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linux is better than windoze or mac

 
author and steward
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this thread is for gloating.

I switched to linux about four years ago.  Smooth sailing.
 
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Is this the 21st century version of the old Amiga vs Apple vs PC debate? ;)
 
pollinator
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The only criticism I ever hear is that there is a huge learning curve. Do you have any suggestions for non-programmer/coders looking to check it out?

Funny thing is, the earliest, trackball-controlled computers I remember were at school in early primary, maybe even kindergarten, and they ran linux. Couldn't tell you which version, though, but it was like thirty years ago...

Also, I wouldn't mind a breakdown as to why you find it superior, and where it is lacking. I know that some linux-heads run partitioned systems, for reasons of interacting with the outer computing world, I guess. Your thoughts on this?

-CK
 
paul wheaton
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I think that if you have a computer that is a few years old, then installing linux on it will be super fast and will have very little learning curve.  
 
paul wheaton
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James Freyr wrote:Is this the 21st century version of the old Amiga vs Apple vs PC debate? ;)



Maybe.

Only it's evil vs. evil vs. a bunch of geeks giving stuff away for free.  
 
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If you go with Ubuntu there's not much learning, it runs like windows and a quick look at forums will quickly fix any issues you have (generally) I'll be heading back on over when they kill of Win 7 being a massive gamer Linux is a bit of a pain for me, I never could get on with any of the windows emulators Hopefully in my 10 year break things will have improved.
 
paul wheaton
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I kept a dual boot of windows.   I never used it.  

I was thinking that if there was a windows app I needed to run, i could try the windows emulator "wine".  I ended up never trying that either.   Everything I need is on linux.  

 
pollinator
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I'm intrigued as I've had so many tech-heads sing the praises of Linux and I've stayed away from it from lack of time and knowledge.  Now there is a bit more time and an old 32-bit Win7 laptop gathering dust in one of the side-rooms.  Maybe a good time to give it a try.  Any recommendations of a "Go to this website *first*....", step-by-step nature?  Also how is the compatibility of Linux-based open source word-processors/spreadsheets with their Windoze counterparts and what would be a recommended browser?  Thanks!
 
paul wheaton
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I use linux mint.   I would say the thing to do is google linux mint.
 
pollinator
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Elementary OS is pretty great too.  Small footprint and really fast, especially for older machines.  It's also the nicest looking distro I have used.  Ubuntu is great for servers.
 
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I think there's three things that need (or, I want) to happen to make Linux mainstream:

1) Windows games need to be playable on Linux without making more work for developers (this is already happening thanks to Valve Proton).

2) The Adobe suite needs to run on Linux without needing extra setup. I have heard Wendell from Level1Techs say that Linux and macOS share enough heritage that it's conceivable one day that all macOS software will run on Linux.

3) Linux needs to start shipping by default (or as a configurable option) on more consumer laptops.

There is another exciting thing called Flatpak which should make installing complex apps much easier on Linux. Flatpak is already supported on Linux Mint 19.

I can't wait for Linux to go mainstream.
 
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I have bunches of old computers,  and even one new one,  that all might benefit from a new OS.
All I do is online anyway, hell I had a G3 (?) apple that I only stopped using because I couldn't get a modern browser.

Thing is,  I'm typing this on my phone.
I'm just as fast in the phone as I am on  a keyboard.  
Some sites,  like this one,  have more functionality in desktop mode,  but small screens can't deliver that, so a bigger screen would be nice.
But a reliable way to get online is enough for me.
Probably time to clean house and ditch those old computers.

Dude note,  I watch netflix on a 12"  TV/ VCR combo that I found on the side of the road.
It's mostly mind numbing.
So I don't need a better bong,in the form of a big flat-screen ,  I need better drugs.
Like this place, where I interact and learn stuff,and get inspiration to DO things.


 
Trace Oswald
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Some people simply prefer an operating system that is free, open source, and can be customized exactly they way they like it.  If people prefer to buy Microsoft's products, it's certainly their prerogative.
 
pollinator
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I have ubuntu installed on an older computer as a test, and it worked good, but the computer was old and small so I didn't really get into it too much.

