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PewDiePie: I installed Linux (so should you)
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this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2025
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If you don't use many devices it's fine.
Or rely on software that is not available in Linux and can’t be emulated, which unfortunately applies to both my work and personal use
It’s exactly this. There are SteamOS-like systems out there (Bazzite and CachyOS) but it’s a pain if you don’t know what you’re doing. Needless to say, Enterprises will be using Windows for a very long time since they can easily restrict software and such - and a lot of their software is Windows-based only.
Yeah every thread is basically “lol bro just use Linux, skill issue”… I’m very comfortable with Linux, shell scripting and all those things. Been doing is almost 30 years. There are a wide range of things that are just not supported, which makes it a non-starter for a lot of people.
I wanted to give new life to an old acer laptop/tablet hybrid. I installed Linux, but the webcam and microphone just won't work no matter what. The power button also doesn't work.
There's still a long way to go before any casual user would accept this.
Your edge case is not indicative of a larger trend.
It is. If you ever try to plug a webcam or use any conference software on Linux. I will not speak about audio if you have to handle multiple sources...
I haven't had any issues with webcams or conference software (Jitsi, Zoom, and Discord).
You are using the WebRTC stack that's why. It's done by your browser. Bad quality, low stability ,not secure. Plus WebRTC can be used by malicious site, by default you should disable it. Nope I am talking about videconferencing software like Webex, ...
The good news is this isn't an issue for most people, it was free, and your device was already doing so poorly with Windows you felt it was at the end of its life, so even not working perfectly it still worked.
Edit: Also, Linux isn't one thing. Your distro may not have included the packages to make those devices work, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. You could have searched for a solution, or perhaps a different distro would work.
This was the result of much research, I'm not entirely new to the space. No one got these peripherals to work on that device, unfortunately.
I don't understand what you mean by this isn't an issue for most people. Most people do care about a webcam not working right. Or do jou mean my device isn't representative? That could be, but it doesn't mean people with this device have a good Linux experience if they install it.
Yes, this. Most devices it just works, and a small minority will work with a little effort. A miniscule number will be like yours. It isn't representative of the average experience. It's an outlier.
Out of curiosity, how long ago was this? It very well may have the support now, though if it's from some manufacturer using proprietary drivers for their webcams, for some crazy stupid reason, then maybe not.
Most of manufacturers use windows drivers, due to the market share it is realistic. It is plug and play and work like a charm. After years of using Linux half of the devices will never work on it, mostly because nobody cares. The other half will need tuning to be usable if you are lucky. 2% will ready for Linux.
Including :
It's because, for the vast majority of people, it isn't an issue. Web browsers work fine and gaming is pretty much solved. If you're doing something technical enough to require specific software then you're technical enough to figure out if it works for you. If you aren't then it will work for you, and solve a lot of the issues Windows causes too.
Doesn’t change the fact that I would love to get off of Windows but still rely on it! I am a technical person and have discovered that currently Linux is just not an option for my needs.
Work should supply you with a managed device. That's out of your control.
I'm genuinely curious though - what 'personal use' software do you run that isn't supported in Linux?
I DJ on twitch, but haven’t found software that’s compatible with my hardware, and I also do it on VRchat which has anti-cheat and so it can’t run at all. There are other smaller things but that’s the deal breaker.
What do you mean? I've never had any issues with multiple devices. They're... Just different devices.
I don't know if this is what they meant, but what's stopping me from fully switching is that I have a bunch of peripheral devices with windows-only drivers
Many of them work without having to install anything. You could try a live boot USB and see what of them doesn't work to get an idea how difficult it'll be.
(possibly needless) anecdote
My dad is a Windows "power user" and it's funny trying to talk to him about Linux because there are so many things unique to Windows that were essentially OS problems foisted onto "power users" that he is concerned about and a lot of them don't really apply (e.g. anti-virus, drive letters, installing drivers for everything, etc.).TBH I kinda like the whole "drive letter" thing. But I also understand mount points, so I don't really miss it, but still. It's nice to have one single window to see all of your internal & external drives, home folders, and network shares. And yes, I'm aware I can do this in Linux as well. Just needs extra configuration - which is not a bad thing.
Nautilus shows me that stuff next to each other out of box on Ubuntu. It just doesn't have drive letters.
Nemo can as well. I forgot how, but it's in there.
Oh yeah I've already dual booted. Its mostly musical instrument related stuff that's stopping the full switch over. Like the programs to edit presets on my guitar pedal and synth are not huge fans of Linux. I would say for most people though, you could probably switch them to Linux and they wouldn't even notice
I have 2 servers, 6 containers, a raspi, a desktop, and a laptop all running linux just fine. My two phones send notification updates to my laptop via kde connect
I have lots of devices on linux and they all play nice together