If you want to switch from Windows to Linux but are not, why?

If you want to switch from Windows to Linux but are not, why?

  • Total voters
    216
Quix said:
You know what would help even more? If Steam enticed publishers to provide short demos of their games, might even sell some games.
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jwcalla said:
I think that the problem is that people don't install drivers that way for some reason. They go to the nvidia website and download the installer because that's how they do it on Windows, and then they're surprised to see when that doesn't work.

It's mostly an education issue.
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Agreed. It does have advantages to go their site as you get a newer driver but unless you're very comfortable with Terminal you won't get it running. I think it's also people used to Windows Update which does a horrible job of finding drivers as they usually don't install the full software or are greatly out of date.

I have been told that I can add a PPA to allow driver manager to see newer Nvidia drivers but I was never sure which to add.
 
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What I find positive in this discussion is that posters here are clearly curious towards linux. My message is - don't give up on the first trouble. Learning linux can be quite fun and educating.
 
B00nie said:
What I find positive in this discussion is that posters here are clearly curious towards linux. My message is - don't give up on the first trouble. Learning linux can be quite fun and educating.
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What I had to do to get more used to Linux was run it on my main system. Totally got rid of Windows from my main PC. Forcing myself to use Linux day in day out got me a lot more comfortable with it.
 
Simmonz said:
I can't comment on the GTX 970 but my GTX 960 that I used to have didn't require anything special on Mint 17.3. I simply opened up driver manager after install, switched to proprietary drivers and rebooted.
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My findings exactly on Mint 15,16 & 17, Vanilla Ubuntu and Ubuntu MATE 15 & 16.

The only difference is that once I updated to the proprietary drivers using driver manager on install I added the PPA and then updated again using to the latest version of Nvidia drivers.
 
Simmonz said:
What I had to do to get more used to Linux was run it on my main system. Totally got rid of Windows from my main PC. Forcing myself to use Linux day in day out got me a lot more comfortable with it.
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I did things a little differently, I bought a cheap Dell desktop from a swapmeet, installed Ubuntu and got used to Linux on bear metal that way - I find that running Linux in a VM you'll tinker, but you won't really use the OS and transitioning will be harder.

After a while I found myself using Linux more and more so I upgraded to a better x58 based Dell desktop (Just love x58 gear) running an x5675 and now it's literally all I use, soon to be upgraded with another x5675 - And all up the system cost me absolutely bugger all.
 
Simmonz said:
I would agree that for the most part when using an Nvidia GPU that my experience is more similar to Windows and that I have less hassle to deal with. My only issue so far with Nvidia is that I have to set it to 144 Hz through the Nvidia control panel every time I boot the system. I set it and it forgets it. Other than that I'm happy.
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Try this:

- Under 'X Server Display Configuration' set your resolution and refresh rate using the dropdowns.
- Next click 'Save to X Configuration File'.
- Use xorg.conf as the name and click 'Save'.
- Click 'Quit' and exit the CP cleanly.
- Log out and back in.

After you do this your settings should stick, they do here...
 
BulletDust said:
Try this:

- Under 'X Server Display Configuration' set your resolution and refresh rate using the dropdowns.
- Next click 'Save to X Configuration File'.
- Use xorg.conf as the name and click 'Save'.
- Click 'Quit' and exit the CP cleanly.
- Log out and back in.

After you do this your settings should stick, they do here...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip but the issue remains. Maybe it's a bug with the driver. I'm on 352.63 which is kind of old.
 
Simmonz said:
Worked for me. Was able to upgrade to 367.57 witout any issues. Didn't solve my other issue but oh well.
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It sounds like the drivers aren't reading your edid correctly.

Now that you've created an xorg.conf, if you navigate to /etc/x11/xorg.conf and open the file what are your timings set at?

BTW, now that you've got an xorg.conf you can enable overclocking and fan control similar to the old 'coolbits' under Windows.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?px=MTY1OTM&page=news_item
 
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For anyone that's interested, the latest version of Mozilla also appears to support Widevine for Netflix support.