I tried to install Zorin, as I heard it could emulate all other systems- windows, mac, etc, but never got it to run.  Is Mint easier than Zorin?
 
pollinator
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I got into Linux about 9-10 years ago when I started learning about Arduino. It started innocently enough, just experimenting with Ubuntu, Puppy Linux, Tiny Core, and DSLinux on old Thin Clients. Pretty soon I was compiling my own custom configurations, ordering Raspberry Pi's and teaching myself Python scripting. My wife wasn't sure what to think. She was concerned I might need counseling, because who really gives away a free OS? and there's no way it's better than Mac. (She does graphic design and has a MacBook Pro).
I started to loath going to work where I was forced to grind along on a laptop running Windows. I configured a thumb drive to run Ubuntu and would secretly boot my work machine off of that when I really needed to get things done. The IT guy knew and tolerated it so long as I didn't create any problems for him.
Then it happened. The project I was on was moving into a new office and they couldn't access the keycard system. All three IT guys worked on it for a day and a half. On the second day, one of them popped his head in my office and told me what they needed, and that they were going to lunch. The Server room would be open while they were gone.
When they returned the key card system was accessed and our new cards were being programmed. Nothing was said, but he knew.

My wife has a smoldering love-hate for Linux after the numerous times I have converted client files or burnt discs for her when her "perfect, amazing, and faultless Mac OS" refused to do as advertised.

I just smile. She purses her lips and storms off. I may convert her yet...
 
John Weiland
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Quick question here as I often find the language used here easier to comprehend than that offered on a computer help forum.  I'm trying to install ElementaryOS on a USB drive using a small application called 'Rufus'.....I don't understand the difference between installing an OS and "burning an ISO image", but Rufus is supposed to do this automatically.  The error message I get when trying to do the install onto the USB drive is that Rufus needs two files that it was not compiled with:  'ldlinux.sys' and 'ldlinux.bss'.  I've since downloaded these files, but don't know where to put them so that Rufus can use them during the install of ElementaryOS on the USB.  Any help here would be appreciated....much thanks!
 
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I have a 16 year old computer enthusiast son who would probably agree.  Since we started building our computers back in 2011, my son has increasingly customized almost everything on the machine.  Now he frequently runs on Linux and at the moment it is working better than Windows.

Go figure
 
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I run  a custom Windows 7 on my main machine with all auto updates disabled.    I have unplugged from microsoft, so that I can keep running my games / 2003 Microsoft Office.


But lurking in the back ground is 2 raspberry pies getting my home automation and CNC work done.

I have a backup latop that has multiple hard drives that I can jump to Linux or Windows 7, or I pull out the Multi boot drive and choose from 10 flavors of linux from the USB boot.


I refuse to goto Windows 10, and have pretty much cut ties with microsoft, no more skype, hello Discord for communications.

I love choices we have.      
 
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I remember using Linux a bunch back when I was taking my programming classes. It was great to use but the teacher made us use command line only version with no GUI. Then he gave us a challenge that if we could unlock the GUI ourselves with no help from him or google we could use it. It was fun exploring and figuring out how to unlock the GUI. I managed to be the first in the class to figure it out While the GUI was nice it really did not change anything in regards to writing our own programs. The command line worked just fine.

I have not used Linux in years but I think I will try installing it on a couple old computers that are just sitting around. That could be a nice way to use those comps again. One might be a good computer for my kids to learn on. The other might be good for when I need to just sit down and write for my blog and when I start writing my first book.

Thanks for the reminder about Linux!
 
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I have been running Linux OS's for about 10 years now and have never gone back to Windows. Like Caleb, I too have tried many flavors of Linux available - long term Ubuntu, Linux Mint then within the past 2 years, Peppermint 9 which is what I'm using now. All of them have come such a long way now to becoming SO much more user friendly and require no coding or geekiness to run them (unless you still want to).
For those wanting to give one of them a try, the main go-to page is: Distrowatch
On the right hand side of this site there is a column called "Page Hit Ranking" which basically translates to the most popular and widely used as #1, #2 as the second most used and so forth.
Quite a few of them have the ability to try them out without installing on your hard drive. You can put the Operating system on a USB stick and boot from that.

All in all though, I would not say that Linux is "better than windoze or mac" - everybody has their needs and opinions. For me, its an alternative that I have come to really appreciate for its non-invasiveness (From the OS itself, spyware, viruses, ransomware etc...) that I was finding more and more in the proprietary OS's and more of a feeling of being 'off grid'.
 
bob day
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So here's the deal,  I just bought a cheap new HP and then got an ssdrive to use instead of the one in it.

