Is Linux Ready for Prime Time?

DWD1961

[H]ard|Gawd
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I've been wanting to switch to Linux for years, but lack of driver support and other nonstarters stopped me. Lately I've been reading and it seems like Linux is just about there, or at least enough that I can make it work. I have a limited familiarity with Linux, such as how to load and uninstall programs, depositors, Mint vs Ubuntu, etc. I lean toward Mint, but I also read that Ubuntu can do everything Mint can do, but pushes the margin for options in UI.

I haven't used MS programs for years. the only programs I use are Calendar and Sticky Notes. Neither one of those is necessary, but it's nice to ahve my Calendar sync with my Android phone.

I would like to retain gaming possibility.

Other than that,. I think I'm ready.

Any suggestions, problems, etc. that I will face turning off the MS switch?
 
I've been wanting to switch to Linux for years, but lack of driver support and other nonstarters stopped me. Lately I've been reading and it seems like Linux is just about there, or at least enough that I can make it work. I have a limited familiarity with Linux, such as how to load and uninstall programs, depositors, Mint vs Ubuntu, etc. I lean toward Mint, but I also read that Ubuntu can do everything Mint can do, but pushes the margin for options in UI.

I haven't used MS programs for years. the only programs I use are Calendar and Sticky Notes. Neither one of those is necessary, but it's nice to ahve my Calendar sync with my Android phone.

I would like to retain gaming possibility.

Other than that,. I think I'm ready.

Any suggestions, problems, etc. that I will face turning off the MS switch?
The biggest (and it isn't even that big anymore) is the gaming aspect. Really depends on what games you play.

Otherwise? You could switch and not look back.
 
What driver support is missing?

I've been hearing this for the last 20 years...

I have Manjaro on my AMD 5950x / RX 6800 , using various peripherals and they all "just work" The only thing I had to do anything special for was download and install YubiKey drivers for them to pick up in Citrix WorkSpace...
But as you said, you want to game, so unless your game have linux versions, your SOL, or just dual boot for when you want to game..
 
What driver support is missing?

I've been hearing this for the last 20 years...

I have Manjaro on my AMD 5950x / RX 6800 , using various peripherals and they all "just work" The only thing I had to do anything special for was download and install YubiKey drivers for them to pick up in Citrix WorkSpace...
But as you said, you want to game, so unless your game have linux versions, your SOL, or just dual boot for when you want to game..
Linux hasn't always been smooth with drivers, so if it's been YEARS since he's used it and I'll assume it's pre Mint days, so quite a while back, Linux had driver issues. It can't be denied.

Now though, yeah, mine just works, except I can't control mouse sensitivity in the GUI and have to make a script. Otherwise, good.
 
I'm going to wait for SteamOS to get a general release before putting it on any kind of main machine.

You still have to choose your hardware correctly, and kind of pre-know what your usage needs are before you throw the switch.
 
Personally I think Linux Mint is ready for Prime Time. For gaming a good cpu and a NV card should do nicely.

But you have to be willing to tinker a bit to get certain games installed or running well. A lot of that is due to stupid proprietary portal game apps that need to be installed first.
 
I've been wanting to switch to Linux for years, but lack of driver support and other nonstarters stopped me. Lately I've been reading and it seems like Linux is just about there, or at least enough that I can make it work. I have a limited familiarity with Linux, such as how to load and uninstall programs, depositors, Mint vs Ubuntu, etc. I lean toward Mint, but I also read that Ubuntu can do everything Mint can do, but pushes the margin for options in UI.

I haven't used MS programs for years. the only programs I use are Calendar and Sticky Notes. Neither one of those is necessary, but it's nice to ahve my Calendar sync with my Android phone.

I would like to retain gaming possibility.

Other than that,. I think I'm ready.

Any suggestions, problems, etc. that I will face turning off the MS switch?
Weren't you already running Linux? Could've sworn I saw posts from you asking how to install so and so through apt. I assume you've used it all this time ?

If so, do you think it's ready for primetime?
 
