Linux: 2 years later.

I have been using Linux for just over 2 years, and it has been an interesting adventure. I started out using Linux Mint, right away I found it quite nice, the software center had a lot of applications available, and the GUI was great, and easy to understand and use. Then I had a problem...I couldn't get wifi to work, trying for a couple days, I had a netgear USB wifi adapter, but Mint didn't recognize it, not knowing how linux worked yet, using the terminal was a nightmare, almost gave up on linux altogether, but I was determined to make it work. Turned out there was a simple fix...use a Rosewill wifi USB receiver, Mint detected it immediately, and so internet worked now.

Another problem arose, since I was a linux newb who had no clue what he was doing, I started doing things the Windows way, like downloading and installing display drivers from the brand website, big mistake. I had no idea you were supposed to find a PPA for a newer driver, and install it from the terminal, so linux would crash and burn whenever I installed drivers from an "exe" file. Gave up on Mint after this happened a few times. Tried Ubuntu, Kubuntu, ZorinOS, but found them all to be terribly unstable, and did NOT like having to reinstall the OS from scratch when a new version came out, and couldn't get the latest software updates until then either. Gave up on Ubuntu/Ubuntu derivatives. Now keep in mind, just because I had issues, does not mean everyone will.

Almost gave up on Linux again until someone recommended Manjaro to me, so I though why not, I'll try it out. I had heard of Manjaro before, but since it was based on Arch Linux, I figured it was far too advanced for a stupid newbie like me. I was dead wrong, Manjaro was a dream come true, finally a version of Linux that worked exactly the way I always wanted, all software, drivers, and internal components get updated to the latest versions every couple weeks, it's a rolling distro so you never have to reinstall it, it's extremely easy to use, and looks beautiful, is very very stable, and secure, and has an amazing community behind it, and superb documentation. Also the ability to install multiple kernels. It has been 2 years, and I am still on Manjaro, and still love it. There were some problems with Steam, but it looks like the Manjaro dev team put there own Manjaro compatible version into there repos, so that fixed that issue. Games perform very well in Manjaro.

I understand Linux as a whole a LOT more now, I understand the ideas behind many distros, like Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, SUSE, Red Hat etc. I have a whole new level of understanding about how Linux works, whereas before, I couldn't even comprehend the basics. I owe a lot to linux about how operating systems work, I am not nearly as ignorant about what goes on behind the scenes. Getting to the point that I am right now with GNU/Linux takes some persistence, and being that I was a Windows user for 20 years, it was hard to get out of that Windows mentality. Now there are a lot of aspects of Linux that I like better than Windows, and now use Windows only rarely. I get that Linux is not for everyone, but if you give it a solid chance, it's awesome! Linux is VERY worth trying out! And if you like it, help support it! Everyone should know the inner workings of the OS they use!

I used Linux a lot 6-7 years ago for around four years. I tried it again yesterday, it hasn't changed at all.

Still sucks for a desktop.

File system is a mess, good luck trying to install a package to a different hard drive. There is no "Program Files" equivalent. To actually install a program(deb package or whatever package) to a separate directory you have to use system links, please no.

In Linux Mint to add a program to a launcher I had to type the command of the program to launch it rather than just dragging it. Really user friendly.

Elementry OS is actually quite promising, but the animations take too long to complete and it's a bit bloaty.

There are no programs you can paint with besides Gimp. Wacom tablet support is questionable. No adobe suite, no manga studio, no paint tool sai.

For 3d, all you have is Blender. There is no zBrush, 3dsmax, cinema4d, etc.

CS:GO LInux performance is bad compared to Windows. There is no ESEA/Cevo.

Xen VGA passthrough setup is not worth it, it's too big of a hassle.

Mouse cursor handles oddly compared to Windows(mouse pointer enhancement off). There seems to be some sort of built in accel in Xserver.

You will constantly have to use the terminal, I hate using the terminal on my desktop. I know all the shortcuts in typing cmds, and pushing paramaeters, but I just don't want to do it.

It's great for servers, I still use it on one, mdadm performance is great compared to even intel onboard raid.

All in all, if your time is worthless, give it a try.

Those are very minor issues, I could easily live with them, or find fixes.

This isn't a blog. I'm just letting anyone else who reads this know the downsides.

And thanks for pointing them out, Linux does have weaknesses too, I don't want to mislead lol.

What do you get from using Linux though Alex? Is it just an anti-Microsoft attitude or does Linux really have something that neither Windows or MacOS can give you?

