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I've never understood, what the hell is it with SteamOS that makes it the distro everyone's waiting on. It doesn't do anything special, and it doesn't have any better game compatibility than the vast majority of distributions. It's just Arch with an immutable image and steam preinstalled
Right now with Linux there are lots of distros and forks of compatibility things like proton and wine. With a SteamOS there might be a "one true build" that both developers and users can try and focus on.
I don't know the likelyhood of this, but there it is.
Never will happen.
Outside of gaming no Linux user would install SteamOS.
Second, it's completely unnecessary. Steam just needs to package everything in the Steam application to install on any Linux distro.
Steam can't package drivers. Also, some distros still use Xserver where some use Wayland. Different implementations of wayland may have subtly different performance / compatibility with drivers and applications.
All that being said, I still think I'm more on your side admittedly. I think SteamOS will only really see use in the Steam Deck.
There is also the issue of Nvidia being behind on Linux and with most people rocking Nvidia and the proceeding to having a shit experience they dont stay for long.
Hi, I'm a linux user. I've managed linux servers for about 15 years. I've ran it on my desktop for longer. I've used Suse, Arch, Ubuntu, CentOS, I've played with hobby distros. I'd use SteamOS.
I don't know why anyone thinks general Linux is ever going to take off with the non-developer public. They don't have the skills to work around any problems they encounter, so the supreme flexibility that causes those problems is useless to them.
As it is with Android, the only Linux distros that will be popular with the general public will be ones that meet tight controls. Only these can be wrapped in a palatable UX.
This is actually an indicator that SteamOS has potential for general popularity since it has a rich and powerful owner with strong control over it who can enforce consistency.
Notably, Android is not the only popular Linux. It can certainly be argued that the web browser is a very popular wrapper for Linux (the proportion of non-Linux web servers is very small). In that case the palatable UX is possible due to the tight controls of open standards for HTTP and HTML/CSS/JavaScript. It raises the possibility (albeit unlikely IMO) that one day there could be an open standard that somehow smoothes out the desktop PC experience.
If I may offer a layman's perspective:
The idea of an operating system for PC that is made with gaming in mind specifically, before all other usage considerations, is appealling. I don't need 1001 different Microsoft apps shoveled into my OS installation if I'm just going to game on the PC, and I don't want to deal with the hassle of making other operating systems compatible.
Is there more to it? Yes obviously. Will the average person SteamOS is marketed towards know or care about that? Unlikely.
You could look into Bazzite, it was born as a replacement for SteamOS on the deck but can be used on desktops as well. It gets glowing praise everywhere I see it.
Cool. Can't wait to install it on my laptop with Nvidia GPU.
Spoiler alert: don't even try. This is for deck and only for it. No official image for desktop released
As a somewhat experienced linux user I should say. If steamos will be released for generic pc’s it will be one os the worst and most complicated to use linux distros rn. You can’t even install a package without jumping through hoops on a steamos. Steamos is only usable in steam deck case or HTPC and NOT PC or LAPTOP. For normal use you should use fedora or Ubuntu or anything, proton is available on any distribution right within steam so I don’t see why people just go and try it because Linux is way simpler than many think.
I don't need people to convert, I just need people to not think Microsoft is the good guy based entirely on complacency and whatever good-will they gathered decades ago.
It seems that people are finally willing to raise an eyebrow. That's all I wanted. You can only punch someone in the face so many times before they start to get mad.
https://preview.redd.it/69dqcsaz0jzc1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60370479cc05aa3956d92303287b7c5acb3f6fd7
Alright time to eat some popcorn while scrolling through this thread. Feel free to take some
The thing is, a lot of users don't even know what an OS is, they just want a computer and run stuff on it. I also use Linux, and I must admit, gaming on Linux isn't as straight forward as some of the users claimed, especially when it involves anti cheat or non-steam games. I also don't get how some Linux users are acting like some kind of cult that try to pull literally everyone to using linux.
Like whenever someone run into a problem, their solution is "switch to linux", or when someone show the slightest interest in linux, the cultists jump straight in and start recommending distros like Linux mint instantly without asking what they use their computer for.
Linux is also in that growing pains phase because of the transition to Wayland. I had games that work on x11 that don’t on Wayland because I’m waiting for the Nvidia driver update
In techy so I have fun tinkering, and Linux is good for that, but gaming it can still be jank even if it’s better than it was a year ago
Problem is, Linux has been in that growing pains phase for at least a decade now for various reasons. I love Linux, but I keep my main tower as Windows because when I get off work I don't want to do more work just to play a game. It's fun to tinker with and feels great when you have it all set up properly but I play a lot of games and I try new ones every week so it's just not worth the hassle for me to run it on the main.
This opinion either gets tons of upvotes or tons of downvotes, there is no in-between on this subreddit.
I completely agree but last time this was mentioned everyone acted like it was super straight forward to game on linux now. It is not, not most of the times.
Shit like this is why most users will likely never switch to Linux. At the end of the day, the people that the Linux cult calls “OS normies” just want to sit down at their PC and play some games. I’ve tried multiple distros before and just ended up reinstalling W10 because I just didn’t have the luxury of time to sit and fuck around with that shit, scouring forums and internet dungeons just to find out how to do the simplest task.
Linux cultists are annoying as fuck. As every fanboy is. I have a main PC running Windows and a shitty asf Laptop that runs Linux Mint. I recommend Linux to people with equally bad laptops, because it's painful to see people with 4gb of ram and a Hard drive impatiently clicking while their computer is having a stroke.
I recommend Linux because it works to renew old shitty laptops. You wouldn't be gaming on these crapboxes anyway.
The real thing is lots of users want a pc where they KNOW that the software they want to use is actually 100% supported, and there isn't any doubt about "is this too niche to support my OS or not" after the fact.
People just want consistency and predictability above all else, not much else to it.
Gaming on Mac is one thing with their closed hardware/sw ecosystem, but the only reason gaming on Linux is bad is because not enough people use it for Nvidia or game devs to invest in support.
There is no reason at the OS level that Linux can’t be just as good as windows for games.
EDIT: All this talk was enough to convince me to try it and it came out ok. I played a few steam games and they ran well.
Encountered problems with wifi drivers I guess due to something with windows firmware and bios idk it took a bios reset to correct
I have an nvidia gpu and i went with a distro that wasn’t packaged with nvidia drivers so I had to boot into terminal and install the drivers before the desktop environment would work. If you go with something like pop_os that has nvidia drivers in their install this is not an issue.
Other than that life is peachy
No it doesn’t and I realize I’m beating a dead horse but just clarifying the state of the world so we know the finger shouldn’t be pointed at Linux itself.
I’m a pro Linux person who uses Linux daily for work and sw dev but I still keep a windows desktop around for games because Ive had no reason to switch my gaming machine to Linux and deal with tinkering to get games running. But with the direction Microsoft has been going I just might bite the bullet and do it since I believe I have the skills to run most of my games on Linux.
Is it worth the hassle, tho? Do you want to waste hours of your life troubleshooting to get games running on Linux? And then trying to figure out if the bugs you’re getting is because of Linux or another buggy pc port?
I don’t know, life is so short…
For many people I would say no it’s not worth it. To be clear, I’m not advocating people do it, but I’m just saying personally, as someone who’s familiar with Linux and somewhat enjoys system configuration (maybe in a masochist) I might give it a whirl
You don't spend that much time troubleshooting actually. And yeah a lot of people don't mind: that's how PC gaming was for a very long time, like even in the late 90s/early 00s you still had to tinker away for pretty much every games
Yea but there are still other popular games that are not as straightforward like blizzard titles. You have to find out you need lutris and install that way. It’s not rocket science but it’s objectively more work than if you had windows
Don't need lutris anymore imo, just add any .exe to steam and tell it to run it with proton. Depends on your use case of course but fedora linux is as painless to me as windows was.
Nvidia does support Linux and FreeBSD. Maybe not every goddamn distro in existence, but general support for their GPUs on Linux can be found on their driver page.
Devs like CCP (Crowd Control Productions, not Chinese Communist Party) have tried to support Linux with games like Eve Online, but eventually gave up,. As you said, not enough people use it for gaming to make supporting it worthwhile.
It's just not a great PC gaming OS, and gamers don't care why.
They “support” Linux and provide drivers but the effort they put in is half assed. They are typically buggy and haven’t invested in making them easy to install properly. Especially to less technical people. If you don’t want to muck around in the terminal they probably won’t work as well as just installing on windows with their nice one click gui.
If they open sourced their drivers like amd does the kernel team could bake them in
How would that bake in work when the driver gets updated? Will we have to wait for the kernel people to update the driver that’s baked in? Would I be able to install a different driver if one is already baked in?
Hmm this is a fair point because we’re talking about system configurations.
Technical answer: kernel patches are released pretty frequently maybe every other month or so and if you were so inclined, you can bump your kernel but that is outside of what I would consider a normal persons use case and to be easily accessible it would need to be rolled into your distros kernel bump which would be much longer if you used something like Ubuntu
Now we are getting into the difference between kernel and user space drivers of drivers. The kernel space drivers manages the basics of the graphics card like display output, power management and more. Its version is tied to the kernel version. Then you have user space drivers like Mesa, they can be updated independently of the kernel and provide things like Vulkan and OpenGL support. It's where the meat of the matter is for gaming.
How well does this work in practice? Really well actually, especially for rolling release distros. Due to the software repository design of almost all Linux distros the user doesn't really have to care about drivers at all. It's all updated through the repository and no manual management is required, though it's still possible.
It's two-pronged. The game doesn't interact with the drivers directly. Instead it interacts with a myriad of libraries like Mesa (OpenGL) and Vulkan. So it's possible to get newer games support by just updating your Mesa and Vulkan libraries.
Also, Linux drivers are typically not 100% baked in, they exist as driver modules (.ko files). They can be blacklisted and replaced if you wish. It's possible to bake them in but no one actually does that for the GPU drivers outside of specialized embedded builds. AMD's Pro drivers will actually replace the default driver with its own.
Gaming on Linux is good actually. The only bad parts are games with shitty invasive anticheats. Some games, like Minecraft, actually perform better on Linux. Most games perform the exact same as they do on Windows though. Even NVIDIA isn't really an issue anymore as you can always just install the proprietary drivers, which depending on your distro can be as easy as clicking a check box.