Earlier this year I switched from Win7 to Manjaro Linux on both my laptop and desktop (dual-booting with Win10 as secondary OS on both systems), and for the most part the experience has been wonderful. First I tried it out on my laptop for more than a few months, then in September I transitioned to using it on my desktop as well. Fucking love it. I don't think I will be maining a Windows OS ever again. I used to fuck around with Linux in the mid-to-late 2000s, but then fell off for a while (my younger brother has been with it ever since though, and kinda kept me in the loop). Now I'm back for good. The GPU driver situation isn't so great on nVidia hardware (thanks to their crappy proprietary drivers - the open-source drivers are gimped, but your only real choice if you are on pre-Maxwell hardware), but if you use Radeons or Intel iGPUs everything is a-okay (I'm currently on nVidia with my desktop). I've been a heavy gamer since the 2nd console generation, PC has been my main gaming platform of choice since the late 90s (although I still play games on consoles), and the experience on Linux isn't terrible. ProtonDB definitely helps a lot, very good info there. Stuff like Steam+Proton, Lutris, and Heroic Launcher help a ton. Knowledge my brother gained from experimenting on his Steam Deck has also helped me out. A lot more games have native Linux versions than I thought too. For the games that don't work well, or where I need every ounce of performance I can get, I still got Windows around for that (and in the future I might experiment with gaming in a VM with GPU passthrough). However I must stress that I've barely done any game testing at this point. My laptop has an Intel iGPU so not gonna be able to do much with that, but emulators for 5th-gen systems and earlier work great, as well as 2D games installed either through Steam or standalone. The real testing needs to be done on my desktop, and while I've tested out some games already (2D and 3D ones), some of the bigger harder-hitting 3D ones need to be tested (as an example, I got Spider-Man Remastered and Doom Eternal lined up for testing next, and also UT3). As with the laptop, emulators like DuckStation, SNES9x, FCEUX, and Kega Fusion work great (again that was just a small sampling of emulators, more testing needs to be done). In some cases, games work better for me in Linux than on Win7 or Win10 (Halo MCC (tested on Steam Deck) and A Hat In Time being two examples)!!!

I've been using Win10 since launch (just not on my main desktop), I've set up and configured countless Win10 systems since 2015 for friends, family, and clients, but the OS has never convinced me to make it my new main. So I kept Win7 around on my main machine until I finally decided to move on (technically I still have Win7, I just don't boot from that drive anymore, in fact that drive is not even currently in the system). I figured that if I had to move on from Win7 to Win10, I wasn't gonna do just Win10 by itself, I needed to have a good OS to go along with that. Linux covered that. I've been using Win11 in a VM for months and it's not for me, so I decided to go with Win10 as the secondary OS instead of Win11. But yeah so far no real complaints with Linux, in fact a lot of things work better than on Windows for me (for example, thanks to Linux I once again have system-wide hardware accelerated audio, something I haven't had since the WinXP days, thanks to Microsoft getting rid of the Hardware Audio Layer starting with Vista, so that only stuff using the OpenAL API actually gets processed by my X-Fi sound card in Windows). Using game controllers either wired or wirelessly has worked just fine in Linux. A lot of the programs I use in Windows also have Linux versions, and in some cases the Linux versions are better. For other stuff I've found good Linux alternatives. The only part where I am truly screwed right now is my H100i cooler. It uses one of the older CoolIT designs, and as a result none of the Linux programs like liquidctl and coolero will interface with my H100i (neither will Corsair iCUE in Windows). So if I want to be able to change the fan speeds on my H100i cooler (and I do indeed have different fan profiles I switch between), I am forced to use Corsair Link in Windows. So that's been annoying. I know there are programs for Linux I can use to control/configure/customize my K70 RGB keyboard and my G502 mouse, but those devices were already set up the way I liked years ago, and had those settings flashed to the onboard memory on those devices, so I don't even need software to manage them anymore. So I just do without such programs in Linux. For my APC UPS, I'm just using the built-in OS controls for that, I haven't yet looked for an alternative program to APC's PowerChute. Driver support so far has NOT been an issue on Linux. There are a ridiculous amount of hardware drivers built into the Linux kernel. All of my hardware has just worked, and worked great, right after OS installation.