Right now, not much. Lack of software support like jiggly pointed out, is the biggest issue. The aspect of linux I like the most is that it's free and open, and gives the user choice, and full control over it. Basically ever since I ditched consoles, and came to PC for gaming, I have developed a love for openness, and freedom. Yeah, Windows is "open", and gives users a good amount of freedom, but it's not free, and it is closed source. Linux is a whole nother level of freedom.

"Lack of software support like jiggly pointed out, is the biggest issue"

You're new to Linux, I get that... but you have to realize that has been the case for the past 20 years.

As for freedom, I agree.... but is customization and this "freedom" you speak of that much more important than the productivity of the OS?

A hell of a lot better than it was 20 years ago at least XD

Well maybe bugs, and crap would get fixed faster. who knows.

it's never going to get a large slice of the pie and become mainstream just by the nature of its construction and design. The average person is going to see it has a million versions and incompatibilities and nope the **** right out of there. it should get better game support but I don't see it being the future or going anywhere big outside specialized work situations and IT environments.

Definitely. Back in 1995, I used Slackware 3.4 for the first time. It was a pain just to get X-Windows working.

I tried other Linux distros as well. But, I think I'm satisfied with my Android tablet for Linux mainstream use.

its come a long way in the last 2 years in terms of game support and long may that continue (hell, it has better 3rd party support than the wiiu :P).

its also getting much closer to covering everything i do on a PC. 5 years ago i would have to switch back to windows a lot to watch videos and play many games. now more of the games i play have a linux version and services like netflix are up and running (chrome only on linux for now but FF should sort itself out at some stage).

i use it on my old gaming PC and its been great. the issues i have encountered have been minor and have been quickly fixed (except for serious sam 3. performance on that has been very poor and i cant figure out why).

im planning to build a much more powerful gaming rig in the not too distant future and that PC will not use windows.

there is still more to do in terms of getting better driver support (and better driver distibution) for GPUs and wifi is still a bit hit and miss..but it continues to improve. if things keep going the way they are going then i will only be using windows for old games that refuse to run on linux in any form.

thats just me though. i use my PC to play games, browse dinternet and watch videos basically. for others who have different requirements maybe there is simply no suitable applications available to meet their requirements. i have no idea how a linux distro stands up in something like art, movie or sound production. i hear its great for server but i have never tried that side of things. no interest in it. i use libre office on windows and linux to cover my document production needs (and its great for what i need) but perhaps its missing a whole load of stuff for higher end users of office applications.

I agree, linux has evolved into more than just a server OS. And continues to evolve.

On the server side I like both Windows and Linux, but have never been sold on Linux as a desktop OS. I tried it on many occasions, but it just never worked out as well as Windows for me.

But for those things Windows is still the best at it... and has support for more games than any other OS.

No one is denying that, but you have to give it a chance, rather than just dismissing it. A little competition is a good thing.

Well, I realize nobody cares about my niche needs. But as a scientist, Linux is a fantastic platform. Better than Windows. And yes, this includes "in terms of software support" - although there are certain well-made proprietary programs you only see on Windows or Mac, but they don't do anything you can't with Linux. Also, simple stuff like connecting to other machines and coding in python is more naturally integrated with the system... it's just the path of least resistance, if people from outside the research world can believe it.

I'm a big fan, although I'll readily and happily admit that it's not competitive yet for many other purposes (e.g. as a PC gaming platform or to use popular software like Photoshop [although FYI there are actually nice substitutes for paint and photoshop and illustrator - GIMP isn't the only game in town for mimicking an Adobe experience])

"Sent from my Linux box" :-P

You are right about that.

Plus, linux has a ton of good video editors too, like Cinelerra, Kdenlive, and Openshot (which is a linux exclusive).

I have and Windows does what I NEED better. (I have a linux box at work which does a few random things for me btw)

If you're a gamer though, using Linux is just limiting yourself for no good reason. (unless you only play CounterStrike which I've heard works better in Linux)

free and open is great.... but not being able to run like.... *anything* on it pretty much makes it worthless, no?

@FelipeInside: but there is a good reason. if i play games on linux and pay for games through linux clients then i will do my bit to get more games on linux.

if i get more games on linux then the need for windows goes down and things get more interesting.

the cycle of no games for linux because no one plays on linux...because there are no games has to break somewhere. otherwise its a self fullfilling prophecy.

i treat it as a new console basically: a new console has limited games and it needs games to get sales. more sales=more games. more games=more sales. but it has to start somewhere.

many big games are coming and i will be playing those games, and paying for those games, through linux in some form (ok i caved on witcher 3 :S but i wont get the season pass until the linux version arrives).

i dont play games exclusively on linux yet of course...cant. as you say windows does have a better selection, support and massive BC. i will choose to play games on windows over not playing them at all. goes withotu saying. but given the choice its going to be linux from now on.

in 5 years time i want releases on a much more even keel between linux and windows games wise.