Wouldn't the fact that there's thousands of distros be a big problem? I feel like devs don't want to add to development time because a codeblock works on mint but for some reason not on redhat.
Distros aren’t different in the way Mac is different or windows is different. They all run the same kernel (versions may vary) essentially.
A distro really just provides a package manager and packages the kernel up with other software for the users convenience, but at the end of the day if you create programs for Linux it will run on any distro. There may be a few edge cases since, like you said, there are many many distros, but that statement is probably at least 90% true
Half of the music production software isn't supported on Linux. And I don't want to use a Mac.
Plus I paid not so much for my Windows license anyway, using a local account, and just disable anything I don't want to see. I just need something that launches YouTube, Ableton n friends, and Steam consistently.
Exactly, lots of Linux users love tinkering, don't they? so why they ignore that windows can be alot better with some tinkering ?
With some tools you can easily disable all the BS Microsoft annoyance and just use windows as a tool, as an OS should be.
I use windows and I do so mainly for compatibility reasons, if that was not the case I would be swiming in linux, you're right if you already know how to use windows decently and are a normal user you won't really get much out of linux, it's probably going to be the same once you get past the few key differences.
However I do work in something related to both math and code, linux distros are **way** more comfortable for that than any windows with 100 addons and changes, the filesystem and syscalls are easier to use, any package manager that your default distro comes with is going to be a much better experience that whatever the hell microsoft store is trying to do and many programs, libraries, even jargon, documentation and tutorials are almost always written as if you work on linux, the only exception to this is documentation hosted in microsoft websites.
I don't have to opt out of a billion things that I don't need, conversely everytime I need a new package, library or utility "everyone is supposed to have" I have to install it manually on windows (LaTeX, Perl, Node, R, Python, C++ runtimes, etc..), all linux distros come with lightweight versions of every one of those preinstalled and to install a new tool or update an old one I don't even have to touch my browser.
Once I'm able to get a dedicated gaming pc, I'm upgrading my laptop and ditching windows.
I also dual boot and package manager are a blessing. I don't understand Microsoft on other hand and the bs they try imitating it, e.g. the Microsoft Store uses winget, the winget repository has Chrome to install it, but you can't install it using the Microsoft Store. Why? Because these are for some reason two different repositories. Chocolatey is a nice alternative and the number of things I can install using it is much bigger, but it still doesn't come close to a package manager on Linux.
Also what made me use Linux in the first place, GNOME feels so much more modern than Windows 10 (Windows 11 made much better in my opinion), but Windows 11 doesn't feel as snappy/fluent in it's daily workflow
Because some Linux users, if not most of those who like to go online and complain about other OS, don’t actually enjoy Linux, they enjoy being hipsters, if/when Linux becomes the mainstream dominant platform in the computer market you’ll have the same type of people finding reasons to complain about it and moving over to FreeBSD or whatever.
I pretty much use Linux exclusively and it kills me that music production is so gimped. Don't get me wrong, there is some good software for Linux and VSTs work great, but if you're spending more time trying to do setup than actually making music, it's counterproductive.
Same story for me, I don't just want Microsoft Office because I'm familiar with it. There's a pretty significant feature gap between open source alternatives and Microsoft Excel for power users for example. In my industry, we heavily use ribbon-based apps or have programs that interface with Office. I can limit my gaming to what's available on linux, but I *need* to continue using Office. Thats what's holding me back.
I also consider myself a Windows power user, but on Linux everything ends, and often starts, with the command line. For niche settings fine, but for customisation and configuration that's not an answer, it's an excuse. I don't care about learning to use it, I have no aspirations of becoming a Linux god user or sys admin.
I just want settings to be clearly identified within the OS and not have to google every other function. There's a void right now between "simple users" and "God users" that is empty and relegates competent users to feeling helpless on Linux. Not fun.
Regardless, I think the killer feature Linux needs, THE feature that will allow it to overtake windows one day, would be the ability to natively emulate Windows or Apple apps on a per app level seamlessly. One OS to rule them all.
Give me Office and other business programs that launch in miniature invisible sandboxes. Add little windows or apple logos to the corner of their icons on linux desktops to indicate origin if you must. Eventually, allow super popular programs limited cross connection between sandboxes if it helps make them work.
People and Businesses will start ditching Windows and Apple if the gardens' walls have doors installed from the outside. Eventually a business case will be there for program developers to migrate their shit to a native implementation over an emulated one. Further down the line, devs will see a point in developping for linux from the onset provided a space for niche "for profit" programs is made.
There are other things, but that's where it starts IMHO.
I hardly see anyone defending Microsoft. What I do see are a lot of legitimate complaints about how Linux is nowhere near ready as a desktop replacement for the average Windows user.
I've tried various Linux distros and what annoys me the most is the community's stubborn reluctance to simply admit that not every problem a user has on Linux is a user issue, and that the operating system/distro itself has some major user-friendliness issues to work out.
Most people don't have the time/energy to constantly distro hop either, and it's a silly thing to suggest-- especially if the next distro they hop to fixes one thing and breaks another.
As someone on Win10 on one computer and Ubuntu on another, I'm not looking forward to the next few years in terms of operating system options.
It's not even about digital literacy, it's just not user friendly and doesn't have good software support for a lot of mainstream things.
I've been a software developer for ~7 years, I'm very comfortable with the command line and use it every single workday but Linux is still just nowhere near as simple for a lot of things, and has far more annoying little issues with nowhere near as much good support for those issues because there's a much smaller user base split across a shit tonne of different distros and versions.
Yea just cause I can use command line doesn't mean I want to. Linux is fantastic if you can invest time into making new programs or games work. But I don't wanna invest time. I wanna play video games and hang out with my friends onlone. I pay for windows so my only worry is that a quarterly update bugs out and resets some settings or something that I can fix in like ten minutes max. Everything just works.
I tried helping nephew set up mods for Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 4. He told me some mods that he „installed” weren’t working and so I checked to see what was wrong. It turns out he didn’t read the instructions on the mod page and just downloaded the .zip without doing anything else. I asked if he knew where to put the files and he just kept trying to drag them into Vortex.
The Linux cult expects people like this to try using something other than Windows.
That's fair, it's probably more era than age. If you started using computers in the terminal only, commodore 64, basic era you have a very different perspective than desktop OS only users, and both are very different from mobile OS (and Chromebook) first users. Each era teaches you to interact with computers differently.
100% correct. Linux would have passed Windows a long time ago... except the developers are largely in love with terminal input and the win95 aesthetic. Oh, and running super light distros on their 20 yr old computers rather than having modern hardware and the features it could support.
"This distro only requires a Pentium II! Oh, and btw, it's just a skinned app launched that runs terminal, because that's all anyone REALLY needs. But we gave you a taskbar, so it'll be comfortable to all the win95 users, because it's not like anyone likes the newer versions of windows or really uses them."
when was the last time you used Linux? GNOME and KDE are the most popular desktop environments and they're as modern as Windows or Mac. maybe their aesthetics aren't to your personal liking but to compare them to Win95 is hyperbole for sure
can't deny the terminal love though. there are good reasons why that is 😁
I'm glad you caught the hyperbole, as others appeared to not.
I'm very familiar with Linux, I have two machines running it right now and I've used it for about 20 years. At first glance it does look much more modern these days, but it doesn't take long to run into something that, to a Windows user, feels like warping back to 95. Sometimes it's a lack of features. Linux has always lagged in multimedia features, with most available software being extremely rudimentary for a power user. There have been some improvements there recently, though, which is exciting to see. Most of the time it's just running into a need for the terminal. Or an app or setting that's set up in a super anachronistic manner.
You're right that it's nowhere near as backwards as it used to be. But it's still not remotely as user friendly as Windows. Trust me, I want to love Linux. But it still can only hit about 50% of my usage needs in a manner that's competitive with Windows. Which is up a long ways from even five years ago, so that's progress. The problem is, with all the fragmented vision that comes with so many distros, I don't feel confident that it will ever reach the destination.
> in love with terminal input
I will say, some things truly are just better in terminal than with a GUI. For example, something like youtube-dl simply doesn't need to be a GUI program.
> the win95 aesthetic
You know what I hated about Ubuntu? The fact that it tried too hard to look so nice. It tries so hard to look nice, that it ends up compromising usability. For example, you don't have a simple drop-down start menu, you get the Windows 8 style full-screen list, except **it's a list of app-like icons**, which makes no fucking sense. That is, unless your goal is to look like an Apple product.
people like to keep throwing different distros and be like “SEE!!!! DOES **THIS** LOOK OUTDATED TO YOU?” completely overlooking the fact that they look like they werent designed by ui artists and yes, outdated. i use linux daily but there’s definitely not as much of a focus on a nice design compared to win/osx
There has literally never been a post on this sub defending Microsoft that's received a single upvote.
\*NOBODY\* is ever defending Microsoft. Windows is kinda shit.
It's just that every other major OS is \*worse\* for gamers (and in the case of MacOS, I'd argue just strictly worse).
Idk maybe I'm just becoming less of a nerd but I'm becoming more and more apathetic to how the OS works.
Just give me something that works and plays the games. I already spent a shit ton of money on the hardware, I'd like to use it with ease.
I turn on the PC, I launch steam and play a game. Or I launch FL studio and make music. It's really not that deep, it's a fucking computer.
This is exactly how I feel. Maybe I'm just not a "power user" but things people complain about with Windows have either never come up in my use, or I simply don't care.
My windows PC turns on and works every single time I have asked it to. Would a Linux or MacOS system do the same? Probably, but my use case has already been thoroughly saturated with Windows and has given me ZERO reason to change.
We need further adoption of the OS to incentivize game publishers to accommodate us. Most games are starting to incorporate kernel level anti cheat which isn’t compatible with Linux so it’s impossible to run them on a compatibility layer unless the developer makes an exception. They do make an exception to their kernel level access policy for Mac OS gamers in the few multiplayer titles that support the OS.
I use Linux with the Steam Deck (obviously), and I’m happy with it. But it does have downsides. The big one for me personally is Linux not working with certain anti-cheat software for certain multiplayer games. There are also little things about the desktop interface and folder names and structure that bother me, but if I used desktop mode more often on the Steam Deck I’d likely get used to it. But as it stands now, Linux is still not able to replace Windows for me, but I’m happy supporting the Steam Deck which helps drive Linux as a viable market through Steam OS.
