5 ms·

I have been using windows since version 95. I even liked the Millennium version, that was most hated before Vista. I tried Linux several times, but Windows just

by gethly 1y ago

I have been using windows since version 95. I even liked the Millennium version, that was most hated before Vista. I tried Linux several times, but Windows just always worked and Linux usually had always some issues(mostly drivers, lack of good programs and no gaming). But now, after more than two decades, I am certain Windows 10 is my last Windows. Nothing lasts for ever, not even Microsoft's domination on personal computers. It took them decades, but now they finally f'd up so bad that there is just no going back. I think, like many people, it will take me few years to need to reinstall my computer(or get a new one). So I will still be a Windows user and that will skew the numbers for upcoming years. But I think that also means that in 1-5 years, Microsoft will see a massive double digit percentage drop of users, almost over night, and nobody will have a clue what is going on. By then, I bet the distributions will be even better. The gaming will be event better. The drivers will be even better. The saturation will be even better. So the transition will be even more seamless than it is today. I am looking forward to it. I think Linux, or open source and free OS, should have been the norm. But we took a bad turn in the past and got hijacked by few smart people. That will come to a natural end, finally.

OvbiousError 1y ago
Gaming on linux has been awesome for years. With the advent of systems like bazzite, the transition is only getting easier.
- 4ggr0 1y ago
  +1, switched to Bazzite about three weeks ago. I did have to dualboot a Windows after a couple of days, unfortunately. Mostly related to Anti-Cheat and other shitty measures. Dark Souls II did not want to recognize my Controller, even though it works fine in every other game. Skate can't be played on Linux because of Anti-Cheat, but fuck EA anyways. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Dishonored 2 and Death to the Outsider and Bioshock worked fine. Did have to tinker with the graphics settings a bit and the experience is definitely buggier than on Windows, but the huge upside is that I don't have to use Windows anymore, or at least just as a fallback-option. I know care 0 about the Windows, it's on a separate SSD, haven't even set a Wallpaper or other things, which is rare for me.
  - alias_neo 1y ago
    I've been gaming on Linux for about a decade, it has improved massively since Proton, and I'm at the point where I'm able to play Helldivers 2 with its anti-cheat with my buddies and get great performance (the game's performance/bug issues aside). I tried Bazzite for a while on my desktop, it's fantastic for gaming, but I'm also a dev and a Linux user since I was a teen (almost all of the years of Linux) so I found it a little limiting for my other PC related stuff (I typically prefer to run Arch and Arch based distros on my machines). For anyone with a computer dedicated to gaming I'd recommend Bazzite, I still run it on my ROG Ally since the moment I took it out of the box; I bought it _because_ Bazzite existed, never even considered booting Windows. It's a great distro tuned for gaming, and comes with some features like VRR and HDR that aren't as easily available on other distros (I've been able to get HDR on Arch/Gnome but not VRR). It's hard for someone who relies on Windows software to be entirely rid of Windows, which is why I don't tell people they should switch to Linux, but it's not impossible if you really want to, unless you rely on a piece of software that just won't run under WINE or doesn't have an alternative. For me, I grew up with Linux alongside Windows, went into a career that uses and targets Linux exclusively (backend SE) and for my computer based hobbies; gaming, coding, 3D printing/modelling they're served very well these days, and constantly improving.
    - 4ggr0 1y ago
