation.
Buddy-Matt@reddit
Well, yeah, that’s my point. Much like my distro has compiled a kernel for me, configured my init system, made sure my display manger loads the right DE. Loads of things I could (and have, in the past) configure myself, but - to quote the flow chart - I value my time, so choose a distro with less manual configuration required.
So to claim nvidia is a barrier to 80% of users of Linux thus seems somewhat disingenuous to me. It may be a barrier if you want to use Gentoo/Arch, but not so much for the Pop_OS or Manjaro (and I’m sure countless others) crew.
As for ignorance, I’d have thought the fact I’m happily saying I use a distro which does the hard work for me speaks more to my ignorance of low level issues, rather than a frank admission that I broke my own system by fucking around with manually installing beta drivers.
maximus459@reddit
MS office, and Photoshop...
Yes, there are alternatives, but for most it's to far a departure to learn all of that again
Help_Stuck_In_Here@reddit
I seem to have virtually no problems with them and just have a monthly graphical glitch with the Nvidia drivers.
SpaceEnthusiast3@reddit
Yup, none of the solutions i tried or the distros i hopped to could solve the problem of my laptop's nvidia gpu not working on an external monitor
mauros_lykos@reddit
ubuntu has no issue with that. Even a first time user would be able to install these with just 2-3 clicks
kalzEOS@reddit
Yup, that's what made me put windows back on this one laptop I have that his this hybrid graphics bullshit. It just never wanted to work right, and when it did, the battery was shit even with Nvidia turned off. That's the only machine in my house that has windows on it. Linux everywhere else
adobo_cake@reddit
I installed Mint on an old Dell laptop with nvidia and it’s working fine. It even updates the nvidia driver when a new one comes out, never had issues.
ForShotgun@reddit
Isn't that right now the entire selling point of Pop!_OS too? They're the only ones with the issues solved because they worked with nvidia directly or something?
tilsgee@reddit
I'll throw in my 5 USD (my currency is weak) cause either Nvidia or Wayland doesn't play nicely with my 2013 laptop
hpstg@reddit
Pretty much.
MJBrune@reddit
I feel like even if that was the case, proton needs to start covering a lot more games and when they mark them playable they can't be in the state they are now with many games dropping frames drastically or straight up freezing for a moment on GPU particles. Straight up on acceptable.
neon_overload@reddit
What's the issue? I'm using nvidia drivers and have working gsync and games run nicely
mooky1977@reddit
I use pop! with a 1660 super and Nvidia 545 drivers, but I can't say the experience is 1100% pain free. Stuttering/locking windows on occasion still happens. I'm pretty sure at least some of my issues surround multi-monitor support or lack thereof polished support and dragging windows from one to the other.
I persist though, and I hope the Wayland bugs are mostly ironed out by the time system 76 pulls the trigger on cosmic DE with Wayland support because it is the future. X11 has had a good run, but she's showing her age.
AndroGR@reddit
Meh, Nvidia works. Yes it doesn't run (partially/at all) on Wayland but for X11 it's good enough to not keep you from switching if you plan to.
The real issue is the lack of software, and for some people, stuff like HDR. The good news is, that's a bit easier to fix than begging Nvidia to fix a bug with their drivers for 5 years.
extremepayne@reddit
I use Linux exclusively on my main machine and this is by far the most frustrating part
redditwarrior64@reddit
Literally today my arch install wouldnt boot properly because of mesa , solution ended up being around nvidia drivers
bumbo-pa@reddit
It's a non-issue for anyone outside of gaming and like deep-learning tinkers (and even there).
tsimonq2@reddit
I'll throw in $20 of my own on that bet. 😁
thephotoman@reddit
As someone who used to daily drive Linux but switched to macOS, the biggest thing was upgrades that worked with a relative minimum of drama.
To this day, updating to the latest version of a Linux distro on a live system is bound to cause some drama. Something will break, and I’ll be left with a half usable system. The last time I did a distro upgrade was a few weeks ago, and I wound up with a Linux system that wouldn’t boot. Far from being some strange distro operating on a shoestring, this was Fedora. But Fedora is not unique: most distros would rather you reinstall than upgrade.
I don’t have time to clean up the upgrade messes. I don’t have time for a system that breaks when I try to upgrade it. And I don’t want to take a 30 minute break to babysit an upgrade, only for it to break the boot process.
thomasfr@reddit
I have the opposite problems with.. Apple regulary breaks kernel backwards compatibility and I have to wait 6-12 months before all the MacOS based software vendors I use tells me that it is safe to upgrade. Software I need have stopped working correctly multiple times after OSX/MacOS upgrades so I simply don't take any chances there anymore.
My main OS which currently is Ubuntu which is also my main work environment for software development typically upgrades without any drama at all. I usually begin to upgrade my TV/media station computer a few days after a new release and then the rest of my work stations a few weeks after a release and as far as I can remember (10+ years) I haven't experienced a single issue that wasn't a simple configuration change.
thephotoman@reddit
Meanwhile, I basically don’t touch kernel space. So long as mu interfaces remain Single Unix Specification-compliant, I’m fine. But if you need kernel extensions (what macOS calls its own version of modules, for those not that familiar with macOS), life can be seriously painful.
I also don’t tend to use one-off software that I expect to continue using forever—another place where if that’s your workflow, macOS is not for you. There’s a huge library of Mac software that doesn’t work anymore because Apple stopped caring about backwards compatibility a very long time ago.
thomasfr@reddit
Most of the kernel/os api stuff that they break are not related to UNIX compatibility. It's almost always MacOS specific stuff.
A lot of serious professional software vendors will not spend a lot of upfront time verifying that their stuff works on beta versions of MacOS because those can change at any time so proper compatibility verification work often doesn't even start until after a new major MacOS release has been made public.
Then it takes months to test and possibly patches from all those vendors. There is always one or two who lags a bit behind the others, not necessarily the same every time so it is probably due to internal priorities.
thephotoman@reddit
Again, if your application sticks to user space, it doesn’t see the drama that happens if it relies on kernel extensions or SystemKit. I’ve genuinely not dealt with that problem at any point in the last 18 years.
Then again, as I said, my needs are very much “keep the Unix system in place, and I’m fine.” I don’t do much virtualization, even in software development. I don’t use a lot of third party apps, and I’d like some citations on the serious developers not even trying with betas—I haven’t actually read those blogs, mostly because I don’t tend to use such software, especially at home. The only specialized software I use on a regular basis is written against the Unix system.
thomasfr@reddit
There are no blogs but I have a lot of evidence of this from.
Of all the software packages I have licenses for (10+ vendors) very few confirm compatibility within a month of a new Major MacOS release.
It makes sense if you think about it, why spend expensive testing and development time trying to validate functionality on a beta when you have to do it again when the release hits anyway because you can not be sure that something important has changed up to a few days before the actual public release. Apple does not have any kinds of guaranteed freeze periods in thei preview releases so basically anything
ycarel@reddit
Also with MacOS due to Apples update policy you don’t need to upgrade major versions for a very long time letting new releases and software to stabilize.
Unique_username1@reddit
Yeah, Windows has many problems of its own but compared to Linux and MacOS, its compatibility with legacy apps and ability to update without breaking stuff is really good.
I mean… those updates will move stuff around in the UI for no reason, turn telemetry/spying that you disabled back on, or add completely new junk you didn’t have to worry about before… but your existing apps will usually run no problem
_the_weez_@reddit
FWIW I have never had upgrade issues as bad as I have on Fedora. It's ultimately what drove me away from Fedora altogether. Other distros have upgraded fine for me, and others have had hiccups. But Fedora has literally never worked, ever. 3 failures in a row, I will never rely on Fedora again. It's just beta RHEL at this point, if I want stability I will use one of my "dev" licenses and if I want new packages I use Arch.
phred14@reddit
For all of the jokes about Gentoo, I find it stunningly reliable for just this reason. There are a very few exceptions, but by and large, if I compiled it on my computer it will run on my computer. By simply being able to compile it you've got the dependencies, and because you compiled with those libraries you can generally run with those libraries.
ArrayBolt3@reddit (OP)
This definitely is a big pain point, and one that I have pretty much no idea how to fix effectively with traditional distros. Hopefully the immutable desktop revolution will help with that some though.
LordButternub@reddit
I DD Linux but I’ll admit it’s jank af
n5xjg@reddit
This is 100% true. I’m so tired of developers not QA testing software before releasing it. I work with Linux for my living and I love it! But I don’t want to do it all day and then come home and do it all night when I want to relax and play. Especially when it comes to gaming.
Gaming has come a long way on Linux but it’s still completely broke. Not in the sense that it doesn’t perform but it’s a crap shoot when it’s going to work. One day all my games work, the next day after an upgrade, 1/2 of them don’t.
We need more stability in Linux for it to be a viable gaming choice!
Normal computing, outside of gaming, it’s a clear winner and has been for years. Just need to hone up gaming and teach developers to test their software better 😀.
MustangBarry@reddit
I use Manjaro, and I've never had a system failure of any sort. It helps that we don't have periodic large updates, it's a rolling release (you probably knew that).
Ubuntu used to usually mess something up when an LTS came around - I started with 8.04, a long time ago. I switched to Elementary OS which didn't even have update-distro, you had to reinstall. Bugger that. I've seen the Manjaro horror stories but mine has always worked. It's been a couple of years and my mantra has held; trust every distro you use exactly once.
thephotoman@reddit
Temporally distributing the drama of an upgrade by moving to rolling releases isn’t so much a fix for my problem as it is replacing the major inconvenience of breaking my computer trying to upgrade its OS with the minor but more routine inconvenience of large, potentially world-changing updates.
It’s still more OS drama than macOS. Even when the distro is competently run, which is something I cannot say of Manjaro of all fucking distros.
MustangBarry@reddit
Can't argue with that. I adored my 12" Powerbook until it was stolen.
kedstar99@reddit
I am moving to OS X (been an Ubuntu user since 15.10). For myself it is partly the tpm secure boot mess. I am tired of having to keep plugging in my password.
Also not a fan of the massive power draw.
agent-squirrel@reddit
What TPM drama? Are you talking about using LUKS?
kedstar99@reddit
Keyless LUKS decryption yes. I know it is potentially feasible now with systemd and a bunch of faff. Why bother?
agent-squirrel@reddit
It’s an absolute shit show I agree. I tried to implement it into our Linux desktop SOE. All well and good once you have it working but how do you get the recovery key for some random machine in the field? There is no central authority that can escrow the keys like AD can with bitlocker. Total mess.
Endemoniada@reddit
I already use Linux for servers, but for my home gaming PC I still use windows. The main reason I haven’t switched to Linux is, well… why would I? Apart from philosophical opinions about free software (that I personally honestly don’t care that much about), the fact is that Windows is the right OS for my needs, not Linux. Every game is made for Windows, every driver is better on Windows, all the software around it is made for Windows. Moving over to Linux would result in effectively no benefits for me or my gaming hobby at all, but would require a lot of sacrifice and hard work just to get anywhere near the same starting point as Windows.
I’m a big believer in the right tool for the job, and as much as I love and respect Linux and the FOSS community, there are times when Linux still isn’t necessarily the right tool. It’s a tool, and for someone else with different needs and requirements, maybe it is the right one, but for a bog-standard gamer with no additional requirements at all… Windows is, like it or not, the right choice.
Until Linux can achieve perfect parity in this regard, I see no reason to switch. Interestingly, huge strides have been taken in recent years, which is impressive, but as others have mentioned the driver quality and support is still quite poor, and games are still being “emulated” in various ways rather than be native ports. That strategy is, and always will be, just the second-rate alternative, with Windows remaining the default choice.
tilsgee@reddit
No built-in passkey support
In Windows, i can just type my PC PIN, and it's good to go
In Linux, you either need a USB passkey or a Bluetooth passkey
Mikey9124x@reddit
The amount of programs compatible with Linux, I can use wine but it's not the same.
Emordrak@reddit
My boyfriend didn’t like Linux because at the time it was very hard for him to install programs. He’s not very good with computers so type the commands sort of made him get lost on it. I know things are much better now but at the time he never got used to it
CertainlyStenchy@reddit
Font rendering. Looks like shit compared to MacOS and Windows. I've tried absolutely everything, no matter what, fonts look like shit.
Quirky_Obligation_64@reddit
I use linux daily, but there are cases when I have to use windows. to E-sign a document using security card my employer as bought. Also to pay some taxes there are just Windows programs for that (the alternative is printing out forms and filling them by hand).