I'm definitely very much a Linux n00b, I don't understand a lot, I'm not familiar with a lot, and there's an insane amount I still need to learn. But the OS has been just fine as a daily driver, serving all my PC needs including more gaming than I expected. Definitely gonna stick with it. If I wasn't a gamer I probably would have no need to ever touch Windows again, personally. The community has been very helpful too. Almost all solutions and info I've needed have been a Google search away. A lot of good forums and guides out there too. On the whole I've had a lot less problems with Linux than I have had with Win10. Definitely a faster, more efficient OS. My CPU idle temps and speeds are noticeably lower in Linux. Linux is much more stable too, but that's been the case for eons now. Some distros of Linux like Manjaro are easier and quicker to setup than Win10 (I have a big-ass checklist for Win10 post-install setup and configuration, so much shit that needs to be changed or turned off after you get the OS installed, it's way longer than my checklists for other OSes). I definitely prefer Linux's security practices. Still though, I'm not 100% sure about Linux being ready for the masses. It's still definitely feels very much like the PC tinkerer's OS. If you love computers and love to fuck around with them, Linux is great. For others I dunno. My brother argues that it is fine for most scenarios that a regular non-power-user would encounter with a PC. He wants us to try switching our parents over to Linux (our mom in her 60s and our popz in his 70s). He thinks that would actually work out pretty well. He might be right too. I dunno, one day we might try that experiment. Most my friends still have biases against Linux that are a good 15-20 years old and which aren't even remotely relevant today. That's fine, let 'em use what they will, no skin off my back if they're unwilling to at least try it for themselves and verify the truth of things. Me though, I'm more than pleased. Linux is my home now. I like it here very much. I hope one day I can get as comfortable with it as I am with the Windows family after nearly 4 decades primarily living in the world of the latter (I did also mess around with FreeBSD a bit some years ago, and at one of the colleges I went to I had to do a lot of work on 64-bit PowerMac G5s, which was not a terrible experience). I've already decided that on my next system I will once again be dual-booting Windows and Linux (despite some annoyances that can be found with dual-booting, cuz sometimes one OS interferes with shit in the other). Who knows, maybe one day I will be able to go Linux-only. I can't speak for everyone, but my 2022 experience with Linux has so far been a pleasurable, mostly trouble-free one (and what issues I did have were resolved relatively quickly). So far I'm very happy. I go for days at a time without even touching Windows 10.

My suggestions is try out Linux using a live-flash-drive environment first. If you make a Manjaro installer, that by default is a live drive, so you can boot from the live drive and fuck around with the OS before you choose to actually install it to your PC. I got my start in Linux using Live CDs (and then live DVDs) of distros like Knoppix back in the day. A lot of distros have live-CD/DVD/flash-drive environments. You can also choose to try out different Linux distros via VM, but virtualization just isn't the same as a bare-metal install, running directly off the hardware. But yeah the name of the game is try before you buy (except in this case you don't have to buy anything cuz Linux is free). I've been incredibly pleased with Manjaro but there are other good distros out there too. I went with Manjaro cuz I've been a fan of Arch ever since it came around (my brother is currently using Linux Mint), and I went with KDE Plasma 5 as the desktop environmment cuz I wanted to see what it was like (also a fan of Xfce, don't really care for newer versions of GNOME). Running the windowing system/display server Wayland on the laptop which is awesome, but on the desktop I'm forced to use the tried-and-true-but-old-as-fuck X11 (cuz nVidia proprietary drivers no likey Wayland + Plasma 5). Nothing wrong with X11 though.
 
Linux hasn't always been smooth with drivers, so if it's been YEARS since he's used it and I'll assume it's pre Mint days, so quite a while back, Linux had driver issues. It can't be denied.

