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submitted 2 months ago by Fyrnyx@kbin.melroy.org to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

Could be small or big.

My answer has always been that, Linux can't handle everything I'd ask out of it that I normally can with Windows. I know the games issue has been progressing far from the days when that used to have been an archaic flaw with Linux for the longest time. Games might not be the issue except for some concerns I have for some games.

I was taking some time a few moments ago, to check if a program called Firestorm Viewer would work on Linux Mint which could've been my distro of choice. And the description written on the linux page described exactly the kind of concerns I'd have for compatibility and usability from going Windows to Linux.

They said that their viewer was tested and designed to function mostly with Ubuntu and while it could work with other distros, it's not to be expected to be smooth.

That's the kind of sentiment and concern I have always had with Linux if I were to go from Windows to it. There are programs and tools on Windows that I have that are used for specific purposes and I know they will not function on Linux. Furthermore, incase anything breaks down, any and all solutions would only be applicable to that thing that would be far easier to solve than just being SOL if I was on Linux.

It is something as a user that I just can't simply afford to deal with on a regular basis if I made the switch.

So while I may not have too much of an issue running games, I won't have too much of an issue using alternatives, I won't have to deal with the Windows ecosystem .etc I will just be running into other walls that would simply make me second guess my decision and make me regret switching to the point where I would dip back into Windows in a hurry.

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[-] rockSlayer@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 2 months ago

I'm lazy and haven't gotten around to it yet

[-] other_cat@piefed.zip 6 points 2 months ago

+1

I did flip my peripheral electronics, it's just my main computer I haven't changed yet. I made an attempt a while back ago but ran into enough snags, after already having a rough day, that I gave up and I haven't tried again since. I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is, I just haven't found myself wanting to sit down and burn the time it would take to install the new OS and get everything installed and tweaked how I like it etc. The latter part being a most-of-the-day project.

I will do it eventually though. I am sick of Windows. Now I just need to get over my fatigue and get off my ass.

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[-] variouslegumes@reddthat.com 37 points 2 months ago

You'll find some things are broken and janky in Windows and Linux. Just different jank you're not used to. I have friends who complain about how they have to do weird workarounds for Linux and then turnaround and fuck with RegEdit. You get used to either given enough time.

[-] 0_0j@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

then turnaround and fuck with RegEdit.

LOL, forgot about this. And they say they ain't tech savvy enough

[-] Whitebrow@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Isn’t mint based on Ubuntu? So that should work without a hitch for you. Worst case just boot into the live usb without installing it directly and just try it there.

As for me, I dual boot on separate drives because I have specific software that requires windows sometimes. Otherwise it’s primarily Linux on all machines in the house.

[-] KazuchijouNo@lemy.lol 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yeah! Once you get into linux you discover that in reality there are like 3 maybe 4 linux distros. Ubuntu is based on Debian and Mint is based on Ubuntu. And if you are knowledgeable enough then you just compile everything from source and it doesn't matter if you're running Fedora or FreeBSD.

I may be a fool though, don't listen to me.

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[-] Eiri@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 months ago

Because my PC is an entertainment box. I don't want to turn it into a problem to solve.

Also, Nvidia.

[-] 0_0j@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Also, Nvidia.

Was waiting for this to pop up LOL

If you are on a market for a Linux-first laptop, AMD is the way. I mean, yes, Nvidia is far better now than half a decade ago, but still, the hoops you have to jump? FUCK YOU NVIDIA

[-] jaykrown@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

What hoops? Installing the NVIDIA drivers is pretty straight forward.

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[-] frank@sopuli.xyz 11 points 2 months ago

Man i wish Mint worked out of the box as well as virtually everyone on here says it does.

I am a former software engineer, and don't want my home PC to be a hobby. I'm like 6 hours into trying to make my (simple) audio setup work on Mint Cinnamon and it's intermittent at best. Never have even thought about it on Windows.

It is plug and play compared to Linux of old, it's clearly come a long way. But it's nowhere near as easy as Windows still, for anyone who isn't trying to make this a hobby

[-] Fyrnyx@kbin.melroy.org 7 points 2 months ago

That's exactly how I feel about it as well and largely contributes to my hesitation.

I read and hear how so many people just gush and gush about how Linux Mint or this distro just 'works out of the box'. What they don't tell you, is how they must have had to spend hours getting something to work. Like sure, Linux Mint or a more friendlier distro will work out of the box - if you do nothing but just browse online and maybe install/uninstall programs you may want or need from the software package manager.