SweetBabyAlaska@reddit
the psychotic thing is that the US government was going to release a free tax software that would work anywhere and do everything, but then Turbo Tax, Intuit and H&R block lobbied the government to not do it because it would have killed their business lmao its so messed up
https://www.fastcompany.com/90977185/intuit-turbotax-hr-block-response-irs-direct-file-mistrust
https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-turbotax-20-year-fight-to-stop-americans-from-filing-their-taxes-for-free
Im not good at describing it but it is well documented
ChickenOverlord@reddit
FWIW, Turbo Tax and Intuit are the same thing (Intuit owns Turbo Tax).
agent-squirrel@reddit
That’s madness. In Australia it’s a web app that takes about 20 minutes if you don’t have complex tax affairs.
kalzEOS@reddit
I use a website called freetaxUSA .com that is free of charge and charges on $14 for the state tax filing. Not too many people know about it and I don't have the power to spread it around. It took me about 20 minutes to complete the whole thing, but I don't have anything complicated, just your average boring tax shit
Quirky_Obligation_64@reddit
Actually I did not mean US, but Poland, and the program called "Płatnik", which is windows-only. It is not for income tax but for retirement and health tax (called insurance, but it is a tax - it is obligatory and proportional to the income, unlike insurance). In principle runs well under Wine. It runs well until it does not, and you don't want to discover that it does not near any deadline. You use that each month. Even if you pay $4 a month, you submit that monthly.
I-baLL@reddit
I wonder if it'll work in Wine
genuineshock@reddit
That's for sharing this, I had no clue. It actually pisses me off quite a bit...I mean...FUCK those guys!
kalzEOS@reddit
If you want to file your taxes and don't have complicated filing, then I'd suggest using freetaxusa .com. I think they have the ability to do more complicated stuff, but I don't understand most of it, so I couldn't tell ya, but I would definitely take a look and see if it helps. Free federal and $14 for state. That's assuming you are in the US. lol
Quirky_Obligation_64@reddit
Yeah, but I do not live in the US. I have now the working solution. In any case filing is very easy (one employee - myself), but obligatory and done on monthly basis. It is more of a hassle to actually fill in the forms and send them via mail than the amount to be pair.
jr735@reddit
I don't even tolerate that. If the choice is paper or Windows, I'll do the paper.
Quirky_Obligation_64@reddit
Yeah, until your taxes are lost by mail operator, and you have to petition them to lift the fine (and prove you sent them). Also paper taxes have to be read and typed in by someone, so it takes 2 months longer to have that processed than electronic tax form, which is processed semi-automatically.
jr735@reddit
Yes, it might take longer. I have an accountant handle my taxes, and he can run whatever OS he wants. When I submit in payroll information for my company, I do it by hand. The mail hasn't lost them yet.
Candy_Badger@reddit
I have Windows VM for that. It covers most of my needs.
MJBrune@reddit
I feel like if you need a windows vm Linux has failed as a complete OS. You don't need Linux on Windows and that's because it's a complete OS. Despite that Windows has even incorporated the Linux kernel in Windows as a subsystem as an option to web developers and others.
TheFireStorm@reddit
Linux is a complete OS it just doesn’t get the same level of app support Windows and MacOS does on a Consumer level. Once more software starts being Cloud/Browser based and not tied to OS. Linux will start becoming more common for Consumers
namuro@reddit
It still continues to be Windows
leavemealonexoxo@reddit
if I remember correctly in Germany for years their tax software called „Elster“ was online available for Windows (but could be run under wine) but for a while the software now exists as an online version (Web Browser)
Dusty-TJ@reddit
Don’t get me wrong, I like and support linux and FOSS. I am into what they stand for and for the people that can make it work for them, great. But needing to use an emulator (WINE, PlayOnLinux, Codeweaver, Proton, etc…) means that linux (natively) can’t do what is needed and this isn’t the fault of linux or its developers. This is because the mainstream software industry doesn’t support linux.
I had the same issue switching from Windows to MacOS for a couple of years. I spent a lot of time finding Mac versions of programs I used, some didn’t exist for Mac and alternatives had to be found and when an alternative wasn’t available I had to resort to a VM, emulation, or just had to go without. But why go without when Windows does what I need? I dislike the direction Windows is going, I dislike MS’s business practices, but the product has all the market support and does what I (and the majority of people) need it to do.
Use what meets your needs, as it’s just a tool.
CraftySpiker@reddit
Common sense and an absence of world-class horizontal applications.
Horror-Procedure-825@reddit
I ise Linux on my work laptop + servers at home. But what prevents me from using it on my home desktop is my wife. We share the desktop and she does not like change at all. She refuses to ise anything that is not the default settings. Linux home desktop is just not an option ecen if I'm convinced she would love LMDE if she woukd just try it.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Can you give her some sane distro and leave all default settings? (ok, I was kidding; you can't fool around with wife's machine). On the contrary, my colleague once installed Fedora on his wife's laptop, and since she uses only browser, couple of messengers and, rarely, a word processor, it was totally ok for her.
Horror-Procedure-825@reddit
I get it, but honestly, it is not worth the hassle. She uses office suite so that would be yet another huge battle. Lol
4estsreddit@reddit
You can get an internal ssd (like the crucial mx500 on amazon), then install your favorite distro to it with a usb to sata adapter (Sabrent makes good ones). Then you can boot up from linux without altering the host computer. Just be sure that when you’re installing it that you format the ssd dongle, NOT the host computer’s storage. If you’re unsure, you can use an old computer to install it to the ssd, then just hook up the ssd dongle to your main computer to use linux.
Ludio1979@reddit
I love Linux, but because sadly there are no native versions of Outlook (wine sucks). Yes, you can use O365 webmail or Thunderbird but it’s clunky. Some companies don’t allow IMAP. I use WSL for a lot of things, I think MSFT knows if they publish Outlook for Linux there would be a lot of folks switching.
Ok_Concert5918@reddit
At work, the fact I teach students how to use screenreaders that are only available on windows (JAWS and NVDA). I need a parent to request Linux me to be able to move over to teach orca.
At home I dual boot fedora and windows so I can use fedora 99% of the time but test accessibility on windows side.
Stooovie@reddit
Lack of After Effects.
M3n747@reddit
On my laptop, nothing. On my desktop, the fact that after reinstalling it wouldn't boot.
BroodjeMalsVlees@reddit
Started wondering this couple days ago. Although I do have some (arguably little) experience with linux from my study, I'm still anxious to switch. Don't really know why because the things I use my pc for are almost all available on Linux as well.
Kinda sick of Windows, but also grown 'dependend' on it. At least that's what I like to tell myself.
Probably gonna try to switch this week or the next.
hysan@reddit
Over this holiday break, I decided to try coming back to Linux after a 6 year break. I previously used it from 2007ish to 2017. The things that are giving me the most grief this time around:
I have yet to plug this into my two monitors (one high resolution, the other low). My hope is that this will work better than in the past when I had to do things like write X11 configs or mess with randr (Are those a thing anymore? I’ll be finding out soon.). I suspect that I’ll run into trouble there too.
The paper cuts I’ve experience so far (but can live with) are: - KDE frequently crashes when the laptop wakes from sleep. - The apparent death of Latte dock and really having no good dock for KDE on Wayland.
There’s a ton that’s better now like GPU support + graphics switching, gaming, and overall smoothness/polish of the DE experience. However, I’m past my tinkering phase and likely won’t continue down this experimental return as I don’t want to manually patch things or spend a lot of time in config files every time I run into something that works in one DE but not this other DE. I just want a cohesive environment that I can use day-to-day without having to Google every odd quirk.
hysan@reddit
New issue as I move further along in setting things up: Gesture support is pretty lacking on KDE at least. Pretty huge minus and one reason I moved away from running Linux as my main OS. Kinda surprised that hasn’t improved in the 6 years that I’ve been away.
KCGD_r@reddit
nothing
none of my vsts work in linux though so i keep a vm for FL studio
Stachura5@reddit
99.999% of my stuff is/works on Linux with no issue, altough the 0.001% that keeps me on Windows is Fusion 360 for CAD modeling, the FiveM mod for GTA V & steering wheel drivers for my Thrustmaster T300; I couldn't get the first two to work through Wine & for my wheel I need to install some kind of driver from GitHub which is a bit ehh of a workaround
GaiusJocundus@reddit
Nothing.
darklink259@reddit
Games, but I think we'll get there at some point in the next decade.
HTPC, and this I'm less certain about. Windows has easy and good scaling which is important for a 4k tv. Also madVR, though a while ago I got MPV reasonably close. Unsure about HDR stuff but I wouldn't be surprised if there are issues there as well.
redonculous@reddit
I know I’ll get downvoted for this, but here’s my honest thoughts, as someone who would love to switch over.
The desktop doesn’t look as polished as other OSs. Not sure why, I know it’s super customisable, but it just doesn’t seem as polished.
I don’t know where anything is. So I’m always looking for what I need. That’s time consuming and a pain. Also the “place” of things is different depending on which distro you use.
I’m not sure what software/hardware will and won’t work once I’ve installed Linux. Again, it depends on which distro you use.
If I do need to use a windows program, do I use Wine, or the new layer thing whose name I forget now? Again, more research, more hours spent searching forums for the info I need.
I’d try a dual boot setup, but last time I tried grub hid/removed the windows partition, so I had to do a fresh install.
Are there solutions to any of the above?
whosdr@reddit
Well what desktop? Cinnamon? GNOME? KDE? MATE? LXDE? Unity? XFCE?
Is that not just a case of being accustomed to some desktops and not others?
xtracto@reddit
And this is the problem right here. Fragmentation.
whosdr@reddit
You say fragmentation, I say choice.
On Windows and MacOS, Microsoft and Apple respectively have almost all the power in shaping how the desktop will look, features it provides, etc. Unless you feel like buying a new machine, you just have to suck it up.
We can all collectively shift away from a desktop (or any software project) that starts to suck too much. And then the project can either roll back and look for a better solution, or it dies and someone forks it. But either way at least bad decisions don't lead to more bad decisions.
i5-2520M@reddit
Gnome is close to having a polished look, I just hate how it works, KDE is weird with margins, fonts and colors. LXDE is fine if you prefer how older OS' looked. MATE looks worse than LXDE IMO, though I havent tried in a while. Unity looks okay, I don't think I ever used it. XFCE looks ancient and terrible. LXQt is terrible.
I will admit these opinions are mostly vibe checks based on my past and current computer usage, but I would guess that many non-Linux people would mostly agree.
whosdr@reddit
I still think I'd rather KDE to GNOME just as a personal preference; if the main theme removed a few of those harsh lines and scaled icons a bit better then it'd be really nice to use in general.
Plasma's gotten a lot better with the default settings though.
i5-2520M@reddit
I'm currently on Gnome with a few extensions to make it almost look like W10, but I like KDE a lot. If touchpad kinetic scroll worked properly I would be on KDE
whosdr@reddit
Ah, I'm a desktop person with my mouse and keyboard and all.
That said I use Cinnamon because..nothing fancy, just does everything I want.
HomoplataJitz@reddit
I've found that majority of the times where people say "the desktop" without mentioning the actual environment and say "it's not polished", they're really just complaining it's not exactly line what they already are used to and prefer.
The majority of what you have said is generic bullshit. You'd be capable of stating specifics had you actually tried anything.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Since Windows and MacOS have only one desktop environment, most regular people confuse the OS with the environment and thing it is the same. Linux has plenty of environments and desktop engines, mentioned in another excellent comment. You can find one that is as polished as in Windows, but, unfortunately, there will still be a pain points related to frequently-used operations, for example, when you open some file - I mean, no matter what desktop environment you use, such trivial operation as selecting the file with a dialog will give you some frustration. But you will get used to it if you'll switch. Also, you need to understand that Linux is about software, not environment. Once you will have your set of tools, you will use them, and what distro or environment you are using will become a matter of taste (which will take some time to develop).
BogenBrot@reddit
I think it depends on the distro and desktop you're using.
For me, gnome is very chaotic and doesn't look good. KDE or Cinnamon are way better because they are familiar to the windows desktop.
Yes, you are right. Most of the apps in the store should run without problems, but at this point it's more like a lucky game.
For windows apps you can use wine or bottles. For Windows games you use steam, heroic or/and lutris.
You can use dual boot but in my opinion, its very risky and i would not recommend it. Yes, it could work but most of the time it fails. There are really many of help posts, because dual boot fucked up.
I like the way with the second hard drive. It cost probably 50€ for a new ssd and you could switch the os, if you need windows again. But i also know, not everybody like this solution.
the9engines@reddit
Second monitor
Skidmabadaf@reddit
Works fine
skiptide@reddit
Wayland is decent on latest nvidia drivers.
Skidmabadaf@reddit
Creative workflows such as music and video/photo production. Suresure there might be some open-source alternatives but why the fuck would I bother when I can just use windows
tutami@reddit
Everything works in linux except small details and these small details matter when they accumulate.
Recently I convinced my friend to use linux. He installed ubuntu on a separate disk and booted. The speakers sound was very low even if he set it to the max. Solution was maxing the sound in console with alsamixer and to make it permanent with
sudo alsactl store. He said fuck that shit and deleted ubuntu.Luigi003@reddit
This right here. The details, the Quality Of Life, the little things. Sometimes using Linux feels like using Windows XP where you had to fight the OS to be able to work
This is a really old (6 years or so) event but it goes to highlight the problem: - I wanted to add a shortcut to the desktop on Ubuntu. - I went to the file in question and I right-clicked and chose "make a shortcut". But it seems I didn't have permissions to write in that directory so it failed
Here comes the first problem, this can happen in Windows, and when it happens the OS immediately asks if you want to send the shortcut to the desktop. Ubuntu just failed.