      for me Bazzite is perfect, as my Home-PC really is 99% used for gaming. every couple of years i want to edit a video, guess i'll need to search for another software, or just install Davinci Resolve on the dualbooted Windows :D don't have as much Proton experience as you, but i also feel like it's gotten way better compared to 4-5 years ago when i first tried it. i'm always very mindful when suggesting people to use Linux, as like you i work with Linux daily, so of course i'm going to have less trouble using it compared to Joe Schmoe who exclusively uses Windows and never installed an OS himself. but for people who aren't afraid of tinkering a bit, sure. now at the point where i'm considering switching to AMD from NVIDIA, just because it seems way better for Linux.
      - alias_neo 1y ago
- entropie 1y ago
  As far as I know almost all (if not all) anti cheat software just does not work on linux therefore "gaming on linux has been awesome for years" is not true if you play games online or competitive.
  - jogu 1y ago
    This is simply not true. Most anti-cheat software does work on linux, but many games choose not to allow linux. This has a good list of what works and what doesn't: https://areweanticheatyet.com https://areweanticheatyet.com
    - Kbelicius 1y ago
      AFAIK on linux they are not kernel level and thus are easier to work around. It isn't just that devs are lazy or hate linux.
      - jogu 1y ago
        Yeah, totally understand it isn't that simple but that's also my point. "Game has anti-cheat so it doesn't work on linux" is an oversimplification and people should check the specific games they're interested in. They could very well work if the developer allows it.
    - entropie 1y ago
      > This is simply not true. Most anti-cheat software does work on linux, but many games choose not to allow linux. Iam not sure if I care whether the AC software does work (theoretically) on linux. Most of the games with AC cannot be played on linux. (You can see this on the graphic you linked). I tried it long enough. I played MTG Arena with lutris and every patch day was a frickle. I don't even play FPS games seriously, let alone competitively, but many of the games I play don't run on Linux. It's that simple. I've been using Linux daily for 25 years, but I have a dual boot with Windows. A week ago, I taught my NixOS to boot with secure boot because the new Battlefield requires it—and other games will follow.
robin_reala 1y ago
If you’re this engaged already I’d just make the jump. Be part of the future you want to have rather than watching from the sidelines.
- gethly 1y ago
  I could but I do not need to, so i'd rather make better use of the time it would take me to move at this time. Biggest pain point actually are not programs, but the need to format all hard drives to some linux file system. I cannot just replace windows with linux and that is it. No, I have to migrate all my data somehow to reformat all my drives and then move the data back. That was always huge pain in the ass.
  - hexagonwin 1y ago
    fyi NTFS works perfectly on my linux machine.. ntfs-3g ftw
    - serenadeineb 1y ago
      Yea, what this guy says. Throw a new HD in the machine, install linux to it, and then just /mount your other previously-windows HDs.
    - gethly 1y ago
      iirc linux can read ntfs but not write...unless things progressed. it was a licence issue, not a software one.
      - card_zero 1y ago
        Things progressed, certainly, and it looks like this was broadly fixed in October 2021 (kernel 5.15): https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs3-driver-faq/ https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs3-driver-faq/ But there will be details, limitations of some kind, and I can't work out what those are without much more digging.
    - windward 1y ago
wartywhoa23 1y ago
I switched to Ubuntu 3 years ago and never looked back for a daily driver. The reason Windows (and Microsoft itself) is not 6' deep yet is a relatively small number of commercial creative software like DAWs, graphics suits and CAD modellers. Yes, there's a huge amount of legacy software in CAM, plant control and whatnot, but that can run alright on all those Windows XP and 7 machines like forever. All major software vendors who think that Windows has too much inertial following and that its users will embrace whatever fascist surveillance machine their computers become under this abomination of OS, and refuse to port their products to Linux, will be in trouble soon. Out of all DAW developers, only Bitwig got this trend right yet.
