this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I switched from Windows 10 to Linux. Its great! (startrek.website)
submitted 2 years ago by BigChungus@startrek.website to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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I was using Windows for a long time, from 95, XP, 7 and 10. Games just worked out fine, software that I needed I pirated. But I was annoyed from updates, (cannot turn off MY pc, just update and turn off option) bing, fokin bing and oh the best - F1 binded to it.

On parent’s pc is 7 still installed lol, not gonna change soon, anyway, my old laptop(server since 2017) wasn’t working properly with win, so only option to save it was Linux. Ubuntu was my choice in few years back, That was the moment I discovered open source software (head exploding image).

Recently i switched my main computer into PopOs, since I worked on it I was ,,scared,, to do it, because of some windows specific software. (I’m still able to boot into win, I kept it for some programs that I need once per year).

But I will never go back to windows as a main. First month was little bit stressful, configuring things and getting used to new workflows, but it is just a pleasure to use. No annoying popups, no preinstalled spyware, no stress related to running unknown .exe files, no bing. I just went from small dark closed box to a nice huge green open(source) forest..

Everything just works. If not, I still can fix it (mostly). I’ve got better with security, I understand more how things works generally. I found my peace in getting to know more how things works, not just guessing what it can do and never actually find out.

So if there is some one that is disgusted with how windows pc works, and is still using it, just switch it for Linux. Just do it, it will bring joy into using your machine as you need to and want to.

Just wanted to say this…

…and share the software, you’ll be free… https://youtu.be/9sJUDx7iEJw

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[–] qprimed@lemmy.ml 63 points 2 years ago

I just went from small dark closed box to a nice huge green open(source) forest..

best. sentence. ever.

enjoy your new found freedom to explore and learn, friend.

[–] Zozano@aussie.zone 26 points 2 years ago

Gentlemen, we unplugged another one. Zion is growing day by day.

[–] Asymptote@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 2 years ago

Windows 7 no longer gets security updates.

[–] mub@lemmy.ml 19 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I'm on the yearly trip to linux land. The one thing that bothers me is hardware support, specifically configuration of hardware devices. My external audio device (Focusrite 2i2) works fine but there is no easy to change the bit rate etc without messing with core config files. This is the sort of thing that should be in the GUI already. My PS5 controller works as well but I can't make it automatically go to sleep after 5 mins. Also HDR support is still missing.

That said, so far I'm finding ways to do what I need, but it is clear Linux still has much to improve if it hopes to attract more windows users.

[–] Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Thats been my enduring gripe about linux.

95% of the time, it works flawlessly and to an astonishing degree considering, in my case, most of what i'm doing is running windows games at reasonable high detail. Something that I didnt think was feasible like 5ish years ago, which makes it triply amazing.

but its that last 5% thats just a miserable fucking slog. Tiny little things like that, that should be so easy, and seem so obvious, yet to do them is next to impossible or convoluted to hell. Like not being able make middle mouse buttom autoscroll instead of paste, or having to edit some obscure file directly to do the thing you need, or being obscure as fuck and difficult to, say, install a second program into a proton prefix for when you want to use a save editor or something for a game you've played a thousand times.

[–] ShouldIHaveFun@lemmy.pec0ra.ch 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is just because you are used to windows and it's issues. I've been using Linux for 15 years now and I think this about Windows. It works great, in particular for some specific applications, but it is a pain to use. It is slow, lacks customisation and you always have to install drivers for any device you want to use. Plus those updates are really annoying when you don't boot Windows for a long time. You can't use your computer while they are installed and of you have a lot of them it can take a really long time. I'll never switch to Windows!

[–] Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Oh god, I have to install things to do things.

Thats never happened on linux!

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[–] Default_Defect@midwest.social 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

These are the kinds of comments that never seem to come up when I'm looking for info about making the switch myself, they make it seem like everything is perfect now and there's no issues, but these are the exact kind of small problems that end up making me switch back, because I don;t have the patience to sort it out while trying to get shit done. Like, cool, I can play my games just fine, but all of my peripherals have quirks and issues because the software that sets them up has no linux version.