Then I had to look on the internet, the proposed solution in forums was... To use the command line to make a shortcut. That's not user friendly, that shouldn't happen.
Also, the Linux kernel(userland?) has really poor out of memory management. I don't know how it works, but in my Windows machine an out of memory condition didn't ever hang the OS important apps/services. Linux comes to a complete halt in that case and it takes a lot of time till you can use the desktop again
farfaraway@reddit
For me it is multiscreen wonkiness. Windows don't stay where I put them. Everything feels fragile. I have work to do. Don't make me fight with my system.
I ended up using MacOS. It's ok.
AmSoDoneWithThisShit@reddit
I run LMDE6 across 5 screens (3 UHD, 2 QHD) without issue. And my desktop stays up for weeks at a time with no instability.
cogniVibes@reddit
FL Studio...I have paid for it. I can't buy another software. Alss FL studio is just awesome. Free daws that are available on Linux aren't as good as FL studio.
ben2talk@reddit
I think people generally deciding to buy laptops instead of desktops hasn't helped - that, and nVidia in general.
I never had issues with desktops, and most troubleshooting seems to revolve around laptop hardware and nVidia issues.
Randolpho@reddit
For work? Nothing, I prefer it unless I have no choice due to some windows specific need.
For personal stuff? Gaming on linux sucks.
Also, although DEs are sophisticated enough to be nearly as good as windows at the actual window management stuff, Windows 10 and even 11 (if you ignore the bullshit adware baked in) is far superior, especially with multiple monitors. Even better than Mac.
If I could have my cake and eat it too, I’d have the windows graphical shell running on a debian-linux-organized kernel and filesystem (not some bullshit linux over windows “subsystem” which is bash over ntfs and definitely not the same), but the incompatibilities of all the various services that make up both OSs keep that from being a reality, so the best I can hope for is a DE that tries really hard to ape Windows while also trying to maintain compatibility with programs written for still other DEs resulting in a mostly fine but occasionally frustrating experience.
IDesignM@reddit
The sheer fragmentation of Linux and game engine software (specifically Source 2).
aparallaxview@reddit
Gamepass
LeeTaeRyeo@reddit
I’m actually curious about how running Windows in a VM with GPU passthrough would handle this. Game Pass is what holds me back right now as well, but if a VM is an option, I’d be comfy with switching
HrBingR@reddit
Passthrough with gpu pinning works really well. Used arch to do it; their documentation on doing it is superb.
tuxbass@reddit
I played from a VM for years. It works fine, but some games started refusing to boot up due to VM environment detection, and that's what brought an end to it.
Trick-Apple1289@reddit
If im not wrong there was a way to make a windows vm seem as „legit hardware”
tuxbass@reddit
Oh I'm not saying there are no workarounds. But after hour-two trial-errors the time cost became too big for me personally and decided to give up. Plus this feels like yet another cat-and-mouse game, so who's to say how long a fix would last for. Were I 15 years younger, I'd try to fight it for sure.
LeeTaeRyeo@reddit
I don’t play competitive games and nothing that uses anti-cheat, so I figure that might not hit me as hard? But thanks for the report! I may just go ahead with it
tuxbass@reddit
Yes, I can't see games without an anti-cheat being affected by this.
tilsgee@reddit
Basically, FarCry 6, at least on my testing
go4zwin@reddit
Same. And 100+ free games collected on Epic game store.
EtherealN@reddit
Epic Game Store works totally fine on my Linux gaming desktop. You don't even need Heroic, the simple normal one is a one-click install.
I just don't use Linux on anything that isn't for Gaming. There I use OpenBSD. :P
FabioSB@reddit
I wanted to do the same, but these week when I installed openbsd I have issues with gnome or my hardware, I still can't figure out.
EtherealN@reddit
Gnome is a thing I haven't even tried on OpenBSD. It is legendarily problematic (though I've seen the obligatory "How to get Gnome running" type guides float around), since it is developed 100% for Linux. Thus, to get it working on BSDs, a lot of work is needed from the porting.
KDE is easier (I haven't tried it on OpenBSD, but FreeBSD it's a simple package install) since the KDE project have a more OS-agnostic approach to developing the DE.
Personally I'm more of a tiling window manager person on laptops, so haven't bothered.
Hardware is one of those near-binary things. If it works, it just straight up works. But one should definitely pre-check hardware before obtaining it with the intent of testing OpenBSD. I had an old Acer previously, and it was compeltely dead in the water. Switched to Framework 11th Gen and it was a pure turnkey experience. And, of course, make sure to always run
fw_updateafter install, to make sure you get the latest firmware. For example, my Intel wifi needs this, since they cannot (licensing stuff I think) ship the firmware with the installer.FabioSB@reddit
Yeah I think it's maybe a issue with the package. I manager to solve other issue, also I follow some man pages to do so. I was kind of hyped thanks to that. If gnome had worked, that would have been be the best experience for me. I'll take a look and report the issue. I guess I can try cwm or Xfce in the mean while. Thanks for response
fellipec@reddit
This, my gaming rig is Windows and it will be like that for foreseeable future.
All my other computers are Linux
valadil@reddit
I use epic on my steam deck via the heroic launcher. It runs more smoothly than epics own launcher. There are maybe 3 or 4 games that it says it can’t handle but the rest have been perfect.
YoloSwag3368@reddit
I know! They have free games weekly so heroic helps so much
Furdiburd10@reddit
Then just use epic on linux? lutris exist and work very well
y0m0tha@reddit
Dual booting Windows/Linux was probably the best decision I ever made. I use Windows for gaming, Linux for anything else.
StevieRay8string69@reddit
What's anything else, just curious what wouldn't work in windows
y0m0tha@reddit
Work (software) and productivity is far more streamlined on Unix systems
47fstvi@reddit
Linux
mrchixen@reddit
Vanguard
floppyfoxxy@reddit
I still use Linux, as I refuse to use anything else. But Linux has been invariably more of a pain in the ass than any other operating system I've tried. I used to be all for the bleeding-edge, using distros like Arch and whatnot. And don't get me wrong, you can perfectly have a stable setup with Arch and other distros. But as I've grown older, the more I care about stability and less about fucking around with stuff.
Wobblycogs@reddit
All my servers are Linux based (Debian usually). I've made numerous resolutions / attempts to switch my desktop to Linux but never quite made the jump.
I think the problem is Windows is good enough and generally less hassle. I prefer the KDE desktop to Windows but there's no getting away from the fact Linux is more work. My last attempt to switch to Linux on my desktop machine was a few months ago. I decided to try Wayland and it didn't play with with something or other, I forget what now, so I ended up back on X with a bunch of faffing around with nVidia drivers etc etc. I know, nVidia don't play nice, but the exact same hardware works flawlessly under Windows. Maybe I'll try again in 2024.
aristotlesfancypants@reddit
I love linux, the desktop environments are pretty good, but to my taste they don't beat the macos user interface, which is why I'm still stuck with macos.
Fearless_Plankton347@reddit
Basically league of legends. Is the biggest hold up.
hidazfx@reddit
Personally, the last time I updated my Arch install it blew up. On top of that, I spent more time debugging the games on my Nvidia Optimus laptop than actually playing them.
I love Linux, and I run Debian on my server. I just deal with fixing software all day at work and don't want to deal with it at home all of the time.
mdp_cs@reddit
I use it for programming since the tools are much better in a Unix environment than in Windows though that doesn't have to necessarily be the case. I also use it for web browsing and occasionally document editing.
For gaming and most everything else, I use Windows.
Honestly as someone who has graduate level education in CS specializing in OSes I am not happy with any modern mainstream OS when I know that we could make something so much better but most of the user and developer communities would rather rather stick to what already exists and is good enough than any number of potentially better solutions but one which would take some getting used to not to mention significant development effort.
Renjoh@reddit
I still remember the old days of running linux on a desktop. You were all set and ready for an evening of gaming. Unfortunately some kernel upgrade had happened, which meant you had to rebuild the modules for your graphics card (which off course didn't auto update). Doing that, you noticed the 1.000.000 other updates which also had to be done and you ran into the fun that was called dependency hell.
After you spent most of the evening updating your system again and everything was running as it was intended, you booted the game (or better, you started Codeweavers, since the amount of games available native on linux was disappointing to say the least, only to find out, they hadn't released the patch yet for the game update you were so pumped to play. The positive part, you had updated your system, you had spent a useful evening and got the chance to go to bed early anyway
Now I must admit, this was my experience from about 1998 to 2001, but I was so glad Apple released OSX. I could FINALLY play games on a decent system, that actually worked and looked good.
Irsu85@reddit
I use Linux every time except when I have to help a costomer with Windows
Sinaaaa@reddit
I had been using Windows 95% of the time before I switched to Linux this June. (MS just kept making me more and more annoying with their garbage so I finally couldn't take it anymore.)
I've been playing with the idea of switching to Linux for years, I had dualboot & used Linux for some niche things.
There were two prime reasons to stay with W, one is the software I need for photo editing. (LR, Capture One) The second is that I thought Wine/Proton must be much worse than native Windows gaming.
Now I just reboot into Windows to edit my files like twice a week & once a month I feel really angry that I have to join wifi to authenticate Capture One. Even migrated from KDE to using AwesomeWM and Labwc as my daily drivers now.
toper-centage@reddit
When my laptop ran out of battery and I forgot my charger.
ExoMonk@reddit
Anti cheat. On my main PC I play fps games, specifically Destiny 2 and Apex Legends. One works on Linux one doesn't. But I'm also worried because I've seen a number of people receive false bans in Apex seemingly just playing on Linux.
Some friends of mine play Fortnite too which isn't my jam but I might get into it just to play and hang out with them.
I'm thinking about setting up dual boot and striping windows down to just steam, Firefox, discord and apps that my peripherals need and then moving all my personal files to the Linux side. So effectively making windows just the fps gaming side and seeing how things go in Linux.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Valid point, and, since some AAA game devs specifically opposed Linux, there's nothing that Linux community can do about it
markosverdhi@reddit
I don't get what their problem is, like I don't see what the harm is in allowing for wine or proton to work. Is it a security thing?
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
I think there are several reasons: linux allows more customization, so it is believed cheating is more possible with it; not all anti-cheats are linux-certified; companies are afraid to have a surge of support requests from a "marginal" segment of gamers; some pressure from MS to not have some ultra-popular titles on Linux is also possible (while I'm not into such conspiracies).
Frugal_Caterpillar@reddit
I am dual booting. The reason why I use Windows as my daily driver and Linux for professional purposes is because, and people won't like this - Windows just works. It really does.
When I want to play games, I don't have to jump through a million hoops to install them. Why use Wine/Lutris to have a windows-like environment when I can just use Windows instead? My go-to reader for e-books is SumatraPDF, which also doesn't work with Linux. I can use a snap version or Wine to install it, but why would I?
I've thought about using a GPU passthrough for Windows inside of Linux, but as far as I can see it this is more of a thought experiment than an actually feasible setup. It's far too chaotic to work properly, it's a pain in the ass to setup and it requires one hell of a rig to have.
So, like I said - people here won't like it, but Windows just works. Linux requires you to make it work. And both of those are perfectly fine, that's what I love about each of them and why I'm using them in the first place.
Rhed0x@reddit
Mostly compositor issues.
PeupleDeLaMer@reddit
I daily drive Linux but have many issues that make me miss my Mac: 1. Sync between phone and computer. I’ve tried KDE Connect many times but have had no success in getting it working (I use iOS for uninteresting reasons) 2. Office. I use only office and it’s good enough but where I used to be able to do office stuff very efficiently before I now face a bit of a battle for many tasks 3. General bugginess You hear people say “accept the jank” and I get it, and I do accept the jank, but less jank would be nice
AmSoDoneWithThisShit@reddit
Likely an iPhone issue. I use KDEConnect on my android without issue, though I could wish for an auto sync feature to keep photos pushed in real time.
I use LibreOffice for most things Office, and office on the web (PWA) when I can't. Works like a champ.
faizroin@reddit
You can use syncthing for auto syncing your photos, or any other files that you want
TheNimbrod@reddit
Not enough support for AAA video games. Yeah I know I can run WoW f.e with wine etc but it is still a bit critical in the EULA. Also Outlook as someone who uses Outlook daily and knows every shortcut etc and no O365 isn't really an alternative.
NanobugGG@reddit
Gaming. I play Valorant, which does NOT work on Linux, not even a VM.
It's really not only Valorant, gaming in general is way better on Windows.
Linux has gotten a lot better, but when I want to play a game, I don't want to spend time fixing it after every god damn update, then I just wanna play.
But I actually use a ton of Linux at home, like 95 % of my servers and desktops is Linux. It's only my desktop, a single laptop, and then a few servers that's Windows, everything else is Linux.
