Solved Switch to Linux

My primary language is not English and never will be so...

nVidia, Radeon and Intel GPU drivers all work really well on Linux. Not only for 3D graphics but also for compute. That's not an issue at all.

Fonts also look great on Linux, you just have to pick or maybe download a font set that suits your eye. The defaults may look crappy for most people though.

If one would switch the DE Theme to Windows 10 or 11, you couldn't tell a difference between the Linux desktop and the real deal until you go check system properties.

And for the more geeky stuff...which does only apply to a minority of Linux users:

You can optimize the Linux system to to fit your hardware like a glove by reconfiguring the kernel and then recompiling it plus many other tweaks. That will make such huge difference in performance and responsiveness that it would be like comparing an elephant with a cheetah.

Some people hate Windows 11, if you hate the Windows experience too like others you can try Linux Lite distro.

forumwt said:

OK, so I need to write a list of what you can't do on GIMP and why I pay for Adobe every month or what? List is so long. If you think that I'm a retard who wants to spend money on software but on the other hand I can use exactly the same soft but FREE, you are so wrong.
I tried Linux as a DE, Linus is familiar enough to me because I use it on all servers, but as a DE, Linux is simple BS. Why? First of all drivers and hardware support, there is long list of unsupported hardware, also GPU drivers, I use Nvidia, and anyone who writes and tells that Nvidia today works fine on Linux is not true, or they use Linux for browsing the Internet only. Another big problem is software, some Windows apps simply do not have alternatives.

When I write on Reddit these Linux fans tell me that I need to use X11 instead of Wayland, I won't switch to X11 for many reasons. Another big problem font rendering is sucks on all distros, simple Linux, Windows, and macOS have different ways to render fonts.

If you use a PC for simple tasks, browsing the net, etc., maybe Linux is OK, for business and real jobs, Linux is not an option. And I won't talk about the Linux community, it's too toxic. But the funniest part is when you watch YouTube videos where some Linux fans tell you to switch from Windows to Linux, but they stream video from Windows, or when they talk about "privacy" or freedom while already logged in to Google services.

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@forumwt

Once you even THINK of mentioning Reddit, far less even posting on it then I'm afraid I lose 100% credibility of all your replies (and BTW GIMP does run on Windows too).

Ever since the GIMP began to include layers, decent white balance and a whole slew of other stuff it's just got better and better and I have even done some A2 size proper pro photos with GIMP. Admittedly Photoshop probably is better but it's a lot harder to use and certainly I'd bet that with a decent printer only the "Pro-est of Pro" shooters could tell if an A4 size print was generated by GIMP or Photoshop. Where I would say as far as Adobe is concerned Adobe Lightroom is the tool to use for loads of pro shooters workflows -- but that's another issue.

As far as Linux software is concerned -- what specifically can't be done on it which can be done on Windows apart from one or two things already mentioned in this thread -- Scientific papers with complex mathematical or Chemical formula i / equations in them are done with things like LaTex works on Linux, backup/restore/partitioning - no problem, data / disk recovery -- about a zillion and one tools - free and even Windows users on this forum say they've used them - Testdisk being one of them, data encryption / decryption, A.I programming (Python being particularly good at that -- difficult to set up Python environment on a Windows environment -- but possible -- on Linux Straight OOTB), any amount of statistical stuff etc etc.

It's pointless going on anymore especially to a Reddit user but there really is so much disinformation about Linux going around that I just had to come back to this thread. There's Shedloads and Shedloads of software out there most free - it just takes a bit longer to find it sometimes. I suspect a lot of people had bad experiences with Linux from even a few years ago. Linux in 2024/2025 is a totally different animal from those days. Even 6 years in hardware/software is almost equivalent to a Geological age in development.

Windows is there because of IBM and Ms who at that time had the monopoly of PC's and the corporate environment. Actually IBM's OS/2Warp was a far better OS but Ms won out because it was more able to capture the home market rather than just go for the big corporates which is how it became to be the biggest player. IBM though now has moved over to the Linux side with its buying of RedHat - one of the biggest corporate server players out there and even its Mainframe system can run on a PC using "Hermes Emulator" on Linux. MySQL DB systems run efficiently on Linux too and with better resiliency, recovery, multi-user distributed data locking and logging than on Windows.