[–] Dubious_Fart@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Yeah. There has been more than one moment in recent history alone, much less across my years of linux history, where I genuinely was about 30 seconds from taking the tower off the desk and throwing it out the window because it was getting so. stupidly. frustrating. to do something that would be so brainlessly easy on another platform.

but, that was all extra stuff to gaming. Like, installing a mod into cyberpunk 2077. One mod just (a core/foundation mod, of course, that everything else relies on). refused. to work, despite following the linux/proton guide for it, installing all the extra bits via protontricks,etc etc. Or installing a second program into the same prefix so I could fool around and do some cheaty hacky shit (single player games i've beaten a half dozen time, folks, before the pitchforks come out.)

The straight, core gaming? and controllers? Pretty much a non issue, in my personal experience. Only extra step is to check proton DB to see if it works, and what proton version to use... and unless its multiplayer with nasty invasive anticheat, its fairly certain to work.

[–] Chickerino@feddit.nl 3 points 2 years ago

i am of the opinion that applications on linux need some work, flatpak would be perfect for this however it doesn't have a good user friendly permissions system, it's a pain in the ass to install applications on non-system drives (which is a much bigger pain for native packages btw) and wine needs to be more user friendly in terms of prefix management, yes we have lutris and bottles but those feel like superglue to wine itself, im genuinely on the verge of learning C and doing all of this myself since that's most of what's holding me back from linux

[–] cooopsspace@infosec.pub 3 points 2 years ago

I have that interface and don't have an issue with using Pulse Audio for this, why don't you have a GUI?

[–] Magusbear@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I made the switch recently as well. I was really unsure of how the whole thing would turn out with me having used Windows for the last 20 years +, but man, it was way easier than I thought.

I went with EndeavourOS on my desktop and Pop!OS on my laptop (for easy igpu/dedicated gpu switching) and I haven't missed Windows since. What's the most difficult is learning the new keyboard shortcuts, but even those you could rebind in Linux. Because you can customize the OS to however YOU work best, instead of having to conform to whatever the OS thinks is best for you.

And man, package managers, am I right? How cool are they...I tried to use chocolatey and winget on Win11 but they never felt quite right, but pacman and yay? Absolutely glorious. I love typing yay into the terminal every couple of days and watching it go, keeping my system up to date.

[–] dditty@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This is exactly my setup as well - endeavourOS on the desktop, Pop_Os! on the gaming laptop, both dual-booted with Windows (for now). I'm not doing much PC gaming recently anyway but that's why I kept the windows 10 installs for now - but haven't used either in more than a month.

[–] Magusbear@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

I actually do most of my gaming on Linux. No problems thus far. I've only got Win11 on my PC to play VR.

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 15 points 2 years ago (2 children)

One of us! One of us! Which distro did you go with, and how has the driver functionality been? Is this for a laptop or a desktop?

[–] BigChungus@startrek.website 13 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Main is Pop_Os and server is now Mint. With ryzen PC setup it´s great. Laptop is old i5, didn’t have a problem.

[–] ShranTheWaterPoloFan@startrek.website 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I'm thinking about making the switch soon, can you tell me why you went pop_OS instead of mint?

I'm getting overwhelmed with options and just want to know why you went with one over the other

[–] Father_Redbeard@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 years ago

Not OP, but I'm building a new PC that will run Pop too. Main reason is that it's very different from a UI perspective than Windows. Which I'm so sick of. I actually like MacOS but hate Apple's hardware prices. So Linux it is and Pop seems like it's stable and designed well. I may have to run a Win VM to use Fusion360, but I'd like to try FreeCAD first though. I'm designing for 3d printing so nothing crazy complicated.

[–] mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 years ago

If you have a very new hardware, Pop Os is probably better. Otherwise, mint!

[–] odium@programming.dev 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

They said it was PopOS in the post

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 4 points 2 years ago

I looked for it, too. :(

[–] Snowcap7567 13 points 2 years ago

I had a very similar experience when I switched to Linux around 2 years ago. Now I dread every second I have to use Windows at work.

[–] Minty95@lemm.ee 13 points 2 years ago

Like you i switched from about 30 years of windows to Linux almost three years ago, Ubuntu, Mint, Manjaro, Endeavour before ending up with Arch which I find perfect. I also have two PCs running Debian for HomeAssitant setups in two homes but I don't like Debian I sometimes use my wife's Windows setup for Garmin Express as that's the only windows program that I need. So keep on going, Windows is not missed,

[–] jimmydoreisalefty@lemmus.org 9 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Great to hear!