Now though, yeah, mine just works, except I can't control mouse sensitivity in the GUI and have to make a script. Otherwise, good.
That's another issue. I have some high end gaming stuff that isn't software supported in Linux. Any trouble with Bluetooth?
 
Weren't you already running Linux? Could've sworn I saw posts from you asking how to install so and so through apt. I assume you've used it all this time ?

If so, do you think it's ready for primetime?
I have not been running it. I ran it for a while as a portable installation, but due to life circumstances, I didn't go on with it. I think Linux is ready for prime time, except for maybe gaming. But like others have said, it depends on your game. Also, emulators seem to work really well now, too. I don't game much at all currently. I should probably just do a dual boot. I know I would NOT miss MS, as long as Linux runs right for my computing needs, which includes streaming music, and then basic computing, like communications, news, entertainment.

I think one thing that kept me with Windows is when MS stopped locking people out for unregistered versions. I never by a registered version now. I don't need any customization of the desktop, and I can get rid of the watermark in registry. I was just livid trying to figure out MS's activation process for a registered version, and how they try to force you to sign into an account before you can even install, and then if you do use an idiotic account to log in, you better hope you can log in simply to use Windows, or change things in Admin what drove me to Linux in the first place. Generally, I can't live with the way MS is going with its OS, which is more and more proprietary. However, as of now, it's not.

In fairness, MS 11 and even 10 was an is a quantum leap forward in stability and "it just works" ecosystem, such as I never worry about infection from viri anymore, or 3rd party virus scanners, and I can work insiude of MS firewall, if need be. They've cleaned those aspects up greatly.

Using Linux just makes me feel like I actually own my computer, not some corporate entity. I still don't like MS having control over my updates, etc., and so much more.
 
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Earlier this year I switched from Win7 to Manjaro Linux
Do you know if Mint has a portable USB option that is persistent--saves all changes? Now that I think about it, one reason I didn't stick with Linux was that I could never get Mint to install a persistent USB install, or I would probably stuck with it. Every time I booted it, it was defaulted back to it's factory settings.
 
LOL. Apple just has it's own ecosystem that people get trapped in. Then they get a job, and realize NOTHING is Apple except the small consumer Apple PC ecosystem.
I just found it funny that this guy, who is an apple apologist, comes into a Linux thread saying it's not ready for primetime. When in the end it's only gaming that's holding it back, which is a similar problem in the apple ecosystem.
 
Neither is apple, for the same reason
If you want to game, then yes, I mostly agree.

The difference is it also has no headachess for normal users. I’ll put it like this, I can get grandma to use MacOS just fine, the machine will be updated by itself, and it will never have driver issues or implode it’s own install.

LOL. Apple just has it's own ecosystem that people get trapped in. Then they get a job, and realize NOTHING is Apple except the small consumer Apple PC ecosystem.
That’s not really true. It would be dependent on what industry you’re in. For office workers it doesn’t matter, and I’d lean MacOS given the choice. If you’re Hollywood or in music, most everyone is on MacOS.

If you’re into hardcore rendering then I’d probably pick a PC. However like all things, pick the tool that makes sense. If you want to game, you need to be on windows. Period. Anything else is a compromise to that goal.
 
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If you want to game, then yes, I mostly agree.

The difference is it also has no headachess for normal users. I’ll put it like this, I can get grandma to use MacOS just fine, the machine will be updated by itself, and it will never have driver issues.


That’s not really true. It would be dependent on what industry you’re in. For office workers it doesn’t matter, and I’d lean MacOS given the choice. If you’re Hollywood or in music, most everyone is on MacOS.

If you’re into hardcore rendering then I’d probably pick a PC. However like all things, pick the tool that makes sense. If you want to game, you need to be on windows. Period. Anything else is a compromise to that goal.
Anything I had to say was anecdotal, so it's pointless in this instance.

I will say, I agree with your last two paragraphs.
 
If you want to game, then yes, I mostly agree.