I also need to keep up on Windows for my job, since it's only Windows. So either way, I can't let it go completely.
pixelchemist@reddit
Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Cinema 4D, and various VST plugins are not available on Linux... other than that, the bases are generally covered. I know there are alternatives, such as Blender and Inkscape, but that's different from where my decades of workflow knowledge exist. I could manage on Linux daily and have done so in the past, but it's just inconvenient enough that I don't do it.
FrostBitten_Nia@reddit
I use Linux for everything except for sometimes that I need to use softwares like OriginLab and etc. For this purpose I installed Virtual Box on my debian os, installed win 11 on it, and fire it up whenever I need windows.
mitchy93@reddit
I prefer windows 11 for my daily. Ubuntu server for my server
hokohuang@reddit
Nothing. Used to be gaming, but I’m a playstation guy now, ps5 is more than enough for me.
Hanith416@reddit
I'm into gaming, used to Windows and don't really want to bother learning a new OS, and don't like to tinker too much for things to work. And I never had a use for Linux since I'm absolutely not into coding, dev, network, etc. or anything like that. My pc is for games (modding sometimes) and basic internet use, not much more. Maybe some Linux distrib could do the same, sure, but it isn't worth the change imho given that there are still some incompatibility issues (mainly with some anti cheats iirc)
R3D167@reddit
I use linux almost exclusively. If I want to play something, I buy games on steam or run them with wine, which works much better than on windows lol (windows was slower for me). There weren't a single app yet that I couldn't run on linux (which I needed to run). The only one I can think is Office, but Libre/OpenOffice works fine, though I occasionally use gdocs in browser
Quantillion@reddit
In essence I’m not the target audience for Linux. With the right knowledge and tools you can do everything but I simply haven’t found a distro and environment that combine the things I love with the ease of use I require. Because I don’t have the patience and time anymore to build what I need to close the gap.
I am a simple man. I find the command line a vague and frightening thing, and my coding skills are zero. But I keep trying. So far as I remember it was an issue with key commands I just couldn’t overcome on my old MacBook that got me last time. I believe I was using Manjaro and KDE that time. We’ll see what happens when I try my hand at Linux next time. I keep hoping it’ll finally stick for me. Every time it does come a bit closer.
One_Force_5681@reddit
For me is Microsoft Office Suite still way better in terms of the functionality and UX than the open source alternatives.
jimicus@reddit
In my experience, Linux does much, much better when you play to its strengths and don't try and use it like a generic desktop OS.
If you use it as a special-purpose OS (eg. for your embedded product, as Android, as a single-purpose desktop for a very specific set of application(s), as a media server), it's brilliant. Rock solid, reliable.
If you want to use it as a generic desktop OS like Windows or Mac OS - the problem you run straight into is lack of polish. Most desktop applications are over a decade behind their commercial counterparts, and that problem is getting worse.
This isn't me having a go at the various people working on desktop Linux applications - quite the reverse. Given that most of those desktop applications have an annual budget of approximately $3.50 and a packet of chewing gum compared to their commercial equivalents, frankly I think it's a miracle they can even ship something that compiles.
But just to put it into context: The Gnome foundation (year 2021-2022) in their annual report received about $350k in donations.
$350k.
That's not even enough to pay salaries for a small team of programmers. And it's not just programmers F/OSS needs - programmers will occasionally do their day job for fun, but a professionally run project needs people who you're never going to persuade to do that. Project managers, testers - there's a list a mile long.
twohundredshodans@reddit
you do know you can run commercial software on linux right
ThezePreztels@reddit
This is nonsense. Wtf does lack of polish mean? It's daily general desktop is for many millio of users. For me having to go into windows for any reason is now cumbersome and bloated. They can keep their polish, what6tf that means
jimicus@reddit
That was the other thing I was going to add:
Hubris.
It's in most Linux communities in spades, and usually it's a syndrome that has several stages that go something like this:
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Yes, there is hubris in some communities and projects, but you are always free to find one that doesn't have it. For example, XFCE project is extremely conservative - and their desktop is extremely polished.
jimicus@reddit
That’s a good start, but the desktop environment doesn’t stand alone. You need software.
And let us be blunt, Gimp and LibreOffice are both 15+ years behind their commercial counterparts.
Hence my assertion that the general purpose Linux desktop is a non-starter. The special purpose one, however, is being actively used worldwide in businesses already.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
P.S. Out of curiosity, what features were introduced in Word, Excel, or Photoshop, during last 15 years?
jimicus@reddit
Ribbon in Office. Much nicer conditional formatting tools. Mail merge has a similar UI but doesn’t crash the application.
CMYK separation in Photoshop. Except that’s not 15 years old; it’s closer to 30.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
That's a first thing you need to check - that Linux has the software you need to use daily. I'm glad I don't have to use photo editor or word processor on a daily basis, but when I do, Gimp or LO are good enough.
ThezePreztels@reddit
A lot of these anti Linux trolls are not comparing on a technical basis, but most likely to what they're used to. I'd say - aside from the genuine gamers or driver complaints - most criticisms of Linux are some bullshit about how it's "not polished enough" or whatever the fuck that means, and simply boils down to "it's not what I normally like and use so therefore it can't be good for anyone".
TheCheckeredCow@reddit
When people say ‘lack of polish’ they mean stuff doesn’t work when it’s supposed to like fractional scaling or variable refresh rate. Fractional scaling looks awful on Linux and VRR is so bad that you’re better off not using it.
Also it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, if a piece of software isn’t compatible with Linux but is fully supported on Windows or macOS then that’s a problem for Linux. If your job requires Adobe, or M$ Office, or you play games with unsupported anti cheat then Linux is just a non starter.
ThezePreztels@reddit
But it's not a problem for Linux. It's a problem for the user.
"Linux* isn't a corporation. It's not competing with Windows or Mac in the way you think it is. If it's not for someone's needs that's fine.
There's a spectrum of users. From those who give it a try and give up to the expert user who keeps tweaking, and everything inBetween. Stop making it dichotomous, it's not.
ThezePreztels@reddit
This is ridiculous assertion proven by the many millions who DO use it as a general purpose fucking desktop system day in day out.
Noone says it's suitable for everyone. If it isn't so be it. But to then claim for everyone else its suitability based on your own specific opinion is serious fucking hubris.
ThezePreztels@reddit
Nonsese. You're touching on a point without making it explicit. If Linux doesn't have something you can find a way to make it work. Its free to change, adapt, and experiment with from the source code up to any tool or app you want or need.
More nonsense. You think people who work on Linux projects have "oh we must keep windows and mac people in mind". Erm, no.
Small_Stuart@reddit
Pretty much Nvidia.
JoenR76@reddit
My employer. They gave me a MacBook Pro and expect us all to use it.
At home, I use primarily Linux Mint.
NimrodvanHall@reddit
https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/fedora-asahi-remix/
The Asahi fedora remix is stable nowadays. Might be of interest to you. For me it works like a charm to run Linux bare metal on my Mac.
JoenR76@reddit
I know about Asahi. Sadly, I'm not allowed to install it.
AFlyingGideon@reddit
My cat sleeping on my keyboard.
Mortenrb@reddit
I use linux on my laptop that works great, and always have a dual boot drive ready on my desktop for testing Llnux.
Not sure why, might be my general config (thought, it's pretty bog standard mid-range AMD setup, so it might be the motherboard?), but any distro I've installed is extremely unstable on my desktop pc. Usually I install a distro, install the tools/software I want/need, use it for a months time and then settle back to Windows because there's alot of annoyances that don't occur on Windows (not on my Laptop with Linux neither for that sake).
The last issue was with the sound (I ran Ubuntu 22.04 on my desktop for the most part of December). Every now and then it stopped working properly, it sounded horrible and required a reboot to fix. In addition, there was this occasional time where software just plain stopped working too, which isn't bad. Neither of these issues occurred in Windows.
I am set to switch completely over to Linux at some point, as basically all the software and games I need/want is available in some stable form, but for the time being, it's only when I'm out of house (Laptop), on my home server or dual booting to test if new updates or distros is stable enough for me.
Oh, and for the hardware:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
MB: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS
Memory: 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000MHz
If anyone has any idea for a better setup for Linux, I am willing to consider it, I will probably upgrade this year.
GoldStarAlexis@reddit
I had to switch back to windows on my laptop because I couldn’t get Minecraft to run well on any distribution lol. Love Arch and Fedora but I gotta have Minecraft lollllll. Everything else is so great tho. Once I get my desktop I’m gonna switch back….
Used to run arch btw
iu1j4@reddit
Strange, my doughter keeps arch for maincraft gaming. Her low spec laptop is not capable to run playable maincraft with windows but it is enough for linux. Tune some java memory options to improve maincraft. there are also some helpers for maincraft to do it for you.
individual0@reddit
consistent copy/paste behavior across all apps and environments.
consistent font rendering across all apps.
Due_Treacle8807@reddit
Affinity designer and photo also I cant get the framerate good enough on Linux for gaming :( (got the gpu working but still lagging))
Azureiya@reddit
I use Linux like 97% of the time, but still have a notebook dual-booted to Windows just in case I need to collaborate in teams that use software not compatible with Linux like Adobe or company specific software.
Cylindt@reddit
If you're referring to Linux desktop, then it is because my new laptop is a ASUS Zenbook UX3402YA . There's too little support in the kernel for its proprietary drivers, but I am still using WSL to use Docker for instance.
In general, gaming is a hit or miss as well when running Linux.
Having said that, I really miss KDE.
eklect@reddit
Gaming
Middlewarian@reddit
Linux is my primary OS, but what hinders me is the FUD about services and proprietary approaches. Linux has the best support for services, but also the most people that hate them.
I'll say: I'm glad I have some open source code, but I'm glad that's not all I have. And then some people will be angry/jealous.
AlphaSweetheart@reddit
Stability. I can't have down time for my own reasons. All I hear are horror stories about how often things break. How upgrades break stuff. How you walk away and come back later and something is broken that wasn't before.
This isn't a game, it's my life. I need stuff to work.
I want *desperately* to be off Windows because the writing is on the wall. AI is coming and it's going to be invasive in ways that make current telemetry look childish.
But I need absolute stability too.
Brorim@reddit
sorry I'm in the linux Forum so absolutely nothing :)
rocketpsiance@reddit
Too many wildcards to be executed at the terminal
athulhuz@reddit
Lack of support from peripheral hardware vendors. iLok, Fractal Audio, audio interface manufacturers just to name a few. Tried to do without them but it's too much of a sacrifice and it's unfortunately not economically viable.
At work mainly old legacy CRUD apps and government related applets.
User_2C47@reddit
This is one of the main reasons I still have a Windows VM. To configure my mouse, motherboard, fan controller, or MIDI controller requires proprietary software that only exists for Windows.
dtcooper@reddit
My RØDE and Scarlett audio interfaces all work great on Linux...
athulhuz@reddit
Focusrite is luckily an outlier, but there are a lot of interfaces (especially on the higher end of the spectrum) that either just about work, or work with issues, or won't work at all.
By just about I mean that you might get basic audio I/O functionality, but might not get the ability to control the internal mixer or DSP, which are features these interfaces are bought for.
Emeraldgaming5@reddit
Most of the Focusrite stuff is simply class-compliant, same with the little SSL 2 and I believe quite a few of the Behringer interfaces too. The peak of this stuff is the ancient ff Saffire 40/56 interfaces - Using ALSA and JACK you can very easily use just the audio ins, but so much of their functionality relies on arbitrary routing controlled by the Saffire software - Unavailable on Linux.
Hardware isn't the issue for me any more though - lack of audio software support kicks me up the ass. I didn't get on with Reaper, OK fine that might just be a skill issue, but half of my plugs just don't support Linux, and I'm sure as hell not pissing round with emulation or Wine or whatever just for something that'd be a 1-click endeavour on Windows.
xuteloops@reddit
Yabridge
SweetBabyAlaska@reddit
yea it sucks. What Ive been doing is just using a Windows VM with Qemu and passing through my drawing tablet directly from the USB. Its a nice video touch screen tablet. Also I need clip studio paint so I just pass it through and use it in a VM. It works surprisingly well. Still its not the perfect answer but definitely good.
There was a time where I could get clip studio to work under wine and configure the tablet to work under Linux thanks to Huion actually supporting Linux with their drivers (which is amazing and extremely helpful) but it is annoying to get clip to work under Linux, its so finnicky as are a lot of those apps. Krita is great but it just doesn't cut it unfortunately for a lot of cases.
MJBrune@reddit
This is a major one that holds me back too. Linux drivers for Wacom have issues with some Nvidia cards. Additionally, Xbox controllers are downright unsupported unless you manually install some random GitHub repo kernel level driver. Overall it's super easy to fix that one if you know what you are doing and why and also remember to reboot.
Skibzzz@reddit
I'm currently using opensuse KDE & my Xbox one controller works with 0 driver install over Bluetooth just connects.
MJBrune@reddit
Yup, that's nice. I use an xbox one controller over the better wifi 2.4 ghz dongle which provides better connectivity and reduced latency. It requires Xone to be installed to work properly.
xtracto@reddit
I use Linux because I just cannot get myself to use Windows 11 now. I've tried, but it's just ugly, full of ads/moving-flashy crap and powershell/cmd is just so non-standard.
