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I’ve been windows-free for 10 years. It’s really not so hard if you use a common distro like Ubuntu. Yes there are occasional glitches but, I’ve had to install

I’ve been windows-free for 10 years. It’s really not so hard if you use a common distro like Ubuntu. Yes there are occasional glitches but, I’ve had to install windows 8 for my mom recently, and windows update was broken out of the box...

Wowfunhappy 8y ago
Note I said "many", I know there are exceptions! It also largely depends on what you use your computer for. If you need even occasional access to Photoshop, for example, you're going to need Windows or macOS (or maybe iOS, I guess). GIMP might work sometimes, but not always.
- EngineerBetter 8y ago
  Anecdata point: I managed to make a commercial 2D platform game with GIMP. It's pretty powerful, even if the usability is not as good.
martin_a 8y ago
> It’s really not so hard if you use a common distro like Ubuntu. I hate this "argument". I am running Ubuntu myself for half a year now but there is no chance to get Adobe Creative Suite/Cloud to run smoothly on Ubuntu. You will absolutely need macOS or Windows for that. And lots of people need professional applications like those to earn money. Not everybody can be happy and good to go with $texteditor and a bash.
- larrik 8y ago
  It's funny, Adobe's Suite is so bad for your computer. Every time I build a computer for my wife, it runs amazing until I install that shit on there. Then, nothing ever works quite right on it again.
  - martin_a 8y ago
    Sounds like you don't know how to do it. Lots of systems run perfectly well with Adobe CS/CC.
- ryukafalz 8y ago
  This is a bit like saying "there is no chance to get iMessage running on Windows". The application developer hasn't given you that option; if it works at all, it's usually thanks to volunteers reverse-engineering things to get them to work. If you absolutely need an application that isn't available on Linux, maybe Linux isn't right for you, at least not all the time. But there are tons of applications that are available on Linux. If you're not dead-set on Photoshop for example, GIMP is there. If you don't specifically need Acid, Ardour exists. And plenty of people aren't musicians or artists and can get by pretty well with just a web browser, hence the popularity of Chromebooks. Browsers work just as well on Linux as on Windows or MacOS.
  - martin_a 8y ago
    Well, no. OP took a broad stand and said that being Windows-free is not hard. That's just not reality for some professions. Glad if it works for you, because you might not need some specialized software, but it is not an universal rule and people tend to forget that and treat non Windows-free users like they are too stupid to see the alternatives. There are just no good alternatives for media professionals when it comes to things like Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign. Other solutions lack compatibility or generate quirky output. Sometimes you need the real deal and it's no question of "liking" Windows.
    - checkyoursudo 8y ago
      As someone who has no idea what media professionals require or why Photoshop/etc are so good, what makes programs like that so much better? I have occasionally watched videos of people using Blender or Krita or Gimp or ... Ink(spot?scape?), and they seem to be fine. Though, again, I don't use them professionally in the least bit.
  - Wowfunhappy 8y ago
    And if your profession depends on access to iMessage, you're going to have to use macOS or iOS, regardless of whether or not you trust Apple. This was my initial point. It's not so easy as "if you don't trust Microsoft you shouldn't use Windows." If that's an option, great. But it often isn't an option.
- qrbLPHiKpiux 8y ago
  Compartment your work. I have a different machine and OS for what I need to do. At work, I can’t get away from MSWin. For other things, photo editing, video processing, it’s my MBPro. And for other things, my Debian box. Not one machine fits my workflow.
  - martin_a 8y ago
    That's what I'm doing, too. Got two SSDs and choose whether to boot into Windows for Adobe CS, and nothing else, or boot my Ubuntu disk. Nevertheless I would prefer if I could just skip the windows disk.

Wowfunhappy 8y ago

Note I said "many", I know there are exceptions! It also largely depends on what you use your computer for. If you need even occasional access to Photoshop, for example, you're going to need Windows or macOS (or maybe iOS, I guess). GIMP might work sometimes, but not always.

EngineerBetter 8y ago
Anecdata point: I managed to make a commercial 2D platform game with GIMP. It's pretty powerful, even if the usability is not as good.

martin_a 8y ago

> It’s really not so hard if you use a common distro like Ubuntu. I hate this "argument". I am running Ubuntu myself for half a year now but there is no chance to get Adobe Creative Suite/Cloud to run smoothly on Ubuntu. You will absolutely need macOS or Windows for that. And lots of people need professional applications like those to earn money. Not everybody can be happy and good to go with $texteditor and a bash.

larrik 8y ago
It's funny, Adobe's Suite is so bad for your computer. Every time I build a computer for my wife, it runs amazing until I install that shit on there. Then, nothing ever works quite right on it again.
- martin_a 8y ago
  Sounds like you don't know how to do it. Lots of systems run perfectly well with Adobe CS/CC.
ryukafalz 8y ago
This is a bit like saying "there is no chance to get iMessage running on Windows". The application developer hasn't given you that option; if it works at all, it's usually thanks to volunteers reverse-engineering things to get them to work. If you absolutely need an application that isn't available on Linux, maybe Linux isn't right for you, at least not all the time. But there are tons of applications that are available on Linux. If you're not dead-set on Photoshop for example, GIMP is there. If you don't specifically need Acid, Ardour exists. And plenty of people aren't musicians or artists and can get by pretty well with just a web browser, hence the popularity of Chromebooks. Browsers work just as well on Linux as on Windows or MacOS.
- martin_a 8y ago
  Well, no. OP took a broad stand and said that being Windows-free is not hard. That's just not reality for some professions. Glad if it works for you, because you might not need some specialized software, but it is not an universal rule and people tend to forget that and treat non Windows-free users like they are too stupid to see the alternatives. There are just no good alternatives for media professionals when it comes to things like Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign. Other solutions lack compatibility or generate quirky output. Sometimes you need the real deal and it's no question of "liking" Windows.
  - checkyoursudo 8y ago
    As someone who has no idea what media professionals require or why Photoshop/etc are so good, what makes programs like that so much better? I have occasionally watched videos of people using Blender or Krita or Gimp or ... Ink(spot?scape?), and they seem to be fine. Though, again, I don't use them professionally in the least bit.
- Wowfunhappy 8y ago
  And if your profession depends on access to iMessage, you're going to have to use macOS or iOS, regardless of whether or not you trust Apple. This was my initial point. It's not so easy as "if you don't trust Microsoft you shouldn't use Windows." If that's an option, great. But it often isn't an option.
qrbLPHiKpiux 8y ago
Compartment your work. I have a different machine and OS for what I need to do. At work, I can’t get away from MSWin. For other things, photo editing, video processing, it’s my MBPro. And for other things, my Debian box. Not one machine fits my workflow.
- martin_a 8y ago
  That's what I'm doing, too. Got two SSDs and choose whether to boot into Windows for Adobe CS, and nothing else, or boot my Ubuntu disk. Nevertheless I would prefer if I could just skip the windows disk.