- Intermernet 1y ago
  Annoyingly, Ableton Push 3 Standalone runs on Linux. This means that Ableton have a working Linux version of, at least the core, of Ableton Live working on Linux. I sincerely hope they release a true Linux version soon. It's the last thing tying me to Windows.
- subjectivationx 1y ago
  I have used linux for 10 years now but I think you just have to view a mac mini as the cost of a hardware synth or a guitar. Then all your problems are solved. At this point, I need a nice gpu on a linux machine and a mac mini. It is a dream setup. I think I booted windows once on my most recent laptop because I messed up booting from the thumb drive to blow it away. Reaper runs incredible on linux for DAW software but you always run into something that is not available with creative software. Then it is really nice keeping the mac only for creative pursuits.
  - Xss3 1y ago
    Jumping into a different walled garden isnt the answer.
- netdevphoenix 1y ago
  > The reason Windows (and Microsoft itself) is not 6' deep yet is a relatively small number of commercial creative software like DAWs, graphics suits and CAD modellers. Google is likely actively working towards a future where all of those programs run on a browser.
unixhero 1y ago
Just use Linux Mint
- gethly 1y ago
  i'll be looking at fedora kde, cachy os, arch, maybe omarchy. either way i am definitely going for KDE. i always run ubuntu servers, but i tested few distros this year, i was mostly looking at fedora and suse, which are not rpm distros, but i was not happy, still, with some things. so i will have to do proper testing when time comes. i see fedora as "big" distro with good backing. arch as configurable distro. cachy supposedly has good performance tweaks in kernel and is good for gaming(whatever that means). and so on. each has its own ups and downs.
  - unixhero 1y ago
    Trust me, just Linux Mint
hdjfvsjdb 1y ago
Glad you are trying Linux again! But on WinME that was complete trash.. Never has an is crashed so much on me... I went to Win2k after that ... Win2k was the last windows I ran in a PC and was IMO peak windows.
- gethly 1y ago
  Haha, true. But not from my experience. Not sure why. Either i just ignored any issues and simply don't remember them or i got lucky with hardware and drivers? Who knows. Either way, I never had issues with Windows. For me, it just always worked. Even now, I am on W10 and after i ripped out all the guts of the Defender out of the system, I'm quite happy with it. I have a TinyWall firewall so there are no background updates or any traffic without me knowing. I am in mostly full control and have no issues.
npteljes 1y ago
Stop daydreaming and just make the jump. The possibility of things being different down the road, and the fantasy you acting on it properly just serves to make you feel better, without needing actual action, or commitment on your part. Do something now, and get a taste of the real thing. My way of switching over was to set up my system as a dual-boot, and then to set up my Linux in a way that enabled as much of my needs as possible. I got overwhelmed at first multiple times, but realized later that I'm just resistant to change. After a few tries, it stuck, and instead of feeling overwhelmed with change, I felt relief that I don't have to deal with Windows, and all the corporate bullshit that comes with it. Instead I have the vibrant culture of free software, and all the bullshit that comes with that, hehe. And I take that anytime over the former. I'm also using KDE btw. I think it's by far the best DE, for me anyways. Fun fact, Valve's Steam Deck also uses it.
- linhns 1y ago
  KDE is the best DE for Windows to Linux user. Personally going from Windows -> Linux -> Mac then GNOME feels much better for me.
mixmastamyk 1y ago
I'd put Linux on a second machine and start learning. Forcing yourself to use it for a few days a week, etc. Needs to become a habit. Need to find solutions to all the expected issues. Can use an old machine if you need. You don't want the migration to be harder than it should be, and doing everything at once is way too hard.
- mixmastamyk 1y ago
  First step I forgot, move to open software on windows first.