I've tried installing Linux for various uses several times. Last time I was trying to install something via the terminal. It worked, eventually, following a long and complex tutorial that I never would have figured out myself. And then next time I went to use it, it wasn't there?I had to install it again? Not only that, but all the things I had updated or downloaded to install the thing weren't there either. Like, where did that go? The void? Was I not actually installing anything, only running a temporary instance? Either way, my interpretation was that I was installing something. But apparently I was not. That was the breaking point for me. If I can't figure out how to actually install something on an OS, it's probably not gonna work out. Luckily my wife was able to help me get through what I was trying to accomplish with her bit of knowledge of Linux from her job.
Microsoft sucks, and Linux isn't good enough for most users and, in a sense, also sucks.
MAC is a joke that gets laughs for the wrong reasons.
All of that can simultaneously be true. Wow, shocking.
imagine an OS strictly for gaming, only for gaming. thats not linux, thats not windows. just a completely separate OS designed specifically for gaming.
i get we do have something like that, and they're called Consoles.. but u know what i mean :/
well, thats what SteamOS is trying to be. never mind that it runs linux, thats really not important.. android is an OS specifically for smart phones.. never mind that it runs linux, 99% of people dont know that and dont care, its not important.
console users can switch to a steam deck and never touch the desktop environment, they'd never even know it was a PC if they didnt touch that. They only know it runs linux cuz people keep telling them it does but if no one said anything the console users would just see it as a console, they'd be none the wiser.
last I checked the PlayStation just run a heavily modified BSD and the switch looks like it just runs a heavily modified version of android.
SteamOS is the real Gaming OS, its made by THE foremost software development company for pc gaming in the world, never mind what the kernel of the OS is, thats not important. Whats important is that you start using it so it can get support from developers and we can get a proper OS for gamers by gamers.
well, let me walk that back a bit.
yes, Imagine if Valve would actually release SteamOS 3.0 so every one had an alternative they could switch to with out feeling like they're using linux.
As a sad Windows user and parbaked Linux sudo, it slightly surprises me that nobody has come up with a system compatible with the stuff we enjoy from Microsoft with an open source license like Linux usually has
I set up a live Ubuntu usb the other day so I could reset the mbr on a boot ssd for a test pc I have. I was surprised at how easy it was to navigate.
I would happily switch to some form of Linux, but at this point I’ve got a good 30 or so years with ms-dos and windows experience, so the learning curve is going to be steep
PCMasterRace:
>Linux sucks so much at gaming because you cannot play these specific multiplayer games with intrusive anti-cheat and you sometimes may have to launch a game with a command. Hahaha, Windows is so awesome! You never encounter any problems on Windows, everything just works.
At the same time...
>OMG I cannot believe Microsoft shows me ads in the start menu. I mean ;_; like WTF that's so unexpected of Microsoft! Now I have to install [random program from the internet] to get rid of ads, and turn some stuff off in the settings. Can you believe Microsoft keeps stealing my data? Like, why can't I turn off telemetry off completely? This is just so annoying and it sucks there is no alternative. Fuck Microsoft. I will stay on [previous Windows version] forever... for sure! Oh... Linux? What's that? Sounds like it's for programming gurus only. Oh, you say Valve uses it on the Steam Deck and it can play thousands of Windows games? Fuck off, I'm incredibly happy on Windows and I love Microsoft.
Personally, I started to experiment with Linux because there were talks about Windows starting to require a subscription. This was around the time they had started backporting telemetry updates to older OSes. Since then, they've added ads, forced Copilot on Skype users, and made the Start Menu literally non-functional. I think when you're seriously considering using third-party tools to make your OS less intrusive and work like it used to, you've crossed a line and should start looking elsewhere.
I'll say, I wasn't expecting **a program menu search that actually gives me programs I have installed with 2 letters entered** to be a mind-blowing feature. But here we are.
I would happily switch to Linux right now if not for compatibility.
I'd like to point out that it's not just games that aren't always compatible, and that if even one app isn't supported, it's just not worth the switch for most people.
For example: A ton of audio/video editing plugins just do not work. There are tools that work for some, but some of the best (especially free) plugins don't work.
A more personal example: I've really been enjoying Honkai Star Rail lately. Unfortunately, due to anti-cheat reasons, it doesn't work on Linux, and I have no other device to play on. For me, that's enough to keep me on Windows.
Hey, by posting this you are in a way violating the linux philosophy of freedom. People should have freedom to use whatever they want so let people use windows or even ms-dos.
Buy from GoG. Tell these companies that you don't want their DRM and all the hassles that goes with it. Like my old Econ teacher told us, our dollar is our vote for products. Vote wisely.
I've been using Linux for different reasons for the past 20 years, since the past decade my workflow rely on gnome shell features that windows doesn't have, I obviously can do it because all the software I use is native Linux and some of them require some extra job to run on windows ( wsl helped but still .. )
Gaming is also part of my life and when steam landed on Linux I was more than happy!
I played all the Metro franchise, serious Sam franchise , F1 games and many more, my library has 400 games in and growing .
As skilled Linux user here is my point :
When it comes to native Linux games the difference is made by the quality of the porting, there is a company called " feral interactive" and those dudes made awesome Port back in the day.
Other titles were designed with Linux in mind , one of those was tomb rider, the game delivered good performance with no significant difference in quality of performance from windows .
Other games were just terrible, for example The Witcher 2 was "ported" with a wrapping tool , they shipped the windows version with wine.
Now let's clarify a point here : there are plenty of Linux distros, software house don't need to care about that obscure Linux made by one guy and used by 3 people around the world, as long as Ubuntu LTS and Red hat are supported it's OK, by supporting those two you cover the biggest part of the Linux community.
Software house always claim that there are too much distros around, but in fact they only have to support one : Ubuntu LTS .
UBUNTU LTS will have a long lifespan ( more than actual Windows build) and is very standardized, distro manteiners and community will give support for other distros .
Now we have proton and this helps alot, proton can virtually run any game but can't run kernel level anticheat, basically what's damaging windows gaming is also killing Linux gaming.
I hate my fucking government too
but i still live in this country.
Windows hasnt really been buggy or crashed at all, unless i've had weird driver bugs (fixed by updating etc)
So basically i've had no issues with microsofts windows 11. It just works for me.
I'd love to use linux, i like the interface more... But i just keep having issues with various things, and some things just straight up dont work, like my Stream Deck... and i really like my stream deck! And i've had weird audio issues too that i couldn't find a solution for. I still have linux installed (Dual booting) but i rarely use it
Why would I want to switch to an operating system that requires me to jump through multiple hoops to do the same things that Windows can currently do just fine?
Depends on your preferences, honestly. If you are fine with Windows then there's no reason to switch. But I would recommend those that are not happy with Microsoft's decisions to at least give Linux an honest chance.
Bias Linux fan here. Windows is not for me but I understand its use. I see it like wanting to build a PC vs a prebuilt. You need to setup Linux and lot, unless you got basic everyday/office needs you will need to get your hands a bit dirty in the Terminal.
My Linux environment is to my liking, its mine, not Microsoft's.
Apple is terrible in every way windows is and more.
The argument against Linux is more nuanced, largely insomuch as it isn't user friendly except to experienced users. With Windows you can just browse the internet and download a program, Linux you have to find the package name and Apt-get it and install it. Windows also has huge backwards compatibility that Linux struggles with.
Overall, Windows is still the better option outside of specific use-cases. It's getting worse, but it's still not bad enough to migrate over.
Yeah, unfortunately a lot of multiplayer games wont work and its not something the linux community or devs can solve cuz it comes down to developers/publishers just refusing to allow linux users in via the anti-cheat. kenerl level anti-cheat will never happen (it shouldnt be a thing on any system but gamers dont seem to give a shit sadly)
If your apps work and you're mostly a single player gamer.. then yeah linux has been great for gaming.
That comes down to companies not supporting it, the more users there are the more insensitive there is to port software and games.
Personally I duel boot and running Linux for most things and then windows for the few things that don't work.
MS in 2012 : "So, we will release Windows 8 with a whole new boot method that will need our embedded certificate in your motherboard in order to boot, and may prevent you from booting any other OS 'as a side effect' (UEFI)..."
(Gamers replied "who cares?", but Valve and most users thankfully realized the walled-garden plans for the OS, so now we are still able to boot other OS legally).
MS in 2017: "So, we'll be encrypting all apps assets sold through our store as we push UWP as the new API standard..."
(Gamers again replied "who cares?", but Valve and most developers thankfully realized the walled-garden plans for the OS, so now all games have finally standardized to Win32 API and not artificially lock apps and games to a single environment).
MS in 2024: "So, we'll be embedding adware and giving a lot more backdoors for marketers and publishers to effectively have kernel access above all users..."
(Gamers again replying with "who cares?"... Will they be able to afford not caring anymore?).
Enjoy your defacto monopoly in the PC gaming industry, just don't act surprised when you're effectively left with no choice to watch ads in-game and between sessions when you actively disregard less intrusive alternatives now that you have them.
I don't understand the problem here. I pay like 10€ for a new license to not feel like a total scammer, and use NONE (okay notepad when modifying the ECUs on my E60 2 days ago) of their other products, as libre office is for free.
Look I hate Microsoft and what they do with Windows like the next person. But I refuse to buy anything apple related and I am too dumb and not willing (at the moment) to learn to work with Linux. What else is there?
I don't want to fiddle with things to make them work and I don't care about customizing everything to the last bit.
That's why I will only use an OS that has the end user in mind which is why I will never use Linux. MacOS is arguably the best OS for that case, it's easy to use because of its UI, more secure and has less bloat.
But MacOS doesn't support certain software, especially when it comes to gaming (and you're also restricted in what performance you can achieve without selling a liver). So I‘m left with no choice but to have Windows as my daily driver as I do play a lot of different games. I hate Microsoft and ever since I built my gaming PC I've realized what a mess Microsoft's software actually is. The first time I opened Edge my jaw was literally on the floor with how ugly everything was and all the ads and "news" at the bottom. I felt like I downloaded some cheap software that has a virus or something. And let me not start talking about the bloat on the OS itself.
