How do you like your switch from Windows/Mac to Linux?

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

I'm curious to hear from others who have made the switch recently from other OSes to Linux.

I know there are long-time Linux users here, and I appreciate their input, but I'm particularly interested in how new Linux users like myself have coped with being life-long Windows users who have recently made the decision to try Linux.

My story is that I had a spare laptop I wasn't using for anything important because it is too old to run efficiently, so about a week ago I decided to check to see if it would run Linux. I found the installation process to be flawless, and am now happily running Pop-OS with the KDE Plasma 5 desktop.

I was surprised at how comfortable I feel in the Linux environment. I feel right at home in the command-line terminal, as it reminds me so much of my MS-DOS days. It's no accident that as computing evolved over the years to remove the user from the machine experience I became increasingly disenchanted with the latest operating systems. It got to the point that when my Mom "upgraded" to Windows 10 on her laptop I had to tell her that I could no longer be her tech support guy.

My most exciting discovery with Linux on my laptop was when I ran the Firefox that came with the distro. It come up in a generic profile, of course, but as soon as I copied my desktop Firefox profile over to the laptop Firefox came up with everything intact -- right down to my addons, toolbars, bookmarks, history. EVERYTHING! It is identical to my desktop Firefox and runs flawlessly.

I'm pondering the idea now of doing the same thing on my desktop, but I get nervous about giving up 36 years worth of PC/Windows-based knowledge with all my work and personal-related software and utilities and going cold turkey with a whole new environment.

So, I'm curious how others who might have made the switch recently have managed. I can give more details about what I mostly use my desktop for if anyone is interested.

Sabertooth · Jul 15, 2019

I tried Linux a number of years ago. Its commands (such as TAR vs. ZIP) weren't as intuitive as MS Windows.

tampasteve · Jul 15, 2019

I tried it for a while, however, in the end I went back to Windows. My work programs only truly run on Windows, that and the constant finagling with software/hardware to make it work just became more hassle than it was worth - especially when Windows and Mac started offering free updates to the OS and Office became a subscription that can be installed on several PCs and devices on one license.

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

Sabertooth said:
I tried Linux a number of years ago. Its commands (such as TAR vs. ZIP) weren't as intuitive as MS Windows.

That's one of the things that kept me from trying Linux in the past. What I've discovered now is that you no longer need to go to the source level to install software. Every distro comes with a package manager repository of virtually every Linux program out there; which becomes merely a point and click process.

I'm sure the Linux gurus here can explain it better than I can.

Anthony2019 · Jul 15, 2019

I've been using Linux for around 15 years. I've found over the years that the choice of software, hardware compatibility, and the maturity of its desktop environments have made it a much more viable alternative as a replacement operating system.
New users often go for Ubuntu, or distributions based on it (such as Linux Mint for example). I think the reason for this is the ease of installation, stability, hardware detection, long term support, the availability of quality user documentation, and the fact that many commercial software companies which support Linux prefer Ubuntu as a platform.
I use Fedora Workstation because I like to balance stability with a system that is up to date with the latest technologies. Like Ubuntu, Fedora uses Gnome Shell as its default desktop environment, which provides me with a workflow that I consider more comfortable than even Windows or Mac OS, especially when running on my laptop. Other desktop environments are available and can be easily installed, no matter what distribution you are using.
Firefox, Chrome, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, Skype - all of these run perfectly on Linux and I can even use Steam to play many of my favourite games.

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

tampasteve said:
I tried it for a while, however, in the end I went back to Windows. My work programs only truly run on Windows, that and the constant finagling with software/hardware to make it work just became more hassle than it was worth - especially when Windows and Mac started offering free updates to the OS and Office became a subscription that can be installed on several PCs and devices on one license.

That's one of the biggest issues in my thinking about going to Linux on my desktop. Presently, I'm basically using only the Office suite and browser-based applications. But in the recent past I had taken a stab at being a professional real estate photographer, and that involved several programs in the Adobe suite and a number of photography utilities. I might be returning to that some day, and I don't know if I want to make the time investment to learn the Linux equivalents to Lightroom and Photoshop.

