It would be more comparable if Apple, Microsoft (Xbox), Nintendo, or Sony allowed anyone to make a third party game launcher but they just keep sucking.

I have used Windows all my life, and I have some questions

This is a great place to ask

But all I know about Linux is 1: it’s a cantankerous beast that can smell your fear and lack of computer skills and 2: that’s apparently not true any more?

Yes and no, the primary skill that you will be tested when using Linux is the ability to learn new things and adapt to changes. People misinterpret this as being complicated when in many cases its simpler but different.

I’m pretty much a fairly casual PC-user, I don’t do much more than play games. So I wrote down some questions I had about Linux.Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Depends, if you mostly play single player games then most likley not. If you play online games than maybe not also maybe not.

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Depends on the game, for something like Minecraft or Doom youll be fine but games with less support may not have good Linux support.

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

Yes, Wine has alternative frameworks and libraries

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a “Linux Update” program like what Windows has?

OS updates can either be done through the package manager or your distributions GUI software center

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source?

On the surface it may seem so because more CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exploits) are found on Linux but they’re also patched faster than Windows and mostly before they find their way into the wild. In addition Linux is designed more securely such as, using repos (so software can be verified as legitimate), not allowing user mode software to run in kernel mode (so no anticheat), and having more eyes on the code.

Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Not really and nobody uses it, it’s like MacOS in that regard

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

For the most part yes but keep in mind there are new drivers that arent ready to be used, as long as you stay on stable drivers you’ll be fine. Also hardware damage will most likley only occur if you do heavy overclocking and. Ignore temps.

And also, what distro might be best for me? Pop_OS

Asahi is not only a distribution but a modified kernel which in theory can be added to nearly any Linux distribution

I dont think it has a native arm version

Ill be honest, it probrally never will be for you

I once had a HP laptop, then the hinge got rougher, it became harder to open it up, then the screen popped off and the hinge broke

HP sucks, their products suck, and I hope they crash and burn

I wish there was a TV with absolutely no built in smart features and a slot in the back for a compute module (like a RP CM5).

Counterpoint, we have the Cosmic Desktop (or at least an alpha for it) and tbh its pretty cool :3

Yes

1. It has more up to date packages (while being reasonably stable), their implementation of gnome is essentially vanilla so its easier to build off of as a base (unless you like Ubuntus extensions and fonts but tbh you can always add those yourself)
2. Their KDE edition (starting from the recently released version 42) is no longer a spin so it should get as much attention as Workstation (Gnome)
3. DNF is arguably much better than APT and especially with the new improvements its seen
4. Fedora handles snapshots much better (btrfs)
5. There are more extensive third party repos on fedora
6. They dont shove snaps down your throat

The amount of genocide apologia in this comment section is insane

Im Jewish and I would absolutely support not only a complete and total withdrawl of recognition of Israel but also an absolute blockade.

That doesn’t mean they have any sympathy whatsoever to the plight of the Palestinians.

Ive personally been there, its not a small portion of the population its the entire population. The vast majority of Israelis join the GDF and those who don’t mostly support it, if the Maldives banned all Israelis from the entire country tommorow I would support it.

The answer is likley never, GOS devs dont trust Fairphone devs (due to poor security practices) and Fairphone devs are unwilling (in some cases unable) to meet the extremely high standards for GOS.

Truly proof that gamers are the most oppressed people, its so joever /s

Not really, but I am sick and tired of Wikipedia haters constantly using every tiny mistake to prove “Wikipedia cant be trusted”. Granted they still use the age old lie of “anyone can edit it” and “nobody moderates it”.

It only takes a single incident like this for people to completely loose trust in Wikipedia, granted Wikipedia was already put to an insanely unreasonable standard.

Thats why the Linux kernel has a massive amount of CVEs, its extensively audited and researched.

Im not a security researcher tbh and I havent extensively studied the security model of Signal (I use Matrix)