by gethly 1y ago

OvbiousError 1y ago

Gaming on linux has been awesome for years. With the advent of systems like bazzite, the transition is only getting easier.

4ggr0 1y ago
+1, switched to Bazzite about three weeks ago. I did have to dualboot a Windows after a couple of days, unfortunately. Mostly related to Anti-Cheat and other shitty measures. Dark Souls II did not want to recognize my Controller, even though it works fine in every other game. Skate can't be played on Linux because of Anti-Cheat, but fuck EA anyways. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, Dishonored 2 and Death to the Outsider and Bioshock worked fine. Did have to tinker with the graphics settings a bit and the experience is definitely buggier than on Windows, but the huge upside is that I don't have to use Windows anymore, or at least just as a fallback-option. I know care 0 about the Windows, it's on a separate SSD, haven't even set a Wallpaper or other things, which is rare for me.
- alias_neo 1y ago
  I've been gaming on Linux for about a decade, it has improved massively since Proton, and I'm at the point where I'm able to play Helldivers 2 with its anti-cheat with my buddies and get great performance (the game's performance/bug issues aside). I tried Bazzite for a while on my desktop, it's fantastic for gaming, but I'm also a dev and a Linux user since I was a teen (almost all of the years of Linux) so I found it a little limiting for my other PC related stuff (I typically prefer to run Arch and Arch based distros on my machines). For anyone with a computer dedicated to gaming I'd recommend Bazzite, I still run it on my ROG Ally since the moment I took it out of the box; I bought it _because_ Bazzite existed, never even considered booting Windows. It's a great distro tuned for gaming, and comes with some features like VRR and HDR that aren't as easily available on other distros (I've been able to get HDR on Arch/Gnome but not VRR). It's hard for someone who relies on Windows software to be entirely rid of Windows, which is why I don't tell people they should switch to Linux, but it's not impossible if you really want to, unless you rely on a piece of software that just won't run under WINE or doesn't have an alternative. For me, I grew up with Linux alongside Windows, went into a career that uses and targets Linux exclusively (backend SE) and for my computer based hobbies; gaming, coding, 3D printing/modelling they're served very well these days, and constantly improving.
  - 4ggr0 1y ago
    for me Bazzite is perfect, as my Home-PC really is 99% used for gaming. every couple of years i want to edit a video, guess i'll need to search for another software, or just install Davinci Resolve on the dualbooted Windows :D don't have as much Proton experience as you, but i also feel like it's gotten way better compared to 4-5 years ago when i first tried it. i'm always very mindful when suggesting people to use Linux, as like you i work with Linux daily, so of course i'm going to have less trouble using it compared to Joe Schmoe who exclusively uses Windows and never installed an OS himself. but for people who aren't afraid of tinkering a bit, sure. now at the point where i'm considering switching to AMD from NVIDIA, just because it seems way better for Linux.
    - alias_neo 1y ago
entropie 1y ago
As far as I know almost all (if not all) anti cheat software just does not work on linux therefore "gaming on linux has been awesome for years" is not true if you play games online or competitive.
- jogu 1y ago
  This is simply not true. Most anti-cheat software does work on linux, but many games choose not to allow linux. This has a good list of what works and what doesn't: https://areweanticheatyet.com https://areweanticheatyet.com
  - Kbelicius 1y ago
    AFAIK on linux they are not kernel level and thus are easier to work around. It isn't just that devs are lazy or hate linux.
    - jogu 1y ago
      Yeah, totally understand it isn't that simple but that's also my point. "Game has anti-cheat so it doesn't work on linux" is an oversimplification and people should check the specific games they're interested in. They could very well work if the developer allows it.
  - entropie 1y ago
    > This is simply not true. Most anti-cheat software does work on linux, but many games choose not to allow linux. Iam not sure if I care whether the AC software does work (theoretically) on linux. Most of the games with AC cannot be played on linux. (You can see this on the graphic you linked). I tried it long enough. I played MTG Arena with lutris and every patch day was a frickle. I don't even play FPS games seriously, let alone competitively, but many of the games I play don't run on Linux. It's that simple. I've been using Linux daily for 25 years, but I have a dual boot with Windows. A week ago, I taught my NixOS to boot with secure boot because the new Battlefield requires it—and other games will follow.

robin_reala 1y ago

If you’re this engaged already I’d just make the jump. Be part of the future you want to have rather than watching from the sidelines.

gethly 1y ago
I could but I do not need to, so i'd rather make better use of the time it would take me to move at this time. Biggest pain point actually are not programs, but the need to format all hard drives to some linux file system. I cannot just replace windows with linux and that is it. No, I have to migrate all my data somehow to reformat all my drives and then move the data back. That was always huge pain in the ass.
- hexagonwin 1y ago
  fyi NTFS works perfectly on my linux machine.. ntfs-3g ftw
  - serenadeineb 1y ago
    Yea, what this guy says. Throw a new HD in the machine, install linux to it, and then just /mount your other previously-windows HDs.
  - gethly 1y ago
    iirc linux can read ntfs but not write...unless things progressed. it was a licence issue, not a software one.
    - card_zero 1y ago
      Things progressed, certainly, and it looks like this was broadly fixed in October 2021 (kernel 5.15): https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs3-driver-faq/ https://www.paragon-software.com/home/ntfs3-driver-faq/ But there will be details, limitations of some kind, and I can't work out what those are without much more digging.
  - windward 1y ago

wartywhoa23 1y ago

I switched to Ubuntu 3 years ago and never looked back for a daily driver. The reason Windows (and Microsoft itself) is not 6' deep yet is a relatively small number of commercial creative software like DAWs, graphics suits and CAD modellers. Yes, there's a huge amount of legacy software in CAM, plant control and whatnot, but that can run alright on all those Windows XP and 7 machines like forever. All major software vendors who think that Windows has too much inertial following and that its users will embrace whatever fascist surveillance machine their computers become under this abomination of OS, and refuse to port their products to Linux, will be in trouble soon. Out of all DAW developers, only Bitwig got this trend right yet.