HOWEVER, freaking linux crap: it doesn't detect my intel mipi Webcam (yes I have followed all tutorials, installed all drivers and firmwares and tried different kernels including latest and OEM ones).
Also, Linux battery drain is batshit crazy... and Sleep doesn't work (yes also I've tried mist tutorials under the sun).
And the fingerprint reader works half the time, for some reason it is not detected for login but it works OKish for sudo stuff.
And sound gets fucked (soundcard disappears) after resuming from the broken sleep.
And the funniest thing is that people "recommend" you trying X or Y distro (cue PopOS, vanilla Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, etc) to deal with each of the issues... am I supposed to install each one of them and boot one when I want to use webcam , and another one when I want sleep to work? Why cant everything work in all of them. It's open source, steal the code FFS!!
This may sound harsh, but is my day to day experience as a daily Linux Mint user. As I said, I like the desktop/ development experience in Linux. But it just has so many rough edges, it feels incomplete.
I'll still use it, for the lack of something better. I was marginally happier I Mac. But I like using Intel computers that don't require VMs to run x64 containers (and Mac virtualuzation is known for having performance issues R/W small files. E.g running magento, odoo or similar stuff in docker is a PITA in OSX).
tilsgee@reddit
You telling me that Rekordbox by PioneerDJ doesn't support my stuff if i install it on Linux???
4estsreddit@reddit
On Manjaro, it doesn’t recognize the speakers or headphone jack on my iMac, but Bluetooth audio works great. So I can use my Bluetooth earbuds or pair an Alexa Echo Dot & it works just fine.
I’m sure there’s a way to get my internal speakers and jack working, but I just don’t know how. Maybe some drivers I don’t know about or something.
Annual-Advisor-7916@reddit
Not even speaking of lack of support for "gaming" peripherials.
There are sometimes open source alternatives to Razer Synapse, Logitech Ghub etc but not always and not in a manner how the average user likes it.
That being said, QMK for the win!
ArrayBolt3@reddit (OP)
Sounds similar to the problems many have with some brands of WiFi. I know Focusrite works to make their hardware Linux-compatible, but saying that's an acceptable solution is a bit like saying everyone can just use Intel WiFi.
Hopefully as people migrate to Linux from Windows 10 (if they do), maybe the popularity will grow enough for vendors to make good drivers (no, not the bolted-on afterthoughts that are most proprietary WiFi drivers that only are guaranteed to work on one ancient kernel version and are never touched again).
RB5Network@reddit
The lack of Adobe support, no HDR, and massive Nvidia issues. I need atleast the first two to be solved in order to switch to Linux as a daily driver.
Redneckia@reddit
Adobe and Microsoft office but only when at work
urzop@reddit
1) Awful trackpad scroll speed on laptop. Everything scrolls way too fast on Gnome. I can tweak it a bit in Firefox but not in other apps. I tried the libinput hack but it made the mouse very laggy. 2) Fractional scaling
Reality-Pure@reddit
Windows simply has more software. At work, everyone else is using Windows so collaborating with them is a breeze. At home Ableton Live runs on it (does not run on Linux). If and when I want to drop into a bash shell, WSL is there. I don't do a lot of systems programming, so the operating system doesn't matter much to me. Remote desktop works great for when I'm not in the office.
I use Linux for all my servers, much better than Windows in that environment.
kzwkt@reddit
driver and apps, its also like chiken egg problem dev and vendors dont target linux due to low market share(desktop usage not server) and linux has low market share due to lack of their support
jmrkiwi@reddit
Can't run Autodesk Inventor or most decent CAD programs. I know freeCAD exists bit the UI is pretty garbage imo.
jpenczek@reddit
Just what I grew up with. I still use windows cause it's what I grew up with and most comfortable in. Don't get me wrong I like Linux, but for day to day stuff I feel more comfortable in Windows. I am a programmer however, so I've been considering getting a used ThinkPad and put Arch/Fedora on it for a dedicated coding machine.
tvetus@reddit
I'm one of the lucky ones. I use Linux everywhere. No requirements to ever touch any other OS.
Smargendorf@reddit
I use linux on my gaming rig and for 3D printing (others in this thread are having issues with this, but im not sure why). I used to use a linux laptop but after the M1 chips cam out for macbook it was hard to use anything else.
Pink_Slyvie@reddit
One of the reasons was "Nobody like re-learning things."
Is that really a thing people don't like?
What are they relearning anyway?
brandi_Iove@reddit
dude, you sound like the witness of jevova
ForShotgun@reddit
New to Linux users?
Zomunieo@reddit
all I said to my wife was, 'That distro of Linux was good enough for Jehovah.'
go4zwin@reddit
of penguin.
RobbieProject@reddit
I play Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, both of which do not work on Linux. If they did, I would probably swap near immediately.
bodez95@reddit
Compatability issues. Sure there is almost an alternative for everything. But I don't have the time to be researching what all the alternatives are or figuring out the esoteric processes I have to go through in order to get things working correctly.
Is it possible? Yes. Is it timely for noobs/novice users? Hell no.
m1llie@reddit
No HDR support makes it useless for my media centre PC.
madVR is still just plain better than mpv as well: The anti-ringing filters look cleaner and overall it drops fewer frames.
ImageJPEG@reddit
I run Debian Sid on my gaming computer but I would switch to FreeBSD in a heartbeat if I could play more steam games on that.
They really need to up their Linux compatibility. Still use it on my laptop though.
I just don’t understand why not a single Linux distro doesn’t have a base system separate from third party packages. I absolutely love that about FreeBSD.
r3wst3r0311@reddit
OpenBSD’s fantastic documentation
TheCheckeredCow@reddit
I swear to god BSD is the most documented “obscure” os around, it’s the only OS that could make Arch and the Archwiki feel inadequately documented.
For a OS that I swear to god has 14 regular Desktop users (and a few million servers/NASs) you can open a book and find a fix for any possible obscure problem, and I mean a book, people have documenting this shit for like 4 decades now. It’s probably because macOS is bad at its core but it still blows my mind
kevbayer@reddit
Habit.
I have my main Win machine, and my Surface Pro 4 for mobility.
I have another desktop I put Ubuntu on and was using alongside my main pc trying to wean myself from the Windows PC, but I haven't set it up since I moved 6 months ago.
I also have two old laptops I put Ubuntu and Mint on (one each) for various reasons, but I have yet to really start using either in place of the Surface. I mean, both are much heavier and bulkier than the Surface...
skiptide@reddit
There is a really nice custom kernel out there for surface devices. On Debian based distributions, it takes about a minute and a restart to install. Everything should work and touch is natively supported on Wayland.
kevbayer@reddit
Oh interesting. Last I heard, Surfaces were notoriously finicky when it came to finding a good distro that worked on them.
skiptide@reddit
I've tried many distros on my surface book 2 (hybrid graphics) and most worked well. Wayland is a must for tablet mode, but other than that, everything was perfect.
Pop OS was the best optimized for laptops with hybrid graphics in my experience, excellent battery life out of the box. GNOME desktop is also great for touch
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
To overcome habit, you need time; so better to switch now, so that time comes faster. That being said, Linux is not the best option for mobility - I needed to tweak lots of things to have good battery life
Dusty-TJ@reddit
I run a dual boot system (Windows and linux) but I question why more and more. Been using linux off/on since the 90’s and it’s come a long way since then but it won’t be a full Windows replacement until the market fully embraces it. Why boot into linux for some web browsing and tweaking on the OS just to have to boot into Windows for gaming and Office/Adobe work? More efficient to just use and maintain a single OS. As much as I don’t care for the direction Ms has/is taking Windows, it’s still the one OS that does everything I need it to do without a ton of customizations and tweaks - and that’s not because the OS is “better”, it’s simply because it has the full support of the software/hardware markets.
TheCheckeredCow@reddit
Feel The exact same way, ultimately a OS is just a tool to use the programs you want to.
Why would I switch to another OS that can’t do half of the stuff I want (not because Linux is incapable, rather the big players don’t support it) because I get to screen shot a neo fetch page and circle jerk with the boys on r/linuxmasterrace?
The fact that I can’t do “I’ve just going to finish a quick photoshop project and then play a couple of rounds of Fortnite with my wife” is enough for me to never want to touch Linux desktop, never mind that you have to choose between a modern looking but feature lacking desktop (gnome) or a weird super dated hybrid of windows XP and android 4.0 that has most features but are mostly buggy (KDE).
I love my steamdeck for single player games and I wouldn’t use any other OS for server use but Linux is just not a great OS for desktops for the vast majority of people and if your work flow isn’t affected by the lack of support you’re either a Developer or someone who probably wouldn’t be hindered chromeOS
SOSFILMZ@reddit
After effects has me gripped by the balls.
cla_ydoh@reddit
Nothing, except for the odd job that requires it, or (currently) a piece of hardware with poor Linux support (for my skill level) at the moment.
I just bought an Arm Windows laptop that I intended to run desktop Linux on, but the support is still earlier stages still , and I haven't had the time to work it out from scratch yet.
feenaHo@reddit
Could you share your experience with the ARM windows laptop?
cla_ydoh@reddit
Eventually, once I get time to play with it :D
On the Windows side, you'd never know it was an arm system, except for the massive batter life. And Libreoffice Writer crashing when opening it (Calc and Slides work just fine?) I haven't done much outside of basic work in a browser. There supposedly isn't much Windows software on Arm, but outside of the broken LO Writer, I haven't come across anything so far, in my brief journey.
But some starting points: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Other-Linux-Discussions/Does-anybody-know-if-there-is-work-being-done-to-integrate-X13s-ARM-processor-with-linux/m-p/5175315?page=3 (I don't have this laptop)
https://github.com/aarch64-laptops/debian-cdimage
Linux on Arm Chromebooks is a little bit easier.
bitchkat@reddit
Nothing, its been my main OS since 1999. Prior to that I was using HP-UX and other flavors of Unix.
TaurusManUK@reddit
Time!
Things break and I don’t have TIME to spend on fixing things that I did not break, like updating packages.
Windows 10, and now 11, never ever breaks for me. I even hardly think about OS on Windows. I only use applications and not fix Windows installation.
i1u5@reddit
Hardware Acceleration.
Smokelover999@reddit
The honest answer is probably my NVIDIA card
I've tried both Mint and Zorin and neither one felt as 'good' as Windows. Yeah some things were better but games don't feel as good and videos would get sluggish when booting a game up, like my computer wasn't good enough to run it.
racegeek93@reddit
I use all three so my take is one for taking, one for work, one for school/work
feenaHo@reddit
Gamepass and Lightroom.
NotMrMusic@reddit
Because shit never just works unlike windows. Because the community, or at least the louder portions of it, are toxic af. Because if you're not a thrill seeking fix it yourself kinda person, you are told
cashMoney5150@reddit
Gaming
reiterizpie@reddit
For me, it’s purely convenience and ease of use. I love using Linux when I use it, but eventually it feels like a chore to install things I need
iipeace@reddit
opensource and custermizing
stipo42@reddit
Pretty much just gaming.
Proton is great but outside of valves curated environment it's a mixed bag, especially with Nvidia drivers
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Dunno, except the anticheat, Windows games look and work great under Proton. More of that, if the game has native Linux port, it will be usually more buggy than Windows+Proton variant.
BrainSweetiesss@reddit
It’s pretty simple if you know what you’re doing. And it’s not that it’s rocket science shit. Might take 3/4 minutes max
craftmyne@reddit
Eh, I would say that now but a year or so ago I spent nights scratching my head getting it to work outside of steam
BrainSweetiesss@reddit
That’s why I said “when you know why you’re doing” :)
4estsreddit@reddit
Can anyone give me the short cliff notes version of how to set up proton on Manjaro? I gave up just trying to make a steam account because they gave my literally endless captchas. I was there for like 10 minutes doing hundreds of captchas and just gave up.
SweetBabyAlaska@reddit
Download Bottles, they recommend using the Flatpak, its the only method they personally support (because they have had issues with distro maintainers releasing broken versions and causing them issues.) or you could download Lutris. Steam is by far the easiest for a beginner though. You can also use Proton through the CLI, there is an app that will download it for you called Proton-GE.
My favorite way is to just add everything as a non-steam game and I also wrote a program that just runs all my games from the cli... but manually managing proton and wine is a pain in the ass and is extremely finnicky, its best to use Steam, Lutris or Bottles with a preset configuration. Its hard to know what needs to be overridden etc... To make a steam account you literally just need an email and it makes you enter a code once.
That_Requirement1381@reddit
You download steam or heroic or whatever launcher, and then (in steam) click settings, then click compatibility, and then turn on steam compatibility mode and select the latest proton version. In heroic it’s pretty much the same except the setting is much easier to find. Idk about Lutris I would guess it’s the same.
4estsreddit@reddit
Thank you!
stipo42@reddit
At this time I'm pretty sure you can only use proton through steam, not sure what happened with your experience there.