But I have had my battles before trying to make things work on linux distros, like getting proprietary functions of a browser to work. Hell, I have even had to fight a little just to get a displaying clock! Like with its formatting from 24hr to 12hr, I'm not saying getting it to display or anything but I don't get this desire to default to a 24hr format. And I have had to fight at times to switch formats.

The point is, I or others should not have to spend more time than we need to, to get things to work when there is already an OS that readily does that without question. It doesn't make us dumb, it doesn't make us incurious or boring or uninterested in computers and technology. It's about patience and respect of time and if some Linux distro is not going to respect my time or patience, regardless of how welcoming it appears, then it is not worth swapping to.

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[-] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 11 points 2 months ago

My Windows 10 PC is just as, if not more secure than any Linux machine on the planet.

But one of these days I’m going to have to actually power it on again and then I guess I’ll have to do something.

[-] fufu@feddit.org 10 points 2 months ago
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[-] Kagu@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago

Unfortunately I'm addicted to a game that requires kernel level anti cheat. So I dual boot Fedora and Windows, but pretty much the only thing I use the Windows partition for is the game and that rare application that just works ™️ on Windows

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[-] furrowsofar@beehaw.org 9 points 2 months ago
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[-] RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 months ago

I have terabytes of games, shit internet and no patience for things that don't just work immediately. I can only tolerated windows because I've already fixed it and I don't have to keep fixing it anymore.

Who knows what will happen with my next gaming laptop though, if it's fresh and empty I won't have that excuse, although there is always 'cbf' to fall back on.

[-] Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I use Endeavour and it's near flawless because all the drivers are imstalled, Steam knows when to use Proton, Heroic Launcher handles everything else. 6TB+ of games. All run. When they don't it's because of Epic Games' login requirement. No crashes. No launch errors.

Basically, there's no excuse for incompatibility any more. One exception may be some online multiplayer games with kernel level anticheat that's not supported by Proton. But I don't play those so idk

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[-] Fiivemacs@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 months ago

just make a vm of windows and use Linux for EVERYTHING else

[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

So many folks seem to be the opposite of me…

Linux just works now. Shit with my printer, device drivers, LAN things, stuff like like is like wrestling an animal on Windows for some reason, and… just works with KDE. It’s like they’ve swapped places.

Random Windows apps works better in wine than they do in actual windows, sometimes. With no fuss: I double click and they launch, that’s it.

Don’t even get me started on security.


But Linux is (mostly) not performant for gaming, at least not on Nvidia. It’s… fine, but I’m not going to take a 10%+ hit, sometimes much more severe, and poorer support for HDR, frame limiters, mod tools and such when I can just boot neutered Windows instead.


So I’m not getting away from Windows in the near future, but to frank, I don’t understand why more folks (who get past the admittedly tall hurdle of learning about partitioning and installing an OS) don’t dual boot, or seek to use certain poorly supported Linux native apps when double clicking exes mostly just works.

But my point is you don’t have to pick and choose. And there’s no commitment. You can have your cake and eat it, and send the cake back if you don’t like it.

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[-] MarieMarion@literature.cafe 8 points 2 months ago

I'm convinced it's much less straightforward than people here say it is.

I hate Windows, but I only use my computer for OpenOffice, some liiiiight browsing, and old-school light pirating (light enough TPB fits all my needs), so meh.
My new neighbor is an old leftist techie though, and when my 9 year old laptop dies, I may ask him to convert me. Maybe.

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[-] thenewred@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago
  • CAD
  • Photo editing

Gave FreeCAD and darktable a solid try hoping to switch my main desktop, but they have significant usability problems

[-] Badabinski@kbin.earth 6 points 2 months ago

CAD was a big problem for me as well. I've been happy enough with OnShape (coming from Autodesk Inventor), but the extreme SaaS nature of it makes me worry.

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[-] stealth_cookies@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago

I made the change about a year ago now. I saw the end of Windows 10 coming up and decided to install linux in a dual boot and try my best to use it exclusively for a couple months until I properly got used to it. You will need to accept that not every program you use on Windows will be available and you may have to try out a couple replacements before you find something that works for you. But most things have decent alternatives. Especially considering how much is done in a web browser these days, there aren't too many programs I really miss from Windows (mostly 3D CAD and RAW image processing).