Windows got on my last nerve when I tried to install firefox--they demand I get a microsoft account before they will install "dangerous" software

I know opening a microsoft account is likely a small thing in the world of abandoned privacy, but i have done without skype for the last year plus because they wouldn't recognize my old password or give me a new one without joining their precious club.

So, I think the time has come to go linux full bore-- but with a general windows appearance.  If I replace the hard drive with the new ss one, then boot from a usb drive (or dvd), I can likely get everything running pretty quickly. In fact I might try and clone my old computers drive to the ss one before I start, then just abandon the windows system in place since it wouldn't work anyway. most (all) of the programs will likely need reinstalling as well

How is Zorin doing these days? think I'd have any problems with hardware drivers on my cheap new HP? just how much does it really look like windows? last time I tried to install it I had issues and abandoned the project--I have some skill but these types of challenges give me a headache.  I want it to be totally smooth this time.

 
Eric Hanson
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I love this thread as it dovetails nicely with one of my projects for this summer.  Starting in 2011 I stopped buying new desktop computers and instead build them from the ground up.  Earlier this summer I rebuilt my my computer (meaning I replaced the motherboard, RAM, and processor) for a fraction the cost of buying new.

For some time I have wanted a media PC to store movies and such on our basement TV.  I promised my wife that I would keep the cost down so in a sort of Permies fashion, almost every part of this build was made from left over parts.  I only bought a new power supply and SSD.  Every other component was recycled/reused.  In keeping with this ethic I only use open source, free software.

My son and I installed Linux Mint, one of the most recent editions of Linux operating system and it works perfectly well with all of my software.  I can strongly recommend Mint as it has performed flawlessly for us.

We call this build a frankencomputer as it is entirely made of spare parts.  I love the fact that it is open source everything.  I have installed plenty of software and had no compatibility issues or driver issues

I hope this helps,

Eric
 
bob day
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I've been at the Zorin site, trying to search their forum, and it may be that I haven't registered there, or maybe their search option doesn't work---like the internet doesn't work on the recently installed version of Zorin on a fresh disk in a new laptop.

I'm waiting for my registration to be approved by admin at their forum site and maybe I can get some advice, but I may have to spring for the 39$ they want for the ultimate version of Zorin.-- or not-- I did just by an external usb wifi dongle to bypass the internal wireless hardware, if I can't get it working before next week.

I was pretty careful opening the new computer to install the new ssd, but it wouldn't be the first time I bumped a wire by accident. So if it's not just a driver for the wireless and there's a physical problem, at least I don't have to take apart the computer again-- this new one has the whole back come off to access battery, memory, HDD etc., and you need a pretty careful touch (and an old credit card ) to get into the thing without breaking it all to heck
Anyway, I can start transferring files and bringing the new computer up to speed, and start getting familiar with Zorin, at least I was able to get over the boot disk problem that stopped me before. Like everything else, I guess there's a learning curve and you just have to put out a little extra energy to get started.

The mint version might be a good thing to look at, never heard of that before.

Fun and games
 
pollinator
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Chris Kott wrote:The only criticism I ever hear is that there is a huge learning curve. Do you have any suggestions for non-programmer/coders looking to check it out?

Funny thing is, the earliest, trackball-controlled computers I remember were at school in early primary, maybe even kindergarten, and they ran linux. Couldn't tell you which version, though, but it was like thirty years ago...

Also, I wouldn't mind a breakdown as to why you find it superior, and where it is lacking. I know that some linux-heads run partitioned systems, for reasons of interacting with the outer computing world, I guess. Your thoughts on this?

-CK



Ubuntu is the most common distro of Linux because it's fairly user-friendly and Linux Mint is a fork of that which is intentionally designed to be as easy to use as possible.

I haven't used Linux much lately but it tends to be less rough on older hardware, simpler, less prone to viruses, etc. The downside is that some specialized software and a lot of games will run only on Win and/or Mac. If you're not intending to play video games, write software or do serious creative work (like 3d modeling, animation, photoshopping, music editing, etc), there's pretty good Linux alternatives available for most common software.
 
Mart Hale
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Eric Hanson wrote:I love this thread as it dovetails nicely with one of my projects for this summer.  Starting in 2011 I stopped buying new desktop computers and instead build them from the ground up.  Earlier this summer I rebuilt my my computer (meaning I replaced the motherboard, RAM, and processor) for a fraction the cost of buying new.