You can use wine though which is the base tech proton is built on
quinyd@reddit
The only application that’s holding me back from switching full time to Linux is ComicRack. I wish there was an alternative but nothing comes close.
StrongStuffMondays@reddit
Nothing, Linux is my primary OS since 2008; except the last year I was given Mac by my employer and have to use it for development.
batuckan1@reddit
You’re asking Linux users what’s keeping them from using Linux?
Does this sound right?
perkited@reddit
Reddit is general social media site and lot of of /r/Linux users are just dabbling with Linux, after hearing about it on other sites or subs. They might give Linux a try, but end up going back to Windows/MacOS when their games/proprietary software/hardware/etc. doesn't work the way they expect them to. But they still hang around on /r/Linux to keep an eye on things (and some occasionally troll).
batuckan1@reddit
I was confused about the OPs post I couldn’t understand what the ask is
Hey Linux users why aren’t you using Linux?
Mcginnis@reddit
C# windows developer by day who likes playing fortnite after work. I wish I could use Linux all the time. I use WSL and love it, and prefer the Linux way of doing things. My HTPC will probably move to Linux once support for Windows 10 ends as it's probably not compatible with Windows 11.
So short answer: windows only software?
Netcob@reddit
I have a few servers where I'd hate to use anything but Linux.
I tried Linux as my main-driver-desktop-os a few times in the past 15+ years, but I usually end up having to fiddle with stuff too much to get everything working. And then something goes wrong, or an update breaks something, and just when I really need my PC I get a "busybox" CLI and I'm told to fix stuff myself. Plus the desktop environments always look amateurish and odd.
I guess once Windows becomes too awful even for a boiled frog like me I'll be forced to give it another go and get ready to research issues every week where you google something, find a matching question, and the answer is of course "just google it lol".
The fact that I understand why all of this is the way it is doesn't really help either.
That said, at least it's now possible to get lots of games running on Linux, which one time used to be a reason why I kept dual-booting windows.
djfdhigkgfIaruflg@reddit
Lack of a disk to install it onto.
All my disks are almost full so i have nowhere to install it.
Windows can't go out for several reason i won't be losing her
Osteni@reddit
For me, Linux weakest point is its much poorer UX - there is no trackpad for linux that feels as nice as the magic trackpad for example. Consistent kinetic scrolling across all applications, no consistent touch gestures across applications (not that they’re super consistent on mac, but much more than on linux!) Along with many more smaller things that don’t spring to mind right now, Linux has always felt much rougher around the edges to me than macOS.
And all Windows is good for is gaming, its UX is the worst of all!
D3c0y-0ct0pus@reddit
No Adobe Suite, no Ableton. The two main reasons I use a computer.
optermationahesh@reddit
I use Linux in a lot of places, just not exclusively. The two main things are: 1) Linux doesn't support all the applications I want to use, and the close alternatives do not work well enough for me to switch and 2) I don't have any problems when using Windows or macOS.
MJBrune@reddit
A full desktop environment that doesn't feel janky. I've tried kde, gnome, xfce, mate, cinnamon and probably more. On the most popular Linux distros including Debian, fedora, Linux mint, Ubuntu flavors, opensuse, and more.
Overall every de had some sort of show stopping issue. Kde didn't open start fast enough, gnome doesn't support multiple monitors oob, xfce was featureless, mate and cinnamon were further featureless like I went back to the 90s. Kde was the endorsement I best liked but if I can't hit there start key, type something and hit enter before it's done searching to automatically bring up the first thing it finds them it breaks my workflow. That's a key feature in Windows and I believe in Mac as well. Plasma 6 might fix it but I'm not holding my breathe since kde is known to be slow.
grandasperj@reddit
beacause if i don't use linux, i would have to use windows or mac os. the problem is : i had an extremely bad experience with windows 11 and windows 10 is getting to the end of his life. i don't want to use mac os beacause i don't want to suffer.
hpstg@reddit
Easy HDR support, loss of gaming performance, lack of Atmos transcoding for the HDMI output, and the need to have a really tweaked kernel when I need to heavily multitask with a lot of apps.
PuzzleheadedCat9108@reddit
Lack of gaming support
RubyRoux2042@reddit
nvidia
fundation-ia@reddit
Personally, I think that Linux is good for well limited use cases of final products (servers, gaming, móvil) and not so general purpose (user desktop).
whosdr@reddit
Why so? What general purposes do you find it's unsuitable for?
fundation-ia@reddit
The post'replies have people giving examples, I just want to give my thoughts about the topic. Many of the problems of desktop Linux exist cause there is no company taking care of the use case of a desktop user. For example for red hat, its DE (gnome) is an add on and doesn't need many functionalities there priority is security.
whosdr@reddit
Gnome is developed by Gnome and not Red Hat. From what I understand, Red Hat use it due to their fixed release cycles and standardisation.
I was rather hoping to get some specific answers though, rather than something vague.
fundation-ia@reddit
In my understanding, Gnome is the umbrella, the developers are independent or from companies (e.g RH, Canonical, etc), so the features are driven by companies products, decisions and customer use cases. The standardization and cycles are mostly companies decisions.
Well, some examples could be like connecting accessories, having to wait for a new kernel version for a device driver to be supported, and the most annoying is the security model in Linux is (root or no-root) for my server with virtualization is not a problem, but in desktop that doesn't feel secure.
whosdr@reddit
I'm pretty sure these are the same problem effectively. Developers could write and publish drivers for Linux before releasing the hardware, and really should. And similarly connecting some devices but not having software is frustrating. I had to connect my mouse to a VM to configure its macros. Definitely a good problem to highlight.
Isn't that the same in Windows though? Programs either run under your user permissions or with admin access, but there's nothing in between.
I used apparmour for a while to limit some software access, use docker for some server usage, but in the end I think Flatpak (+Flatseal) has done more for permissions than anything.
(I can't speak for MacOS, never touched it.)
fundation-ia@reddit
Right, that's mostly it for apps, in cli it's a bit more complex (cause Windows server). But in the end, windows is not about security but software support. It's a product and it could be sued.
MacOs is very good in that, but I prefer the security model of Android, the permission system takes care of many things like gps precision, choosing files, background task and it's improving
About Flatpak/Snap/etc, it feels a bit beta with security opt-in and a permission system that relies on portals that are not so develop as android and with many more things to take care (android is more limited in uses cases than desktop)
whosdr@reddit
I'm confused now. You said it was unsuitable for general desktop usage, but this is mostly an argument for workstation/server usage.
In the case of servers, on Linux we run server applications under different users as standard.
That is true, it's still being actively developed. Though it's more security than before and slowly improving. Android came from a vacuum so it could integrate security in an entirely different manner without breaking things. And full control over APIs and their willingness to just let apps die if not updated..
fundation-ia@reddit
Yeah, I was trying to mention that windows bring this mechanism from server to desktop for the cli. At the end, someone doesn't choose windows for its security but its support
That's good and on Android it has a similar principal
whosdr@reddit
The state of things right now really isn't bad, especially if you take a look at a KDE-centric desktop. Other than fringe cases like HDR, things are going rather well from my point of view. I urge you give it a try sometime, grab something like Kubuntu or Opensuse Tumbleweed in a VM just to get a feel.
fundation-ia@reddit
My perception of Linux is that it is driven by companies, mantein by users
whosdr@reddit
Ah, so it's an outside perception and you don't have any first-hand experience to draw on?
fundation-ia@reddit
I have a linux home server I was using linux in desktop for a year.
Accomplished-Lack721@reddit
I do use it on my home server.
I don't on my desktop mostly because of Adobe products. But I more generally don't feel an urgent need to.
For desktop use, Windows and MacOs (both of which I use, on a desktop and laptop) do well enough, and are paths of lesser (not no) resistance for most tasks. Most things come with drivers for them, most peripherals come with support for them, firmware updates for other devices are made for them. And most open source software I prefer over commercial alternatives is still available for those platforms.
mosarah99@reddit
2 things:
trisanachandler@reddit
Gaming. If I didn't have to bother with wine, drivers, proton, and all sorts of manual things I'd be 100% Linux in a day.
go4zwin@reddit
Stupid anticheat. Thanks MiHoYo.
DavutHaxor@reddit
genshin works on linux now since they allow it to work
kur0osu@reddit
iirc Chris Titus got banned from HSR for playing on Linux
DavutHaxor@reddit
when? idk if it requires patch but genshin doesnt now
Some_Derpy_Pineapple@reddit
if you just search up "honkai star rail ban Linux" it was like last May. i believe honkai star rail requires a patch. the third party launcher for linux also has the 60 fps limit removed which would technically be against TOS anyways iirc.
from what I've seen the bans are like a week so im fine risking it to not have to hibernate and switch between OS every time I just want to run some dailies.
DavutHaxor@reddit
well you can turn off fps unlimiter in genshin, maybe its same in hsr launcher
Some_Derpy_Pineapple@reddit
ah yeah u can, thanks for mentioning that
pollux65@reddit
It does not require patches anymore, been like this for a year now and you can freely use an anime game launcher without getting in trouble for sharing it
attee2@reddit
Is there any official announcement regarding linux? I don't run the game on my PC apart from a few rare occasions, but I definitely wouldn't risk it on linux and get banned, I'd rather just boot up win10 and be safe.
DavutHaxor@reddit
official announcement regarding linux isnt needed, download the game, run with wine. Anti cheat doesnt kick you or stop you. So it is just running in like windows
lFlaw_@reddit
You can use the heroic launcher for genshin and honkai star rail
SuperStormDroid@reddit
Wait what? Star Rail now works on Heroic? Since when?
Etrinjx-Void@reddit
? Last time I checked, Genshin Impact worked, ran a couple sessions for a few hours last year November (2023)
Did it get blocked again?
23Link89@reddit
VR :v
PBJisGood2@reddit
Nvidia driver parity for gaming. Steam solved the compatibility part. Just need graphics makers to stop sucking.
Madrs3@reddit
Hardware support. As long as I cannot install Linux on any computer I buy and expect 100% functionality, it is a dead horse.
Laptops with multiple GPUs should work. Fractional scaling across multiple monitors should work. Daisy chaining of TB displays should work. Charging battery and data transfer on the same cable should work.
The OS should not freedom of choice for hardware. The OS should stay out of the way and serve as the user do whatever they want to do with their machines.
For me, for my friends and for my family.
the_abortionat0r@reddit
Nothing, I'm here
Someoneoldbutnew@reddit
subpixel font rendering
Thedinotamer01@reddit
Audeze Maxwell can’t be updated without native windows installed. It won’t even work in a VM
ArcadeToken95@reddit
I am full time Linux but I have some mild tradeoffs I make for it:
There is just way much more that Linux offers in return.
Athezir4444_@reddit
I play video games.
Anonymity6584@reddit
Nothing, I'm using Linux everyday. Even now have couple Linux systems running my test/learning servers.
Mariocraft95@reddit
I have been getting more comfortable with Linux over the two years I have been using it with a dual booted machine.
When I use Linux, I tend to blame a lot of problems on the fact that it’s Linux. Then I go to Windows and experience whole new issues that give me headaches. I find that in general I like Linux more as an OS. I like some software on Windows, but I don’t care for Windows as an OS. I have even started moving a lot of my gaming setup over to Linux. My laptop and steam deck are both pretty much Linux only (I would uninstall Windows on my laptop, but it’s got a non-transferable key, so I’ll keep it around on the laptop’s old drive.
I still use windows for gaming, and KDE needs to fix a few issues for it to be perfect, but I love Linux. I no longer am dependent on Microsoft and it’s freeing. It’s not perfect, but it gets better every single year
EN344@reddit
Nothing. I use it for work and home. I just recently started using it for work because I am not a heavy app user in my role. I need office 365 and that's about it. Our org uses Kofax power pdf instead of adobe, but I haven't run into any issues that I wasn't able to figure out. The only time I absolutely need Windows is to access our work VPN and browse files on our network.
Outlook and Teams work just fine in the web for me.
graphics101_@reddit
I use Linux for everything but a daily driver. Linux is great for server and privacy stuff, but there is almost no software that works on Linux that doesn't work with windows, but it's not the same the other way around. Open source versions of well known software made for windows feels like playing block craft instead of minecraft.
whatstefansees@reddit
Nothing
I type this on my personal Laptop, running ubuntu - as all my personal computers did and do since 2007
EightBitPlayz@reddit
Unfortunately the lack Console modding tools support for Linux and nVidia Drivers. And whenever I try to run Cemu (Wii U Emulator) it gives an error.
aspacelot@reddit
Office suite and games. Libre/Open Office have made strides but they still lack compared to MS Office.
And games of course.
TypicalHog@reddit
Games with anti-cheat software that only works on Windows.
apathyzeal@reddit
Just waiting for the year of the linux desktop to switch fully.
Emergency_Pass6932@reddit
PotPlayer does not work on Linux.
bondsaearph@reddit
I use Linux every day for my normal computer. I have a smart bike trainer where i run a "game" called Zwift. Only runs on Windows and Apple.
emaxoda@reddit
Fortnite, Fortnite, Fortnite
JacksGallbladder@reddit
Simplicity in gaming / working from home.
