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Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

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Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#81
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arch doesn't force auto-updates, so ... try again?

but it does brick Been there, done that, didn't get a T-shirt but a lot of scorn from IRC

Yeah, but then it is supposed to - you are expected to have knowledge to fix it as a user. And unlike proprietary OSes it gives you legible errors and great logging/debugging tools and a path to downgrade. Last time I had to help my friend troubleshoot his Windows setup all we would get would be an extremely cryptic error code and we solved it by finding a thread on an Italian forum and had to google translate a solution that consisted of creating an arbitrary entry in Windows registry. This is not comparable.

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#82

I have been running Linux on all my personal machines for the last 8 years and I have to say that one thing windows has going for it is it’s graphics system. I have super sensitive eyes and I have to say that even wayland does not cut it when compared to windows. Everywhere else Linux on desktop is either far better or a bit behind but workable

I'm not following; what are your eyes sensitive to / what problem to you perceive in the *nix GUI stack?

https://youtu.be/caFWgn3AelE

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#83
post #17

Linux updates dont force themselves on my machine and brick it once it reboots.

clearly not an arch user

That's the distro with the giant text on the website saying it's a bleeding edge rolling release distro right?

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#84
post #44

Linux runs better on both new and older hardware. Better as in programs open faster, the file manager opens faster, the task manager opens faster. Everything uses less memory and less CPU cycles. Everything is snappier. Linux users don't have to worry nearly as much about malware, trojans, viruses, exploits. It's more secure. Linux distros generally don't annoy users with stealthy automatic forced updates. Linux dist…

>Linux users don't have to worry nearly as much about malware, trojans, viruses, exploits. It's more secure.

In my opinion it's flawed logic _if_ you wanted to say that "Linux is more secure because windows has more malware"

>Linux user experience is much more customizable.

In what way? desktop? kernel tweaks?

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#85
post #7

It lists file system case sensitivity as a pro, which it isn't. Case sensitivity is the default you get when you don't think about the users, and windows chose the opposite because it's better.

This seems reasonable if you are considering only English speakers sharing files with other English speakers.

https://www.b-list.org/weblog/2018/nov/26/case/

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* Astronomically lower probability of catching a virus. * No bullshit forced updates when the OS feels like it. * No phoning home with you being unable to launch an app when your manufacturer's server is slow. * No shuffling about trying to install drivers for a thousand components before your computer is usable. How's that?

> Astronomically lower probability of catching a virus. Yes because nobody uses consumer desktop Linux. With higher market share the malware will come. > No bullshit forced updates when the OS feels like it. True, but that also means you're going to end up with a lot more botnet nodes out there because people will never update. Or they'll never update and still complain things are not working. > No phoning home with…

1. There are nearly a million Linux gamers on Steam alone. https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=steam_linux_s...

In fact, the latest versions of Proton are so good, the only games I haven't been able to get to work with regularity are the ones that require EA Origin, and honestly, I've had similar problems on Windows. In fact, sometimes the Proton version of the game works better than the Linux binary. So, if gaming is holding people up from switching (which is a common excuse), that's not as much an obstacle these days.

2. Any time there is an update, it's an opportunity for something to break. If a user has no choice when a computer updates, they risk interrupting important, time-sensitive work. So, a user must ask themselves, are they more worried about their machine possibly used in a botnet, or are they more worried about it rebooting right in the middle of a meeting or video call? Or taking 20-30 minutes to update after an unexpected reboot, such as a power failure? I would rather have the choice, and deal with problems caused by updates only I want to, when I have the time. Also, many zero-days are for software that's over a year old. As long as a user has done an update in the past year, which is a reasonable expectation, the risk of compromised security is much lower.

3. Facebook downtime and the incapability to launch any third-party application at all are two very different problems. Further, Gatekeeper is not the only source is potential problems. Windows Defender has been known to quarantine DLLs and executables that are perfectly harmless, but fixing problems caused by an overzealous update to (and application of) Windows Defender definitions is often beyond the capabilities of the average user.

4. The Linux kernel absolutely supports non-free drivers. Inclusion of non-free driver "blobs" is a common argument.

In fact, I would like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as "ideological Linux", is, in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux...

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you need web apps wrapped in their own window, though? Just open a browser. Relatedly, Electron is a problem because desktop apps nowadays require a huge browser just to display a window, not because web apps are packaged in a browser to get slightly better desktop integration.

File system access? Ability to Play a Video stream without a user click? Access to non-CORS enabled APIs if needed?

Most apps don't need that feature. In fact, the apps which insist on electron experience often misuse it. Think of the zoom daemon that remained on mac desktops even if you uninstalled zoom.

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#89
post #20

I know quite a lot of folks here are fed up with moves away from native apps and towards Electron-wrapped web apps (and often for totally valid reasons) but it's been a godsend for making Linux a usable daily driver OS. IMO if you're doing eg web dev work in a GSuite / Slack / Figma / etc organization, it's never been a better time to try desktop Linux!

Why do you need web apps wrapped in their own window, though? Just open a browser. Relatedly, Electron is a problem because desktop apps nowadays require a huge browser just to display a window, not because web apps are packaged in a browser to get slightly better desktop integration.

[deleted]

Re: Reasons to prefer Linux over Windows (2014)

#90
post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Limited sandboxing? Ever heard of containers?

What mainstream user software is distributed as a container? Last time I checked it's all just endless deb files.

Spotify, Blender, Chromium, Firefox.. The situation has improved immensely over the last 4 years.
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