For some time I have wanted a media PC to store movies and such on our basement TV.  I promised my wife that I would keep the cost down so in a sort of Permies fashion, almost every part of this build was made from left over parts.  I only bought a new power supply and SSD.  Every other component was recycled/reused.  In keeping with this ethic I only use open source, free software.

My son and I installed Linux Mint, one of the most recent editions of Linux operating system and it works perfectly well with all of my software.  I can strongly recommend Mint as it has performed flawlessly for us.

We call this build a frankencomputer as it is entirely made of spare parts.  I love the fact that it is open source everything.  I have installed plenty of software and had no compatibility issues or driver issues

I hope this helps,

Eric




I have just finished buying a 1 year old machine for $75.00    Laptop,    5 core AMD processor.    Spent another $130.00    to upgrade to 16 gig Ram and a 500 gig SSD drive, and will spend another $30.00  to get a wifi card that Linux sees natively.


Buying used is the way to go as people as a rule don't know how to use a computer and will break it, and then will sell it cheap.       This machine was locked up after the restore would not reset the machine back to factory and was locked at the login screen for windows 10.      I get it home fight 3 hours to get windows 10 working, then gave up and installed puppy Linux, then inside of that I setup a VM   Virtual box to run my other OS, but I have yet to get the sound to work on that :-(   ...

Any how there are going to be a ton of old computers going to the market place because microsoft said,  "WINDOWS 7 Dies"....    so they will think the machine will die with it and sell it cheap......

I used to play rise of the nations all the time, but after a windows update killed the game so it would not start I replaced it with 0AD.        I have also discovered a cool  game "Astromenace"   that is tons of fun on Linux and does not require the internet to run.     I like steam but I want to be stand alone with the games I have so slowly I am replacing my Microsoft world games with Linux ones.        It has been worth the effort as the systems are much much more stable.

Good to not be a microsoft slave anymore.
 
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Yeah! I kinda have Linux Mint as my primary OS now! I've had Windows 10 and Linux Mint dual boot on my computer for a few months, but I mostly used Windows 10. I finally decided to move my working files and browser data onto Linux Mint, and I can pretty much do what I need to do on Linux now.
 
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For gloating eh? Hm, I've been a Linux user since 2007 & I've test driven over a dozen flavors. I guess more than a decade is gloatable territory, though I would obviously be totally pn3d by a since-90s slackware user!
For da n00bs I haz been turning them onto MX Linux.
As for the title of this thread, one of the best websites for proselytizing the GNUospels is WhyLinuxIsBetter.net.
 
Mike Kenzie
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paul wheaton wrote:I use linux mint.   I would say the thing to do is google linux mint.


In the spirit of us "bunch of [free software] geeks" one could also "yacy" linux mint.
 
Mike Kenzie
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Caleb Mayfield wrote:My wife has a smoldering love-hate for Linux after the numerous times I have converted client files or burnt discs for her when her "perfect, amazing, and faultless Mac OS" refused to do as advertised.
I just smile. She purses her lips and storms off. I may convert her yet...


Ugh! I know! Mac people are the hardest to convert! Countless times I've seen their machines & software stumble or fail at task after task, then I show them how effortlessly & elegantly Linux handles. They just stare in silence, then go back to their Macs! Incredible!
I've been able to turn Mac people on to loads of FLOSS software, but making "the big leap" to OS is so hard for them.
I think back to that Apple 1984 ad, ever since that ad I feel that Mac people have mentally put themselves in some type of "rebel class" roleplay. They seem utterly perplexed when they find out that there is an actual family of rebel OS's out there.
RevOS.jpg
[Thumbnail for RevOS.jpg]
Revolution OS
 
Mike Kenzie
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Meg Mitchell wrote:The downside is that some specialized software and a lot of games will run only on Win and/or Mac. If you're not intending to play video games, write software or do serious creative work (like 3d modeling, animation, photoshopping, music editing, etc), there's pretty good Linux alternatives available for most common software.


I politely beg to differ. "Some specialized [sic: highly specialized] software"... true...
But actually, Linux can do all of the latter things, and most of them quite well in fact:
Linux video games? Pick one to play, or pick hundreds if you're bored enough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_games
...not to mention Valve & Steam.
Several big budget movies have done their 3D modeling & animation with Blender; I personally know people in Hollywood who use Linux & run this software package.
GIMP is not a perfect replacement for photoshop, but I would argue that it's at least 90% as feature-rich & powerful.
And Audacity is a very mature audio software tool for Linux (as well as for Mac & Windows) used by tons of musicians, podcasters, multimedia pros, etc.