Go to Preferences > Content and tick Play DRM content:

uWRJnZR.png


Once this is done you can go to Addons > Plugins and you should see Widevine as either installing or installed:

8PtWcHx.png
 
Budwise said:
You don't have to start googling how to put Windows into nomodeset to boot for the first time with a GTX 960 though.
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I've Googled a million other things in order to rectify issues under Windows though....

Windows is by no means issue free, some issues can be more frustrating than a nomodeset modification - TBH I'm actually surprised it took you that long to find the answer, I Googled "new mint 17 install no video nvidia" and the first two results had the answer.
 
My reason is the IT sysadmin work and professional development/training I do for Windows environments just doesn't seem to play nice on Linux. Hyper-V/VMware management, managing images, VPN clients. Would need a Windows VM anyways to do half of that stuff.
Also, need to find a good Linux Android emulator
 
Benzino said:
My reason is the IT sysadmin work and professional development/training I do for Windows environments just doesn't seem to play nice on Linux. Hyper-V/VMware management, managing images, VPN clients. Would need a Windows VM anyways to do half of that stuff.
Also, need to find a good Linux Android emulator
Click to expand...

VMware runs on linux so you're using linux already :D
 
BulletDust said:
It sounds like the drivers aren't reading your edid correctly.

Now that you've created an xorg.conf, if you navigate to /etc/x11/xorg.conf and open the file what are your timings set at?

BTW, now that you've got an xorg.conf you can enable overclocking and fan control similar to the old 'coolbits' under Windows.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?px=MTY1OTM&page=news_item
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What do you mean by timings ? The contents of my xorg.conf file are as follows:

"Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

# HorizSync source: edid, VertRefresh source: edid
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "AOC G2460"
HorizSync 30.0 - 160.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 146.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce GTX 680"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "Stereo" "0"
Option "nvidiaXineramaInfoOrder" "DFP-4"
Option "metamodes" "1920x1080_144 +0+0"
Option "SLI" "Off"
Option "MultiGPU" "Off"
Option "BaseMosaic" "off"
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection"
 
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BulletDust said:
Under the screen section it actually looks like 144Hz has been saved, have you tried the test below to see what refresh rate you're actually running?

https://www.vsynctester.com/detect.html

While it claims Windows only I can confirm that it does work under Linux running both Chrome and Firefox.

Failing that, have you tried this:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/433855/how-to-make-custom-refresh-rate-stay-saved
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Until I manually switch the refresh rate in the Nvidia control panel to 144 hz that link says I am at 60 Hz. I will try the advice in the second link.
 
almalino said:
The problem appeared first with NVidia drivers supplied with Linux Mint PPA that were installed natevelly by Mint. Later I updated NVidia drivers manually to newer version and problem persisted. So it is not due to the method I installed drivers.
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I just upgraded my PC to from i5-2500k toy i7-8700k and decided to reinstall latest and greatest Linux Mint 18 hoping problems with NVidia drivers were fixed since 2 years ago I really struggled to install Mint on GTX 970. HAHA. 6 hours into installing Mint. It just does not want to boot into crypto password screen with latest NVidia drivers no matter what I try with grub settings, disabling nomodeset , switching to full text mode. I will eventually solve it. But I will kick into the face the first person who tell me that installing Linux is as easy as installing Windows.
 
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Linux is definitely more work than Windows for some stuff, but I think it feels more light-weight and usable.

Was originally dual-booting Windows 10 and Ubuntu, and I actually liked Ubuntu better. Built a mining rig to be just Linux, and recently built another machine only on Linux. Been using this almost exclusively for a few weeks, and seems to work well (now that I configured it).

However, I did run into a ton of stability issues, I believe with the Ryzen CPU. The CPU is apparently fine, but there were freezing and crashing, and it took a lot of settings tweaks to get it working. In Windows, I have 2 other Ryzen machines and never had any of these issues.

