If you’re already with Linux, this is not for you. This is for people who’re indecisive or been contemplating for long about whether to make that jump.
For me, it’s a matter of a few things. I’m on a Windows 10 version that guarantees me until 2032 of support. That means I would effectively skip Windows 11, like I already mostly have and potentially skip Windows 12 if that turns out to be a shitty choice. I’d be coming in right in time for whatever Microslop shits out for Win13.
Should Windows 13 suck, I think that’s a consideration. Another consideration is when Valve keeps dropping support for certain Windows versions of Steam. Because I know for a fact they will drop Windows 10 support entirely one day and then Windows 11. I believe it is really stupid that they do this.
By the time my Windows 10 version expires, I’d be getting older, which means I’ll probably care less and less about computer-related things. Going to Linux wouldn’t be a problem since I’d be doing barebones things like browsing and checking e-mail.
And I’d also hope that by 2032, Linux would have better development like easier access to proprietary drivers and software among other things.
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The big thing for me would be official driver & software support from peripheral manufacturers. A few off the top of my head for things I actually use…
Razer mouse software that supports the full range of configuration options available on Windows plus automatic profile switching based on active app.
Configuration software for Yamaha mixers (I do all my audio through an AG08).
StreamDeck software (the open source tooling for StreamDeck is pretty good, so that one’s less of an issue, but would still be nice to have parity with windows/mac).
Something like Windows Hello to do face unlock through my Logitech camera when I sit down at the machine.
Razer mouse software that supports the full range of configuration options available on Windows plus automatic profile switching based on active app.
This has been a big sticking point for me. I’m using a Razer Naga (thats the one with the numpad on the side) and like to make use of those extra buttons - esspecially since I play a lot of more complex and/or more competitve games, but even for day-to-day use. Since it doesn’t have on board memory, its useless on Linux, and that undoes about a decade of muscle memory (and requires me to buy a new mouse).
I’m on the Naga V2 hyperspeed. Best I’ve been able to do is set all the buttons to various keyboard keys in windows, then remap those in Linux. It covers basic functionality, but is not very customizable, and no automatic profile switching that I’ve found.
For me it’s because I have an iPhone and Windows has at least some compatibility with it, mainly for syncing my local music collection to my phone so I can listen with Apple Music offline. While it can be a pain, at least it works. If I were to use Linux I would need a way to transfer files between Linux and iPhone so I can listen to my music on a third party iPhone music player app, which I also haven’t found a good solution for yet. If anyone has any suggestions I’m all ears!
VLC will let you do this! This is how I got all of my music off of my Linux machine over to my iPad and iPhone. I haven’t tried transferring from iPhone back to Linux, however.
The iPhone is intentionally incompatible with Linux, or at least it was. They dropped support for Linux over 10 years ago.
Nothing. I’ve been here a while.
And might I add, fuck anything that doesn’t work on Linux, didn’t need it anyway
Steam and Xbox games fully playable and functional. So I want to be signed in and able to play with friends, etc.
Well the first is already true and the second is never gonna happen.
Yeah, which unfortunately makes my decision easy, as much as I hate microslop, I like playing games more.
there is about 10 games that do not work on Linux amd they are require a kernel level anticheat
*spyware
I’m not a huge gamer myself but so far every single game I have tried has worked on Linux with little to no tweaks.
Nothing. I have happily used Linux in the past when Windows went to shit after 7. But these days, I rely on AutoHotkey for accessibility reasons, so someone please port it to Linux kthx
I get that there are different Distros and that having options is great, but it’s a double edged sword. It also means that things get more complicated and some get more support than others.
If I commit to Linux then my whole house will switch to that Distro because I don’t have time to figure and support >4 PCs with similar but different OSs.
Autocad - for work
Photoshop - for work
Getting more software companies to support.
Make the terminal easier to use. I don’t use it often but when I do I waste an average of 15min just trying to find a guide or wiki. A help file or built in guide would be nice
Everyone that uses Linux, expects you to be a Linux expert
Steam is great but a native GOG app would be nice. Instead of Herolauncher
Anti cheat support from games
Hardware support. Just finding drivers for peripherals is sometimes more trouble than it’s worth
Generally make it more inviting to new users
More support for WINE and Proton
For most people? Their friends will have to do it.
