If you could run all your apps (games too) on Linux?
-
No. Why? In one word (or maybe two) - VisualStudio. There is nothing in Linux world that comes close to it; not by a mile; not by many miles. I've tried over the years a few times and all the substitutes were so poor, specially on the debugging side, that I was relieved when I got back to Windows. Another gripe I have with Linux world, this time as a user, not a developer, is the endless list of options where there isn't one that is obviously better. You could use GNOME or KDE or Xface or Cinnamon or (any other of 30+ desktop environments out there). Makes you want to go back to the command line but there are tens of distros, each one with it's own idiosyncrasies and slight incompatibilities. All that makes me use Linux only for small gizmos like the many RPis and BeagleBones I use for work and around the house. General rule is: find a working configuration and don't touch it unless you're forced to.
Mircea
Mircea Neacsu wrote:
Makes you want to go back to the command line
Bourne? Bash? ksh? zsh? (your point is well made) :-)
Mircea Neacsu wrote:
but there are tens of distros
"Tens"? If only. [DistroWatch](https://distrowatch.com/) maintains a top 100 list, and there's many more.
-
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Oh, and Windows Update is more a virus than anything else
Once you experience the smooth updates of Linux you will be astonished by the terrible-ness of windows updates. But, that is the trick for windows users — they have no idea that updates could be better, I guess. MS contributes to the cloud of curses that floats over the world (due to their terrible updates).
raddevus wrote:
Once you experience the smooth updates of Linux
Until it's not. I've had a few VMs in the past, and a laptop still to this day, that won't complete the update I've launched from a command prompt, because the background task that drives the GUI version of the updater had already been initiated, and now complains about a file being locked (I forget the name - I'm sure most Linux users have seen it - it's always the same file, in the same folder). If I manually delete the file and / or its container folder and retry, too late, it's already been re-created and locked again. And now both the GUI version and command prompt get stuck because of that locked file that keeps getting recreated as quickly as you can delete it. Or some distro that won't update itself because the ISO you've installed from is now too old, and the only way to get it working again is to manually change whatever repo it's fetching its updates from. And that process is never the same even for two different distros, and your googling results in instructions that don't apply to yours...
-
I typically main linux on mothballed desktops, or at least I used to, but now I tend to give them to family. I've gotten pretty familiar with it, and yet still I won't main it for billable work if I don't need to. The reason is simple - it's really easy for something to go sideways with linux (depending on what you're doing, but I do a lot of dev, so it's a frequent issue) and when it does, it takes a lot of fiddling to fix. I can't afford that - or at least, I don't feel good about billing clients for troubleshooting my dev machine, so it's lost money. Sure, with Windows things blow up too, but having even written a (small) part of windows for Microsoft, I'm pretty familiar with the soft underbelly of it, and I can cajole it into at least limping along to do what I need even in the worst case, without having to go down a rabbit hole like I would with linux. So part of it is familiarity. Also there's one distro of windows I use. There are a million distros of linux, each with their own quirks, so knowledge of one doesn't go as far as it does with windows.
Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
-
I switched my main machine to Linux a few months after the Windows 8.0 release. I do keep a Windows VM for games (that don't work under Linux), Affinity Photo and TurboTax. I'd love to be able to get rid of my Windows VM.
Hi, One suggestion I do have for Linux distro providers is to create a windows interface. Not the code, just the UI. Most of the people I know don't want to learn another interface. They are interested in another OS aside from Windows but have 0 interest in another UI. Windows-like UI's hasn't worked for them. They want a Windows 7 type UI or even a windows 10 UI.
Cegarman document code? If it's not intuitive, you're in the wrong field :D Welcome to my Chaos and Confusion!
-
No. Why? In one word (or maybe two) - VisualStudio. There is nothing in Linux world that comes close to it; not by a mile; not by many miles. I've tried over the years a few times and all the substitutes were so poor, specially on the debugging side, that I was relieved when I got back to Windows. Another gripe I have with Linux world, this time as a user, not a developer, is the endless list of options where there isn't one that is obviously better. You could use GNOME or KDE or Xface or Cinnamon or (any other of 30+ desktop environments out there). Makes you want to go back to the command line but there are tens of distros, each one with it's own idiosyncrasies and slight incompatibilities. All that makes me use Linux only for small gizmos like the many RPis and BeagleBones I use for work and around the house. General rule is: find a working configuration and don't touch it unless you're forced to.
Mircea
-
Jeremy Falcon wrote:
nobody's forcing peeps to give them all their data
This is big part of why I only have Win11 on one VM or two. Otherwise I'd probably have migrated to it within a few days of its original release.
On my Win11 box (23H2) I bypassed the account creation, but... now they're literally nagging me to create one with every thing I do in it. You change a setting... nag. You use the start menu... nag. It doesn't take a genius to figure out if they care that much, then there's a reason.