So I think Linux has definitely improved in the recent years, but you still need to be the kind of person willing to track down obscure bugs on Linux mailing lists or Stack Overflow, etc. to get the system running well. But I guess there is a certain element of accomplishment when you do get it working.
 
almalino said:
I just upgraded my PC to from i5-2500k toy i7-8700k and decided to reinstall latest and greatest Linux Mint 18 hoping problems with NVidia drivers were fixed since 2 years ago I really struggled to install Mint on GTX 970. HAHA. 6 hours into installing Mint. It just does not want to boot into crypto password screen with latest NVidia drivers no matter what I try with grub settings, disabling nomodeset , switching to full text mode. I will eventually solve it. But I will kick into the face the first person who tell me that installing Linux is as easy as installing Windows.
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Just last week I installed Windows 7 onto a spare system and it wanted a RAID driver during setup even though I didn't have it set in RAID. Spent the next hour trying every possible RAID driver from the motherboard disc and ones I downloaded from Asus's website until I found the one it wanted. The kicker: I had installed Windows 7 on this system a month ago and it never asked me for that driver when I installed it then. Now fast forward to my recent install of Linux Mint and Solus onto my main and secondary systems which both went flawlessly. The moral of this story is any OS can give you issues at any time but for me Linux was the far easier install.
 
If you're not sure, Ubuntu is a safe bet. I'd go with the LTS 16.04 release, it works better for me.
 
Simmonz said:
The moral of this story is any OS can give you issues at any time but for me Linux was the far easier install.
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The OS install is really just the tip of it. Installing Linux isn't the problem, it's everything else that comes after that.
 
I had a nightmare scenario with Windows Update recently. For whatever reason, it would not take the 1709 Fall Creators Update no matter what. After installing, I would get a blue screen, and then it would revert to the previous restore point.

I tried literally everything I could find, and nothing would make the update work. After a few days, I just bit the bullet, backed up my files, and reinstalled Windows. Though, I have had failed updates on Ubuntu as well, so it can happen either way.
 
Things I like about Linux:
1) Many free editions
2) Ability to "try out" by bootable DVD/USB thumbdrive without installing/messing with the OS installed.
3) Ability to tweak for your hardware setup.
4) Ability to tweak for wants and needs.

Things I do not like about Linux:
1) Learning curve, where I have to learn how to use a command line again... (Yeah, I am old. I do not learn fast. And I didn't like command lines back in the Dos days... Or even in Basic.)
2) Finicky drivers (Well, this driver works for Game A, but not so well for Game B... Let me finish A before we can game together with B)
3) Lack of easy way of installing programs/apps/drivers
4) Compatibility with programs and apps

Things I like about Windows:
1) Perceived to be More stable
2) Easier to set up
3) I do not have to use command line to install programs/apps/drivers
4) click and install easiness

Things I do not like about Windows 10:
1) Targeted 3rd party advertising BY the OS
2) Inability to block the OS from using my personal data (yeah, yeah, put this app on it, and remove this part of the OS to prevent the spyware. I should not have to delete, install, or reinstall those apps 4-12 times a year, after an update re-installs the spyware.)
3) Updates when it wants to, even, in some cases, when I am using the PC
4) Reading of my emails (when the email is used as the log in for the OS) and targeted advertising to me (and sometimes my email contacts) based on the content of my email.
5) Updates to the OS, which cannot be blocked, even when you are attempting to repair the OS (virus removal)
6) Updates which BREAK the OS (I do not appreciate being the Beta Tester for a, supposedly, OS which has gone "Gold."
 
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cybereality said:
I had a nightmare scenario with Windows Update recently. For whatever reason, it would not take the 1709 Fall Creators Update no matter what. After installing, I would get a blue screen, and then it would revert to the previous restore point.

I tried literally everything I could find, and nothing would make the update work. After a few days, I just bit the bullet, backed up my files, and reinstalled Windows. Though, I have had failed updates on Ubuntu as well, so it can happen either way.
Click to expand...

I bet you had one of these things happen:

1) Virused. It happens, too easily.
2) A "PuP" or "PuM" which blocked the update (unwanted program or unwanted modification to a program) Not a virus, but think a malware, spyware, or simply a program not compliant with the update...
3) Removal of the spyware of the OS, Cortana, or other unwanted part of the OS impacting the install of the patch.
 
