this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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Linux

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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"Linux Desktop: A Collective Delusion" - an unhinged rant (tadeubento.com)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by irmoz@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Linux has made significant strides, and in 2023, it’s better than ever. However, there are still individuals perpetuating a delusion: that desktop Linux is as user-friendly and productive as its mainstream counterparts. After a few discussions on Lemmy, I believe it’s important to provide a clear review of where Linux falls short as a daily driver for average users.

EDIT: can I just make it clear I don't agree with this article one bit and think it's an unhinged polemic?

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[–] Hairyblue@kbin.social 16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

I switched to Linux/Ubuntu when I found out all of my Steam games work on Linux. I was shocked but it was true. I heard there are a few games that don't work because of EAC but I don't have any of those. I even added all my non steam games to steam and they work. Even Project 1999 works, Baldur's Gate 1, and 2 works...and works very well. I am playing the newest games too like Baldur's Gate 3 and Lords of the Fallen on max settings with my XBox controller.

My PC and I think a lot of people's PC are used for gaming. Now I also installed Google Chrome when I did have to do some business. I was able to make Office friendly files for my resume and PDFs with Google docs. When I did need to do some graphic work I used gimp. Ubuntu saw my Brother network printer and I printed what I needed.

I am sure there are people who need software that will not work on Linux, but a lot of people could use Linux for their everyday PC use. Most people game or use the web browser.

[–] lemann@lemmy.one 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Ubuntu saw my Brother network printer and I printed what I needed.

I love how easily printers work on Linux. Visited my parents for a day last week, and within seconds of joining their wlan I got a notification that their Brother network printer was found and ready for printing

[–] JWBananas@startrek.website 1 points 2 years ago

That's more of Brother doing things correctly. Mine automatically shows up on all my Windows systems too.

[–] rikudou 3 points 2 years ago

There are even games made for Windows that refuse to work on Windows but work on Linux. For example Fahrenheit.

Anyway, with phones and tablets and everything, people realistically use PCs for these use cases:

  • Browsing web for work (that includes web applications)
  • Playing games
  • Programming
  • Graphics / video
  • AI stuff
  • Office stuff

Maybe some more, but I can't think of any.

  • Web browsing works the same, because the browsers are the same.
  • Games just work since Valve stepped into the game (except for some multiplayer ones), though I'd give Windows a slight edge here, while MacOS silently envies.
  • Programming is better on Linux. Windows used to be better for .NET, but even that's no longer true, because even Microsoft realised they need to support Linux.
  • Graphics and video is the only one of the list where Linux really sucks.
  • AI stuff is a no-brainer, you just basically use Linux for that
  • For office stuff it really depends. Most people can use LibreOffice or the web based Office365, there are very few cases where you actually need the full-blown Office. I'd give Windows/MacOS a slight edge here, though it doesn't matter for most users.

Overall, unless you do graphics or video editing, using Linux might be indistinguishable or even better for you.