And why is that interesting?

I would rather Windows (which is the OS with 100% game support) get better rather than fragment PC Gaming all over the place.

Why limit yourself to an OS which has, what, 20% of PC games available (that's a random number, just saying it's low), with less productivity software on it, less support etc, when you can use a better OS? (unless you need a specific function that only Linux provides)

To each their own of course, but life is short... I would rather enjoy it fully.

Well you are paying for a unified product, with proper support ... and stability.

Open Source is great, but a full computer OS' being managed by many hands in the pot, has all the weaknesses currently mentioned.

Free isn't always better.

I see no point in MAC OS or Linux for any standard Consumor ... hell even designers... who are usually up their own asses (I should know, I studied with pleanty). Now with Windows 10 around the corner, even less reason for any other OS.

Although, I imagine there will be enough people out there trying to save those pennies or seem edgy enough to go linux, or those that think because mac is shiny and expensive it's somehow better/bug free. ... yeesh.

Windows is 90% of the market for reasons beyond the negative label "Monopoly".

@FelipeInside: that fragmentation can be a good thing. that fragmentation has led to the PC being the great beast that it is. in terms of games development everything is multiplatform now anyway. mac os and linux distros are just two more platform to add to the list (companies will never need to support every major distro...that would be silly).

should we just look to have intel and nvidia make PC hardware? maybe intel should buy nvidia, AMD closes down and we just build intel boxes?

should all but the snapdragon processors be scrapped in the mobile market?

hell maybe all but adobe photoshop should be banned, MS buys adobe and its just intel boxes running MS software...thats it.

im really concerned at the moment at the lack of companies making and designing PC hardware. i would love to see a competative 3rd player in the GPU sector and i would certainly love to see someone light a fire under intels backside.

its the same with the OS market. i want more compeition in the OS market. i want developers using open standards so im not locked into one OS or one eco system specifically. i want OSs to get better in general and the best way to do that is through competition. in the end i want the option to swtich from linux to windows or from windows to linux or switch to mac OS and not have it cause major hassle. if something like the windows XP security disaster happens again i want to be able to take my apps and go elsewhere.

more competiton makes things interesting and leads to more innovation.

as i said in another thread. i dont want MS or apple (well ok i do apple but thats due to a completely irrational hatred :P) to dissapear. i just want linux distros in general to rise and bring more competition to the table.

Same. I prefer linux to windows, and want it be gain more support, and popularity, because it IS a great OS. And competition is always good.

There's heaps of companies making PC hardware: Dell, HP, Asus, Acer, Gigabyte, AsRock, Nvidia, AMD, Intel etc etc ???

>using linux + gui

why

Freedom

Yeah I get that you have a bit more freedom with customization, but using 3rd party software on Windows gives you roughly the same thing?

My point is that I would rather pay for an OS that has more options instead of a free OS that has limited options (free isn't always good). Except of course if you just want to minimum basics (email, word, excel)

Neither OS costs me any money (work pays for my windows). My desktop is windows because muh games. And honestly I couldn't even tell you what a linux gui looks like, everything I do on linux is through SSH.

That being said, writing my scripts is a better experience using VIM than anything windows side and grep alone makes linux better for doing anything actually important.

But you're taking it from your personal side which requires writing of scripts.

My point is about the general use of an OS.

It's good that you can use linux without a GUI if you so choose though.

I've already seen GUI-less computing back in the MS-DOS days.Sticking with a command line is fine if I'm writing scrips or batch files for server functions.

A command line isn't exactly the best way to create a spreadsheet or a database. I can create a database using a Linux terminal (on an Ubuntu GUI-less database server) and run it off Oracle MySQL. But, it's still a royal pain in the butt.

Obviously gummi uses Linux for things that don't need GUI's, or because that is what works best for him. I prefer having both, I use KDE, and I like having easy access to the terminal, as even in this day and age, a command terminal/console still comes in handy.

Well technically you can do basic stuff in Windows using the command prompt, my point is WHY?

Can you download and write emails using the command line in Linux? Can you create a powerpoint presentation using a command line? etc? I understand for some advanced scripting or network configurations it's the way to go... but my point was always about general use for the masses, not specific operations.

