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The author said that their experiences with Linux was slow (Debian and Lubuntu were examples) and had no intention of using Linux because of these experiences.

The author said that their experiences with Linux was slow (Debian and Lubuntu were examples) and had no intention of using Linux because of these experiences. Personally, I don't know what they're talking about, but I've always had a smoother/faster (albeit a bit clunky/glitchy sometimes) with Linux than Windows. Even when I dual booted Win7 and Ubuntu, Linux was always faster. Currently, I'm using XFCE w/ Arch on a 6 year old laptop. Programs open very fast, I get regular sw updates, and I've been running it for work for four years.

slim 4y ago
You should try, say, Debian 12 on an old computer with encrypted disks. it's unusable
- 5e92cb50239222b 4y ago
  How old is old? I use Debian on an 11-year old cheap laptop, and it runs fine. No GNOME, of course (it's the performance equivalent of Windows on pretty much any hardware). The laptop was something like $300 back in 2012.
  - slim 4y ago
    without GNOME and disk encryption, of course you can run Debian on a toaster
- julesnp 4y ago
  Encrypted disks would be the key issue here, older CPUs likely can't handle the encryption work required.
javchz 4y ago
I would bet on GPU driver issues. Some cards without the right driver can force CPU rendering making it extremely slow
- nextos 4y ago
  Maybe the OP just needed to enable e.g. Nouveau with the appropriate kernel module parameters? I am regularly using a 14 year-old MacBook on plain X and it is surprisingly fast.
  - ihateolives 4y ago
    > just needed to enable e.g. Nouveau with the appropriate kernel module parameters? And that's why Linux will stay in the server for majority of people, not on their desktop. "You just need to enable something with some parameters and you're all set!" Seriously?
    - monocasa 4y ago
      I mean, we're talking about a fourteen year old computer. With a couple commandline options you can be supported on a modern, updated OS, which is more than you can say for any other major OS.
    - worthless-trash 4y ago
      The guy was willing to hopscotch browsers when it was required. Seriously.
    - __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
      Yes, seriously. You can either have a system where somebody else is deciding on your behalf how your system is going to be configured, or you can have a system where it's up to you to opt-in to the stuff you want. You can't have both.
    - realusername 4y ago
      There's a good chance that on windows 10, you would get a laggy 800x600 after install with such an old config which is worse
    - sph 4y ago
      Do we need this comment parroted every single time someone mentions Linux on this forum? I get it, it's too complicated for you, can we move on instead of rehashing this point over and over again? The past week we have had two major Linux discussions and in each thread there is a semi flame war that starts because some had to voice yet another "this is why Linux is so hard for nan to use", as if it was a novel or constructive observation. It's not.
bzzzt 4y ago
I think he's talking about perceived UI speed. Things like moving the mouse, starting an application or dragging a window respond fast on Windows because of how the system is set up (mouse cursor practically has top priority and graphics are hardware accelerated). This is especially noticeable on slower hardware and can cause a machine to feel 'snappier'.

slim 4y ago

You should try, say, Debian 12 on an old computer with encrypted disks. it's unusable

5e92cb50239222b 4y ago
How old is old? I use Debian on an 11-year old cheap laptop, and it runs fine. No GNOME, of course (it's the performance equivalent of Windows on pretty much any hardware). The laptop was something like $300 back in 2012.
- slim 4y ago
  without GNOME and disk encryption, of course you can run Debian on a toaster
julesnp 4y ago
Encrypted disks would be the key issue here, older CPUs likely can't handle the encryption work required.

javchz 4y ago

I would bet on GPU driver issues. Some cards without the right driver can force CPU rendering making it extremely slow

nextos 4y ago
Maybe the OP just needed to enable e.g. Nouveau with the appropriate kernel module parameters? I am regularly using a 14 year-old MacBook on plain X and it is surprisingly fast.
- ihateolives 4y ago
  > just needed to enable e.g. Nouveau with the appropriate kernel module parameters? And that's why Linux will stay in the server for majority of people, not on their desktop. "You just need to enable something with some parameters and you're all set!" Seriously?
  - monocasa 4y ago
    I mean, we're talking about a fourteen year old computer. With a couple commandline options you can be supported on a modern, updated OS, which is more than you can say for any other major OS.
  - worthless-trash 4y ago
    The guy was willing to hopscotch browsers when it was required. Seriously.
  - __MatrixMan__ 4y ago
    Yes, seriously. You can either have a system where somebody else is deciding on your behalf how your system is going to be configured, or you can have a system where it's up to you to opt-in to the stuff you want. You can't have both.
  - realusername 4y ago
    There's a good chance that on windows 10, you would get a laggy 800x600 after install with such an old config which is worse
  - sph 4y ago
    Do we need this comment parroted every single time someone mentions Linux on this forum? I get it, it's too complicated for you, can we move on instead of rehashing this point over and over again? The past week we have had two major Linux discussions and in each thread there is a semi flame war that starts because some had to voice yet another "this is why Linux is so hard for nan to use", as if it was a novel or constructive observation. It's not.

bzzzt 4y ago

I think he's talking about perceived UI speed. Things like moving the mouse, starting an application or dragging a window respond fast on Windows because of how the system is set up (mouse cursor practically has top priority and graphics are hardware accelerated). This is especially noticeable on slower hardware and can cause a machine to feel 'snappier'.