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

Anthony2019 said:
I've been using Linux for around 15 years. I've found over the years that the choice of software, hardware compatibility, and the maturity of its desktop environments have made it a much more viable alternative as a replacement operating system.
New users often go for Ubuntu, or distributions based on it (such as Linux Mint for example). I think the reason for this is the ease of installation, stability, hardware detection, long term support, the availability of quality user documentation, and the fact that many commercial software companies which support Linux prefer Ubuntu as a platform.
I use Fedora Workstation because I like to balance stability with a system that is up to date with the latest technologies. Like Ubuntu, Fedora uses Gnome Shell as its default desktop environment, which provides me with a workflow that I consider more comfortable than even Windows or Mac OS, especially when running on my laptop. Other desktop environments are available and can be easily installed, no matter what distribution you are using.
Firefox, Chrome, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, Skype - all of these run perfectly on Linux and I can even use Steam to play many of my favourite games.

Thank you Anthony. As I mentioned to tampasteve, I have a HUGE investment in time and money in the Adobe suite of products, and everybody says that Adobe will never code for Linux. Even though I'm not in photography right now, I might decide to go back to it. I know there are Linux equivalents to Adobe like Darkroom and GIMP, but egads, the learning curve.

I have to admit that, like you said, Linux is a very smooth OS, and everything I've done so far is very encouraging. My main sticking point is the Adobe thing.

tampasteve · Jul 15, 2019

I should note that I did keep it on a home PC for quite some time. I mainly used it for the internet and minor office appliacitons (this was Windows XP early era). It worked fine (LinuxMint) and I liked it enough. However, when I bought a new PC it came with Windows 7 and I did not go back as I and my PC needs had changed. I skipped Windows 8 and went to 10 when they offered the free upgrade (and still do).

However, now at home I usually use a Chromebook that I remote into my work PC (windows 10) for remote work. That works out fine as the Chromebook is fast and usually I only am using it for internet work anyways. With the move of many programs to the "cloud" a PC become less vendor specific and devices like Chromebooks become viable options. In my case I can use the Cloud for storage and some programs, but most work programs are still on a dedicated PC and server - so remote in works well.

Anthony2019 · Jul 15, 2019

_Dave_ said:
Thank you Anthony. As I mentioned to tampasteve, I have a HUGE investment in time and money in the Adobe suite of products, and everybody says that Adobe will never code for Linux. Even though I'm not in photography right now, I might decide to go back to it. I know there are Linux equivalents to Adobe like Darkroom and GIMP, but egads, the learning curve.

I have to admit that, like you said, Linux is a very smooth OS, and everything I've done so far is very encouraging. My main sticking point is the Adobe thing.

If you're using KDE, have you ever tried Krita or Digikam which are excellent for photo/image editing. I don't think they will ever match Adobe in features, but they are excellent apps in their own right with a wide range of features and the interface is more intuitive than GIMP. If you wanted to give them a try then sudo apt-get install krita digikam will install them for you.

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

Thanks Anthony. That's good info that I'll keep in mind.

If I return to photography as a hobby I'm very confident that I'd be very happy with those programs.

However, real estate photography is an extremely technical aspect of photography with some very strict camera settings and processing/editing styles required. The advantage of using ubiquitous software like Lightroom and Photoshop is there are thousands of tutorials covering those things down to the most minutest detail.

I've already mastered a large chunk of what is required to be technically proficient with the Adobe suite programs, and I've got 10s of thousands of photos catalogued in Lightroom. The problem is that I'm not confident that there will be anywhere near the same level of support from other professional photographers for the Linux equivalents.

Adobe really does stand out with its LR and PS offerings, so that's where they "git ya."

I might be making much ado about nothing. I'll be 69 in a few months, so I might never want to lug all that equipment and deal with Realtors and homeowners again, so it might be a moot point anyway. But, you never know ...

paul1149 · Jul 15, 2019

One of the advantages of the Debian Linux family is that almost all programs have .deb installers, so installation is much like as in Windows. I use MX Linux, which is both performance-minded and has a lot of nice touches for the newcomer. It's XFCE desktop is much like classic Win7. So the learning curve is quite gentle. Command line use is down to a minimum, on a scale with Windows.

I use LibreOffice rather than MS Office, so no problem there. The only program I need WINE for is theWord Bible. WINE allows you to run Windows software on Linux and MacOS.

According to WineHQ - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and WineHQ - Adobe Photoshop, LightRoom and PhotoShop seem to work well on WINE/Linux, depending on which version you're running. Might be worth a test.