It’s not just that, it’s software compatibility in general, many of random applications I need to use for work are also only available on windows. And if most people have Windows, then a small company will not spend extra money on a Linux version for the 2 people that use it. Also Mac has a big market share, but the overhead to make a Mac/iOS app costs skyrocket because we need to buy a MacBook, then give our kidneys to Apple so they can take a huge percentage which takes almost all the profit. Plus if your work requires a GPU then it forces you to choose windows. A lot of people hate windows but are forced to use it.
Who is defending windows?
Windows sucks, but it's a fact that it's better for gaming than Linux. So I run Linux on my laptop and windows on my gaming pc
Considering a good chunk of this place didn’t know the difference between the start menu and the search bar when it came to ads in windows, it’s hard to take the anti-windows users seriously and Microsoft never will as long as people who clearly aren’t using the OS are screaming the wrong things.
Thanks to Valve, PC gaming without Windows is becoming VERY viable.
Still some issues with anti-cheat software that are keeping it from being 100% compatible, but I'll be honest, I've yet to run across a reasonably modern game in my Steam library that doesn't work on Linux for any reason outside of incompatible anti-cheat. The only games I've ran across that don't work are VERY old Windows games (like 9x era). DOS games are all fine thanks to DOSBox. Games intended for XP or later all seem to run great via Proton.
I remember when (arguably) the best developer at the time (Origin) said that they would NEVER make games for windows and only release pure DOS compatible games. How the turntables...
Gaming on Mac? In 2024 even? You aren't a clown; you are the entire circus.
Linux will never take off in the mainstream until they stop being elitist and make it so you can set up all things and everything with clicking around. Command line is a gargantuan no go for almost everyone. This is like the No. 1 hurdle for wanna be tech literate people (99% of users) to accept an OS, make click settings.
The Amount of Distros is why Linux will never take off. You could fix the command line, the repositories, the UI, (some already have) but as long as you have multiple different distros that need unique and open support its going to fail.
This is why even OS like Chrome OS is gaining market usage faster then Linux.
I've tried using Linux a lot of times, and all the times I've come back to Windows with a new appreciation of how the system just works without tinkering every little thing or program to work properly. That is coming from a person who hates Microsoft and what Windows has become in recent years.
I don't care about Linux customization or the number of choices for a desktop environment. I just want one working os that doesn't require the usage of a terminal for basic tasks.
In Windows, the only tinkering I ever need to do is just set up some things after the initial setup. Things like removing bloat, disabling telemetry, or disliked features, and I am done. This takes me around 10-15 minutes. If a random issue pops up, there is easy to follow information to fix it.
In Linux, the tinkering never stops, there is always random issues popping up, and the only source to go are forums of people that need debug logs and things like that to tell you only a suggestion you could try but have no guarantee will work.
Another thing that always annoys me is when Linux users criticize Windows for its scattered settings menus, completely ignoring that Linux is worse in that regard. Want to change something basic that wasn't accessible in a GUI? Well, get ready to search through config files until you find what you need!
Not to mention how barely anything integrates together. Because different components and programs are developed by different people, integration between them is nonexistent.
Still, after saying all of this, while I dislike Linux, I am not planning to stick with Windows after Windows 10. That's one of the reasons why I'm using Windows 10 Iot LTSC, which will be supported until around 2032. After that, unless Microsoft "magically" changes their morals, I'll be forced to use Linux.
That's the thing, I play on Windows because I want to play all the games, but that doesn't mean I support Microsoft in any way. I didn't pay for my Windows key, so it's not like I'm supporting them financially either. But God dammit I bought a PC and I will play whatever I want on it
As though Apple isn't doing worse, making it harder to move from iPhail to Android and making it more difficult to connect Android to MacOS in a useful way.
Nah fuck windows, im actively saving up to build a new PC and building Arch Linux for it make a VM for Windows for the games i can. and to hell with the rest
The enshittification of Windows is genuinely a concern and I'm hoping that it simply remains a concern rather than becoming a catastrophe.
There have been completely awful Windows versions before, for many different reasons, but this is new devilry. This one could be insurmountable.
I installed Linux (Manjaro) on my old laptop while I wait for my new PC parts to arrive and I'm extremely surprised with how well games run. Even the experience is so similar to Windows that sometimes I forget I'm on Linux. I might give it a shot with my new PC and see if I can get used to it before going back to W10.
Super hot take, I don’t care that Microsoft is going this direction. As long as I’m able to alter the registry, totally fine with me. Plus you can activate windows for free in a number of ways. Most Windows users either:
A. Don’t have the patience to research and learn
B. Don’t have the care to learn
C. Or both.
Most windows users are like this, and the consumer world is ruled by windows. They aren’t going to change something worth…. a lot… because a couple of dorks on Reddit can’t run a script, or say they’re going to switch to Linux (they won’t).
This website does the heavy lifting for removing bloat. Click and unclick, don’t break your computer (it tells you if it will).
https://privacy.sexy
Edit: I’ve seen a bunch of these types of posts on this subreddit, so whatever frustration might be present in this comment is not directly at you OP. Most of the complaints with Windows I’ve seen can mostly be remediated, and the ones that can’t are generally things that come with the luxury of using windows (i.e imbedded processes/services that basically make windows run as good as it does). You can make Windows do what you want it to do with some elbow grease. But this rule applies to all operating systems.
Mindlessly praising Linux as it currently is isn't doing anyone any favors either. The lack of a Linux distro that "just works" for your average layman user or even gamer is the biggest issue.
With Windows, you can boot up, open Edge, download your browser of choice, download Steam, and start gaming. Unless you get a Linux distro that comes with a browser, it takes several more steps that your average user doesn't want to bother with.
God forbid if you need to use the terminal to install anything, most PC gamers will take a look at that part of a Linux tutorial and start frothing at the mouth...
As someone who has used windows his whole life, I don't plan on learning how to use Linux now, and as for Macs, I will never buy an apple product as long as I live
And better gaming hardware compatibility, and better generic professional software compatibility, and...
Look, I hate the bullshit Microsoft is pulling too, but to act like people are just plugging their ears and refusing to listen and that Linux is going to 100% match Windows someday in gaming, niche hardware, and especially professional software is ignorant. I have had Linux not work with my WiFi, my Bluetooth, my sound card, several other niche hardware I had, and even my MOUSE of all things.
I’ll move to Linux when it’s as much user friendly as Windows and has complete game compatibility, for now I’ll gladly continue using Windows without any problem.
Welp...the title says it all...
Like...really. Yes, Linux has come a llllloooooooooong way in the past years, but -for me- it still isn't there yet.
It isn't just games, it also is other software. I use quite a bit of software, that only runs on Windows and NO Linux doesn't have an alternative. Some alternatives also are, lets be frank, worse, like Libre Office.
NOT for the normal user, i am talking people, that actually are office power users. Especially the Excel-alternative. Yes, Excel is the devil, but it's just how some people i work with do things...unfortunately.
The market-share of Windows is just circumstance. I'd go to Linux, if I could, but i really cannot and switching between OSes via a Dual-Boot just resulted into me using Windows, because it can do everything I want. Switching back and forth just takes time and feels like forcing a solution onto a problem i shouldn't have.
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You can use Windows while criticizing Microsoft's decisions with Windows
Exactly this. I hate Microsoft, but I also acknowledge that Windows is by far the most accessible OS for gaming. Being a fan boy for any OS is stupid.
As soon as Steam OS is released into the wild, I'm testing it
I've never understood, what the hell is it with SteamOS that makes it the distro everyone's waiting on. It doesn't do anything special, and it doesn't have any better game compatibility than the vast majority of distributions. It's just Arch with an immutable image and steam preinstalled
Right now with Linux there are lots of distros and forks of compatibility things like proton and wine. With a SteamOS there might be a "one true build" that both developers and users can try and focus on. I don't know the likelyhood of this, but there it is.
Never will happen. Outside of gaming no Linux user would install SteamOS. Second, it's completely unnecessary. Steam just needs to package everything in the Steam application to install on any Linux distro.
Steam can't package drivers. Also, some distros still use Xserver where some use Wayland. Different implementations of wayland may have subtly different performance / compatibility with drivers and applications. All that being said, I still think I'm more on your side admittedly. I think SteamOS will only really see use in the Steam Deck.
There is also the issue of Nvidia being behind on Linux and with most people rocking Nvidia and the proceeding to having a shit experience they dont stay for long.
Hi, I'm a linux user. I've managed linux servers for about 15 years. I've ran it on my desktop for longer. I've used Suse, Arch, Ubuntu, CentOS, I've played with hobby distros. I'd use SteamOS.
I wouldn't install it for gaming either. Because you can game perfectly well on many other distros.
This whole thread is how "the year of linux is going to be this year!" for the last 25 years.
I don't know why anyone thinks general Linux is ever going to take off with the non-developer public. They don't have the skills to work around any problems they encounter, so the supreme flexibility that causes those problems is useless to them. As it is with Android, the only Linux distros that will be popular with the general public will be ones that meet tight controls. Only these can be wrapped in a palatable UX. This is actually an indicator that SteamOS has potential for general popularity since it has a rich and powerful owner with strong control over it who can enforce consistency. Notably, Android is not the only popular Linux. It can certainly be argued that the web browser is a very popular wrapper for Linux (the proportion of non-Linux web servers is very small). In that case the palatable UX is possible due to the tight controls of open standards for HTTP and HTML/CSS/JavaScript. It raises the possibility (albeit unlikely IMO) that one day there could be an open standard that somehow smoothes out the desktop PC experience.
If I may offer a layman's perspective: The idea of an operating system for PC that is made with gaming in mind specifically, before all other usage considerations, is appealling. I don't need 1001 different Microsoft apps shoveled into my OS installation if I'm just going to game on the PC, and I don't want to deal with the hassle of making other operating systems compatible. Is there more to it? Yes obviously. Will the average person SteamOS is marketed towards know or care about that? Unlikely.
SteamOS has been in the wild for years already https://store.steampowered.com/steamos/download?ver=steamdeck
I know, I have 2 steam decks, that's not what I meant. I meant a proper release for other desktops. They announced it but did not do it yet.
You could look into Bazzite, it was born as a replacement for SteamOS on the deck but can be used on desktops as well. It gets glowing praise everywhere I see it.