I don't need linux for anything critical and it kinda hinders my ability to flop down and game at my PC. I also have mismatched monitor resolutions and scaling has always been an issue across DE's
So I just run linux on my laptop, which is what I'm on most of the time when I'm doing personal things and not gaming
mrdarknezz1@reddit
Gaming, I got WSL on windows for all my coding needs locally
dottybotty@reddit
Ease of use and before you start yes lots of things are easy on linux until they are not
CamOps@reddit
Nothing. I use Windows on my desktop (mostly for gaming / specialized uses), MacOS for my laptop, and Linux for my home, development, and production servers.
jmayer0042@reddit
Nothing at all.
CondiMesmer@reddit
me having to occasionally leave the computer to shower and pee, then right back to linux I go
kokaklucis@reddit
So, I am using Linux, but just for specific things, in a home server. Things like ganeservers, etc.
That being said, Windows works for me as a gamer just fine, and most games are not developed with Linux in mind.
revivemeifdeadkthnx@reddit
Gaming
Diamedes@reddit
NOTHING FUCK ACTIVISION AND BSG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nanooc523@reddit
Gaming but man we are close.
whyyoutube@reddit
To preface this, I am daily driving linux on my laptop but not on my desktop.
This is really less of a problem with linux and more a problem with the DE's of linux, but I'd like more intuitive customization and integration with the lock and login screens.
I know it's a minor issue at best but I despise the fact that the login and lock screens are technically different packages. That means I have to mess around with settings or config files for each module to make it look like I want it to. I understand that I'll probably have to use the terminal more to accomplish this, but the problem is either the config files don't exist or there's no documentation to edit the config files. Like with windows, I just want one unified lock/login screen on my primary monitor, and the secondary monitor is either just a wallpaper or a black screen.
Also, the login screen (when I boot up my PC or completely log out) has my monitor arrangement backwards, meaning I have to move my cursor to the left of my left monitor to access my right monitor, or move my cursor to the right of the right monitor to access my left monitor. As far as I know, I don't see a way to fix that.
As much as I hate what Windows 11 stands for, I'll likely still use it as my daily driver on my desktop. For all its reputation about customization, Linux makes it hard to customize some things about it.
Roshi88@reddit
Using Ubuntu 22 for work, I love it but some apps really are making my experience a pain in the arse, I. E. Notion, Spotify slack and sometimes Google meet. Random freeze, cpu spikes for 22 -3 minutes... Also, issues with docking station extension monitors Really painful to withstand sometimes, all the reast is pleasurable
joseph58tech@reddit
Mainly game/app support
4estsreddit@reddit
Originally, the thing that kept me from switching over was lack of OS features & poor app compatibility. Wine just wasn’t opening SketchUp on Ubuntu or Linux Mint. Eventually, I tried manjaro KDE plasma & that hit the sweet spot. Tons of cool OS features and settings to tweak (check out jelly windows, seriously cool) & it felt easy to use out of the box. Even the installer felt more modern than mint or Ubuntu. The App Store had wine-staging & I guess that was the trick to being able to run my favorite Windows software like SketchUp. Anyways, now I have little reason to go back to Mac (except for a couple rare use cases) & I’m daily driving Manjaro KDE plasma on a crucial mx500 ssd hooked up with a sata to usb adapter, so I can run it on any computer.
YesIAmRightWing@reddit
Apple are malicious bastards with drivers
silent_begger@reddit
25℅ hardware compatibility? Why is it this high? Does nvidia problems count as well? It shouldn't be this high...... At least I think it shouldn't
and69@reddit
What I found interresting about nvidia compatibility is that most of AI work is currently being don on Linux OS. So there is a lot of interrest (=money) at stake to have a stable driver for Linux.
TMITectonic@reddit
I would consider Optimus support as a hardware (software driver and usability issues as well as instability) issue, and I would personally state that most of my problems these days are based around Optimus or Nvidia driver issues.
Wayland vs X issues are getting better, but there are still plenty of random cases that pop up regularly between the handful of distros I frequent. Typically, at least one distro "gets it right" for any particular issue, but no single distro has gotten everything right yet...
Eye_In_Tea_Pea@reddit
Somewhat unsurprised really - Linux can work on almost anything, but some distros support some hardware better than others. I have some computers that just work with almost any distro, and some that are broken with every distro and each distro breaks them in a different way.
go4zwin@reddit
LinusNvidiaFuckYou.mkv
MLRacer@reddit
Gaming still doesn't work well with Linux. Sometimes you just want things to run, anti cheat for most games are windows only.
I have a Linux partition for development work though.
INITMalcanis@reddit
Competitive online gaming is still problematic, yes (with some honourable exceptions). I'll grant that's a pretty large genre, but most other gaming genres work just fine thanks.
And in many cases, there's no technical issue. It's that the games are actively prevented from running on Linux. There's nothing "Linux" can do about Bungie flatly declaring that they will ban you for running your game on Linux.
MLRacer@reddit
Aside from Steam, no official clients are supported. You're not going to have a fun time running Lol or anything from Ubisoft.
I like Linux overall, but gaming is not a good use case for it.
smjsmok@reddit
I play Trackmania and it's fine. The launcher sometimes breaks compatibility, but it's usually fixed within a day. I would still prefer if it could be launched without the launcher, but well, it is what it is.
INITMalcanis@reddit
Well no one should switch to Linux for gaming. But you can certainly keep gaming if you switch to Linux.
DaaneJeff@reddit
Competitive is not a big genre but it has by far the largest market share.
Honestly not being able to run r6 on linux was a blessing in disguise. I noticed that after quitting competitive games, I started to enjoy gaming way more again.
I still hope that Linux will get better support for ACs in the future or even better, that companies start using better server side ACs (which if you think about it logically is more effective since you can't bypass it) and ditch the client side ACs.
INITMalcanis@reddit
Well I don't play that kind of game, never have and never will, so I personally can afford to disregard the issue. That said I strongly suspect that invasive client-side anticheat software is ultimately a wrong turning, and the real solution is server-side AI, better matchmaking and better game design.
The best that can be said for the current ACs is that they discourage casual cheating. But they certainly doesn't stop people who are determined to cheat.
DEERAW_TCG@reddit
Games like valorant, design software like AutoCAD and well, PowerPoint. I still use Linux though, it's just that I have to keep a windows laptop handy for these things.
Red_Khalmer@reddit
I have everything I need. So I use Linux. Gaming, programing and internet browsing. Thats all
sacheie@reddit
Nothing, although DRM sometimes causes inconvenience. I subscribe to Criterion Channel, and last time I checked (2 years ago..?) Linux Chrome was unsupported due to DRM.
dobo99x2@reddit
The only thing fucking it up are the game developers who could implement it all by 2 clicks but just won't.
jlguthri@reddit
Gerald. He's a jerk
DAKSH123456@reddit
No Predator sense softwate for linus on acer predator laptop And slow laggish youtube video
anviltodrum@reddit
2 things. 1 work, 1 wife.
and both are required software not easy/possible to run on linux. otherwise, i'd 100% every pc i own/use.
demikde@reddit
Triple AAA
The Access section of MS office, any linux equivalent is coding intense.
Autocad
Adobe suite
DemonKingFukai@reddit
I use it literally everyday.
MSXzigerzh0@reddit
I value my time and do not want to Google how to do stuff.
Mr_Lumbergh@reddit
Mostly, I just like it. I set it up how I like and it stays out of my way.
b__q@reddit
Gaming.
monstera0bsessed@reddit
Compatability with programs like Adobe and Autocad and other architecture software that I am required to use
sudogaeshi@reddit
I'll bite:
Nothing, but I've been using it as my main OS for...shit, over 15 years now, but...
I don't game, so all that anticheat and video card stuff isn't my concern, but I do need to use citrix for work, and previously VMware horizon client, and getting those to run, while not hard, is not something I'd expect anyone without the motivation I have to do it. I still have to launch citrix from the command line passing it the session specific file as an argument. On windows/mac you just click the icon
No mobile integration by default is something that would turn the casual user off too these days when the main computing device for a lot of people is their phone. Yes you can do it, but it's all a bit of a bodge (especially iOs)
The-Greasy-Pole@reddit
It was mostly incompatibility with games, now I’m fully on Fedora 39 budgie spin I used Curseforge on Windows, now I use Prism launcher (I installed the flatpak version which comes with Java 8), steam had issues with library folders not in /home for some reason, with Fedora this is not a problem, Epic/GOG now I use heroic launcher, I can’t run games on Ultra setting anymore, but I’m ok with that
mguaylam@reddit
Fractional scaling and nvidia drivers.
Should be over soon.
i-hate-manatees@reddit
"laptop too far away from couch"
RudibertRiverhopper@reddit
Games and nothing else!
BogenBrot@reddit
Proton? Lutris? Heroic Launcher? Wine?
The only exception are multiplayer games with anti cheat software. They doesn't work, sadly. But i would recommend you https://protondb.com so you can look for your favorit games and if they would run under linux.
jd31068@reddit
Visual Studio and a couple of games.
TheMusicalArtist12@reddit
Literally nothing
m4nf47@reddit
Very little to be honest, I've been using RHEL on my employer provided work laptop since version 6.x and Windows since version 7 on my client provided work laptops. If my client moved to Linux desktop they'd lose Office macro and horrible legacy IE/Edge browser plugin code compatibility and Active Directory for domain group policy RBAC but I doubt those are major showstopping migration blockers that can't be redeveloped quickly. Other end users might complain about a sudden change in how things look and work but I wouldn't bat an eyelid as long as I can still do my day job.
Imaginary-Cucumber52@reddit
Reluctance to leave the apple eco system
KazzaNamso@reddit
I install it on who ever keeps coming back with a broken windows..they never come back lmfao
sovietarmyfan@reddit
I still use Windows 8.1 and have to upgrade to Windows 10 soon.
While i learn Linux for school on various virtual machines, i'm weary to be putting Linux on my main machines because i would be scared to break my system. One misstep, and a whole system would have to be reinstalled. With Windows that fear is much lower. Not only that, in Linux i am still learning where everything is, what i need to open and close in the security to be secure. In Windows i already know all of that and it's easy.
With Windows i feel safer than with Linux because there always might be something that is accidentally left open where hackers can enter through.
whosdr@reddit
I'm probably not the target audience but I'll still say: nothing, I've used it since 2020 without issue as my desktop. And prior to that on a Raspberry Pi and a small home server.
gfkxchy@reddit
One thing, my gaming rig is a gaming rig, and some of the games I play are not available on Linux. I care not for emulation, I want native compatibility. My son also uses it for gaming, so a change might break the games he wants to play.
Another thing, my non-gaming rig is a Surface Go 2, and at the moment it runs Win 11 really well. All my apps work on it nicely and even though it's a low-power device, it doesn't feel slow at all.
My kids' school division standardized on the M365 platform. My son (16) can bounce between pretty much anything, figure out which apps are which, and just start using it. My daughter (10) likes things to be familiar. My wife uses Microsoft products exclusively at work and similar to my daughter likes consistency across the board.
That extends to software, especially productivity software. There have been multiple occasions where assignments have been completed in LibreOffice and we get an email from the teacher letting us know it won't open properly in Word or there is something missing. They use Excel in math class, and the feature parity isn't where it needs to be. I could use M365 web apps to fill in some gaps, or I could just use the native apps on Windows and be done with it - no more problems.
There is also the choice of ChromeOS, in a scenario where I can get by with 100% web apps and want a secure, easy to use option this one is relevant. For many tasks it offers plenty of functionality and I'll take Docs/Sheets over their LibreOffice equivalents. I know you can run Chrome on most any distro, but when Chrome is the entire operating system the experience is quite good, especially on some of the fancier Chromebooks.
That said, I am still looking at what my own "next device" might be. I like my Surface and the 2-in-1 form factor. Macs are just out of control with simple RAM spec bumps so they are a hard "no". Chromebooks do offer a solid fully-connected experience but I would like the flexibility of a system that can extend into SaaS and PaaS services, not having to bring those services to the device in order for it to function fully.
So that leaves a gap for Linux. Since my default for enterprise computing is Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, SLES specifically due to the investment into compatibility with hardware/cloud vendors and commercial SLA-backed support) I am not opposed to a slim-and-light laptop running, say, 22.04-LTS for example. A mid-spec device with i5, 16GB, and 512GB storage will get an easy decade of use for me That's super compelling, but it hasn't yet tipped the scales in favorite Linux just yet.