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Yeah, I considered that. However, I barely use that machine and definitely don't visit torrent or other sketchy sites. I also have pretty decent security, running anti-virus, anti-malware, and a hardware firewall.

If Windows can be infected so easily, even when I used every proper precaution, then that's just more reason to stick with Linux.
 
My techno-noob mother recently got a virus and fell for one of those "pay $$$ to fix your computer" trojan/scam things... I'm shipping her 2 USB drives. One is the win 10 ERD USB for a format/reinstall which I will have to walk her through over the phone (makes groaning noises), the other is Mint Linux Cinnamon. I'm going to have her try that one first and see if she can deal with Mint. Technically chrome is chrome, so web browsing/shopping/email should be ok. But she might pitch a bloody fit that her precious Hoyle board/card games aren't on there.

If she can deal with the lack of MS office and a basic desktop with just a web browser, it will save her from future virus/trojans/etc.

I wish MS could make Windows (or at least, a browser) that could stand up to the viruses/trojans/popups. But even if they did, I'm sure it wouldn't take long for the world of haxors to catch up.
 
So, while we're on the topic of malware...

Few years ago, my parent were complaining the Internet was slow at their house. Called the cable company, did some tests, and they were sure it was working.

Figured it might be some malware on their machines, I ran all the standard anti-virus/malware/rootkit/etc. software and nothing major was found.

Then I opened WireShark on my laptop and looked at the traffic. There were literally hundreds, maybe a thousand, connections, going to shady servers (like in China, Russia, etc.).

I was convinced hackers were running a botnet of some sort on my step dad's machine, but he didn't believe me, and I couldn't find anything.

Eventually, he got fed up and threw out the computer. So I bought him a Chromebook, and that's been working well for him now (all he really does is browse Facebook on the computer, so a Chromebook is more than enough).
 
Burticus said:
My techno-noob mother recently got a virus and fell for one of those "pay $$$ to fix your computer" trojan/scam things... I'm shipping her 2 USB drives. One is the win 10 ERD USB for a format/reinstall which I will have to walk her through over the phone (makes groaning noises), the other is Mint Linux Cinnamon. I'm going to have her try that one first and see if she can deal with Mint. Technically chrome is chrome, so web browsing/shopping/email should be ok. But she might pitch a bloody fit that her precious Hoyle board/card games aren't on there.

If she can deal with the lack of MS office and a basic desktop with just a web browser, it will save her from future virus/trojans/etc.

I wish MS could make Windows (or at least, a browser) that could stand up to the viruses/trojans/popups. But even if they did, I'm sure it wouldn't take long for the world of haxors to catch up.
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Browser based games work normally on linux and you can find plenty of card games for linux natively too. If you set the computer up for her (hyperlinks, bookmarks etc.) chances are she won't even notice the OS changed. I switched my parents to linux years ago and it was the best choice I've ever made.
 
B00nie said:
Browser based games work normally on linux and you can find plenty of card games for linux natively too. If you set the computer up for her (hyperlinks, bookmarks etc.) chances are she won't even notice the OS changed. I switched my parents to linux years ago and it was the best choice I've ever made.
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Yeah I'm going to get her to try Mint first, but it's going to be a phone install so I dunno. I installed it dual boot on my little (old and slow) laptop I keep on the coffee table, and I use Mint 99% of the time. Mostly only boot into win10 if I have to remote manage something.

That being said, my other systems are all Windoze, Linux can't replace apps and games yet. If ever. Maybe if Steam integrated Wine into it or something...
 
Burticus said:
Yeah I'm going to get her to try Mint first, but it's going to be a phone install so I dunno. I installed it dual boot on my little (old and slow) laptop I keep on the coffee table, and I use Mint 99% of the time. Mostly only boot into win10 if I have to remote manage something.

That being said, my other systems are all Windoze, Linux can't replace apps and games yet. If ever. Maybe if Steam integrated Wine into it or something...
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I have played around with the streaming at the house. Works fairly well for RTS titles. I am not much of a FPS guy, but I can stream Cities Skylines and AOE2/3 to my Haswell Celeron box running Ubunu easily enough. The host machine is an i7 2600s with a GTX 750ti.
 
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