Intermernet 1y ago
Annoyingly, Ableton Push 3 Standalone runs on Linux. This means that Ableton have a working Linux version of, at least the core, of Ableton Live working on Linux. I sincerely hope they release a true Linux version soon. It's the last thing tying me to Windows.
subjectivationx 1y ago
I have used linux for 10 years now but I think you just have to view a mac mini as the cost of a hardware synth or a guitar. Then all your problems are solved. At this point, I need a nice gpu on a linux machine and a mac mini. It is a dream setup. I think I booted windows once on my most recent laptop because I messed up booting from the thumb drive to blow it away. Reaper runs incredible on linux for DAW software but you always run into something that is not available with creative software. Then it is really nice keeping the mac only for creative pursuits.
- Xss3 1y ago
  Jumping into a different walled garden isnt the answer.
netdevphoenix 1y ago
> The reason Windows (and Microsoft itself) is not 6' deep yet is a relatively small number of commercial creative software like DAWs, graphics suits and CAD modellers. Google is likely actively working towards a future where all of those programs run on a browser.

unixhero 1y ago

Just use Linux Mint

gethly 1y ago
i'll be looking at fedora kde, cachy os, arch, maybe omarchy. either way i am definitely going for KDE. i always run ubuntu servers, but i tested few distros this year, i was mostly looking at fedora and suse, which are not rpm distros, but i was not happy, still, with some things. so i will have to do proper testing when time comes. i see fedora as "big" distro with good backing. arch as configurable distro. cachy supposedly has good performance tweaks in kernel and is good for gaming(whatever that means). and so on. each has its own ups and downs.
- unixhero 1y ago
  Trust me, just Linux Mint

hdjfvsjdb 1y ago

Glad you are trying Linux again! But on WinME that was complete trash.. Never has an is crashed so much on me... I went to Win2k after that ... Win2k was the last windows I ran in a PC and was IMO peak windows.

gethly 1y ago
Haha, true. But not from my experience. Not sure why. Either i just ignored any issues and simply don't remember them or i got lucky with hardware and drivers? Who knows. Either way, I never had issues with Windows. For me, it just always worked. Even now, I am on W10 and after i ripped out all the guts of the Defender out of the system, I'm quite happy with it. I have a TinyWall firewall so there are no background updates or any traffic without me knowing. I am in mostly full control and have no issues.

npteljes 1y ago

Stop daydreaming and just make the jump. The possibility of things being different down the road, and the fantasy you acting on it properly just serves to make you feel better, without needing actual action, or commitment on your part. Do something now, and get a taste of the real thing. My way of switching over was to set up my system as a dual-boot, and then to set up my Linux in a way that enabled as much of my needs as possible. I got overwhelmed at first multiple times, but realized later that I'm just resistant to change. After a few tries, it stuck, and instead of feeling overwhelmed with change, I felt relief that I don't have to deal with Windows, and all the corporate bullshit that comes with it. Instead I have the vibrant culture of free software, and all the bullshit that comes with that, hehe. And I take that anytime over the former. I'm also using KDE btw. I think it's by far the best DE, for me anyways. Fun fact, Valve's Steam Deck also uses it.

linhns 1y ago
KDE is the best DE for Windows to Linux user. Personally going from Windows -> Linux -> Mac then GNOME feels much better for me.

mixmastamyk 1y ago

I'd put Linux on a second machine and start learning. Forcing yourself to use it for a few days a week, etc. Needs to become a habit. Need to find solutions to all the expected issues. Can use an old machine if you need. You don't want the migration to be harder than it should be, and doing everything at once is way too hard.

mixmastamyk 1y ago
First step I forgot, move to open software on windows first.