But it is really close. And when my Surface Go 2 starts showing signs of bloat I will probably install Linux to see how it goes. My perfect world scenario is likely a Windows gaming rig that my whole family can use for their needs and a slim laptop or 2-in-1 running Linux, customized to my wants/needs that I can use for everything from remote work, tinkering with OSS projects, little bit of development, watching streaming services, maybe some light gaming, running the odd VM, etc.
akanosora@reddit
Wine Is Not Emulation :) Steam Deck runs on Linux which means gaming on Linux is commercially viable. Many games actually run better through Proton than its native Linux port. Eventually I hope the popularity of Steam handhold forces companies to make their games Proton friendly.
gfkxchy@reddit
WINE is usually the thing I have the most issues with. Just a quick look at some of the games we have installed, 4 of them are listed as "garbage" and 4 more are "bronze" which is a bit of a deal-breaker. Although I'm happy that some of my favorite classics are "gold" or "platinum".
Steam deck on the other hand is really interesting, especially as a desktop-like device. I'll definitely need to look into that option.
akanosora@reddit
Since Steam Deck launch, Steam made a lot of games work flawlessly through their fork of Wine called Proton. You may check ProtonDB to see if the games you like work with Steam Deck
WonderfulViking@reddit
Lack of game support, productivity tools that I use.
My work is mostly Windows based.
HW support issues
It's to fragmented
The community can be so arrogant at times.
m15f1t@reddit
Nothing. Question is too broad. Do I use it for servers? Yes. Desktop? No.
rcontece@reddit
I used to be terrified of Linux because I thought it'd be super complicated for me
Turns out it's amazing!
whattteva@reddit
EAC games. Proprietary apps, specialized peripheral hardware. Also, my day job (iOS dev) requires a Mac.
octahexxer@reddit
The file manager im sure theres one that you can tweak right but i havent put the effort in,i will at some point,but nit having a tree view and not pictures show as preview icons really got under my skin.
ArrayBolt3@reddit (OP)
Pretty sure the default file managers of Lubuntu and Kubuntu both offer preview icons, and the default file manager in Kubuntu (Dolphin) has tree views too.
KleineKeizer@reddit
Microsoft Office
TeutonJon78@reddit
The hassle and app compatibility (graphic design stuff for my small business prepress stuff).
Games are doing mich better, but not 100%.
I dint love Windows, but it works rather easily without having to do much maintenance, especially since 10 -- no need to reinstall every 6 months to a year to maintain speed/stability.
But on Linux? Eventually something breaks with an update or a package manager issue. And you can fix it most of the time, but only through digging through the internals.
And while I love FOSS, for my low level things I kind of like having people paid to fix bugs and hard to diagnose issues without WONT-FIX or WORKSFORME. There is some of that in FOSS of course, but magnitudes less.
lFlaw_@reddit
I can't use everything i use on Windows yet
I like having a gui for stuff more than a command line (Im not saying delete the command line. I'm saying i would like it if both were an option)
ThezePreztels@reddit
But there's not a single monolithic Linux, there's literally hundreds of distros and desktop variations.
Nothing wrong with being critical but you can't do so with such broad sweeping accusations.
Soga_Nakamaro@reddit
A free text-to-speech motor as good as in the Microsoft Edge for Windows with PDF and multilingual support.
owzleee@reddit
I use it at work all day. When I come home I don’t want to have to debug any issues or tweak my kernel settings, so I use a Mac. I do have a Linux laptop but honestly that’s just for fun - anything serious I will do on my MacBook. Don’t need to worry about backups. Can run most of the DAW software I like. And it’s a nice relaxing experience. Back in the day I remember having to recompile my kernel on Linux just for usb support. And don’t get me started on trying to get the right X11 settings. I do that all day, I just want peace and stability at home.
flowering_sun_star@reddit
Nowadays I can't be bothered to set it up. I go with Windows because that's what's installed by default when I buy my laptop. I'm no longer the teenager who thought she was a superior nerd because she installed Arch.
I make use of Linux at work, though most development happens on a mac.
BrainSweetiesss@reddit
Literally nothing. But if I had to choose one thing that is more difficult than it should, that’s audio. I record instruments through an audio interface and use DAWs for making music covers. Setting up everything can be time consuming and/or a pain in the ass when you’re trying to get as little latency as possible.
fettpl@reddit
Nvidia support and the lack of DLSS utilization.
computer-machine@reddit
Not knowing that it exists.
At least, that was the only issue before I fully switched sixteen years ago.
lFlaw_@reddit
Agreed If linux was just a bit more talked about, i bet more people would use it and even try to support it
Kromieus@reddit
Solidworks, ansys modeling programs
lovelife0011@reddit
I learn from the best.
JeansenVaars@reddit
It's the QoL for me, the small things for when I need something done fast and out of my way and for some reason a missing piece of software forces.me to investigate the terminal way... And I really don't have the time. For example compressing PDFs or exporting images from it, in Windows I have software for it, Linux is hit or miss. OBS for streaming in Linux is fine but there are windows only plugins or only some make use of hardware acceleration. For peripheral support, like printers, scanners, plugging in my guitar or audio stuff is like fine but takes many hours of research on Linux..
To sum it up a little bit, what keeps me from removing dual boot is that "end user" feel with highly available solutions at a clicks distance, versus the debugging mindset and having scripts ready for hacks. The whole xorg vs Wayland is becoming very stressful to me, as well the Flatpak vs packages, or Deb vs rpm, it becomes stressful at times.. I don't really want to know but certain things keep bringing them in front of me all times, like software having multiple different installers for Wayland or xorg, for each distro, or community installers breaking, camera and microphone support per app, etc etc.
Wu_Fan@reddit
Time wasters like neighbours and family and people in shops that want to talk when I want to code
_crystal_ball_@reddit
The faffing
power10010@reddit
Microsoft
creeper6530@reddit
I don't have the time to reinstall all the stuff I have on my Windows PC. Once it dies or falls into obsolescence I'm turning full Linux
thank_burdell@reddit
Nothing, but one unfortunate piece of test proctoring software requires me to keep a working windows box around.
Internet-of-cruft@reddit
My work requires us to use a Windows machine. The company has, overall, nearly zero experience with Linux outside of the more experienced personnel. Even then, I end up being the escalation for any non-trivial (read: I followed vendor doc / YouTube video / GitHub README) work. I have zero problems with this. I'm not supporting 50+ people with zero practical experience with Linux.
They provide the hardware and pretty much any software licenses I need. I've used it professionally literally my entire career and it works and gets out of my way for what I do. Without exaggeration, everyone I interact with (across dozens of companies) uses Windows and it's easier to support them when I'm using the same thing every day as them.
I've had exactly one client who specifically used Linux, and I was able to work with them just fine because I've used Linux for a large fraction of my career.
So where am I going with this? I'm at the age in my career and life that I'm sick of dealing with year another thing to support and manage. I keep up within my field (which includes Linux knowledge) to keep my skills sharp. After hearing the myriad of Desktop options, the various problems, having used them periodically over the years, I never had the warm fuzzies or comfort to deal with that daily.
I basically only use my company provided Windows laptop as my everyday PC. The corporate policy on it (plot twist: I wrote it. It's good to be the king) is minimal enough that it has zero impact on my non-professional use.
Everything else that I have or care about is on a Windows Desktop or Linux Server VM, or my (Android) smart phone.
So I'm not wasted my limited time with Yet Another Machine running Linux. I have my VMs. 1 physical box is more than enough.
I'd argue it's too much and I'd rather not deal with a desktop PC and all the crap on it, Windows or otherwise.
ItWillBeEvident@reddit
I'd love to use Linux 100% of the time, but I occasionally have to boot into Windows for music production and a few select games.
anh-biayy@reddit
For works, pretty much ALL the big corps would support Windows, Mac and some ChromeOS. Frankly I’d rather not have to deal with some obscure problems when working.
For gaming, since Windows is always readily available for cheap I’d rather not sacrifice 10% frame rates.
That being said, outside of work and gaming (which is not a lot these days) I use Linux for web browsing, light coding, music… It’s refreshing.
Darth_Caesium@reddit
My filesystem has become unknown and other problems:
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/s/wZxNdGG4ub
As well as
https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/s/5O14eJm4M3
eriksrx@reddit
I have an nvidia card (2060) in my desktop and every flavor of Linux I’ve tried on it, the video cards inevitably creates drama. I have a steam deck so I’m sold on the possibility of forcing windows permanently, and I use Nobara on my laptop with Intel GPU just fine and love it.
Aside from that, I also worry that I can’t take full advantage of my equipment under Linux. For example, I like being able to go into window’s device manager and tweaking hardware settings like for my WiFi card. The options for that same card either don’t exist in Linux or are buried beneath a command line that I’m capable of using but prefer a GUI.
TheBigJizzle@reddit
Gaming. Linux is still a second class citizen and it's a headache sometimes to get some games to work. You get patches weeks later if it's natively supported or you have issues playing some games. I've tried twice, even after the steamdeck it's just not as good. My friends and I just jump on random games out of the blue, can't deal with the hassle of debugging why this specific game in early access won't work. Especially online games and that's 90% of what I do.
I've also had more issues doing general maintenance because something would break once in a while. Updating packages and suddenly something would stop working. Nothing I can't fix, I don't mind it when I'm working, but when my brain is off I just want to watch movies/YouTube and game it's a pain.
I don't think the issues will ever be fixed tbh, I love Linux, so many good things. I especially love the terminal/ file system and it's my favorite environment to work on, but it's never going to be the year of desktop Linux unless Linux becomes something else. Macos and windows hit the mainstream because it's streamlined, you can't do that with 10 different packages managers, 30 some fork of a fork of a fork distros, bunch of desktop environments, different toolkits for widgets, x number of init systems, the list could go on for a long time. Just looking at how Wayland transition went/is going, yikes. Nobody wants to deal with this shit. Unless the open source community stops the "I'll build my own, with hookers and black jack" way of thinking it's never going to happen and that's kinda what Linux is about so..
WingedGeek@reddit
Keyboard shortcuts muscle memory, Microsoft Office, Acrobat Pro, Scrivener. I use Linux on servers and "embedded" RPi setups and on an old laptop on a hangar for basic browsing / LibreOffice stuff but I can't use that setup for work (I've tried!).
Sloppyjoeman@reddit
Buttery smooth trackpad drivers like macOS has, if I had an identical experience for that physical interface I’d switch tomorrow
PuzzleCat365@reddit
IT at work.
They only know Microsoft and anything Linux is foreign to them. Worst part is, we do embedded Linux software development. We have a virtualization solution which is a security nightmare as IT doesn't manage those virtual machines.
arwinda@reddit
Nothing, main driver for years.
thejens56@reddit
Nothing really, i use it, but i use a VM for Raw photo editing, the available Linux software has nothing on Lightroom and Capture One imo.
ousee7Ai@reddit
Nothing.
KorendSlicks@reddit
Mostly games compatibility, even though I know I'd be willing to try and make my video games work with either Proton or Wine. But also me being incredibly chickenshit in wanting to change over from Windows to Linux.
AmSoDoneWithThisShit@reddit
Just do it. My philosophy is "I don't need to run anything that doesn't run in Linux"
So far I've not found any deal breakers. A few games that don't need my business, and the only business software I've paid for is a program called Insync that keeps all my OneDrives and Google Drives synced to my desktop. (There are others that do similar for free, but nothing quite as comprehensively - IMHO small price to pay to keep windows off my PC.)
popcornman209@reddit
Fusion 360, and all the games my friends beg me to play
I still use Linux, just on a dual boot.
Better-Sleep8296@reddit
^(the smoothness the amount of flexibility and reliability, and the amount of coustomization ,tools,etc. loved it all . i use arch btw <3)
Brilliant_Sound_5565@reddit
I do use it , just not exclusively at home, still need Adobe products and Microsoft 365 too, so Linux has it's place at my house, just not for everything
External_Try_7923@reddit
Nothing keeps ME from using it. I use it daily, and have so for decades.
But, 10 years ago I'd have said the fact that old kernels weren't being removed/pruned automatically with system updates when run through the UI was preventing anyone from recommending Linux to the Linux illiterate.
Yes, someone with the right knowledge could clean up /boot and free up space. Grandparents simply using a machine for email wouldn't have a clue what to do or why their machine started having issues with updates. Back then when space was being eaten it prevented system updates from happening due to lack of space. And that is inherently a security issue with kernel updates. Yes, keeping a few recent versions of the kernel is best practice. But, allowing old versions to fester was causing worse security issues and limiting the potential user demographic IMO.
srobertanv@reddit
I use Linux on my home PC's. At my work to be compatible I have to use software that is unique but standard to what others in my profession use, and generally use software that is common to office work. Unfortunately, most of that software is not available for alternative OS's like Linux or BSDs. Those who sell it are not interested in making it available for Linux because the Linux market share isn't large enough, and possibly because the GPL is scary to them. BSD licensing might be less scary for them, but that's an even smaller market share.
Dist__@reddit
everything works, i'm staying.
the only thing i miss, is nvidia tool that decreases rendering resolution, it saved quite a lot of fps for my poorman gpu, i can't see that setting in nvidia control panel on Linux and would like to know if it ever exists
weetabix_su@reddit
If anyone can make a good Assetto Corsa launcher that would be swell
linuxisgettingbetter@reddit
Linux itself, in most cases.
ArrayBolt3@reddit (OP)
(deleted and reposted because I botched the title)