Jeremy Falcon
-
I guess it comes down to what kind of computer work you do. I was a firmware engineer for my whole career and hardly ever used VS. I've actually never used C#.
sasadler wrote:
I've actually never used C#.
Me neither. I've always used C++ :laugh:
Mircea
-
raddevus wrote:
Once you experience the smooth updates of Linux
Until it's not. I've had a few VMs in the past, and a laptop still to this day, that won't complete the update I've launched from a command prompt, because the background task that drives the GUI version of the updater had already been initiated, and now complains about a file being locked (I forget the name - I'm sure most Linux users have seen it - it's always the same file, in the same folder). If I manually delete the file and / or its container folder and retry, too late, it's already been re-created and locked again. And now both the GUI version and command prompt get stuck because of that locked file that keeps getting recreated as quickly as you can delete it. Or some distro that won't update itself because the ISO you've installed from is now too old, and the only way to get it working again is to manually change whatever repo it's fetching its updates from. And that process is never the same even for two different distros, and your googling results in instructions that don't apply to yours...
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
switched so many years ago it isn't even funny. I run linux at home and as much as I am allowed at work. Since I am the IT manager(essentially director) very small shop. I get to use it alot.
To err is human to really elephant it up you need a computer
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
Linux needs a Driver API so 3rd parties can make drivers fast and people can install what they want even if it doesn't follow some Linux ideology. DKMS isn't what I'm talking about. You need an actual API like Apples DriverKit etc. Every OS has this except Linux. It makes mix and match hardware not practical with Linux and it makes someone like me not want to contribute to drivers because it takes to much of my time. And it makes companies not interested in making official drivers as its to hard to maintain.
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
The last time I tried to use Linux as my main Desktop OS, I tried to create a shortcut on the desktop. Turns out, that's not really a thing in Linux. Then it turns out that "Create Folder" shortcuts whilst saving things weren't ever implemented. After a few things like this, I realized that it wasn't yet ready for being a daily driver, and went back to Windows.
-= Reelix =-
-
Yeah I have an NVidia GPU & I have had issues. I had one bad problem I didn’t understand & i ended up doing a complete re-install of Ubuntu (which I later discovered was not necessary). I have hit the pain points using Linux but I had a backup windows laptop if I got into trouble and that kept me going. The switch will not be without pain. I also had all of my data backed up so I didnn’t lose anything on re-install.
I've been running NVIDIA on Linux Mint for about 8 years give or take. People way NVIDIA is a problem, but other than one instance where an upgraded package left me without X-Windows (which was fixed by removing the package manually and installing it again), I've never had an issue. Other than that issue, and some hardware problems where the machine locked up when running GPU intensive workloads (because the heatsink and fan fell of the video card) Linux has been rock solid and never skipped a beat. Complaints: I was not able to get the Samsung mobile phone backup software to work under Linux a few years back - so I had to use Windows for that once when I changed phones. Discord wants a package re-install about once per week. You start it up, it tells links you to an updated .deb file, and you download and install it either by double clicking on it from the Gui, or manually according to your preference. That might be because Firefox is my default browser and it doesn't run remote code. Chrome is available and also works. Otherwise, everything pretty much works. Not only do I not miss Windows at all - I feel sad when I have to use it for work . . .
-
No. Why? In one word (or maybe two) - VisualStudio. There is nothing in Linux world that comes close to it; not by a mile; not by many miles. I've tried over the years a few times and all the substitutes were so poor, specially on the debugging side, that I was relieved when I got back to Windows. Another gripe I have with Linux world, this time as a user, not a developer, is the endless list of options where there isn't one that is obviously better. You could use GNOME or KDE or Xface or Cinnamon or (any other of 30+ desktop environments out there). Makes you want to go back to the command line but there are tens of distros, each one with it's own idiosyncrasies and slight incompatibilities. All that makes me use Linux only for small gizmos like the many RPis and BeagleBones I use for work and around the house. General rule is: find a working configuration and don't touch it unless you're forced to.
Mircea
I'm not a professional developer, and I don't know if the Visual Studio version is a poor second cousin for support, but this site suggests it is available for Linux. Download Visual Studio Tools - Install Free for Windows, Mac, Linux[^] Personally though, every time I've cut any code, I've been super happy with the tools that come with Linux - though I get a new user might take a little while to discover them all. I guess it depends on what you do.
-
Likewise. I have had one NVIDIA update not install properly in eight years (and in fairness, installing Video drivers in Windows was not a great experience either). I've also had self inflicted pain where I've overridden dependencies and caused later issues, but not recently either. I suspect that is pretty dependent on the distribution you use. I've used Debian, Mint and Ubuntu mainly for the past more than 8 years as a full time daily driver.
-
Real men use [QNX](https://blackberry.qnx.com/en)... on a Raspberry Pi... underwater.
Jeremy Falcon
I haven't tried it underwater yet, but Linux does run nicely on the Pi.