The difference is it also has no headachess for normal users. I’ll put it like this, I can get grandma to use MacOS just fine, the machine will be updated by itself, and it will never have driver issues.


That’s not really true. It would be dependent on what industry you’re in. For office workers it doesn’t matter, and I’d lean MacOS given the choice. If you’re Hollywood or in music, most everyone is on MacOS.

If you’re into hardcore rendering then I’d probably pick a PC. However like all things, pick the tool that makes sense. If you want to game, you need to be on windows. Period. Anything else is a compromise to that goal.
Why would that be when the most used Hollywood software for video editing is Premier and Avid, both having Windows versions?

It will never have driver issues because it's its own ecosystem.
 
Why would that be when the most used Hollywood software for video editing is Premier and Avid, both having Windows versions?
Premiere isn’t used in Hollywood. At. All. Premiere is primarily for small businesses and individuals. I haven’t seen or talked to any shop that was making broadcast TV or Films using premiere. Maybe if you’re doing indies or docs.

Avid yes, mostly for episodic TV and some films. You’re aware it has a Mac version right? In fact all of their software like ProTools is arguably more optimized for MacOS.

Resolve is the standard for color grading. Well that and baselight. Resolve has made massive inroads, it’s getting used a lot as a standard for NLE’s for people wanting to avoid roundtripping.

Some software is also Mac only like Logic. Which some audio engineers prefer for mixing.

The standard if you’re in a studio is Mac Pros. And the Mac Studio is also stupidly fast if you’re doing this kind of work.

Macs can be quickly deployed, they all work uniformly, and are inherently reliable. I would say that in general creatives want something that doesn’t have to be managed and is optimized. Because of Apples developer tools, basically all software is more easily optimized than for other systems.

Things like Apple’s Afterburner card has an open API software stack. It doesn’t even have to be programmed for. Resolve just had to use Apple’s api to gain access to its hardware. Which is also the same thing with metal in general.

While PC’s can arguably have faster hardware, I’d say that Apple is in general more optimized in terms of software. Both in terms of the OS and software developed on the platform.
It will never have driver issues because it's its own ecosystem.
Before MacOS was Arm only, it was essentially using standard PC hardware. Not sure why Apple can figure out not having problems where PC side can’t.
 
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I just found it funny that this guy, who is an apple apologist, comes into a Linux thread saying it's not ready for primetime. When in the end it's only gaming that's holding it back, which is a similar problem in the apple ecosystem.
Pretty good observation. I mean, if every game was Linux ready, yeah. . . .
 
Premiere isn’t used in Hollywood. At. All. Premiere is primarily for small businesses and individuals. I haven’t seen or talked to any shop that was making broadcast TV or Films using premiere. Maybe if you’re doing indies or docs.

Hollywood Filmmakers Share Why They Use Premiere Pro for Movies​



"As the industry continues to evolve and grow, big time filmmakers and editors are turning to Adobe Premiere Pro to edit their Hollywood blockbusters and indie films alike. And the TV industry isn’t far away — Premiere Pro is quietly working away in the background." https://motionarray.com/learn/premiere-pro/adobe-premiere-pro-hollywood/
 

Hollywood Filmmakers Share Why They Use Premiere Pro for Movies​



"As the industry continues to evolve and grow, big time filmmakers and editors are turning to Adobe Premiere Pro to edit their Hollywood blockbusters and indie films alike. And the TV industry isn’t far away — Premiere Pro is quietly working away in the background." https://motionarray.com/learn/premiere-pro/adobe-premiere-pro-hollywood/

I think if anything that link shows exceptions rather than the rule. While films like Deadpool are notable, you’ll notice that arguably there is a rapid drop off in terms of type of film and prominence. There’s that, then David Fincher’s, Mindhunter & Gone Girl, and then the Coen Beothers, Hail Caesar. The last few I’ve never even heard of.
I could show a list just as long of films cut on FCPX. And though I think FCPX is a fantastic editor, I’d have to admit that very few things in Hollywood are cut on it, other than by editors who very specifically prefer it and have teams large enough where round tripping to a bunch of other software is in the budget.