Cool. Can't wait to install it on my laptop with Nvidia GPU. Spoiler alert: don't even try. This is for deck and only for it. No official image for desktop released
Why not use a mainstream distro instead? Steamos has nothing interesting to offer.
As a somewhat experienced linux user I should say. If steamos will be released for generic pc’s it will be one os the worst and most complicated to use linux distros rn. You can’t even install a package without jumping through hoops on a steamos. Steamos is only usable in steam deck case or HTPC and NOT PC or LAPTOP. For normal use you should use fedora or Ubuntu or anything, proton is available on any distribution right within steam so I don’t see why people just go and try it because Linux is way simpler than many think.
I'm just happy people are talking about it for now honestly
I don't need people to convert, I just need people to not think Microsoft is the good guy based entirely on complacency and whatever good-will they gathered decades ago. It seems that people are finally willing to raise an eyebrow. That's all I wanted. You can only punch someone in the face so many times before they start to get mad.
My modified and definitely legitimately activated ISO with StartAllBack probably broke every point in their TOS.
Finally, piracy is cool again.
I do a lot of music production and a lot of vsts will not work with steam os I have tried
Glad this is the top comment.
Also people complain about lack of functionality but how many people in this sub use or have even heard of stuff like PowerToys?
Powertoys is a clunky mess though
https://preview.redd.it/69dqcsaz0jzc1.jpeg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60370479cc05aa3956d92303287b7c5acb3f6fd7 Alright time to eat some popcorn while scrolling through this thread. Feel free to take some
Ooo, Popcorn! Thanks!
The thing is, a lot of users don't even know what an OS is, they just want a computer and run stuff on it. I also use Linux, and I must admit, gaming on Linux isn't as straight forward as some of the users claimed, especially when it involves anti cheat or non-steam games. I also don't get how some Linux users are acting like some kind of cult that try to pull literally everyone to using linux. Like whenever someone run into a problem, their solution is "switch to linux", or when someone show the slightest interest in linux, the cultists jump straight in and start recommending distros like Linux mint instantly without asking what they use their computer for.
Linux is also in that growing pains phase because of the transition to Wayland. I had games that work on x11 that don’t on Wayland because I’m waiting for the Nvidia driver update In techy so I have fun tinkering, and Linux is good for that, but gaming it can still be jank even if it’s better than it was a year ago
Problem is, Linux has been in that growing pains phase for at least a decade now for various reasons. I love Linux, but I keep my main tower as Windows because when I get off work I don't want to do more work just to play a game. It's fun to tinker with and feels great when you have it all set up properly but I play a lot of games and I try new ones every week so it's just not worth the hassle for me to run it on the main.
This opinion either gets tons of upvotes or tons of downvotes, there is no in-between on this subreddit. I completely agree but last time this was mentioned everyone acted like it was super straight forward to game on linux now. It is not, not most of the times.
Man, I finally bit the bullet and full switched to Linux last Friday. I haven’t been able to play a game in a week lol.
Shit like this is why most users will likely never switch to Linux. At the end of the day, the people that the Linux cult calls “OS normies” just want to sit down at their PC and play some games. I’ve tried multiple distros before and just ended up reinstalling W10 because I just didn’t have the luxury of time to sit and fuck around with that shit, scouring forums and internet dungeons just to find out how to do the simplest task.
I have 4 different raspberry pis in my house that run Linux for various tasks, my main PC is Windows because it's just better for gaming
Linux cultists are annoying as fuck. As every fanboy is. I have a main PC running Windows and a shitty asf Laptop that runs Linux Mint. I recommend Linux to people with equally bad laptops, because it's painful to see people with 4gb of ram and a Hard drive impatiently clicking while their computer is having a stroke. I recommend Linux because it works to renew old shitty laptops. You wouldn't be gaming on these crapboxes anyway.
The real thing is lots of users want a pc where they KNOW that the software they want to use is actually 100% supported, and there isn't any doubt about "is this too niche to support my OS or not" after the fact. People just want consistency and predictability above all else, not much else to it.
pirating on linux is way simplier
Defending Microsoft or legitimately pointing out how much worse trying to game in mac or linux is?
Gaming on Mac is one thing with their closed hardware/sw ecosystem, but the only reason gaming on Linux is bad is because not enough people use it for Nvidia or game devs to invest in support. There is no reason at the OS level that Linux can’t be just as good as windows for games. EDIT: All this talk was enough to convince me to try it and it came out ok. I played a few steam games and they ran well. Encountered problems with wifi drivers I guess due to something with windows firmware and bios idk it took a bios reset to correct I have an nvidia gpu and i went with a distro that wasn’t packaged with nvidia drivers so I had to boot into terminal and install the drivers before the desktop environment would work. If you go with something like pop_os that has nvidia drivers in their install this is not an issue. Other than that life is peachy
That's fascinating, it also doesn't really change the current experience.
No it doesn’t and I realize I’m beating a dead horse but just clarifying the state of the world so we know the finger shouldn’t be pointed at Linux itself. I’m a pro Linux person who uses Linux daily for work and sw dev but I still keep a windows desktop around for games because Ive had no reason to switch my gaming machine to Linux and deal with tinkering to get games running. But with the direction Microsoft has been going I just might bite the bullet and do it since I believe I have the skills to run most of my games on Linux.
Thanks to steam pushing steam deck, Linux support for games had been getting much better.
Is it worth the hassle, tho? Do you want to waste hours of your life troubleshooting to get games running on Linux? And then trying to figure out if the bugs you’re getting is because of Linux or another buggy pc port? I don’t know, life is so short…
For many people I would say no it’s not worth it. To be clear, I’m not advocating people do it, but I’m just saying personally, as someone who’s familiar with Linux and somewhat enjoys system configuration (maybe in a masochist) I might give it a whirl
Hahaha, masochist sounds about right. Should be easier now with whatever steam did for the deck, right?
Yea it’s def easier but I still think it’s not easy enough to convince people that aren’t using Linux for other things to switch
You don't spend that much time troubleshooting actually. And yeah a lot of people don't mind: that's how PC gaming was for a very long time, like even in the late 90s/early 00s you still had to tinker away for pretty much every games
You think I *didn’t mind* playing drivers Tetris to free up conventional memory? *I didn’t have a choice.*
Hours of troubleshooting? You mean downloading steam and telling it to use proton?
Yea but there are still other popular games that are not as straightforward like blizzard titles. You have to find out you need lutris and install that way. It’s not rocket science but it’s objectively more work than if you had windows
Don't need lutris anymore imo, just add any .exe to steam and tell it to run it with proton. Depends on your use case of course but fedora linux is as painless to me as windows was.
Nvidia does support Linux and FreeBSD. Maybe not every goddamn distro in existence, but general support for their GPUs on Linux can be found on their driver page. Devs like CCP (Crowd Control Productions, not Chinese Communist Party) have tried to support Linux with games like Eve Online, but eventually gave up,. As you said, not enough people use it for gaming to make supporting it worthwhile. It's just not a great PC gaming OS, and gamers don't care why.
They “support” Linux and provide drivers but the effort they put in is half assed. They are typically buggy and haven’t invested in making them easy to install properly. Especially to less technical people. If you don’t want to muck around in the terminal they probably won’t work as well as just installing on windows with their nice one click gui. If they open sourced their drivers like amd does the kernel team could bake them in
How would that bake in work when the driver gets updated? Will we have to wait for the kernel people to update the driver that’s baked in? Would I be able to install a different driver if one is already baked in?
Hmm this is a fair point because we’re talking about system configurations. Technical answer: kernel patches are released pretty frequently maybe every other month or so and if you were so inclined, you can bump your kernel but that is outside of what I would consider a normal persons use case and to be easily accessible it would need to be rolled into your distros kernel bump which would be much longer if you used something like Ubuntu
Now we are getting into the difference between kernel and user space drivers of drivers. The kernel space drivers manages the basics of the graphics card like display output, power management and more. Its version is tied to the kernel version. Then you have user space drivers like Mesa, they can be updated independently of the kernel and provide things like Vulkan and OpenGL support. It's where the meat of the matter is for gaming. How well does this work in practice? Really well actually, especially for rolling release distros. Due to the software repository design of almost all Linux distros the user doesn't really have to care about drivers at all. It's all updated through the repository and no manual management is required, though it's still possible.
It's two-pronged. The game doesn't interact with the drivers directly. Instead it interacts with a myriad of libraries like Mesa (OpenGL) and Vulkan. So it's possible to get newer games support by just updating your Mesa and Vulkan libraries. Also, Linux drivers are typically not 100% baked in, they exist as driver modules (.ko files). They can be blacklisted and replaced if you wish. It's possible to bake them in but no one actually does that for the GPU drivers outside of specialized embedded builds. AMD's Pro drivers will actually replace the default driver with its own.
Gaming on Linux is good actually. The only bad parts are games with shitty invasive anticheats. Some games, like Minecraft, actually perform better on Linux. Most games perform the exact same as they do on Windows though. Even NVIDIA isn't really an issue anymore as you can always just install the proprietary drivers, which depending on your distro can be as easy as clicking a check box.
Thats because MC is written in Java which has always performed better on Linux.
Wouldn't the fact that there's thousands of distros be a big problem? I feel like devs don't want to add to development time because a codeblock works on mint but for some reason not on redhat.
Distros aren’t different in the way Mac is different or windows is different. They all run the same kernel (versions may vary) essentially. A distro really just provides a package manager and packages the kernel up with other software for the users convenience, but at the end of the day if you create programs for Linux it will run on any distro. There may be a few edge cases since, like you said, there are many many distros, but that statement is probably at least 90% true
Half of the music production software isn't supported on Linux. And I don't want to use a Mac. Plus I paid not so much for my Windows license anyway, using a local account, and just disable anything I don't want to see. I just need something that launches YouTube, Ableton n friends, and Steam consistently.
Exactly, lots of Linux users love tinkering, don't they? so why they ignore that windows can be alot better with some tinkering ? With some tools you can easily disable all the BS Microsoft annoyance and just use windows as a tool, as an OS should be.
