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I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

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Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#291

Post by bob_theslob646 »

pelagicAustral wrote: post #179

I have... I switched to Bluefin, which is a branch of Universal Blue, which is flavour of Fedora. Sounds complicated, but in fact is the best thing to ever happen to Linux. I get all the ease of use of something like macOS but pre-built with tools for development like distrobox, and then I can just build my dev environments and get shit done in no time, without having to worry about breaking updates or nuking the who…

How does bluefin compare to Linux Mint? I ask because I always thought mint was Linux for babies.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#292

Post by robin_reala »

dominicm wrote: post #124
dividedbyzero wrote: post #23

Not saying I'm not considering it given the current political climate, but I'm spoiled by my Macbook Air. The Thinkpad I've been issued for work costs about the same, runs hot like crazy, always has fans running, is cheap-feeling plastic, thicker, heavier, garbage touchpad, weird keyboard layout (printscreen right next to the arrow keys, what were they thinking?), mushy keys, barely serviceable display ... what do I…

I mean, it's certainly not as seamless as an open x86 machine, but if you have an Air already you can always try Linux on it? The Fedora Asahi spin [1] supports pretty much everything on M1/M2 devices. [1] https://asahilinux.org/fedora/#device-support

USB-C display support is coming soon too.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#293

Post by buzzardbait »

crocowhile wrote: post #278

I have been using Linux exclusively for twenty years now. I don't understand people who use anything else, to be honest.

I'm sure most people feel the opposite way. I've been using Windows and Macs for 20 years and I don't ever see myself ever using Linux as a desktop OS.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#294

Post by dangus »

amanaplanacanal wrote: post #283
dangus wrote: post #271

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on your assessment you’d have almost no issue at all. I’m almost certain you’d have no trouble running Quicken or Ableton. Ableton even has a Bottles configuration available, which is a one-click GUI install: https://usebottles.com/app/#abletonlive Isn’t Quicken also primarily a web/cloud app now? Of course, if Wine-based solutions really don’t work, you also have the option to run a VM or dual boot for those o…

Current quicken doesn't run on Linux, and the web version doesn't connect to any online investment accounts as far as I know, only bank accounts. Ableton would still have the issue of: which plugins can I still somehow get to work? And which do I just lose? And then: how reliable is it? Does it really just work, or am I gonna be fighting glitches all the time? I suspect part of the problem might be a mental block on…

I know it’s not the same application but Quicken Simplifi definitely connects to investment accounts.

Hundreds of hours makes me wonder what distribution you chose…I think if you choose something that’s more designed to work out of the box as a ready to go solution you might have a better experience. For example, since I like occasionally playing games, I chose Bazzite which comes with all the gaming stuff installed already and is an immutable OS that “just works.”

And for sure, I think trying to shoehorn complicated non-Linux applications into your Linux workflow might waste your time. I tried this with Autodesk Fusion and I almost got it to work. But it didn’t work. So I just use that on Windows, but it’s also nice to not be bothering with Windows for the majority of what I do.

The way I do it is that my laptop is Linux and my desktop is on Windows and I can just RDP into it over WireGuard to use Windows apps. So I guess this is cheating: ideally my desktop also leaves Windows but I haven’t made that leap.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#295

Post by nrp »

mmcnl wrote: post #146
fragmede wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case you hadn't heard of Framework, they're making modular laptops with the intention of reducing e-waste. http://framework.computer

Repairable laptops don't reduce e-waste. You replace the mainboard and then what? You have a spare mainboard that sits there collecting dust. The best way to prevent e-waste is to build durable laptops that last a lifetime. Like Dell, HP and Lenovo have been doing for years (while also being very repairable at the same time).

