Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux • Hacker News Board

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#31

Post by jjice » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:12 PM UTC

bregma wrote: post #17

I never switched from Linux to Windows. Why would I want to?

Games would've been the big one, but that reason is disappearing pretty quickly. Proton is pretty incredible, and I believe there's been a recent development to allow games that use anti-cheat to work in the near future. More people on Linux for games means more attention to the Linux desktop, which hopefully means faster improvement to it.

We'll see what actually happens of course, but Valve taking an interest really gives me hope (big company with lots of resources to throw at problems).

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#32

Post by petecooper » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:13 PM UTC

bouncycastle wrote: post #7

Wait a minute... You need a Microsoft account to log into Windows these days? Laughs in Linux

If you're installing Windows 10 fresh, you can bypass the account login thing more easily if you defer network configuration during setup.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#33

Post by mgreenleaf » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:13 PM UTC

I triple boot; there are things I can only really do on Windows with full support (commercial art programs, Unreal Engine), but for software development and general usage Linux wins hands down; even the ability to switch out a wm and have it customized for my workflow is a major win, and the command line utilities and environment aren't even comparable. My third is OpenBSD, since I run that on my servers.

Use the best tool for the job.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#34

Post by nivenkos » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

earthtolazlo wrote: post #27

As someone with RSI who uses speech recognition to control most software on my desktop, X11 -> Wayland has been a massive roadblock. Ad-infested Windows isn’t great, but at least it doesn’t feel like I’m fighting any devs just to be able to use my computer in an accessible manner.

How is OS X for that sort of accessibility? It seems to be the best for accessibility in general.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#35

Post by cpach » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

I personally have very strong opinions on what OS I want to use, on my own computer. (Not Linux, and not Windows either.)

However, I recognize that this is a matter of opinion. I don’t really care what OS other people choose. There will probably never be an OS that everyone will love.

So my stance is this: Just let people use whatever OS they’re happy and productive with. And where they can find applications they like. IMHO, having a nice selection of applications is just as important as the OS itself. For me, that is a compelling argument in favour of macOS. But if people can find applications they enjoy on Windows and Linux, then bully for them.

And when it comes to regular users who just want something that works – then it might be wise to not even use a traditional desktop OS. iOS/iPadOS and Android/Chrome OS are much more user-friendly than Windows/Mac/Linux will ever be.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#36

Post by jnsie » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

thesuperbigfrog wrote: post #23

Bostonian wrote: post #12

I can now run Linux GUIs on Windows under WSL, so with Windows I get access to Windows and Linux software. What is the case for pure Linux?

Performance No telemetry No forced upgrades No intrusive ads

I'm out of the loop - are there intrusive ads in the Windows OS? If so, what kind of ads and when/where?

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#37

Post by jjice » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

DeathArrow wrote: post #4

And 2022 will be the year of the Linux desktop™.

And will be the year of the Linux desktop™.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#38

Post by breakfastduck » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:15 PM UTC

peakaboo wrote: post #16

CaioAlonso wrote: post #5

As a counterpoint: Reasons to consider NOT switching to Linux https://corn.codeberg.page/notlinux.html

Well he is right. Linux is not for everyone. It's for people who can learn how to double click an icon that looks different from the one in Windows. That excludes probably 50% of Windows users right there.

This kind of attitude from linux users is significantly responsible for its lack of wider adoption.

Who wants to learn something new when the people you need help from are going to treat you like a moron?

We both know its more involved than clicking a different icon.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#39

Post by LegitShady » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:15 PM UTC

earthtolazlo wrote: post #27

As someone with RSI who uses speech recognition to control most software on my desktop, X11 -> Wayland has been a massive roadblock. Ad-infested Windows isn’t great, but at least it doesn’t feel like I’m fighting any devs just to be able to use my computer in an accessible manner.

>Ad-infested Windows

I don't see any ads from windows. Not sure what you're talking about.

Re: Reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

#40

Post by JKCalhoun » Fri, Oct 22, 2021, 2:15 PM UTC

Off topic: since I've never developed apps for Linux, what is the popular language/API that people use for Linux (or better, cross platform) development these days?

(Ha ha, I'm already feeling like the is hardly a question that there is a simple answer for.)