ITT: People who talk about Linux (as if that was the subject) because they just can’t accept that some people actually need or want to use Windows and might find articles like this one useful.
It’s so annoying to see in literally every thread about windows
Who needs Windows? You need to use better applications. And if work requires Windows, this article still doesn’t apply because it is the company’s responsibility, not yours, and running on an unsupported machine is a security risk.
Linux doesn’t have several programs I use to control my peripherals, the mobo RGB profile, and GPU fan control from Sapphire. It also doesn’t have a proper AMD adrenalin as far as I’ve checked, nor firmware updater for SSD/NVME, and the list goes on and on. I also heard controlling high refresh rate displays on linux is a nightmare.
If I want to use the gaming PC I built to its full potential then I need windows…
The article is still dumb though, anyone left behind using old hardware should not go through the pain of forcing win11 to run. They all should switch to linux
You usually don’t need proprietary software and drivers on Linux because of the great general purpose open source alternatives. Even on Windows, a ton of the drivers are actually useless and only bloat your system or perform invasive telemetry.
Personally I don’t even use the RGB features on my gaming PC, but OpenRGB is open source and lightweight. I would probably use it over proprietary RGB profiles even on Windows. You should give it a try.
GPU fan control is already available by default in most Linux distributions and should require no additional drivers.
AMD always have Linux drivers. The Linux adrenaline driver is here: https://www.amd.com/en/support/download/linux-drivers.html
SSD/NVME firmware updates should also already be supported by default in linux. With for example fwupdmgr.
High refresh rate displays should also work out the box on the modern distributions. On Linux Mint and Ubuntu they have a GUI for it, but changing resolution and refresh rate with Xrandr also only takes one or two terminal commands. There likely is software to do it, but if anything I could write you a script that does it if your distribution doesn’t already have GUI for it. I had to write a script to adjust some of my monitors’ drawing area because I mirror, but my displays don’t have the same aspect ratio.
I have already looked up most of what you recommended, and I arrived at the same initial conclusion…
- OpenRGB doesn’t list support for my Gigabyte mobo, or XPG ram (unless I’m reading this wrong). I need this to stop the default behavior which is rainbow puke
- AMD adrenalin only lists 3 distros, and none of which I’d like to use (I’d prefer linux mint LMDE)
- Plus I haven’t even talked about the apps (office for starters, then itunes+icloud which I use to sideload apps)
OpenRGB doesn’t list support for my Gigabyte mobo
Unfortunately, this is still relatively common on Linux, but it’s not really a Linux issue, but a manufacturer issue. The manufacturers should be the ones supporting Linux, not the other way around.
The situation is getting better, so when it comes time to upgrade, you can find something more open so you’re not beholden to some random software and have more choice.
AMD adrenalin only lists 3 distros
Honestly, I don’t see the point of adrenalin on Linux. For framerate locking, use libstrangle or mangohud. Don’t bother with OC, it’s honestly not worth it (if you really want to, it is totally possible).
I don’t know what else Adrenaline provides, but I’m sure there’s a way to get what you want on Linux.
apps
This is absolutely hit-or-miss, and IMO a bigger issue if you really need something that’s not properly supported on Linux. If it’s not in the repositories or in flathub, IMO, don’t bother if it’s going to be a dealbreaker (esp. Adobe products).
But if you’re fine using an alternative (e.g. LibreOffice for office software, likewise for any other apps), then give WINE a shot, maybe you can keep your same workflow. Or if it’s really only for an occasional thing either run a VM (if it’s not performance sensitive) or dual boot. I have a drive w/ Windows installed just in case I need it for something, but I haven’t booted into it for something like 2 years now. But it’s there if I ever actually need it (will need a ton of updates though).
When people create programs/drivers “See, it exists for Linux, no need for manufacturers, it’s much better!”
When programs/drivers are missing for Linux “It’s the manufacturers you should blame!”
So, which is it now?
We should always blame manufacturers. Either it’s manufacturers helping out development by creating decent drivers, or it’s manufacturers hiding their documentation so developers have to reverse engineer their chips, which takes way longer. But the focus should always be on the manufacturers, whether for good or bad.
I use Linux and none of the programs I need for structural engineering work on Linux.
Trust me, I would totally ditch the dual boot if I could, but sadly, I can’t
What are they called? What do you need for Linux that only works on Windows or Mac right now?
Revit, Tekla, AutoCAD, the usual. I have tried out FreeCAD but found it clunky to use comparably.
Try BriscCAD. It is very similar to AutoCAD and supports their files.
Revit seems to work fine with Wine, and although wineHQ reports Tekla performance as garbage, that was a very long time ago. It probably works better now.
Alternative title: “Follow these 17 convoluted steps to stay in your abusive relationship longer.”
Well there are 3 options and they are all bad.
- pay to upgrade your PC (or for extended 10 support)
- stay on 10 and go without security updates
- jump through hoops to update to 11 unsupported
It’s almost like being on Windows is all bad.
You think Linux is any better? I have to upgrade my Mint install every two years! And I have to wait for them to get their update tool ready. And then it takes like 15 minutes or so to complete! My time does not grow on trees!
I have to upgrade my Mint install every two years
I know you’re joking around here, but you don’t have to upgrade every two years. You can use an LTS release instead, or, on the opposite of the spectrum, a rolling release.
Release schedule and duration of support should always be factored into the decision of choosing a distro.
just use linux
Give me a good Linux distro that’s great on a tablet PC
ubuntu. anything with gnome, really.
You can’t even open an application on Gnome without pressing the small Activities button on the top left of the screen.
touch input uses gestures instead, not unlike android.
Well, I can simply open an app by tapping it on the home screen on Android. What do I need to do on Gnome?
i dont have a touch device with gnome, but you open the app drawer with i believe a left swipe. on android you usually swipe up instead.
I only ever use Windows on my work computer, and only when I need access to a resource that requires our Windows-only VPN.
But seriously, “just use linux” is worthless advice. Lots of people use Windows for specific applications that don’t exist in the Linux ecosystem. For example, there are no Linux applications that come close to AutoCAD, and it simply doesn’t work on Linux.
Better advice would be to get new (or newer used) hardware if possible, if you absolutely need to use Windows, since this workaround will inevitably be “corrected” by Microsoft. Then you can do whatever you like with the old hardware, such as install and learn Linux at your own pace.
you are talking about a small minority of users. what percentage of users use autocad at all?
Not many, but plenty use various corporate applications that are Windows-only.
such as?