Now that you have a couple of days since the switch what are you missing or not missing aside from what you pointed out? Any little things that stick out?

[–] BigChungus@startrek.website 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Missing? Nothing. Few things were easier to run on win, some wizards helped me along the way but otherwise, I don’t think I was happier to use a computer. It’s 3-4 months since I switched main and only one time booted into win for my bookmarks and passwords

[–] jimmydoreisalefty@lemmus.org 2 points 2 years ago

Awesome!

Thanks for the update!

[–] Cpo@lemm.ee 7 points 2 years ago

Thank you for sharing your linux journey!

I've been toying around with linux since the old famous slackware distro!

I have used Windows professionally, later switched to Mac, but my desktop (my main driver) has been linux for a long time.

I run it the way I am most productive with it (yes, Gnome, don't hate me, but liked xfce before that).

I like the way everything is customizable, light weight and... free.

[–] SnowdenHeroOfOurTime@unilem.org 7 points 2 years ago

Welcome! I'm a relative newcomer myself and have had a mostly positive experience. My computer is a joy to use now and I actually feel like I own it. Pop Os is also what I've been on for a while and I love it!

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 5 points 2 years ago

I remember that exakt feeling a long time ago and I also never went back. It's just too good. :)

[–] StarServal@kbin.social 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I want to switch, but every flavor I’ve tried so far has not been compatible with my twin graphic cards.

[–] nexussapphire@lemm.ee 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

No promises but arch Linux is pretty much a swiss army knife for stuff like this. I just use it because I can get it running on anything and set it up anyway I want.

[–] Llewellyn@lemm.ee 5 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Well, swiss army knifes work.. really bad in comparison with specialised tools.

[–] nexussapphire@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Then it's more like if you can't find the right too for the job, make one.

[–] Llewellyn@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

.. and with high probability you will make it subpar to one maden by industry.

Don't get me wrong, Linux sure is entertaining and powerful, but it demands you to be very very experienced with it to gain considerable profit over using proprietary stuff.

[–] nexussapphire@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I'm beginning to think you've never used Linux or you have only dabbled with it a little in the past. I almost wonder if you've even used arch properly setup with kde or gnome or even booted up arch before.

Either way, it's hard to have a debate with someone who is either arguing a point without understanding the other side or has very outdated information about a subject and is disinterested in discussion. I don't judge if you prefer windows or Mac os or whatever. I don't think this conversation is going to go anywhere and I don't care to waste energy on it.

[–] Llewellyn@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago

Either way, it's hard to have a debate with someone who is either arguing a point without understanding the other side

It's true.

[–] Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 years ago

Good for you, welcome aboard!

[–] DarkenLM@kbin.social 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The only thing currently stopping me from using *nix as my main OS is the fact that my wireless card does not work with linux distros, and the graphics driver sometimes decides to commit Seppuku.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

What wireless card?

[–] DarkenLM@kbin.social 1 points 2 years ago (2 children)

It's a Realtek, don't remember the exact model, but every time I tried to make it work, it simply didn't. Manually installing the driver didn't get me much further either.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

I'm not at home to check but my one system may have this, I had to add lines to hw config so it recognized the card. i can check in a few days

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 1 points 2 years ago

Yeah Realtek is a pain. I was thinking broadcom

[–] circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 years ago

Enjoy, friend! Glad you had a good experience and hope this post helps more people make the switch.

[–] Limit@lemm.ee 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I get it for personal or even business use on a small scale is great. I use Linux daily, I'm a sysadmin and manage windows and Linux servers. My main desktop is windows. I'm considering switching my home pc over to Linux again since generally (from what I hear) gaming works mostly and that was what used to always bring me back to windows. Now I don't really game that much anymore anyway so it may not even really matter that much for me.

But for a business that has hundreds or thousands of user devices that they need to secure, configure, meet compliance, etc, how would they do that with a Linux distribution? Microsoft has active directory and group policy to manage this kind of thing (and now moving toward AAD and intune to manage device configuration) but I have yet to see any kind of Linux desktop distribution that has a central configuration management, patch management and security management. Sure you can configure it to auto update and send it out hoping for the best, but what happens when a device stops checking in, or the VPN client breaks, or there is some software we need to push out to all our users immediately? What choice do we have?

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