-
The last time I tried to use Linux as my main Desktop OS, I tried to create a shortcut on the desktop. Turns out, that's not really a thing in Linux. Then it turns out that "Create Folder" shortcuts whilst saving things weren't ever implemented. After a few things like this, I realized that it wasn't yet ready for being a daily driver, and went back to Windows.
-= Reelix =-
Reelix wrote:
I tried to create a shortcut on the desktop
That is actually quite a pain to do. I've written my own apps and then had to create the desktop file & it is a complete pain so you are right about that one. They should make it much easier to do.
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
Wish it was possible and legal to viably run Cubase 10.5 (or higher) and Native Instruments Kontakt on GNU\Linux. Ever since after Build 1809 of Windows 10, Microsoft has become a poor choice for professional audio. While Macs are rumored to run both of the above products flawlessly, there are stupid expensive. I've actually briefly uses Macs for Garage Band and simple things, and the experience was good, but I've never really stressed it out like I do with Cubase on Win 10. Unfortunately, Windows 10 these days does dumb things like freeze for seemingly random reasons for several seconds at weird times or just drop audio packets. Driver support (while probably better than on the Mac) is also starting to wane and semi-pro amateurs and practicing musicians are sometimes forced to upgrade their expensive audio interfaces for no other reason than the vendors and Microsoft refuse to support or rewrite the old drivers. I've had OS crashes because of old drivers, and I've had audio glitches in situations where I shouldn't because MS Windows decides to do dumb background tasks at random times. Steinberg ASIO under Windows XP 64 Bit uses to be a solid platform bot Win 10/11 are not glitchy IMO. The audio dropouts and glitches seem to be worse when Microsoft pushes out their regular updates. Fortunately, my Win 10 hasn't received updates in quite a while (LOL).
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
raddevus wrote:
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux…
What about muscle memory? I know where windows services are. I know how to find the mouse settings. I know how to bring up task manager. etc. If all of those are duplicated then what exactly would be the difference?
raddevus wrote:
no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows)
Solution, so don't do that? At the end of the day I shutdown my computer. No hibernate. No sleep. Everything closed. Just habit probably because I want to make sure of the state of everything. So if it wants to update I just walk away.
-
If you could run all of your apps & games on Linux… Would you switch to a Linux desktop? Why? Or Why not? I’ll go first. Yes. I would switch. I already switched back in 2019 & I’ve been happy. I couldn’t even run everything I wanted to run (a couple of games and Atmel Studio (embedded IDE which is a variant of VStudio, only runs on windows) Why? Updates are amazing on Linux (rarely do they cause any down time — no sitting & staring at update screen like Windows) I like development on Linux. I like hobbyist “family” of Linux where it is “us against them”. :rolleyes: I also do Android programming and Android Studio runs better on Linux. Linux typically uses a lot less RAM than Windows which is nice.
Glad to hear that people have switched to Linux and are happy with it... I've been trying to, if not ‘switch to’, at least use it significantly, alongside Windows, since the late nineties. No luck so far, but I’m persistent! The arguments for using Linux were: independence from the big bad wolf (Gates), lightweight, no BSOD, no viruses (hence no antivirus penalty), unbelievable stability and no need to reboot after every update, etc. Most of these arguments are not valid anymore: there are viruses and malware targeting Linux, the reboot after (almost daily) updates is a rule, I had crashes of the OS that I never seen on Win. for decades, programs crashing, or not working, on a weekly basis, etc. etc. In the last couple of days, I’ve been trying to repair Kate – a basic text editor, similar to Notepad – which was crushing and losing all typed text :(( , when trying to save the file(!). I’ve installed Kate a few months back, when the previous text editor (gedit I think) stopped working! Did anyone had any major problems with Notepad lately?! After pulling my hair for some time and searching the internet for solutions (THE MAIN ACTIVITY on Linux!… BY FAR!), I gave up. Then I’ve tried to use the newly installed STM32CubeIDE… It wouldn’t start, because, when starting, the first thing it does is to check for updates. Aaaand, it can’t take them because I’m the wrong user (not root). Another couple of hours later, after new research online, it turns out, it was installed as root, and to a different location! This is not Windows! You can not just click on an icon and install the program, after a few ‘Next’s, eventually. There are a myriad of sources, packages, dependencies, and, and, and… that one can use, and mostly not well (or at all) documented – even when they come from a reputable source as STM Microelectronics! And, after a painful installation of an application, come the problems: where is it installed?! It might not (fully) work, it can’t be updated, how can you uninstall it (and this can be a big problem, because months later you need to know exactly how you installed it!) I’ve been thru all this, again, while having to uninstall, and install a new version, in a 'different way' the CubeIDE. :sigh: After almost 30 years of Linux, I still can’t say how to do a proper, sensible backup! There are always a thousand ways and tools to do it, none that properly works! But hey, you got what you paid for, ain’t you?! Would you be happy with that end?! What about your time, life, neurons?! Another major probl