Another big reason to switch to GNU/Linux.
Even at my workplace I asked HR for permission to switch the office desktop to GNU+Linux. They required the installation of a few
malwarespyware but otherwise didn’t mind.I have been using GNU+Linux on and off since 2007 only using Windows when needed to. Now I’m fully Windows-free and intend to keep it this way.
I use Lemmy and Steam games, someone please recommend a Linux OS and a browser to end this stupid shit for me.
Linux Mint and Firefox should be good starting points.
Went this route a few months ago. The switch was incredibly easy.
I’d like to add that librewolf is a great privacy focused browser based on Firefox.
Pop!_OS, PikaOS, CachyOS, and Bazzite are the top gaming distros right now.
I recommend Pop! if you have Nvidia cards. If you have AMD, any of them will work.
PikaOS or Bazzite with the KDE Plasma desktop are going to be closest to Windows 10 in terms of how you use them.
Pop! has a super different UI, almost Mac-like. But it’s based on Ubuntu, the most-used distro. Which means that if anything goes wrong you can search “[problem] Ubuntu” and get hundreds of solution pages.
CachyOS is based on Arch, which is the big, scawy Linux that all the nerds say they use. It’s easier to break than the other ones, and won’t officially offer some of the apps that something Debian/Ubuntu based might have. I would recommend it when you’re looking to get a bit more technical.
That said, I haven’t broken my install yet and CachyOS is like the fastest OS available right now. Serious FPS gains for a LOT of games compared to Windows, and even other Linux distros. I also have not had to sit and troubleshoot it over anything. I was shocked at how smooth it was for an Arch system.
So, there’s not really a bad choice in those 4. I’d recommend Pop! if you never want to have to tinker, Pika or Bazzite if you want to feel like you’re still using Windows, and Cachy when you feel comfortable taking some training wheels off (and that could be right now!).
For browsers, try LibreWolf. It’s a locked-down version of Firefox. Or just use Firefox. It ain’t perfect, but then again it ain’t Chrome.
PopOS vote from me. Very easy to get set up, especially if you have an Nvidia card. Flatpak is integrated to their store, it just works out of the box.
I’ve been on PopOs for over 7 years and its been steady as a rock! I could never go back to windows.
oh hey nice I haven been on Mint for awhile and my Nvidia card gives me no end of trouble
Linux Mint. If my 85-year-old dad can get used to it after over 30 years of Windows, you’ll be fine.
/edit Also Firefox comes with pretty much every Linux distribution, but if you need something Chromium-based, I’m partial to Vivaldi.
https://yearofthelinuxdesktop.net/
According to the flowchart there, cachyOS or bazzite, also some other tools and recommendations, good luck!
Nobara and pikaOS also both good options. I use CachyOs on my main PC and nobara on my htpc and have had a very pleasant time with the distros and their communities. Just gotta leave windows at the door and be open to learning a new way of doing things. Best of luck OP
and browser I love zen browser and have Vivaldi as my chromium browser of choice when some niche task needs it
I went from Nobara to Bazzite, Nobara worked but felt super janky, Bazzite is on another planet in terms of polish.
Bazzite is awesome I just don’t like immutable distros personally. I like to tinker more than they allow. Nobara works great for my htpc but I think if I had to switch from CachyOs on my gaming PC I’d go pikaOS
I like to tinker more than they allow.
I keep reading this, but it’s never clear what people mean. I still haven’t found anything I’m not allowed to tinker with, it’s just done differently.
CachyOS has recently stopped playing H264 videos on some websites after a system update.(on Librewolf and other browsers too). Installing ffmpeg4.4 will fix this.
CachyOS could be great! If not, Zorin and Mint are great.
Stop giving new people choices! (Quasi facetious)
Yeah you gotta stay stuck in a duopoly of shitty multibilion companies, like God intended! Lol
God intended for a monopoly, hence there must be an armageddon between Apple and Google
LInux mint or bazzite, I’d take a look at both, and firefox with ublock origin
bazzite and librewolf
Mint is very similar to a Windows feel
KDE is also similar enough but actually looks good, and is a more complete and coherent experience.
I also don’t think “looks similar” is actually good if you’re switching. Because it will be similar enough to be confusing when it then behaves differently, and it’s IMO easier to learn something that’s obviously (slightly) different than trying to just learn different behavior.
Just wish Cinnamon looked a bit better.
Sure, but the cool thing about Linux is that you can pick the gui. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_X_window_managers
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_X_Window_System_desktop_environments
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_display_servers#Wayland
TBH I’m fine with XFCE. It looks reasonably modern but is lightweight and uncomplicated. Takes recolors well, too. Never had any problems with it.