We have open source documentation and CAD around the Mainboards to enable people to reuse them as single board computers or mini PCs after upgrading them out of their laptops. Even if the original owner of the Mainboard has no use for that, the functionality means it has resale value for others to use, reducing waste.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#296

Post by ordu »

cubano wrote: post #137

I just turned 60. My first computer was a 4.77MHz IBM PC with an 8088 processor, two floppy drives, and that magnificent mechanical keyboard IBM shipped in those days. My father, clearly receiving excellent financial advice at the time, picked up a 300bps Hayes modem for the princely sum of $599. CompuServe, here I come! For context, this was early 1982. That 599 would cost 1,900 today — still a lot for a modem, but…

> The Linux installations started to degrade — subtle at first, then undeniable. Random slowdowns. Browser links that wouldn't register for 10 or 15 seconds.

Very interesting. It is something I've never hit. Or, rather, I know the symptoms, but in my case they are caused not by the age of the installation, but by the memory use and swapping. When I compile something big, it can eat a lot of memory, and even 32Gb or RAM is not enough sometimes, there are lags and sometimes very painful.

It is really interesting because the behavior was persistent for all Linux distributions you tried, so probably there was some program that ate all the memory. Pity you didn't try running top and watching CPU and memory usage. Now I'll think of possible causes to the end of my days without any hope to find a real cause.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#297

Post by ryandrake »

jakkos wrote: post #266
zahlman wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't understand this reasoning. System updates obviously don't become less risky because of the OS they're updating. But going back to Win10 means having less control over when those updates happen (and much less control over, and understanding of, what is updated), and waiting much longer for them to complete.

> System updates obviously don't become less risky because of the OS they're updating The last time I used arch, I ran an update and it broke my bootloader, meaning the next time I restarted it wouldn't boot at all. Sure I could make a recovery USB and fix it, but at that point I was away from home, and just really needed to do the totally crazy thing of "using my computer to actually do work". (To be clear, I didn't…

Yikes. It's 2026. "Don't break the bootloader" should be table stakes for any OS distribution's update process by now. I am not a fan of Windows or macOS, but I don't even recall the last time an operating system software broke my ability to boot--maybe during the Windows 2000 days?

Yet, when you go online to refresh your memory on how to update your Linux installation, too many of the guides still say STEP 1: Back everything up because you may not be able to boot after you do this!

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#298

Post by nrp »

grigio wrote: post #156
fragmede wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case you hadn't heard of Framework, they're making modular laptops with the intention of reducing e-waste. http://framework.computer

Frameworks computers are expensive, you aren't reducing the e-waste because on amd ryzen ai laptops the ram is soldered like in the other laptops from other manifacturers

That is incorrect. All of our laptops have modular, upgradable memory. Our Framework Desktop is a mini PC that does not because AMD’s Ryzen AI Max platform doesn’t support it. Regardless, we maximized modularity and reuseability on that product too by following PC standards. It uses a MiniITX form factor, standard 120mm fan, and FlexATX power supply.

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#299

Post by voxleone »

It’s worth acknowledging the real challenges raised in this thread: desktop Linux still has rough edges for some use cases, hardware support isn’t always perfect, and niche professional software may lack native support or require workarounds. But these obstacles are not intrinsic technical limitations so much as ecosystem and investment gaps, areas where community projects, standards efforts, and wider adoption could drive improvement without sacrificing freedom.

Viewed through the lens of digital autonomy and citizenship, the question isn’t simply “Is Linux perfect?” but rather: Do we want our fundamental computing environment to be ultimately under our control, or controlled by private interests with their own incentives?

Re: I dumped Windows 11 for Linux, and you should too

#300

Post by TingPing »

tcbawo wrote: post #284

I am pretty sure that my previous attempts at a Linux desktop have failed because I would tweak my setup by installing packages and updates until I broke it and needed to reinstall. But I want my machine to be indestructible and "just work". Waiting day(s) to diagnose and fix an issue just isn't worth it. I have been contemplating a switch to Linux again. This time, I will embrace a LTS distribution and virtualizatio…

There is no meaningful support subscription for end users, only enterprise. If you want to donate pick specific small projects you like.

I don’t understand how someone breaks a system but look into immutable options like Fedora Silverblue.

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