As for businesses - many cloud providers use Linux for hosting. I access SAP (one of the largest Software companies in the world providing ERP and other business applications to zillions of corporations all over the world) via a Linux laptop to access workplace SAP HANA development, Test/QA and Production systems, and even to access a Workplace Virtual server desktop environment running Windows which really only consists of Ms Office, Edge browser and some time sheet application). Most of the work I do is on the SAP systems which don't use or even know anything about Windows.


However as an end user - just choose what you are comfortable with -- if the OS is not to your liking or can't do what you want it to do - then use something else but please don't attribute qualities to an OS that it doesn't have. !!!! Every system has limitations too whether a boss insists you use X rather than Y, or you can't understand X or Y etc.

@SlicEnDicE

100% agree -- Have just got 2X 8K UHD monitors working on Linux just for testing -- I'm not that wealthy !!! -- beautiful display -- but wish there was more content out there at full res to use them for rather than dividing screens up with more "Windowed apps". Hate to give them back though at end of test period.

Cheers
jimbo

Lol Windows 11 forums became a place for Linux crap promoters... I'm the first who will jump in that ship one day when Linux becomes usable as DE, but this will never happen. About font rendering, you can install any font and set what you want, simple font rendering is different than what Win or MacOS have, and that is a fact. If you can't see the difference, I can understand you are here to promote crap.

FreeBooter said:

Some people hate Windows 11, if you hate the Windows experience too like others you can try Linux Lite distro.

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Absolutely agree, but you can't say that Linux is great, that GIMP is a replacement for PS, that Nvidia works as on Win, and many other lies.

SP80 said:

Why people switch to Linux? There are no software like in Windows and Linux not good for gaming.

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Because it's possible.

Things are only impossible until they are not.

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Jean-Luc Picard

SP80 said:

Why people switch to Linux? There are no software like in Windows and Linux not good for gaming.

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Those who do it probably have an unsupported computer that is not eligible for Windows 11 and are not aware that even an old Intel Core 2 Duo system with 2GB can be made to run Windows 11 (at least up to 23H2). Remember the panic with Windows Vista? Everyone was replacing their graphics card with a new model with WDDM drivers, or even their entire computer just to run Vista 32-bit. Later it was revealed that you can run Vista 32-bit even on an Intel Pentium III system without a compliant graphics card simply by installing the Windows XP graphics drivers (aka XPDM mode). Don't make the same mistake again! Also Linux CANNOT do everything Windows can, no matter how hard Linux fans try to convince us. If you want your expensive computer to run only Libre Office, Firefox and VLC to watch some videos, fine, go to Linux. I would rather to have a computer that can do many other stuff, so using Windows makes much more sense. Linux has nowhere near the software compatibility of Windows and of course it doesn't even have the hardware compatibility. Don't start with Windows 11 requirements, we all in this forum know these are fake and can be bypassed, so they don't count. A Linux user spends too much time searching for a specific device having a specific chipset for which Linux drivers exist. A Windows user buys whatever meets his needs without worrying if it works on his computer (unless he is running Windows XP). Also gaming on Linux is possible, but there are not many games that run on Linux let alone the performance penalty because of emulating Windows libraries. Adobe suite? There are professionals that need it, but even common users like to tweak or fix some photos in Photoshop. Using Gimp is not the same, it is like an advanced Microsoft Paint, not like Photoshop!

You need me to say more to understand that Linux sucks? I think you get the picture. For most performance and maximum compatibility of a general purpose computer, stick with Windows, any version, even XP. For a smart typewriter that connects to the internet and plays some videos install Linux. Your choice is yours, choose wisely.

forumwt said:

Absolutely agree, but you can't say that Linux is great, that GIMP is a replacement for PS, that Nvidia works as on Win, and many other lies.

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If we're talking about easy usage then Windows is the operating system.

Not only easy usage, we are talking about maximum hardware compatibility, maximum software compatibility, easy usage and maximum performance due to official proprietary better drivers, not third-party basic-function-only guess-ware. Mac fanboys will argue that Mac OS is easy to use too. Yes, until you need to open the Terminal for some advanced stuff, easy usage my @$$. Also Mac OS has nowhere near the compatibility of Windows in hardware and software so stop right there! Not another word!

FreeBooter said:

If we're talking about easy usage then Windows is the operating system.

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It becomes easy once you get familiar with it. Until then any OS is a pain in the butt.