Also, note that the differences between distros is way overblown when it comes to compatibility, it is mostly just a case of whether your package manager has the packages you want available and how bleeding edge the packages your distro uses are. Debian based distros (e.g. Ubuntu and Mint) tend to use slightly older packages than ones that are rolling release like Arch which should theoretically be a bit more stable.

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[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

While we are nearly an "All Linux" shop at home, there is one machine that I won't change.

It is a HP oscilloscope running a heavily modified version of Win98. Back then, it cost as much as a new car, and it still works mostly fine (and where it doesn't, I know, and can work around). The Windows is basically an afterthought to the hardware, and I don't think I could get any kind of drivers for the hardware - not even for a newer Windows version. So that remains.

But even my wife wants to switch to Linux now instead of going Win11.

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[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 6 points 2 months ago

I went back to windows for a few months on the newer desktop. I installed mint and discovered it had a lot of problems with the hardware. HDMI, Ethernet, WiFi, and various downstream things didn't work. I fixed some of it with help from forums and such, but eventually I went back to windows.

But a couple months later, I tried Pop!_OS and that has worked perfectly out of the box. No regrets.

[-] sifar@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 months ago

There is too concentrated which is bad (mac, win), and there is too fragmented which is bad (that is your Linux/distro universe). In other words, in one world, a single entity controls and is responsible for everything, and in another world, no one is. I am not getting into what is worse or better, rather what is usable for an end user.

And then there's the tacit wisdom of the FOSS/Linux world savants: "Uh, if something is not done or not available – you can just fork it or raise a PR, can't you?" completely escaping the fact that almost the entirety of the users of either world are just end users.

[-] ComradeMiao@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

I run Linux but it’s hard because no Adobe, no Microsoft, and no esports fps games except cs.

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[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 5 points 2 months ago

I want to be able to rely on all the things I want to do on my PC "just working" I don't want to come home after a long day of bullshit looking forward to playing a game or working on a project and have to do a bunch of troubleshooting because something is fucked up. I'm not there yet with Linux. To be fair I'm not there yet with Win 11 either so I'm in a tight spot.

I did buy a laptop so I could try it out more aggressively but have ran into a lot of roadblocks and just have a lot of things that I haven't had time to figure out yet.

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[-] nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 months ago

audio production in Linux is awful.

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[-] compostgoblin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago

I did. But I could easily see how people are put off by the “fan base”. I actually avoid talking about Linux at all irl because I don’t want people to think I’m a fossbro

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[-] ChaosSpectre@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Only remaining windows devices in my house are my wife's gaming rig, my gaming rig, and my work laptop.

Gaming rigs are using heavily debloated windows 11 installations, and if I ever figure it out enough they will act a lot more like game consoles than PCs eventually. The moment Linux can reliably play all the games I frequent, Windows will be purged.

Work laptop is non-negotiable sadly. My work uses Windows 10 and an absurd amount of permission controls over it. I am a web developer and every time I need admin permissions for UAC, I have to send a ticket to IT and wait for them to remote into my laptop just to enter a password. Dumbest shit I've seen, but this company is the masters of time wasted. But at least it isn't Windows 11 I guess.

Other devices are mostly linux. Wife's work laptop is MacOS.

[-] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

My domain. I'm too lazy to bring the whole shit somehow over to Linux. But I recently moved from hyperv to proxmox. Windows just sucks ass in comparison.

And gaming. Sure, many or most games do work fine in Linux, but then there are those with shitty anti-cheat. And also there are no drivers for my soundcard, and I really love my soundcard.

But win11 really really really tested my limits of tolerance. Really....

[-] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago

I'm on Linux everywhere at home except for my lounge family PC. It runs windows and Linux, but boots in to windows by default. That way when my kid or friends/family are using it, it's familiar to them, but when I use it, I can boot it in to linux.