Well there are some things that I use the terminal for, like sometimes I use it to install updates, or install software packages, or I use it for things like *ahem* emulators that don't have GUI's. Of course there are things you can't do without a GUI lol. You don't even have to use the terminal if you don't want to, and just stay 100% in the GUI.

There are still some things that Windows Command Prompt is useful for. For example, if I have a USB flash drive formatted in NTFS, I won't be able to format it as a FAT32 disk which is what I use with Macs. I would get exFAT instead. I would have to go to the Command Prompt and force a FAT32 format.

I meant for general use.

Sure, I still use command prompt in Windows for a lot of things (especially at work), but not for general use (word processing, emails, etc). That was my point in response to the Linux prompt.

One thing MS needs to do. They seriously need to change there god awful server, they have all the money in the world, and yet Windows STILL just sits at Windows update saying it's downloading updates, and the progress bar remains at 0% and 0KB/s for 6 hours, and even when it starts to download them, the speeds are atrocious.......same old microsoft, you can't count on them to do anything right.

Problem on your side mate.

The bar does remain at 0% for a while but then skips to something like 23% after a while. If yours is sitting at 0% for 6 hours then you have a routing issue or something.

How many updates are you trying to download at once?

Here's a suggestion. Try downloading only about 10 updates and see if it goes faster.

Only real use I have had for linux was installing it on a really really old laptop to use in work for presentations, the laptop was so old it couldn't run windows well but I light distro of linux like Bodhi or Mandriva and it runs fast.

I'm not sure what happened, but today when I booted up Windows, the boot record got borked somehow, so I had to reinstall. And I always just download all updates at once. It did start, and took 2 hours to download them all.

The 2 hours is pretty much correct if you're on ADSL2. All the updates together are about 2GB for Win7 and WIn8.

It's a good thing my copy is 8.1, and not just 8, or else it would have taken a lot longer.

As a desktop OS for end users, Linux is complete garbage. Even as an OS for people with no budget, I've never really seen the point. I have a bajillion Windows keys I'm not doing anything with. It's good for servers though.

If your internet is really slow, you can always install Windows, install all the updates and then make a clone of the HDD.

That way if something wrong happens, you just restore the image.

I never understood why people need to reformat so often though. Once I install Windows, it lasts for me for years till my next build (Windows XP onwards.... the prior Windows were very unstable)

^Depends what you do. Some people reformat often because they are always tinkering with various, if not registry heavy software, everything from UI hacks/theme alterations to gaming mod software or even add-on's to things like File Explorer. If 2 different applications are creating new registry keys that do the same thing essentially you are creating potential problems that never get uninstalled and restored correctly. I've seen software create dozens upon dozens of registry keys and then on top of that they will use various Windows services to communicate or perform some function or schedule or they'll run their own service....it doesn't take long and Windows will literally slow down to various extents, even to a point where copy/paste in Explorer has been unable to function as intended. Poorly coded drivers also play similar roles in causing performance or OS system issues and is not always easy to diagnose. This is where cloning software is nice but not everyone may want to go back to a backup that uses old software or settings that user doesn't want anymore. Even Windows updates may cause a problem with something that a software or driver uses so it can go wrong just like that. Some people are pretty hard on their OS's and if they want to do something they'll download it regardless because all they want is for their PC to just work and it's nothing for even a simple printer setup to suddenly stop working like it did yesterday and instead of spending a couple hours or more diagnosing, sometimes it just works to reformat....my wireless printer always has some kind of issue for example, even at one point where it wouldn't allow me to uninstall/reinstall the driver anymore......reformat.

That's why many computer shops would rather just backup your stuff and reinstall because it saves a lot of time and headaches. That's what I do, clone, reformat and put all their stuff back minus the junk perhaps.

I view OS's as a platform for which to launch applications on. Typically software is what most people deal with and often that's 3rd party since Most OS's come installed with very limited and bland stuff anyway. Linux offers little in the way of commercial software so certainly Windows or even OSX will provide that. Open source has it's advantages but most Linux distro's require quite a bit of setup and often a lot of Terminal usage, requiring many to google every single Sudo Apt this and that there is which I find to do little more than waste time.

I hadn't done anything on my Windows HDD aside from playing the occasional game on Steam, and thats it. Then yesterday, I booted it up, and it froze on the boot screen, and had to do a hard reboot, and the boot sector was toast. No clue what caused that. And my internet is 30mbits/s down and 6mbits/s up.

Which is why I use Manjaro, it's just like Windows in that you never have to use the terminal, and everything is configured automatically. The only thing you have to do after installing it, is update the OS, and install whatever apps you need. Just like Windows. The terminal is completely optional. Just that I developed an appreciation for the terminal.