EDIT: As a follow up, I looked up Deadpool 2, and it was edited on AVID. Water cooler talk says that Premiere gave them a bad time and they decided to not do that again. I would bet that is a very common song.
I'll also note that MotionArray's entire business model is selling products for Premiere. They have a vested interest in putting Premiere in the best light. They sell stuff for other NLE's too, but if you dig in to their site you'll see that things for Resolve as an example are precious few. It's really all Premiere/AE stuff.
 
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I think if anything that link shows exceptions rather than the rule. While films like Deadpool are notable, you’ll notice that arguably there is a rapid drop off in terms of type of film and prominence. There’s that, then David Fincher’s, Mindhunter & Gone Girl, and then the Coen Beothers, Hail Caesar. The last few I’ve never even heard of.
I could show a list just as long of films cut on FCPX. And though I think FCPX is a fantastic editor, I’d have to admit that very few things in Hollywood are cut on it, other than by editors who very specifically prefer it and have teams large enough where round tripping to a bunch of other software is in the budget.

EDIT: As a follow up, I looked up Deadpool 2, and it was edited on AVID. Water cooler talk says that Premiere gave them a bad time and they decided to not do that again. I would bet that is a very common song.
I'll also note that MotionArray's entire business model is selling products for Premiere. They have a vested interest in putting Premiere in the best light. They sell stuff for other NLE's too, but if you dig in to their site you'll see that things for Resolve as an example are precious few. It's really all Premiere/AE stuff.
Good observations.

Too bad Linux doesn't have support for a top end editor. Someone said all it needs is gaming support to go mainstream, but probably would need professional help too, such as editing software. Or, at least emulator software that would, for instance, run AVID as fast as Apple or Windows. Still, moving to Linux in a market share type capacity would need a lot of support.
 
The biggest (and it isn't even that big anymore) is the gaming aspect. Really depends on what games you play.

Otherwise? You could switch and not look back.
This. Games are the only thing that can be hit or miss.
Also if you're into DAWs and audio plugins then that can be hit or miss too, not too many are available but there are a few.
But everything else including video editing is a great experience in Linux.
 
It really depends on your use case. I jumped 6-12 months ago from Win11 to Kubuntu 20.04 on my daily driver main gaming PC and use it on my living room PC and my laptop and will never go back to Windows on any of them! No desire to return. That said, there are things to consider, some of which have already been said here, but to reiterate them from my experience:

- Have to be willing to accept that some games just will not work, others will require some adjustment, often the ones that don't work at all tend to be competitive/multiplayer games with anti-cheat systems, but depends on the game. I mostly play single-player games, and nearly every game I've thrown at it so far it has handled fine (some arguably better than Windows). Every now and then you have to do a few tweaks (and you can check games on ProtonDB for compatibility and/or what users have to tweak). My "losses" when it comes to game library from the switch are minimal or near-zero so for me Linux gaming is more than adequate. I know this is absolutely not true for everyone, though.

- Still definitely an occasional weird OS hiccup or something you may run into. I haven't had anything disastrous but have had some annoyances (have had my desktop customizations/taskbar items/etc reset a couple of times due to GPU and/or cable or video port swaps for my monitors). Most of these types of things are pretty rare on common distros now. Usually the experience is pretty smooth, but not always, and I love the amount of customization you get compared to any other OS.

- Specific software. I know there are photo editors for Linux, but nothing matches Affinity Photo IMO, so I keep that installed on a separate computer for photo editing. I also have a separate machine I use for music production (personal hobby stuff) and I keep it on Windows. Audio editing / DAW stuff has come a long way in Linux but compatibility is a minefield still so I choose to keep it simple and not bother.

Overall, I find Linux more enjoyable to use day-to-day and glad to mostly be away from other ecosystems for the majority of my computer usage. I personally just feel unpleasant when using Windows or MacOS now (even though I do continue to use them because hey I'm a nerd with too many computers). The feeling of control Linux gives is worth it for me personally.