All in all, Linux is a smooth and relatively carefree OS, and privacy/security is on a high level. It's come a long way since a few years back. I've been on it for 3 years, and it breathed new life into my Vista-era tower. Not needing a real-time malware scanner (which generally is the case if you're careful and you harden your browser) saves some 15% or more of system resources.

Anthony2019 · Jul 15, 2019

I use software to write music as a hobby and, for many years, I was looking for a decent commercial quality digital audio workstation which ran on Linux. I tried Rosegarden and LMMS (which are open source) and whilst they did the job, they didn't offer the stability and features I wanted. I now use Bitwig Studio 3 and Pianoteq (both as a standalone program and as a VST plugin). These are commercial apps which both run very smoothly on Linux.

I agree with Paul. Linux is a very smooth system and security is at a very high level. I'd go further to say that, for me, it is a very low maintenance system. No third party pop up 'assistants'. No bloatware. Low risk of viruses. Updates are available almost on a daily basis and it is so quick installing them via the Software app or the command line - just by clicking a button when you're ready.

nonaeroterraqueous · Jul 15, 2019

I like it a lot. Basic use was intuitive, though I did have to do a lot of internet searching to learn how to do more advanced things, like optimizing video, or being able to use one computer to browse another, especially if they weren't both on Linux.

Overall, what I like best is its cleanliness. It's naturally bloat-free, unlike most Windows installations. My parents hate their Windows machine, and I tell them that it's because the thing is disastrously messy, with all of the junk they have installed. Aside from the bloatware, they have antivirus and even some intentionally installed programs clogging it, and possibly infecting it. I could clean it up for them, but that's a risky business, coming from me. If they had used Linux, then they'd be riding with a very smooth, fast computer, based on the specs.

What I like least? It's the printer options. The last time I shopped for a printer, I wasn't looking to buy the best, most reliable model. No, I couldn't, because the fraction that were even compatible with Linux was small enough that I had to focus on just printers that would work on my computer. Then, after having found one, I had to search for a driver and figure out how to install it. This should have been more intuitive.

For my wife, the biggest problem is incompatibility with her favorite downloaded games. I used WINE once, and after several failures it spontaneously succeeded. I don't know why it worked that one time. All was well until a bad patch came through (Virtualbox guest package, I think it was), and I had to reinstall the OS. I never succeeded in making WINE install those games correctly after that.

Would I recommend it? Yes, and no. For everything I do on a computer, Linux Mint is exactly what I want. It's a beautiful, clean, fast and customizable OS that can do all of the common computing tasks. In fact, I like it better than Windows 7, which is my favorite version of Windows. However...the thing that nags me at the back of my mind is knowing that specialized tasks, especially specific programs, are pretty much a no-go. Fortunately, I don't have such specialized needs, and with the internet browser swiftly becoming almost an OS of its own, with Google Chrome full compatibility with Linux, the gap between Linux and Windows appears to be slowly closing. I guess we'll see.

charsan · Jul 15, 2019

I love Linux (I use elementary). My wife took right to Linux after having problems with Windows. I just ask her if see wanted to use Windows again and she laughed

_Dave_ · Jul 15, 2019

nonaeroterraqueous said:
I like it a lot. Basic use was intuitive, though I did have to do a lot of internet searching to learn how to do more advanced things, like optimizing video, or being able to use one computer to browse another, especially if they weren't both on Linux.

Overall, what I like best is its cleanliness. It's naturally bloat-free, unlike most Windows installations. My parents hate their Windows machine, and I tell them that it's because the thing is disastrously messy, with all of the junk they have installed. Aside from the bloatware, they have antivirus and even some intentionally installed programs clogging it, and possibly infecting it. I could clean it up for them, but that's a risky business, coming from me. If they had used Linux, then they'd be riding with a very smooth, fast computer, based on the specs.

What I like least? It's the printer options. The last time I shopped for a printer, I wasn't looking to buy the best, most reliable model. No, I couldn't, because the fraction that were even compatible with Linux was small enough that I had to focus on just printers that would work on my computer. Then, after having found one, I had to search for a driver and figure out how to install it. This should have been more intuitive.

For my wife, the biggest problem is incompatibility with her favorite downloaded games. I used WINE once, and after several failures it spontaneously succeeded. I don't know why it worked that one time. All was well until a bad patch came through (Virtualbox guest package, I think it was), and I had to reinstall the OS. I never succeeded in making WINE install those games correctly after that.