Whenever I’d have to build a new PC and have seen stuff about whatever current version of Windows would actually negatively impact me in a way I care about. I’m not a tech person or care all that much about whatever problems come from Windows dropping support for Windows 10 unless it just straight up makes my PC explode. My friend upgraded to 11 and hates it, but none of the problems he has with it sounds like things that would actually bug me.
If I could find something like AltSnap on Linux I would move like, this week.
I know some of the features may already be part of Linux but I use this program pretty extensively and I don’t know much about Linux desktops and how they control.But anyway I’m gonna move to Linux anyway, I have a date in my calendar later this year and my friend is gonna help me switch to it.
I use the “windows” key and click to drag windows around quite a bit. It came as part of KDE.
For me? Nothing.
Problem is my kids share my computer, and Linux doesn’t easily support some of the stuff they like playing. And I don’t want to have to spend a bunch of time finagling to get that software running via Wine or whatever.
It supports Super Tux Cart, and what more could a games-loving child need?
VR gaming support and I do play Helldivers 2 on occasion despite the ridiculous anticheat. My understanding is neither of those would work on Linux.
Though with proton and MS getting increasingly crap I am more and more tempted to make the switch.
While still not as seamless as on Windows, WiVRn works great for VR on Linux in my experience.
I’ve got a hp reverb G2, which is windows mixed reality. I don’t think this one would work. The G2 is a pretty small user base compared to meta headsets.
Helldivers 100% work on Linux
Nice, that’s good to know. I know most gaming is not an issue due to proton these days.
VR works fine on Linux.
Unless you really need to connect an Oculus/Meta headset over USB. You can use Steam Link VR streaming if you’ve got a really good wireless connection.
I’ve got a hp reverb G2 which runs through windows mixed reality, which is helpfully not supported now anyway. It’s also one of the smallest user bases for vr I think. Have you heard anything about that headset? When I looked initially (ages ago to be fair) I couldn’t find much about it with Linux.
Apparently possible but looks a bit technical to get running.
https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/hardware/#xr-devices
From what I can tell you should use Envision which is designed to automate the setup.
https://lvra.gitlab.io/docs/fossvr/envision/
Actually reading this apparently I totally may be able to use a wired Quest.
I would need games to be supported, as well as engineering programs I need like solidworks, ansys, etc
Most games have worked for years now
I already use Linux, on and off, but the lack of support for a (proper) CAD program is the biggest issue for me.
I’ve been happy with FreeCAD for my CAD needs, but the stuff I do is pretty simple.
What games aren’t supported that you play?
Most games are, but there’s a few asterisks mostly not because Linux is incapable of running it but because there’s super invasive anti-cheat that doesn’t allow it.
For me, as someone who’s not into esports-games, I just expect games to work on Linux now, and they nearly always do. The exception has been a couple of old or obscure titles that run fine in a virtual machine. I’m not running any fancy version of Linux, just Mint, and the only thing I do to get them to work, is install them on Steam. Proton is amazing.
If you are into esports-games, though, there’s a risk that they’ll require kernel-level anticheat, and Linux does not do that.
It feels like the problem with Linux gaming nowadays, is that people expect you to own your games on Steam. Yes, Steam’s support is excellent now. But my GOG games not so smoothly. Is it because of my obscure hardware? Is it my misconfiguration? Or is it me mod my games the wrong way? I’m still trying to figure out a way to mod my GOG Skyrim through MO2.
Yeah, that does suck. I usually check GOG first for a Linux version, and if it doesn’t exist I buy the game on Steam.
I need games to be supported
SteamOS and steam consoles will be really helpful for this I think
Edit: typo
every distro can run games now
I assume you mean games? If so, yeah I’d love to get into steamos stuff if that’s an option for my pc but it’d have to be like a real os not just geared for gaming. Do you have any info on that
Edit: but tbh I probably can’t because like I said I need my work programs
I have a steam deck, which is in console mode most of the time, but seems fully capable of acting as a desktop. The only issue is the fact that it’s console shaped, but that’s no fault of the os.
Steam is amazing on any Intel version of Linux. 95% of games work. It’s not true that you have to use Bazzite or SteamOS to play games, I ran a bunch of No Man’s Sky on Manjaro Linux.