Would I recommend it to everyone? Not necessarily. I am no Linux evangelist. I avoid fanboyism when it comes to desktop and mobile operating systems. I can understand and see the weaknesses/strengths of each. I am pragmatic when it comes to PC and phone use. Regardless of philosophy, use what's best for you.
 
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I'm a huge Linux distro advocate, but the idea that the brand new Windows widget, with closed Windows driver will just magically work on Linux is an incorrect assumption. These new devices could be fundamental devices, like storage controllers, GPUs, keyboard and mice even. But my favorites are probably WiFi, Bluetooth, NIC and GPU (as far as basic things that are painful when they don't work).

Where possible, developers do their best with regards to reverse engineering and trying to get as much information from manufacturers to make a driver, or even encourage a manufacturer to create one, but at the end of the day, there will always be certain things that aren't going to work especially with regards to "new" devices. In other words, new isn't necessarily your best bet. Sometimes you'll save some pain by going with last year's models. Community is great though, so people are pretty open about what works and doesn't work with regards to "new" things.

My wife (non tech) has been a Linux user for 15+ years. The idea that people can't figure out how to use Linux is also an incorrect assumption.

In fact, when I look at the near impossible hoops that many Windows users jump through (sometimes completely in the blind btw)... I can't imagine anything being worse (just saying). Why? Because with everything designed solely for Windows, it shouldn't create such big train wrecks.

Also, I've seen many a Linux user aid Windows folks when things go bad....and yes, while remaining on Windows. You really need a Linux neighbor or two or three.... even if you're married to Windows.
 
If not it is getting close too, but it could be the less relevant that it has ever been, the competition and fear of that moment did its job, Microsoft attitude toward open source and Linux completely changed, Apple achieved a while ago to stop Microsoft to be a monopoly on Desktop in many sectors.

There still a case around PC gaming monopoly causing some issues, but one could not think of something less important than the OS used while playing a game and Play Station 5 -Nintendo- (freeBSD fork) and mobile (ios-android) gaming are thriving and particulalry for the PS5 can limit how much Microsoft can build the surrounding moat of is gaming monopoly, it could not stop Vulkan, google release Ninja and it exploded really quickly on windows instead of trying to fight it their visual studio installer propose you to install it.
 
https://news.itsfoss.com/huawei-kernel-contribution/

Maybe Google, Red Hat, Huawei or Intel ?
On linux kernel 5.1:

linux-5-10-employers-stats.png
à
 
Primarily using Linux Mint on all my rigs. I have mentioned many other annoyances with it in various threads and another issue came up the other day that I wanted to bitch about and this seems like a good a place as any.
issue#99912 (not really a number
The GUI firewall program has an on off switch labeled "Status" for each profile. If you have rules setup and you turn off the switch and then turn it back on all of your rules that you had previously created become un-editable and their name doesn't show. If you try to edit them you get an error "unable to edit rule created by UFW" or something like that. Totally unituitive and once you get to that point you have to delete the rules and re-add them again if you want to modify them in any way.

I googled it and seems to be a known issue since forever with Ubuntu...
So the solution is not to turn it off but to instead edit each rule you want to change and change the behaviour from rejected to allowed or whatever as needed.
This means multiple clicks just to change each rule when you should just be able to flip the switch to turn them all on or off. (yes you can flip the switch but then it effectively breaks all your rules as mentioned).. adding this to my list of Linux general annoyances.
 
I'm a huge Linux distro advocate, but the idea that the brand new Windows widget, with closed Windows driver will just magically work on Linux is an incorrect assumption. These new devices could be fundamental devices, like storage controllers, GPUs, keyboard and mice even. But my favorites are probably WiFi, Bluetooth, NIC and GPU (as far as basic things that are painful when they don't work).

Well, storage drivers are a non-issue. NVMe basically has no drivers except a thin PCIe control layer. SATA is usually AHCI, which just works. Some LSI SAS controllers float around, they work. Some rare SATA chips on some mainboards, but they usually work and they usually only provide ports in addition to a main chipset set of SATA ports.