It's not even true dual booting. Rather, they're each installed on their own dedicated drives, and I jump in to the bios to boot from Linux when I need it. It means they don't really even have to coexist and break each other's installs

[-] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 4 points 2 months ago

I recently switched to Linux, but the reason it took so long was primarily:

  1. Just getting the time to do it. I'm really busy these days and setting up a PC from scratch with all the stuff I need and how I want it to be takes a lot of time.
  2. Concerns about gaming, which turned out to be a complete non-issue. I can game completely fine and easily on Linux via Steam's compatibility settings. I can even use it to install non-Steam games and launchers, like Battlenet.
  3. Concerns about stuff not "just working" and I will say, there are more small annoyances. Already had a few segfaults from KDE Plasma when waking from sleep which crashes all programs and leaves me with an empty desktop. We really collectively need to move away from memory-unsafe languages, but yea you just don't get those sorts of bugs on Windows because Microsoft performs much, much more extensive testing of their code than Linux does (which is sad, but is the reality).
[-] nebula42@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

VR. Even my valve index, which is supposed to be the best supported on linux, has been nothing but hell on earth to try and get running. I remember reading about envision and if i can get that to work on arch, and the performance is acceptable, i might switch over to it sometime after windows reaches EOL.

[-] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 months ago

because i already did it

[-] bobo1900@startrek.website 4 points 2 months ago

Engineering CADs and old peripherals with proprietary drivers for me. This cannot be always solved with a VM because either they are graphically intensive or hardware passthrough just doesn't work for them.

There's one specific case of Texas Instruments' software suite for microcontrollers: they have all the tools, the IDE and SDKs available for windows/mac/linux, EXCEPT one stupid old sdk I needed that was ONLY available on Windows for some reason, so I had to use it just for that stupid piece of drivers.

For games I either do games that work on proton, or for extreme cased I have a VM with second GPU in passthrough, and that works quite qell, but cannot do on a work laptop.

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[-] PetteriPano@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

I flipped in 1997, so any software I might have missed since those days are probably not around anymore.

Windows 95 was pretty shitty in comparison to Linux, and a lot of software broke with NT 4.0

It was an easy choice at the time. Linux was the operating system for this new fancy thing called the internet. Software development turned into a career, and Linux is just a very nice stack for building backends and infrastructure.

I do have an old ThinkPad around running windows 10. I've only used it three times in the past five years: To unbrick an Android phone, to set the MMSI on a marine radio, and to update the maps on my car's satnav.

[-] Flyberius@hexbear.net 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I'm travelling atm and bricking my laptop would be a disaster. That's it

[-] JohnBrownsBawdy@hexbear.net 4 points 2 months ago

Almost 20 years ago I was living in China and my Mac’s hdd got corrupted. While I was able to restore the os I couldn’t get a copy of ms office anywhere - that’s when I switched over to saving everything as .rtf Wrote my dissertation in Nisus Writer Pro and still won’t fuck with any proprietary file format.

[-] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

For work our projects use .NET Framework so it needs to run on windows.

For personal use it's a combination of mostly Valorant, which refuses to run anywhere but windows... and short term productivity loss because it's simply the platform I know my way around.

For my homelab I naturally have Linux running though, and the second Valorant supports Linux (lol) I'm gone.

[-] gibs@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago

VR support, that's it for me.

[-] Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 2 months ago
  • I don't have a personal computer, just my work computer right now so I don't need it.
  • I work in graphics so I'm wary that not everything I use now will be available (I know there are alternatives, but they aren't equal).
  • I got a steam deck for my gaming (not my day to day).
  • my wife and I use Mac's and iPhones and I'm worried it'll be hard for her to switch and the ecosystem is very convent and easy right now.
  • I acquired a gaming computer for my kid and promptly put mint on it.
  • I only pretend to be technologically savvy and am not confident to answer all the questions my family needs to go full Linux. It's more at the testing hobby level.

My main reasons boil down to availability of programs, no necessity yet, and ease of the new ecosystem isn't as simple.

[-] olafurp@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Most recently when I used Windows was because of work. I've been seeing these posts for a while now and I can make some valid arguments.

  • Anti cheat games
  • Adobe products (Web is not the same)
  • MS Office desktop
  • Work has processes linked to Windows specifically (server that only works on IIS Express maybe?)
  • Big legacy codebase where they don't match filename casing.
  • Specific Visual Studio scripts or plugins for a DSL.
  • Security requirements that need windows APIs (like mandating crowdstrike)
  • Music production with a Ableton (it works but it's not noob friendly).
  • You have deep knowledge of Windows and getting up to speed on Linux would take a year without guarantees you have a comparable system.
  • Your client is on Windows and you're making a desktop Windows app that's not cross platform.

Thankfully none of these apply to me so I'm on Linux but I can see how this is an issue.

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this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2025
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