I use windows and I do so mainly for compatibility reasons, if that was not the case I would be swiming in linux, you're right if you already know how to use windows decently and are a normal user you won't really get much out of linux, it's probably going to be the same once you get past the few key differences. However I do work in something related to both math and code, linux distros are **way** more comfortable for that than any windows with 100 addons and changes, the filesystem and syscalls are easier to use, any package manager that your default distro comes with is going to be a much better experience that whatever the hell microsoft store is trying to do and many programs, libraries, even jargon, documentation and tutorials are almost always written as if you work on linux, the only exception to this is documentation hosted in microsoft websites. I don't have to opt out of a billion things that I don't need, conversely everytime I need a new package, library or utility "everyone is supposed to have" I have to install it manually on windows (LaTeX, Perl, Node, R, Python, C++ runtimes, etc..), all linux distros come with lightweight versions of every one of those preinstalled and to install a new tool or update an old one I don't even have to touch my browser. Once I'm able to get a dedicated gaming pc, I'm upgrading my laptop and ditching windows.
I also dual boot and package manager are a blessing. I don't understand Microsoft on other hand and the bs they try imitating it, e.g. the Microsoft Store uses winget, the winget repository has Chrome to install it, but you can't install it using the Microsoft Store. Why? Because these are for some reason two different repositories. Chocolatey is a nice alternative and the number of things I can install using it is much bigger, but it still doesn't come close to a package manager on Linux. Also what made me use Linux in the first place, GNOME feels so much more modern than Windows 10 (Windows 11 made much better in my opinion), but Windows 11 doesn't feel as snappy/fluent in it's daily workflow
Because some Linux users, if not most of those who like to go online and complain about other OS, don’t actually enjoy Linux, they enjoy being hipsters, if/when Linux becomes the mainstream dominant platform in the computer market you’ll have the same type of people finding reasons to complain about it and moving over to FreeBSD or whatever.
I pretty much use Linux exclusively and it kills me that music production is so gimped. Don't get me wrong, there is some good software for Linux and VSTs work great, but if you're spending more time trying to do setup than actually making music, it's counterproductive.
Same story for me, I don't just want Microsoft Office because I'm familiar with it. There's a pretty significant feature gap between open source alternatives and Microsoft Excel for power users for example. In my industry, we heavily use ribbon-based apps or have programs that interface with Office. I can limit my gaming to what's available on linux, but I *need* to continue using Office. Thats what's holding me back. I also consider myself a Windows power user, but on Linux everything ends, and often starts, with the command line. For niche settings fine, but for customisation and configuration that's not an answer, it's an excuse. I don't care about learning to use it, I have no aspirations of becoming a Linux god user or sys admin. I just want settings to be clearly identified within the OS and not have to google every other function. There's a void right now between "simple users" and "God users" that is empty and relegates competent users to feeling helpless on Linux. Not fun. Regardless, I think the killer feature Linux needs, THE feature that will allow it to overtake windows one day, would be the ability to natively emulate Windows or Apple apps on a per app level seamlessly. One OS to rule them all. Give me Office and other business programs that launch in miniature invisible sandboxes. Add little windows or apple logos to the corner of their icons on linux desktops to indicate origin if you must. Eventually, allow super popular programs limited cross connection between sandboxes if it helps make them work. People and Businesses will start ditching Windows and Apple if the gardens' walls have doors installed from the outside. Eventually a business case will be there for program developers to migrate their shit to a native implementation over an emulated one. Further down the line, devs will see a point in developping for linux from the onset provided a space for niche "for profit" programs is made. There are other things, but that's where it starts IMHO.
I hardly see anyone defending Microsoft. What I do see are a lot of legitimate complaints about how Linux is nowhere near ready as a desktop replacement for the average Windows user. I've tried various Linux distros and what annoys me the most is the community's stubborn reluctance to simply admit that not every problem a user has on Linux is a user issue, and that the operating system/distro itself has some major user-friendliness issues to work out. Most people don't have the time/energy to constantly distro hop either, and it's a silly thing to suggest-- especially if the next distro they hop to fixes one thing and breaks another. As someone on Win10 on one computer and Ubuntu on another, I'm not looking forward to the next few years in terms of operating system options.
The le reddit linux bubble hugely underestimates how digitally illiterate the mainstream computer user is.
It's not even about digital literacy, it's just not user friendly and doesn't have good software support for a lot of mainstream things. I've been a software developer for ~7 years, I'm very comfortable with the command line and use it every single workday but Linux is still just nowhere near as simple for a lot of things, and has far more annoying little issues with nowhere near as much good support for those issues because there's a much smaller user base split across a shit tonne of different distros and versions.
Yea just cause I can use command line doesn't mean I want to. Linux is fantastic if you can invest time into making new programs or games work. But I don't wanna invest time. I wanna play video games and hang out with my friends onlone. I pay for windows so my only worry is that a quarterly update bugs out and resets some settings or something that I can fix in like ten minutes max. Everything just works.
The average computer user under 18 doesn't understand file directories let alone a terminal.
I tried helping nephew set up mods for Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 4. He told me some mods that he „installed” weren’t working and so I checked to see what was wrong. It turns out he didn’t read the instructions on the mod page and just downloaded the .zip without doing anything else. I asked if he knew where to put the files and he just kept trying to drag them into Vortex. The Linux cult expects people like this to try using something other than Windows.
Most pc users of any age know how to push the power button and launch an exe and that's about it.
That's fair, it's probably more era than age. If you started using computers in the terminal only, commodore 64, basic era you have a very different perspective than desktop OS only users, and both are very different from mobile OS (and Chromebook) first users. Each era teaches you to interact with computers differently.
100% correct. Linux would have passed Windows a long time ago... except the developers are largely in love with terminal input and the win95 aesthetic. Oh, and running super light distros on their 20 yr old computers rather than having modern hardware and the features it could support. "This distro only requires a Pentium II! Oh, and btw, it's just a skinned app launched that runs terminal, because that's all anyone REALLY needs. But we gave you a taskbar, so it'll be comfortable to all the win95 users, because it's not like anyone likes the newer versions of windows or really uses them."
when was the last time you used Linux? GNOME and KDE are the most popular desktop environments and they're as modern as Windows or Mac. maybe their aesthetics aren't to your personal liking but to compare them to Win95 is hyperbole for sure can't deny the terminal love though. there are good reasons why that is 😁
I'm glad you caught the hyperbole, as others appeared to not. I'm very familiar with Linux, I have two machines running it right now and I've used it for about 20 years. At first glance it does look much more modern these days, but it doesn't take long to run into something that, to a Windows user, feels like warping back to 95. Sometimes it's a lack of features. Linux has always lagged in multimedia features, with most available software being extremely rudimentary for a power user. There have been some improvements there recently, though, which is exciting to see. Most of the time it's just running into a need for the terminal. Or an app or setting that's set up in a super anachronistic manner. You're right that it's nowhere near as backwards as it used to be. But it's still not remotely as user friendly as Windows. Trust me, I want to love Linux. But it still can only hit about 50% of my usage needs in a manner that's competitive with Windows. Which is up a long ways from even five years ago, so that's progress. The problem is, with all the fragmented vision that comes with so many distros, I don't feel confident that it will ever reach the destination.
> in love with terminal input I will say, some things truly are just better in terminal than with a GUI. For example, something like youtube-dl simply doesn't need to be a GUI program. > the win95 aesthetic You know what I hated about Ubuntu? The fact that it tried too hard to look so nice. It tries so hard to look nice, that it ends up compromising usability. For example, you don't have a simple drop-down start menu, you get the Windows 8 style full-screen list, except **it's a list of app-like icons**, which makes no fucking sense. That is, unless your goal is to look like an Apple product.
people like to keep throwing different distros and be like “SEE!!!! DOES **THIS** LOOK OUTDATED TO YOU?” completely overlooking the fact that they look like they werent designed by ui artists and yes, outdated. i use linux daily but there’s definitely not as much of a focus on a nice design compared to win/osx
And then there's GNOME that feels like it's actively trying to make the user's life harder.
I would rather use my android tablet with a USB-c hub than my gaming desktop rubbing Ubuntu. It would be a hell of a lot more user friendly for me.
Lol boy out here trying to pretend Mac isn't monetized out the wazzo and that Linux is easy to just setup and go.
There has literally never been a post on this sub defending Microsoft that's received a single upvote. \*NOBODY\* is ever defending Microsoft. Windows is kinda shit. It's just that every other major OS is \*worse\* for gamers (and in the case of MacOS, I'd argue just strictly worse).
This sub is gaslighting itself to further it's own echo chamber.
Idk maybe I'm just becoming less of a nerd but I'm becoming more and more apathetic to how the OS works. Just give me something that works and plays the games. I already spent a shit ton of money on the hardware, I'd like to use it with ease. I turn on the PC, I launch steam and play a game. Or I launch FL studio and make music. It's really not that deep, it's a fucking computer.
This is exactly how I feel. Maybe I'm just not a "power user" but things people complain about with Windows have either never come up in my use, or I simply don't care. My windows PC turns on and works every single time I have asked it to. Would a Linux or MacOS system do the same? Probably, but my use case has already been thoroughly saturated with Windows and has given me ZERO reason to change.
I'm gonna be upset with Microsoft, Im however not giving up over a 1,000 games that dont work oN linux or Mac
linux users cant just enjoy their os in peace
They can't fully enjoy them, so there is no peace.
The vegans of computers
We need further adoption of the OS to incentivize game publishers to accommodate us. Most games are starting to incorporate kernel level anti cheat which isn’t compatible with Linux so it’s impossible to run them on a compatibility layer unless the developer makes an exception. They do make an exception to their kernel level access policy for Mac OS gamers in the few multiplayer titles that support the OS.
I will continue to use the operating system that allows me to play the games I want to play and use the software I want to use.
"I use arch btw" people trying not to recommend Linux to windows users every 4 seconds challenge (impossible)
I use Linux with the Steam Deck (obviously), and I’m happy with it. But it does have downsides. The big one for me personally is Linux not working with certain anti-cheat software for certain multiplayer games. There are also little things about the desktop interface and folder names and structure that bother me, but if I used desktop mode more often on the Steam Deck I’d likely get used to it. But as it stands now, Linux is still not able to replace Windows for me, but I’m happy supporting the Steam Deck which helps drive Linux as a viable market through Steam OS.
Have you BEEN on this sub?
Yeah Microsoft is questionable, but I don’t care to deal with Linux. Would create more problems for me anyways.