All the major GPUs have drivers, NVidia in binary, Intel and AMD as open source. You might need a very new kernel for very new graphics hardware. Keyboards and mice that are so screwed up that they need a driver under Windows belong in the trash. I am not aware of an on-mainboard NIC on a popular board that wouldn't work. Wifi and Blutooth are a different matter, again the rule applies: all the high quality hardware has Linux drivers and the rest belongs in the trash anyway. Most reasonable laptops have Wifi and Blutooth on a M.2 (or mini-PCIe) card, easy to exchange for a Linux proven Intel card for $10-20.

Problem areas that remain:
- suspending a laptop, or rather the waking up part
- obscure webcams that might be built into a laptop and not work, which is annoying
- sound, but that isn't because of drivers, it is because of that general mess that sound under Linux is
- battery life is generally not as good as Windows
- things like the hotkeys on laptops, e.g. for screen brightness

Overall I have installed Linux on a wide variety of laptops in the last year and for the most part everything works out of the box. I don't have any 12/13th gen laptops, though. If you are buying for Linux or FreeBSD I recommend a beefy (not thin) 10/11th gen Intel laptop, or equivalent AMD.
 
Just for comparisons sake, my Window's 11 rig keeps uninstalling all Microsoft apps, such as Sticky Notes, Notepad, Calendar, and the Microsoft store itself. I don;t use any MS stuff except Jacaranda, the Microsoft List thing, and Sticky Notes. I moved to Libre years ago and I have no use for other MS programs. I also have no use for MS store bullshit either, a s I generally don't like "apps" as they remind me of phone programs (apps). I use Calendar, Sticky Notes, and Lists because they backup automatically without me having to use MS Cloud crap, and they sink to my phone. I mostly work from my computer so having them sync to each other is easy for me. (I never work from a phone and never will, except txt and calls.)

The problem is that you can't reinstall ANYTHING MS without the MS Store installed. The days of downloading a program are gone with the MS Store model (Unless someone can explain to me how I can have a physical copy of a MS program on my computer without having to download it and auto install it from the MS store). So without the store installed, which gets uninstalled somehow, you can't restore anything. The only way to fix that problem is to manually tell Windows to install the Store by using the Power Shell and this command:

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.WindowsStore | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

If you don't have internet access, you're screwed. No Calendar dates etc. Luckily, this is isolated to Win, and not my Android phone running Windows Calendar. Once reinstalled, all of my information is available, but what a bunch of shit. It's infuriating to need a program to download a program in order to install a program.
 
Have you tried via winget ? Apparently can be installed without the store:
https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli/discussions/2890
It figures MS would need a Kludge to patch up their idiotic Store feature. Why can't they just allow your browser to download either the file itself or a downloader/installer exe? I mean KISS, and avoid these moron Store installer problems? Better yet, just fix the magic uninstalling of Windows 'apps' in the first place. But, there's the problem: If you need to work on something offline, and you find out Win has uninstalled all of your MS apps, you're done.

However, as stated, you can get the MS store to install without having Store installed first -- I know, it's one of the beautifully crafted MS paradoxes that infuriates, that you can't install the store unless the store is installed, which means yuo cannot install the srtore without some outside kludge, like the PowerShell option.
 
I've been running Linux as my main for 6 months now. I've been using Garuda which is Arch based. It detects all of my hardware and I've have very very few issues with my normal use case (gaming and web browsing). Games for the most part just work although it's not exactly uncommon to have to enter a launch option to get something to work right but with ProtonDB it only takes a couple of minutes. My biggest issues so far has been a handful of mods that are separate applications (Mods with their own EXEs and special DLLs are a pain) and my work VPN as they don't support Linux and while I can login to the VPN it doesn't set the proper routing (I resolved this by installing Windows in a VM for when I need it). Going back to the Windows desktop feels positively archaic after getting used to KDE Plasma.
 
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