SlicEnDicE said:

It becomes easy once you get familiar with it. Until then any OS is a pain in the butt.

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I agree it's fun to learn and explore new operating system.

FreeBooter said:

I agree it's fun to learn and explore new operating system.

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Unless you are quite old (like me) and have not many years left. I'd be very happy to get 10 years extra.
Besides the effort of learning a new system, there's one other factor to take into account: my partner (a she in my case) has not the slightest idea of system maintenance / management / settings, she is fully dependent on my knowledge. And when I can't do those activities any more or would not exist any more, she has to count on my son, who is able and willing to manage Windows, but has no knowledge of Linux at all. And he certainly has other things to do than learning Linux just because that system has been installed on my wife's PC.

So I will have to stick with Windows until the end...

It's never too late to learn new things...maybe that is THE THING that will give you another 10 years because life became more interesting again.

SlicEnDicE said:

It's never too late to learn new things...maybe that is THE THING that will give you another 10 years because life became more interesting again.

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Better to spend your free time with friends or family instead of learning Linux crap, which you will never need.

forumwt said:

Better to spend your free time with friends or family instead of learning Linux crap, which you will never need.

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That's something you should do regularly anyways, and sometimes one needs a break from that too. The perfect opportunity to learn new things. Learning Linux crap might not be so crap after all, once one has figured it out.

forumwt said:

OK, so I need to write a list of what you can't do on GIMP and why I pay for Adobe every month or what? List is so long.

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More like "what YOU can't do in GIMP" - since you made it very clear that your experience with GIMP is below basic/beginner level. As you put it with your own words - for you GIMP is basically the equivalent of Paint. You probably struggle even to open some files - you definitely struggle to open RAW files (takes another app - or you can use that directly since that too is free). So indeed, when your experience with an app is close to 0 - the list "of what YOU can't do" can be quite long. Just don't assume everyone to be on same level...

forumwt said:

using GIMP for screenshots or YouTube covers or something that's fine, but I can do all of this in Paint.

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My 6 year old niece could say the same about PS - since the list of what she can't do with it is quite long indeed. She definitely prefers Paint over Photoshop. Thus, with same logic - PS is a useless tool just cause my niece doesn't know how to use it. As mentioned in the other post - specific filters developed only for PS and the newly introduced A.i. features - are the among the main advantage of using PS over GIMP (if equally skilled in both). As can be seen in above video - revealing some of the basics - GIMP capabilities can be extended as well - with the help of plugins. Not to mention - you can also use other FREE editing tools alongside it (like RawTherapee or Darktable for extending RAW files support).

Since it's a complex and feature-rich app - it takes time to learn/master (same as it goes with anything else equally complex). Took at least half a year for me - to get as familiar with GIMP as i was with PS, but i never really mastered it (what i already learned was more than enough for work and passion projects). If i ever felt the urge to expand my skills - a simple google/youtube search - was enough to find someone who could teach me what i needed (while being impressed at the same time - with how much more it can do or simpler way of doing things). Was same with PS, and even tho - i mentioned PS being more capable in terms of A.i. - this days - there's dozens of photo/video editing A.i. software - which can surpass PS in this regard. Since even Adobe adapted A.i. to PS and this days - is falling behind:


Even Photo Editing wise - when it comes to commercial products - many still use old versions of PS, but since the new subscription plan was introduced - more and more photographers searched for alternatives - Affinity Photo 2 being among the top choices so far.

forumwt said:

I tried Linux as a DE, Linus is familiar enough to me because I use it on all servers, but as a DE, Linux is simple BS. Why? First of all drivers and hardware support, there is long list of unsupported hardware, also GPU drivers, I use Nvidia, and anyone who writes and tells that Nvidia today works fine on Linux is not true, or they use Linux for browsing the Internet only. Another big problem is software, some Windows apps simply do not have alternatives.

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Once again with same faulty egocentric logic: "if you don't know how to use/do something - then you assume nobody else does and they're all lying if stating otherwise..."

Another thing, if you talk about Windows on elevenforum - it's only natural/logical for everyone to assume you're using Windows 11. On the other hand Linux... is just the Kernel. There's over 100+ Linux Distributions: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. - some worlds apart from another (different ideologies, different target audience, different hardware support, different Desktop Environments - even different Linux Kernels).

