I’ve been trying to switch to Linux for at least 5 years.
I wouldn’t say it’s any better now than it was then.
I desperately want to love Linux, but it fights me at every step of the way.
As a media pc…
I have had zero success using it as a media pc. My one requirement is an on screen keyboard, but it doesn’t come with one, and all the offerings I’ve found are shit. They won’t work in some windows, or at all.
As a laptop…
This has been the most successful. I’ve not had any real issues with Linux on various laptops, other than finding replacements for certain windows software, but that’s not really a Linux problem.
As my main pc…
Gaming has been fine. Hdr has only really recently become a thing, and it seems fine.
However, I’m constantly coming across stupid things are ARE a Linux problem.
Downloading and installing software has too many methods. I understand downloading a file to install something. I understand downloading a script to install something. I even understand why you’d need to make that script executable before it’ll work.
I don’t understand what to do with a bunch of random files that claim to be an installer but don’t seem to have an install script or a .deb package.
I don’t understand why once I map/mount a network drive, it fucking disappears after a reboot and needs to have the mount process be automated at every reboot.
Linux is just hostile to users. And while it is, it’ll never massively succeed.
Each person knows what it feels more comfortable with.
Linux is not inherently hostile, it just has a very different way of doing things that what you’re accustomed, so you perceive it as hostile. It is sometimes easier for someone who never touched a computer to learn Linux that someone who grew with Windows to unlearn the habits.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling comfortable in Windows, it’s the system you grew up with and know how to work with and maintain.
Windows, starting with 8, is inherently hostile to its users in ways that are very difficult or impossible to mitigate. It’s a black box of complicated machinery, a lot of which is trying to spy on you, steal your data, show you ads, upsell you on their stupid cloud services so that they can steal more of your data, etc. At this point, disabling all of this is really difficult and unreliable.
Linux on the other hand is like a box of spare parts that you can build whatever you want from. You really do need to read the manual, or else whatever you build will look and work like shit. However, if you do build something good, it’s yours now in a way that a proprietary OS never will be.
For anyone wondering, linux offers over a dozen virtual keyboards and btw they aren’t called on screen keyboards. All of them work great. And lots of distros come with one included.
Same. I loathe Linux. I’ve been trying to use it since I was 19, periodically installing one distro or another, and I hate it. I absolutely hate it. I’m not saying it is bad or anything but I do not have the patience to fight with an OS over every tiny thing or having to look up a guide for every installation or having to double check what will work and won’t because you’re going to need a container.
Linux, I’m sure, is great but it’s also one of the least user friendly operating systems out there, regardless of Distro. I keep trying to use Linux Mint and it keeps driving me up the fucking wall. Either Linux supports nothing without a battle or nothing supports Linux without a battle and I’m not remotely interested in fighting with my PC to do something simple. The second that that shit gets sorted is the second I’ll be fine.
Well that is a weird experience. I can imagine having issues with one device or one or more applications, especially when trying to use windows software in Linux, but having to fight everything seems… Extreme.
I’ve been trying to switch to Linux for at least 5 years. I wouldn’t say it’s any better now than it was then. I desperately want to love Linux, but it fights me at every step of the way. As a media pc… I have had zero success using it as a media pc. My one requirement is an on screen keyboard, but it doesn’t come with one, and all the offerings I’ve found are shit. They won’t work in some windows, or at all.
As a laptop… This has been the most successful. I’ve not had any real issues with Linux on various laptops, other than finding replacements for certain windows software, but that’s not really a Linux problem.
As my main pc… Gaming has been fine. Hdr has only really recently become a thing, and it seems fine. However, I’m constantly coming across stupid things are ARE a Linux problem. Downloading and installing software has too many methods. I understand downloading a file to install something. I understand downloading a script to install something. I even understand why you’d need to make that script executable before it’ll work. I don’t understand what to do with a bunch of random files that claim to be an installer but don’t seem to have an install script or a .deb package. I don’t understand why once I map/mount a network drive, it fucking disappears after a reboot and needs to have the mount process be automated at every reboot.
Linux is just hostile to users. And while it is, it’ll never massively succeed.
LTSC is a much better option.
Instead of an onscreen keyboard, you could try KDE connect.
That’s a terrible start.
Software installation sources by priority:
(Graphical utilities like Discover unite these two)
You can add other stuff like toolbox after n.2 once you’ve got more experience.
Your reply seems to insinuate that all the software I could ever need will be included in the package manager. That’s just stupid.
I agree with your order of preference, but when I start having to scrape the bottom of the barrel to find what I need, it becomes hostile.
Why would I make it a list if that was true? It would be just “1. Package Manager”
If you smell shit everywhere you go…
Each person knows what it feels more comfortable with.
Linux is not inherently hostile, it just has a very different way of doing things that what you’re accustomed, so you perceive it as hostile. It is sometimes easier for someone who never touched a computer to learn Linux that someone who grew with Windows to unlearn the habits.
There’s nothing wrong with feeling comfortable in Windows, it’s the system you grew up with and know how to work with and maintain.
Windows, starting with 8, is inherently hostile to its users in ways that are very difficult or impossible to mitigate. It’s a black box of complicated machinery, a lot of which is trying to spy on you, steal your data, show you ads, upsell you on their stupid cloud services so that they can steal more of your data, etc. At this point, disabling all of this is really difficult and unreliable.
Linux on the other hand is like a box of spare parts that you can build whatever you want from. You really do need to read the manual, or else whatever you build will look and work like shit. However, if you do build something good, it’s yours now in a way that a proprietary OS never will be.
Thanks for the opinion Bill.
For anyone wondering, linux offers over a dozen virtual keyboards and btw they aren’t called on screen keyboards. All of them work great. And lots of distros come with one included.
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Hold on. I’m as much a Linux fanboy as anyone else, but can you name one OSK that supports swiping to type?
Same. I loathe Linux. I’ve been trying to use it since I was 19, periodically installing one distro or another, and I hate it. I absolutely hate it. I’m not saying it is bad or anything but I do not have the patience to fight with an OS over every tiny thing or having to look up a guide for every installation or having to double check what will work and won’t because you’re going to need a container.
Linux, I’m sure, is great but it’s also one of the least user friendly operating systems out there, regardless of Distro. I keep trying to use Linux Mint and it keeps driving me up the fucking wall. Either Linux supports nothing without a battle or nothing supports Linux without a battle and I’m not remotely interested in fighting with my PC to do something simple. The second that that shit gets sorted is the second I’ll be fine.
Well that is a weird experience. I can imagine having issues with one device or one or more applications, especially when trying to use windows software in Linux, but having to fight everything seems… Extreme.