 
Mike Kenzie
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For all of the great how-to questions, I would refer you to the respective forums of each of those OS's. People are generally polite, patient, quick, & thorough with their help. I could not have made the switch as smoothly myself if it were not for the countless nice folks in the various Linux forums.

@ John Weiland:
For word processing & spreadsheets, give Libre Office, The Document Foundation a try.
Recommended browser? Mozilla Firefox also runs great on Linux!
Also, ElementaryOS recommends UNetBootin software for USB creation-installation. In short, you download the OS -which comes in the form of an "ISO image" (.iso) from their website, burn it onto the USB drive (using UNetBootin / [maybe not?] Rufus), then install the ISO image that's burnt onto the USB drive onto whichever device you would like (generally a desktop or laptop). Alternatively, if the distro allows, you can "run" the OS "live" from the USB by plugging it into your device without installing it. Usually you can an option to install or run it live from the USB.

@ bob day:
I haven't tried Zorin myself, if you're not having much luck with the Zorin Help and Support page I might recommend trying one of the most recent top DistroWatch versions of Linux. Generally speaking, the more hits/users a distro has, the more robust their help & forums are.
 
bob day
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I hope when I get back home soon I'll have a new wireless card for my new HP computer, which sits idle because linux/Zorin couldn't drive the OE wireless card.  I made the leap totally, thinking it would be similar to Ubuntu, but I had installed ubuntu on a different computer that Linux could drive.

Anyway, instead of fussing around trying to do the work arounds/ lengthy web exploration trying to find the best solution I figured changing the hardware was just easier.  Being able to push a button and sit back is a lot easier than searching for information, installing this work around and then that workaround each time crossing my fingers hoping it works. Glibly talking about friendly experienced people is wonderful, I'm sure I could enjoy a new group of web buddies, just not sure I really want to pick up a whole new friendship circle over something that is more a convenient tool to me than a hobby.  I probably would rather talk about ryobi tools with like minds than get into the innards of an OS discussion.

I say this not to discourage people, I think learning the minimal computer language may ultimately save frustration, time and energy, heaven knows I hate the Microsoft monopoly, but the learning curve can be pretty steep at times. All the persuasive rhetoric doesn't mention those bugs that inevitably appear and stop newbies like me in my tracks.  I do appreciate the freeware/shareware community and even contribute at times, and believe it's a blow for freedom to get windows off all my computers,

I'll take a look at your website when I'm stuck at the next hurdle (assuming I clear this one with the new wireless card

But the truth is I just haven't had the time to begin to look much for the support, just a few attempts to find out if there was a fix, and no easy fix forthcoming, pack the computer away and return to this one, whose only real flaw is a broken hinge--and of course Windows
 
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Loxley Clovis wrote:For gloating eh? Hm, I've been a Linux user since 2007 & I've test driven over a dozen flavors. I guess more than a decade is gloatable territory, though I would obviously be totally pn3d by a since-90s slackware user!



Hey, since-90's slack user here

Although I must admit to the following...

- nowadays I use Ubuntu or Debian for servers

- on some personal boxes I use Windows because of a) gaming and b) starting with 7, it actually became a half-decent system stability-wise

On the other hand, it used to be said "Linux is only free if your time has no value" - referencing the fact that in the olden days, rolling everything manually and knowing a host of details was the only way to go. Nowadays (last 5-10 years?) this is no longer so since great advances have been made in putting Linux on the desktop (ie. apart from server installations) in a way that is easy on the user and more in the spirit of turn it on and it works. HW support has improved greatly as well.

The Mint distribution, frequently mentioned in this thread, has my vote also.


 
Meg Mitchell
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Loxley Clovis wrote:

Meg Mitchell wrote:The downside is that some specialized software and a lot of games will run only on Win and/or Mac. If you're not intending to play video games, write software or do serious creative work (like 3d modeling, animation, photoshopping, music editing, etc), there's pretty good Linux alternatives available for most common software.