It would probably take having someone sit down and help me switch and teach me the basics, and the guarantee that I wouldn’t lose access to any of my games or important programs. Also less bloatware would be beneficial, idk if that’s true of Linux, I don’t know much about it.
Every game and every program cannot be guaranteed to work even after the next Windows update. Almost all games that don’t use a kernel level anti cheat will work though.
I’ve found that 90% of users probably wouldn’t have a difficult time using Linux as their new OS. The problems usually show up when needing to use terminal or when specific software companies don’t support Linux.
The average user that just browses the internet and uses basic office apps most likely wouldn’t have any issues.
Find an old PC lying around your home swap the drive out or create a separate partition, there are plenty of YouTube videos out there. Worst case you waste an afternoon.
what games? what programs?
I mostly play Steam games these days, but also Minecraft. Programs, I guess would be Discord, Waterfox, and Tidal. Mostly I just want to be sure that I could do anything with my computer that I wanted to.
It all just works on Linux nowadays
With Linux, you can actually take out software you don’t truly need. With Windows, most of the time you’ll only just disable it and only remove a handful of software. Microsoft gives you the illusion of owning your PC.
I’m a whole lot less computer literate than I was when I attempted it in my 20s, I also really only play some games nowadays and binge watch stupid on YouTube… the computer has become less of my life in my 40s so learning a new system sounds like… work.
I empathize with this even as a highly computer literate person who works in tech. I turn 40 this year, and when I’m off the clock, I need to read books, touch grass, and live my life as if I don’t know how computers work.
For me it’s not about whether it is more work or not. It is more along the lines of, tolerating microsoft’s bullshit for any longer. Windows 10 in more ways than one, has teetered me towards the edge of switching. Because I hate stupid mandatory updates, I hate how insultingly stupid it is to use a Windows system these days and every dumb decision Microsoft has made that has turned Windows into what it is and what it will be in the future.
I won’t mind a little work to use my machine, long as it frees me from all of that bullshit.
If the current situation hasn’t gotten you to switch then you’re not gonna switch in 2032. You’ll probably just have some other excuses.
I’ve used old computers for phasing out certain social networks - e.g. I’d block Facebook on my main computers, and only access it on my old laptop. That’s been quite effective. You could do that, and just use Linux Mint or Xubuntu on that old laptop. Very real learning necessary, and you do manage to break it somehow, it’s not a big deal.
Look, to be perfectly honest, I’ve had to do far less “computery” bullshit on Linux. After about six months of everything just working fast and flawless, I realised Windows is the OS that requires a pretty high level of computer literacy. Even installing Linux is a simple and quick breeze compared to Windows.
All it took was a final, “Oh, for fuck’s sake! That’s it! I’m fucking done!” moment. I just didn’t want to do it anymore. Never had one since. Using a computer is a nice thing again.
I 100% recommend Linux for grandparents!
This is exactly my experience too, after 6months things just worked. Only Pop_OS’s new major update broke that a little bit, but is now for the most part back to just working like they used to or has been improved.
Windows that I have on a laptop keeps being annoying with its sudden updates that slows down everything, and not taking no for an answer when I press not fucking now or ever.
I think this experience is possible, but it’s a bit lucky; requiring every piece of hardware to match, and no software needs to represent hurdles.
I’ve fought a few of those hurdles and they haven’t been so bad. I think your experience is great when it happens, but it’s hardly a guarantee.
It’s fast and easy and no big deal until you want to do something radical like create a shortcut and pin it to your taskbar, or share a folder on a home network. Or share your screen with a TV… there have been too many damn times where I’ve wanted to do something that should be simple and the matter of a couple clicks but it sends me down a rabbit hole chasing dependencies and searching terminal commands and spending hours doing something that takes less than a minute on mainstream operating systems. My user experience has drastically improved since I swapped to Plasma but don’t pretend everything works perfectly and intuitively immediately for everyone unless the expected use case is literally turning it on and opening a browser.
I think this is a very valid reason. I used to reinstall Windows every 6 months or so for various reasons, switching to Linux wasn’t any more work. But if you don’t enjoy researching, installing OSs, etc then it’s only ever going to feel like a chore.
Bazzite seems like it would fit perfectly with you then
I need a spare computer, a video course on demand for learning Linux, and a source of income to cover my bills so I can spend time on something that doesn’t require looking for work.