The only thing i can agree with: if one is fond of a specific Windows app/game - which is highly pretentious for some reason - like a competitive game which requires Kernel Level Anti-Cheat (quite problematic - if using Linux) - then Yes, in those specific cases - Windows is the only option. And same goes for Photoshop and others alike. Many games do work - but since they're all made for Windows, newer titles are expected to run at lower FPS (even lower if using an Nvidia GPU). Hardware support is Linux kernel dependent - while GPU drivers can have a big saying as well. Nvidia was generally doing worst - because only this year (and not so long ago) - they finally decide to fully embrace opensource. That's a good thing for Wayland (better sync if implemented correctly).

I do find it ironic - that you call the Linux community toxic (while also mentioning reddit - yet, every Linux distro - has its community for specific support), when you're so toxic yourself - spewing triggering BS left and right about stuff you don't actually use or understand. That being said, i can definitely see how you pissed a lot of people - by trashing their experience as you did here. Even above line alone - where "you claim Linux to be only good for servers and internet browsing - if using an Nvidia GPU...." can trigger so many people who use only Linux - for everything they do on a computer (even gaming, photo or video editing, streaming, etc). You're highly egocentric in your opinions - and tend to make general assumption (which should apply to anyone) - based on your own individual experience - even if heavily lacking in that specific regard (didn't use a specific software or OS - which is simply a matter of choice - while using something you actually chose - yet trashing what you didn't or barley use/understand). While with other posts - you call Linux crap - just being toxic for no reason (or maybe just hating what you can't easily understand).

forumwt said:

Better to spend your free time with friends or family instead of learning Linux crap, which you will never need.

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Broad statements are often ridiculous, this one is no exception.

If you are like me and find yourself in a job in the IT field, you may find some great value in knowing some of that "linux crap". I've been supporting Linux in the server room for nearly 25 years. Lots of my friends back in the day, didn't see the value or the need to learn it. At the place I am at now, I started in 2017. We have some Linux engineers who tend to their stuff, and Windows engineers who tend to their stuff. Again, the Windows folks back in 2017 weren't so sure they saw any value with learning some of that "linux crap". Fast forward to 2024, we are moving a ton of stuff running on physical hardware, or even virtual machines running full operating systems, over to orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes and the vast majority of the containers in the environment are running on Linux. All of the people in my org are now exposed to Linux a great deal more than they used to be. Lot's of people who didn't need to know any of that "linux crap" are now starting to learn some of that "linux crap".

andrew129260 said:

My only problem with apple is the price they charge. That's pretty much it. They have changed the things I used to not like about them. Customization being the main one. I prefer android and windows. But thats me. For most people I can recognize how chromebooks and apple can be good for others.

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Yeah, cost has always been a concern. Some of that cost, I totally understand as they don't really build a value line of products. They don't offer a Mac with a crappy display, they don't have versions with really crappy touchpads, etc . So, there is always going to be a minimum price of entry with the products.

I'm still irritated that the prices are so high with their upgrades. Going from 8GB of RAM to 16GB of RAM should not cost $200. I realize it comes down to what the market is willing to bear, and apparently people are wiling to pay $200 for 8 more GB of RAM, because that's still the price and it always has been. The same complaint holds true with storage upgrades, $200 hundred extra to go from 256 to 512, but then $200 again to go from 512GB to 1TB (even though you just got 512GB for $200 that second time and the first time you only got 256GB for your $200). Fortunately with storage, it's easy enough to add on external storage and with thunderbolt and NVMe enclosures, as fast and sometimes faster than the built-in storage.

andrew129260 said:

I have a chromebook myself and I love it personally. It cannot replace my windows machine, but it's very cool for simple tasks and super fast. And dirt cheap. Its my vacation computer. Nothing is more secure than it and it has such low cost that it doesn't matter if it gets stolen or lost.

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Yeah, lots of benefits on the chromebook platform. I used to have one from a previous employer and it was solid for it's price and no concerns whatsoever about being lost or stolen, or setting up a new one if you so desired.

pparks1 said:

Going from 8GB of RAM to 16GB of RAM should not cost $200.

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Not far off from what Lenovo asks for a 16GB RAM module. They wanted 450€ for a 16GB stick purchased separately. While I found a good dealer who sold it for 100€.

3 years later Lenovo dropped the price to 180€...but still expensive...

It is what it is...latest Apple devices are good though IMO and the price isn't that ridiculous.