I politely beg to differ. "Some specialized [sic: highly specialized] software"... true...
But actually, Linux can do all of the latter things, and most of them quite well in fact:
Linux video games? Pick one to play, or pick hundreds if you're bored enough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_games
...not to mention Valve & Steam.
Several big budget movies have done their 3D modeling & animation with Blender; I personally know people in Hollywood who use Linux & run this software package.
GIMP is not a perfect replacement for photoshop, but I would argue that it's at least 90% as feature-rich & powerful.
And Audacity is a very mature audio software tool for Linux (as well as for Mac & Windows) used by tons of musicians, podcasters, multimedia pros, etc.



I have Steam and I have installed Steam on Linux. Most of the games available on Steam aren't available on Linux, and most people don't want to play a game selected from the list of games available from Linux; they want to play the games their friends are playing. If you told a serious gamer that they should switch to Linux for their gaming machine, they would look at you like you'd grown a third head.

Similarly if you told a professional using Photoshop to switch to GIMP. It may do 90% of what you need as an entry level photoshop user but there are many more features than that which GIMP doesn't have. I would compare GIMP to Paint.NET, not Photoshop. Even then it would be a painful replacement for Paint.NET because the UI is atrocious.

WRT the animation industry, most people are beholden to use whatever is the industry/company standard and Blender especially, unless it's changed significantly in the last 10 years, is different enough that switching to it represents a significant amount of relearning.

Please understand that I'm not saying you can't use Linux to perform those kinds of tasks. You can if you're really determined to, and you're willing to do a lot of work to get your Windows-only programs to run on Linux or if you're willing to use tools that aren't quite as nice. Most people aren't that gung ho on using Linux specifically though, so as long as their workflow is easier, more pleasant and more powerful on Win than Linux they will continue to use Win and it's hard to blame them.

 
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paul wheaton wrote:I kept a dual boot of windows.   I never used it.  

I was thinking that if there was a windows app I needed to run, i could try the windows emulator "wine".  I ended up never trying that either.   Everything I need is on linux.  



Wine won't run everything. Better to install a virtual machine like Virtual Box that allows you to install and run windows within your linux installation. No rebooting to switch. Just fire up the vitrual machine and then windows. I've got a dual boot tablet that I use for auto repair as there's a couple of programs I use that have no linux equivalent. My PC based scan tool and auto repair info program. My everyday laptop just has linux. My flavor of the year is Linux Mint with the Plasma desktop. I've run Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, Neon, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Studio and a few others. That whole Home directory thing makes it super easy to swap without losing any data or preferences.

I switched to Ubuntu based linux almost 10 years ago.

My wife just sat there waiting for Win10 to update yesterday for an hour and it pretty much killed everyone else's ability to surf for half of that time. When she got done, her desktop was a different color and a big icon for the Edge browser had appeared on it. How fucking intrusive can they get?

People are still under the impression that you still have to learn to code to use linux. Hasn't been so in many years. If you do have to use the terminal for some reason, you're usually pasting code in from the ubuntu support site of stack exchange. I do use the terminal for a few things because it's faster to type "sudo apt-get install gimp" than to open the gui program.

Are there little glitches with linux? Yeah, sometimes. I love the Plasma desktop but it always seems to have some little issue. This time around, it's that my volume/mute buttons on my laptop won't work. I can log out and log back in on the Cinnamon desktop and they work fine but I like my plasmoids aka desktop widgets. (yes, there's some clock redundancy)

 
Mike Kenzie
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Meg Mitchell wrote:If you told a serious gamer that they should switch to Linux for their gaming machine, they would look at you like you'd grown a third head.


Having played in online gaming leagues myself, I can personally say that this is not the case. In fact, I was first introduced to Linux through gaming. One of my best friends in high school, who was the one in our circle who knew the most about computers at the time (and likely knew more than anyone in the whole school in fact as he was already operating a successful tech support company by his junior year in high school), instructed us that when choosing a gaming server to connect to, give preference to Linux servers as they tend to be the most stable. Years later when Steam did make games available for Linux, I played several on my Linux box.  Sure, many prefer Windows mostly because it is their “native tongue” as it were.

Meg Mitchell wrote:Similarly if you told a professional using Photoshop to switch to GIMP. It may do 90% of what you need as an entry level photoshop user but there are many more features than that which GIMP doesn't have. I would compare GIMP to Paint.NET, not Photoshop. Even then it would be a painful replacement for Paint.NET because the UI is atrocious.


GIMP -like many FLOSS programs- has come a long way since the early days & today indeed is a powerful program. The user interface is very comparable to Photoshop. Functionally, it’s nearly identical. The only difference I can see in the UI is the default color scheme. [See attached image below].