Would I recommend it? Yes, and no. For everything I do on a computer, Linux Mint is exactly what I want. It's a beautiful, clean, fast and customizable OS that can do all of the common computing tasks. In fact, I like it better than Windows 7, which is my favorite version of Windows. However...the thing that nags me at the back of my mind is knowing that specialized tasks, especially specific programs, are pretty much a no-go. Fortunately, I don't have such specialized needs, and with the internet browser swiftly becoming almost an OS of its own, with Google Chrome full compatibility with Linux, the gap between Linux and Windows appears to be slowly closing. I guess we'll see.

My recent experience as a first-time Linux user was much like your own. My several-year-old laptop just hums along happily. The couple of programs that I tried to install with Wine have both ended in failure. I guess if I'm going to go with Linux it's going to have to be all or nothing.

My printer experience was different than yours. On the first day I installed Linux I opened Writer in Libre Office, and typed "Test" then hit Control P, and the printer fired up and printed perfectly. It's an older Brother laser printer. Maybe the distro makes a difference. Like I said in my OP I'm running the latest LTS Pop-OS, with KDE Plasma 5 desktop.

My chief disappointment is in not having Linux versions of two programs that are important to me. One that I've already mentioned is the Adobe CC series. The other is Total Commander. I'm a long-time user -- in fact, back when it was called Windows Commander, but Microsoft threatened to sue them so they changed it to Total Commander.

It's all a fun learning experience and keeps the old brain cells from getting stale.

Wookiee · Jul 15, 2019

I use both for varying reasons. I've tried a few times to swap my workstation to KDE but have had numerous reasons to go back; namely poor support for 4 monitors with nVidia cards (particularly when you have 2) and no real support for Google File Stream.

At work, I run a combination of Windows Servers (for print and file management) and Ubuntu for image management and distribution. At home I've been screwing around with Windows Server for DHCP and file management; there are many things I prefer it for than Ubuntu servers, but do appreciate what Linux distributions can be capable of.

In the cases of all my servers, I have them all virtualised in Proxmox which is Debian based.

I know there are increasingly many good reasons to entirely go for Linux, and fewer and fewer good reasons to stick with Windows. I don't foresee me entirely ditching Windows - for comfort and expediency reasons - but if I had to completely switch to Linux distributions for whatever reason, I know I would be able to eventually get everything sorted.

nonaeroterraqueous · Jul 16, 2019

_Dave_ said:
It's an older Brother laser printer. Maybe the distro makes a difference.

From the rumors that I've read, the problem is Mint, and their strategy of testing, or basically quarantining, everything before release (in theory). This makes newer printers less compatible than the old ones, because it takes forever for the drivers to come out. I don't know how true it is. It didn't work so well on the older printer that I replaced, either (a Cannon).

paul1149 · Jul 16, 2019

nonaeroterraqueous said:
What I like least? It's the printer options. The last time I shopped for a printer, I wasn't looking to buy the best, most reliable model. No, I couldn't, because the fraction that were even compatible with Linux was small enough that I had to focus on just printers that would work on my computer. Then, after having found one, I had to search for a driver and figure out how to install it. This should have been more intuitive.

I thought this was going to get into the quality of the drivers, which in my experience can be a problem. I've had virtually zero problems using my HP printer, but some of the advanced features are not available in Linux. But as for the existence of drivers, I thought they were baked into the Linux shell(?) so that no external drivers were necessary. I've always found that to be the case, that Linux found the network printers and automatically was able to use them. Currently that's my situation with one HP and one Epson printer.

As a test of your distro / printer, you could put a copy of MX on a USB stick and boot to it and see how it handles the printer.

nonaeroterraqueous · Jul 16, 2019

paul1149 said:
I've had virtually zero problems using my HP printer, but some of the advanced features are not available in Linux. But as for the existence of drivers, I thought they were baked into the Linux shell(?) so that no external drivers were necessary.

I hadn't thought of trying the printer without downloaded drivers. The information I found on their web site made it seem as though the hplip package had to be installed and updated for the printer to work. While it's true that I was able to get my previous printer to work with the native drivers, it was always a little buggy. Maybe if I get a chance I'll try printing from a live disk and see if it works.

Wookiee · Jul 16, 2019

Oh, I skimmed past some of the posts. Yeah, printing should work with just about any printer in any distro.

How do you like your switch from Windows/Mac to Linux?

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