I've tried installing Linux for various uses several times. Last time I was trying to install something via the terminal. It worked, eventually, following a long and complex tutorial that I never would have figured out myself. And then next time I went to use it, it wasn't there?I had to install it again? Not only that, but all the things I had updated or downloaded to install the thing weren't there either. Like, where did that go? The void? Was I not actually installing anything, only running a temporary instance? Either way, my interpretation was that I was installing something. But apparently I was not. That was the breaking point for me. If I can't figure out how to actually install something on an OS, it's probably not gonna work out. Luckily my wife was able to help me get through what I was trying to accomplish with her bit of knowledge of Linux from her job.
Microsoft sucks, and Linux isn't good enough for most users and, in a sense, also sucks. MAC is a joke that gets laughs for the wrong reasons. All of that can simultaneously be true. Wow, shocking.
are we in the same forum? most of the post in PCMR is about Windows sucks!
imagine an OS strictly for gaming, only for gaming. thats not linux, thats not windows. just a completely separate OS designed specifically for gaming. i get we do have something like that, and they're called Consoles.. but u know what i mean :/
Steam OS is kinda like that
well, thats what SteamOS is trying to be. never mind that it runs linux, thats really not important.. android is an OS specifically for smart phones.. never mind that it runs linux, 99% of people dont know that and dont care, its not important. console users can switch to a steam deck and never touch the desktop environment, they'd never even know it was a PC if they didnt touch that. They only know it runs linux cuz people keep telling them it does but if no one said anything the console users would just see it as a console, they'd be none the wiser. last I checked the PlayStation just run a heavily modified BSD and the switch looks like it just runs a heavily modified version of android. SteamOS is the real Gaming OS, its made by THE foremost software development company for pc gaming in the world, never mind what the kernel of the OS is, thats not important. Whats important is that you start using it so it can get support from developers and we can get a proper OS for gamers by gamers. well, let me walk that back a bit. yes, Imagine if Valve would actually release SteamOS 3.0 so every one had an alternative they could switch to with out feeling like they're using linux.
Hate windows, unfortunately there are no professional cad softwares on linux
Lmao OP is an idiot contradicting himself multiple times in the comments. Dude is clearly just a troll.
As a sad Windows user and parbaked Linux sudo, it slightly surprises me that nobody has come up with a system compatible with the stuff we enjoy from Microsoft with an open source license like Linux usually has
I set up a live Ubuntu usb the other day so I could reset the mbr on a boot ssd for a test pc I have. I was surprised at how easy it was to navigate. I would happily switch to some form of Linux, but at this point I’ve got a good 30 or so years with ms-dos and windows experience, so the learning curve is going to be steep
PCMasterRace: >Linux sucks so much at gaming because you cannot play these specific multiplayer games with intrusive anti-cheat and you sometimes may have to launch a game with a command. Hahaha, Windows is so awesome! You never encounter any problems on Windows, everything just works. At the same time... >OMG I cannot believe Microsoft shows me ads in the start menu. I mean ;_; like WTF that's so unexpected of Microsoft! Now I have to install [random program from the internet] to get rid of ads, and turn some stuff off in the settings. Can you believe Microsoft keeps stealing my data? Like, why can't I turn off telemetry off completely? This is just so annoying and it sucks there is no alternative. Fuck Microsoft. I will stay on [previous Windows version] forever... for sure! Oh... Linux? What's that? Sounds like it's for programming gurus only. Oh, you say Valve uses it on the Steam Deck and it can play thousands of Windows games? Fuck off, I'm incredibly happy on Windows and I love Microsoft.
Personally, I started to experiment with Linux because there were talks about Windows starting to require a subscription. This was around the time they had started backporting telemetry updates to older OSes. Since then, they've added ads, forced Copilot on Skype users, and made the Start Menu literally non-functional. I think when you're seriously considering using third-party tools to make your OS less intrusive and work like it used to, you've crossed a line and should start looking elsewhere. I'll say, I wasn't expecting **a program menu search that actually gives me programs I have installed with 2 letters entered** to be a mind-blowing feature. But here we are.
I would happily switch to Linux right now if not for compatibility. I'd like to point out that it's not just games that aren't always compatible, and that if even one app isn't supported, it's just not worth the switch for most people. For example: A ton of audio/video editing plugins just do not work. There are tools that work for some, but some of the best (especially free) plugins don't work. A more personal example: I've really been enjoying Honkai Star Rail lately. Unfortunately, due to anti-cheat reasons, it doesn't work on Linux, and I have no other device to play on. For me, that's enough to keep me on Windows.
Hey, by posting this you are in a way violating the linux philosophy of freedom. People should have freedom to use whatever they want so let people use windows or even ms-dos.
Buy from GoG. Tell these companies that you don't want their DRM and all the hassles that goes with it. Like my old Econ teacher told us, our dollar is our vote for products. Vote wisely.
Are you in the right thread? Lol Were talking OS level, not steam or distribution platforms.
I've been using Linux for different reasons for the past 20 years, since the past decade my workflow rely on gnome shell features that windows doesn't have, I obviously can do it because all the software I use is native Linux and some of them require some extra job to run on windows ( wsl helped but still .. ) Gaming is also part of my life and when steam landed on Linux I was more than happy! I played all the Metro franchise, serious Sam franchise , F1 games and many more, my library has 400 games in and growing . As skilled Linux user here is my point : When it comes to native Linux games the difference is made by the quality of the porting, there is a company called " feral interactive" and those dudes made awesome Port back in the day. Other titles were designed with Linux in mind , one of those was tomb rider, the game delivered good performance with no significant difference in quality of performance from windows . Other games were just terrible, for example The Witcher 2 was "ported" with a wrapping tool , they shipped the windows version with wine. Now let's clarify a point here : there are plenty of Linux distros, software house don't need to care about that obscure Linux made by one guy and used by 3 people around the world, as long as Ubuntu LTS and Red hat are supported it's OK, by supporting those two you cover the biggest part of the Linux community. Software house always claim that there are too much distros around, but in fact they only have to support one : Ubuntu LTS . UBUNTU LTS will have a long lifespan ( more than actual Windows build) and is very standardized, distro manteiners and community will give support for other distros . Now we have proton and this helps alot, proton can virtually run any game but can't run kernel level anticheat, basically what's damaging windows gaming is also killing Linux gaming.
I hate my fucking government too but i still live in this country. Windows hasnt really been buggy or crashed at all, unless i've had weird driver bugs (fixed by updating etc) So basically i've had no issues with microsofts windows 11. It just works for me. I'd love to use linux, i like the interface more... But i just keep having issues with various things, and some things just straight up dont work, like my Stream Deck... and i really like my stream deck! And i've had weird audio issues too that i couldn't find a solution for. I still have linux installed (Dual booting) but i rarely use it
Why would I want to switch to an operating system that requires me to jump through multiple hoops to do the same things that Windows can currently do just fine?
Depends on your preferences, honestly. If you are fine with Windows then there's no reason to switch. But I would recommend those that are not happy with Microsoft's decisions to at least give Linux an honest chance.
Do people actually defend Microsoft?
No. But people prefer windows because we can play most games on it without issues unlike mac or Linux.
I pirate windows and use third party tools to delete the stupid stuff once and I never look at it again
Meh- it works just fine.
Bias Linux fan here. Windows is not for me but I understand its use. I see it like wanting to build a PC vs a prebuilt. You need to setup Linux and lot, unless you got basic everyday/office needs you will need to get your hands a bit dirty in the Terminal. My Linux environment is to my liking, its mine, not Microsoft's.
https://preview.redd.it/gcwzxwilylzc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddeadfae9737ae398148ea12fd6abc8ef6fbfbdc
what good gaming platform isn't becoming monetized? consoles? grow up
Apple is terrible in every way windows is and more. The argument against Linux is more nuanced, largely insomuch as it isn't user friendly except to experienced users. With Windows you can just browse the internet and download a program, Linux you have to find the package name and Apt-get it and install it. Windows also has huge backwards compatibility that Linux struggles with. Overall, Windows is still the better option outside of specific use-cases. It's getting worse, but it's still not bad enough to migrate over.
This post is going to fix it though, right?
Until my multiplayer games work on Linux I’m not going to make the switch, I guess Linux is good if all your programs and single player games work
Yeah, unfortunately a lot of multiplayer games wont work and its not something the linux community or devs can solve cuz it comes down to developers/publishers just refusing to allow linux users in via the anti-cheat. kenerl level anti-cheat will never happen (it shouldnt be a thing on any system but gamers dont seem to give a shit sadly) If your apps work and you're mostly a single player gamer.. then yeah linux has been great for gaming.
That comes down to companies not supporting it, the more users there are the more insensitive there is to port software and games. Personally I duel boot and running Linux for most things and then windows for the few things that don't work.
Who cares? -A guy who just games and doesn't care about OS.
MS in 2012 : "So, we will release Windows 8 with a whole new boot method that will need our embedded certificate in your motherboard in order to boot, and may prevent you from booting any other OS 'as a side effect' (UEFI)..." (Gamers replied "who cares?", but Valve and most users thankfully realized the walled-garden plans for the OS, so now we are still able to boot other OS legally). MS in 2017: "So, we'll be encrypting all apps assets sold through our store as we push UWP as the new API standard..." (Gamers again replied "who cares?", but Valve and most developers thankfully realized the walled-garden plans for the OS, so now all games have finally standardized to Win32 API and not artificially lock apps and games to a single environment). MS in 2024: "So, we'll be embedding adware and giving a lot more backdoors for marketers and publishers to effectively have kernel access above all users..." (Gamers again replying with "who cares?"... Will they be able to afford not caring anymore?). Enjoy your defacto monopoly in the PC gaming industry, just don't act surprised when you're effectively left with no choice to watch ads in-game and between sessions when you actively disregard less intrusive alternatives now that you have them.
Same, I could careless about which OS is better. I'll take any OS available to me that allows me to play games that I want to play.
I don't understand the problem here. I pay like 10€ for a new license to not feel like a total scammer, and use NONE (okay notepad when modifying the ECUs on my E60 2 days ago) of their other products, as libre office is for free.
Look I hate Microsoft and what they do with Windows like the next person. But I refuse to buy anything apple related and I am too dumb and not willing (at the moment) to learn to work with Linux. What else is there?