Meg Mitchell wrote:WRT the animation industry, most people are beholden to use whatever is the industry/company standard and Blender especially, unless it's changed significantly in the last 10 years, is different enough that switching to it represents a significant amount of relearning.


It’s telling that free open source projects like Blender are adopted by major organizations for important projects, projects that can even have multi-million dollar budgets, despite the fact that there are very well-paid people employed by well-heeled proprietary projects that get sizable salaries to promote proprietary software in addition to anti-competitive practices.

Meg Mitchell wrote:You can if you're really determined to, and you're willing to do a lot of work to get your Windows-only programs to run on Linux or if you're willing to use tools that aren't quite as nice.


Nowadays, since there is an abundance of free open source programs that can do pretty much everything that most people do most of the time on Windows machines, it’s no longer necessary to use programs like Wine try to get Windows programs running on Linux, though that is an option for the minority who need it. The majority of people only need an Office Suite (such as open source LibreOffice), a web browser (like open source Firefox), and an email client (such as open source Thunderbird) in order to complete their computing tasks.
Are there highly specific programs that require propriety operating systems? Of course, but I would argue that the amount of those programs without free open source alternatives, and the amount of computer users needing them are an extreme minority. This may have been a barrier to entry of Linux before the Ubuntu Linux and Linux Mint communities contributed to making Linux and many open source programs significantly more user friendly and powerful in the mid-2000s, but it is certainly not even close to being a barrier to entry for the majority of e-device users today.

Meg Mitchell wrote:Most people aren't that gung ho on using Linux specifically though, so as long as their workflow is easier, more pleasant and more powerful on Win than Linux they will continue to use Win and it's hard to blame them.


I don’t blame anyone for using Windows - nor has anyone in this thread. Whenever I see friends and family using it, I don’t say anything it. But when I see them struggling with instability, viruses, glitches in software, etc. then I do introduce them to FLOSS projects. And if they seem willing, I help them to transition by installing Linux on their computers. I’ve transitioned dozens of people over the past decades and they have all thanked me.

If anyone needs specific help transitioning to FLOSS software or operating systems, please PM me. I'd be glad to help in any way I can.
Cheers :-)
GIMP_v._PS.jpg
[Thumbnail for GIMP_v._PS.jpg]
GIMP's user-friend UI (foreground) compared to Photoshop's (background)
 
bob day
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I took what seemed to be the best advice here for my needs and reformatted the zorin with the new tricia- linux mint with the cinnamon desktop, and the same issue of no wi fi is still a problem,(although it did recognize the bluetooth immediately on installation, so I think I can use it with my phone as a hotspot.) but I have been working with  a network cable just to get the thing going and generally am doing very well.

I found zoom and linphone as substitutes for skype, both included as part of the original install, and activating them was easy

The mint support forum is awesome, and I found detailed instructions for a realtech wi fi card like mine, but so far no joy,

the learning curve is still there for the finer points of terminal commands and such, but the windows aspect is pretty straightforward and the other advantages can wait till I have time(and inclination) to play with it  

I hate Microsoft, and I'm grateful for this alternative--I even switched to duck duck go as my search engine to avoid so many ads and of course personal information collection which google is well known for. The fact that firefox was preinstalled was also a major plus in my estimation.
 
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bob day wrote:I took what seemed to be the best advice here for my needs and reformatted the zorin with the new tricia- linux mint with the cinnamon desktop, and the same issue of no wi fi is still a problem,(although it did recognize the bluetooth immediately on installation, so I think I can use it with my phone as a hotspot.) but I have been working with  a network cable just to get the thing going and generally am doing very well.



Is your hardware either really old or really obscure? Drivers for WIFI cards, at least the common ones, are usually baked into windoze or popular flavors of linux. I've used Mint / Cinnamon on a flash drive with our laptop and it connected just fine without messing with drivers. How certain are you that the card is functional? Just for kicks, you could install a ported copy of android onto a flash drive and boot from it. I once did that to test the card in a friend's laptop. Windoze wouldn't talk to it at all, denied anything was wrong with the driver. I tried to update the driver anyway, still no luck. I wanted to know if it was hardware or software, so I booted from my oreo stick. Connected just fine. Wrote her a letter to show the guy at the shop so he could focus on diagnosing software rather than hardware. Last I heard, she'd plugged in a cable and just used it like that.
 
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