Bazzite and Librewolf
I’ve had a good experience with Bazzite. It worked out of the box for steam, and the “bazaar” app store built into it had everything I needed. Heroic is in there and good for handling PC games from other stores. Use Proton+ to get the latest Proton GE if you run into any windows game compatibility issues and it may solve them.
Oh nooooo whatever will I do now
Run LTSC /w MAS to activate it while that’s still an option as that and the rest of the Enterprise/IoT SKUs of both Win10 and Win11 still let you make local accounts, or move to Linux if you can and you’re not locked into Windows by anything.
I think Enterprise versions don’t require it either.
IoT and LTSC are Enterprise versions.
Sure but they are both special versions, I’m just taking about regular Windows
Why would a OS need an online account?
We truly live in the stupidest timeline.
How will it know which ads to show you without knowing who you are?
Lol too late. I already moved to Linux and love it.
Ok! Moved to linux for gaming 2 years ago and havent looked back. Eat shit, MS.
How is it for gaming? Im hesitant to switch just for that one use case, but its a big one.
Great. Proton changed everything. My friend uses arch, i use fedora, another friend uses bazzite. I can play everything i want, no issues. Great framerates
The great framerates was something i doesn’t expect to this extent when switching. I thought that games would probably work similar but i went from 40-50 fps on medium high settings in elden ring to smooth 60 on highest settings just by switching from windows to bazzite
Same! Windows is so heavy now they are even considering making a leaner gaming edition. Its so silly.
I’ve been very happy with no windows on my computers for over 15 years now.
About the same for me. Genuinely happy and cant understand why more people dont just install it. Its soo easy these days.
Lol.
If I ever use windows again. It’ll be a cracked version.
You don’t need to “crack” anything. Massgrave can activate any version of windows through the official process.
It technically probably breaks the EULA but no one gives a shit (including MS).
"As far as Redmond is concerned, this is all for the user’s own good. " What a joke!
sudo apt purge windows
I am waiting for an official SteamOS Desktop release. If I am switching to Linux, I would prefer a gaming-focused PC distro that has the support of an 800lb gorilla.
If I have to migrate early, say, at the start of a 2nd American Civil War, I will probably use CachyOS. I don’t expect Microsoft to be neutral or to work for the good guys.
The meat of the work Valve did was with the compatibility layer, not SteamOS itself. This means you can choose any distro you’re comfortable with and games will work as well as they do in SteamOS. I recommend Bazzite.
I ran steamos for a few months on my gaming PC… You can download the iso and run it on just about any hardware (so long as it’s team red).
Cachyos is better
The immutable nature of steamos made sure i wouldn’t ever be able to fuck it up, but it also means you cant really sudo anything, plus it’s missing basic PC functionality like printer drivers etc.
For anyone else on the fence, you don’t need to wait. Lots of distros support gaming right out the box. I switched my gaming desktop (nvidia card) to Pop_OS!, installed Steam, and it just works.
What factors lead you to select Cachy?
Bazzite is another one. Super easy install, you could dual boot it but you need a bit of tech affinity to follow those instructions. Just installing it by itself and deleting windows is easy as though.
Ok fine Linux it is. As a person who mostly uses a computer for 3D modeling, drafting and invoicing… what are my options?
What software do you use?
I worked with 3D for decades and Blender replaced almost everything. The performance is actually better on Linux. I personally use Linux mint, but regarding software it barely matters what distro you use nowadays.
But support, compatibility, ease of use can vary a lot. I haven’t used another distro for many years so I can’t say much.
If you rely on autodesk and adobe stuff you will probably suffer. But personally I would say it’s deserved because there are not a lot of companies more evil than them. The sooner you start trying alternatives the better.
Invoicing I just used inkscape but it’s not great. Be prepared to make some sacrifices, but it’s all worthy to get rid of microsoft.
Invoicing I just used inkscape but it’s not great. Be prepared to make some sacrifices, but it’s all worthy to get rid of microsoft.
How is Inkscape used for invoicing? You cretate the invoice as vector graphic template and just replace the text?
I don’t ever do any invoicing myself, so I am not clear on the requirements here. But a template in LibreOffice Draw could perhaps work for this purpose? There might be some way to programtically replace the fields, and if you store client and project details in a database it should eventually be a matter of choosing which client to bill for which project and click “Go!”. I would aim for such a self-made setup to be independent on any license-ridden software. But again, I don’t do this, so I might have missed some important part of the puzzle.
gets out iPhone with forced crApple account: “MICROSOFT SUX”
Deal! (i’m swithing to Linux)
Have fun! It’s a learning curve, but a very accomplishable learning curve, and at the end you get to say that you don’t use microsoft