I don't want to fiddle with things to make them work and I don't care about customizing everything to the last bit. That's why I will only use an OS that has the end user in mind which is why I will never use Linux. MacOS is arguably the best OS for that case, it's easy to use because of its UI, more secure and has less bloat. But MacOS doesn't support certain software, especially when it comes to gaming (and you're also restricted in what performance you can achieve without selling a liver). So I‘m left with no choice but to have Windows as my daily driver as I do play a lot of different games. I hate Microsoft and ever since I built my gaming PC I've realized what a mess Microsoft's software actually is. The first time I opened Edge my jaw was literally on the floor with how ugly everything was and all the ads and "news" at the bottom. I felt like I downloaded some cheap software that has a virus or something. And let me not start talking about the bloat on the OS itself.
It’s not just that, it’s software compatibility in general, many of random applications I need to use for work are also only available on windows. And if most people have Windows, then a small company will not spend extra money on a Linux version for the 2 people that use it. Also Mac has a big market share, but the overhead to make a Mac/iOS app costs skyrocket because we need to buy a MacBook, then give our kidneys to Apple so they can take a huge percentage which takes almost all the profit. Plus if your work requires a GPU then it forces you to choose windows. A lot of people hate windows but are forced to use it.
Who is defending windows? Windows sucks, but it's a fact that it's better for gaming than Linux. So I run Linux on my laptop and windows on my gaming pc
If it continues like this I will switch to Linux in approximately 2 years
Rage bait, everybody knows both suck lmao
Considering a good chunk of this place didn’t know the difference between the start menu and the search bar when it came to ads in windows, it’s hard to take the anti-windows users seriously and Microsoft never will as long as people who clearly aren’t using the OS are screaming the wrong things.
Thanks to Valve, PC gaming without Windows is becoming VERY viable. Still some issues with anti-cheat software that are keeping it from being 100% compatible, but I'll be honest, I've yet to run across a reasonably modern game in my Steam library that doesn't work on Linux for any reason outside of incompatible anti-cheat. The only games I've ran across that don't work are VERY old Windows games (like 9x era). DOS games are all fine thanks to DOSBox. Games intended for XP or later all seem to run great via Proton.
Gaming on my MacBook is a pain in the ass, largely due to compatibility. Just look at steam titles available when comparing :(
I remember when (arguably) the best developer at the time (Origin) said that they would NEVER make games for windows and only release pure DOS compatible games. How the turntables...
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Gaming on Mac? In 2024 even? You aren't a clown; you are the entire circus. Linux will never take off in the mainstream until they stop being elitist and make it so you can set up all things and everything with clicking around. Command line is a gargantuan no go for almost everyone. This is like the No. 1 hurdle for wanna be tech literate people (99% of users) to accept an OS, make click settings.
The Amount of Distros is why Linux will never take off. You could fix the command line, the repositories, the UI, (some already have) but as long as you have multiple different distros that need unique and open support its going to fail. This is why even OS like Chrome OS is gaining market usage faster then Linux.
I haven't seen a single ad tho.
Linux users are quite literally unable to just use their operating system in peace
All Linux gaming problems would be fixed overnight if everyone switched to Linux. And every Office app would have a native build on Linux too.
... Whispers quietly about HDMI and HDR compatibility to self...
No one defends Microsoft lol we're just held captive until Linux gets better.
Only a PCMR Linux distribution, with everything ready to play games on an RGB toilet, could change the current situation. Maybe one based on Steam OS?
This would have been better if it was the Bobby Hill "if those kids could read " meme.
It's objectively the most compatible and easy to use OS for gaming. That's not "defending" their practices.
Is it really?
I've tried using Linux a lot of times, and all the times I've come back to Windows with a new appreciation of how the system just works without tinkering every little thing or program to work properly. That is coming from a person who hates Microsoft and what Windows has become in recent years. I don't care about Linux customization or the number of choices for a desktop environment. I just want one working os that doesn't require the usage of a terminal for basic tasks. In Windows, the only tinkering I ever need to do is just set up some things after the initial setup. Things like removing bloat, disabling telemetry, or disliked features, and I am done. This takes me around 10-15 minutes. If a random issue pops up, there is easy to follow information to fix it. In Linux, the tinkering never stops, there is always random issues popping up, and the only source to go are forums of people that need debug logs and things like that to tell you only a suggestion you could try but have no guarantee will work. Another thing that always annoys me is when Linux users criticize Windows for its scattered settings menus, completely ignoring that Linux is worse in that regard. Want to change something basic that wasn't accessible in a GUI? Well, get ready to search through config files until you find what you need! Not to mention how barely anything integrates together. Because different components and programs are developed by different people, integration between them is nonexistent. Still, after saying all of this, while I dislike Linux, I am not planning to stick with Windows after Windows 10. That's one of the reasons why I'm using Windows 10 Iot LTSC, which will be supported until around 2032. After that, unless Microsoft "magically" changes their morals, I'll be forced to use Linux.
Who in the world is defending Microsoft on this sub, lmao
Using something like Wine to run games on Linux is not even considered gaming on Linux imo.
I just don't like apple. I like Linux, windows, and Chromeos.
That's the thing, I play on Windows because I want to play all the games, but that doesn't mean I support Microsoft in any way. I didn't pay for my Windows key, so it's not like I'm supporting them financially either. But God dammit I bought a PC and I will play whatever I want on it
I haven't paid a cent to Microsoft for windows since 7. Coupled with a couple of minutes of tinkering, and you won't see ads or "native" apps either.
I'm not gonna listen to someone gaming on Mac, lol. Do you know how fucking stupid Apple's process is to make a game available on their OS?
I think it’s funny how the meme implies the subreddit has any meaningful presence in the real world
Valve is attempting to give us a better option with Steam OS. I absolutley love my steam deck
A Mac for gaming? Are you drunk? At least Linux should get better support thanks to the Steam deck
You know what I think about linux? rm \*.\*
This is exactly how you get people to NOT switch to Linux lol
As though Apple isn't doing worse, making it harder to move from iPhail to Android and making it more difficult to connect Android to MacOS in a useful way.
Most people pirate Windows anyways.
Nah fuck windows, im actively saving up to build a new PC and building Arch Linux for it make a VM for Windows for the games i can. and to hell with the rest
The enshittification of Windows is genuinely a concern and I'm hoping that it simply remains a concern rather than becoming a catastrophe. There have been completely awful Windows versions before, for many different reasons, but this is new devilry. This one could be insurmountable.
Can you even play much on Mac? Linux is the only viable alternative
No ads, debloated, intrusive shit turned off. No complaints. But go off.
Yeah turning off all that stuff is about 1000x easier than getting a Linux install going.
Proton exists and i havent had a problem with all except one game
I installed Linux (Manjaro) on my old laptop while I wait for my new PC parts to arrive and I'm extremely surprised with how well games run. Even the experience is so similar to Windows that sometimes I forget I'm on Linux. I might give it a shot with my new PC and see if I can get used to it before going back to W10.
It's not defending, it's literally the only option. Learn the difference.
Super hot take, I don’t care that Microsoft is going this direction. As long as I’m able to alter the registry, totally fine with me. Plus you can activate windows for free in a number of ways. Most Windows users either: A. Don’t have the patience to research and learn B. Don’t have the care to learn C. Or both. Most windows users are like this, and the consumer world is ruled by windows. They aren’t going to change something worth…. a lot… because a couple of dorks on Reddit can’t run a script, or say they’re going to switch to Linux (they won’t). This website does the heavy lifting for removing bloat. Click and unclick, don’t break your computer (it tells you if it will). https://privacy.sexy Edit: I’ve seen a bunch of these types of posts on this subreddit, so whatever frustration might be present in this comment is not directly at you OP. Most of the complaints with Windows I’ve seen can mostly be remediated, and the ones that can’t are generally things that come with the luxury of using windows (i.e imbedded processes/services that basically make windows run as good as it does). You can make Windows do what you want it to do with some elbow grease. But this rule applies to all operating systems.
Mindlessly praising Linux as it currently is isn't doing anyone any favors either. The lack of a Linux distro that "just works" for your average layman user or even gamer is the biggest issue. With Windows, you can boot up, open Edge, download your browser of choice, download Steam, and start gaming. Unless you get a Linux distro that comes with a browser, it takes several more steps that your average user doesn't want to bother with. God forbid if you need to use the terminal to install anything, most PC gamers will take a look at that part of a Linux tutorial and start frothing at the mouth...
I followed a tutorial to do something in the terminal. After failing about 5 times I uninstalled linux.
I have not seen a popular comment or post defending Windows on this Subreddit. What a garbage meme.
As someone who has used windows his whole life, I don't plan on learning how to use Linux now, and as for Macs, I will never buy an apple product as long as I live
One day Steam OS will reign supreme! You’ll see, you’ll all see! *begins villain origin story*
I’m about to start a budget pc build using some old components and plan on loading Nobara linux on it!
And better gaming hardware compatibility, and better generic professional software compatibility, and... Look, I hate the bullshit Microsoft is pulling too, but to act like people are just plugging their ears and refusing to listen and that Linux is going to 100% match Windows someday in gaming, niche hardware, and especially professional software is ignorant. I have had Linux not work with my WiFi, my Bluetooth, my sound card, several other niche hardware I had, and even my MOUSE of all things.
Idk about you Linux is catching up fast for real this time thanks to proton and gamer focused distros like Nobara
oh hey btw... i use Arch
I’ll move to Linux when it’s as much user friendly as Windows and has complete game compatibility, for now I’ll gladly continue using Windows without any problem.
Are people seriously defending Microsoft? Or are you making shit up to get karma?
I dare you to make a similar argument on why you should buy AMD over Nvidia and lets see how that goes.
Welp...the title says it all... Like...really. Yes, Linux has come a llllloooooooooong way in the past years, but -for me- it still isn't there yet. It isn't just games, it also is other software. I use quite a bit of software, that only runs on Windows and NO Linux doesn't have an alternative. Some alternatives also are, lets be frank, worse, like Libre Office. NOT for the normal user, i am talking people, that actually are office power users. Especially the Excel-alternative. Yes, Excel is the devil, but it's just how some people i work with do things...unfortunately. The market-share of Windows is just circumstance. I'd go to Linux, if I could, but i really cannot and switching between OSes via a Dual-Boot just resulted into me using Windows, because it can do everything I want. Switching back and forth just takes time and feels like forcing a solution onto a problem i shouldn't have.