this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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Programming
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Windows here. And WSL. Best UI and hardware compatibility with all UNIX tools I might ever need. As a bonus I can also play games and use industrial apps for my hobbies.
Linux time.
KDE’s UI is better, even if you don’t take the lack of ads into account.
What hardware do you use that isn’t compatible with Linux? The only time I had a problem with that was when I was sold a bootleg PS4 controller on ebay once, and it didn’t work via USB (official controllers do work tho). Connecting via Bluetooth fixed it.
Same.
…like forklift firmware?
KDE was good many moons ago, sadly today it's just a useless mess.
Printers, NVIDIA GPUs, latest Intel CPUs, WiFi, Bluetooth, DRM protected stuff, etc.
Apps ranging from Photoshop to Fusion 360, from TI and Evolv board firmware flashers to Chinese device apps, all kinds of CNC controllers, etc. If your hobby requires an app and it's not a software development related hobby then there's a 99% chance that it won't work on Linux. And even if there's a Linux version of the app, it might lack critical features, like DaVinci Resolve which lacks audio and video codecs on Linux.
The sad truth is that Windows today is the best Linux distro out there for desktop use. And if you can get your hands on an enterprise licence then you won't have any limitations or ads or whatnot.
Well, printers are completely insane bullshit carriers on Windows that take over your life if you let them. Linux don't support them, it just makes them work.
WiFi works perfectly fine. Bluetooth works perfectly fine on Linux, while on Windows there is that bullshit of "this microphone isn't compatible with this application" and similar stuff.
DRM protected stuff is quite a generic thing to say. The only thing "DRM protected stuff" has in common is that it's all shit. Did you mean Netflix? Stuff like that runs on Linux just fine.
There are some issues with GPUs from manufacturers that actively destroy their compatibility. You would have to get one that doesn't actively work against you, and yes, those aren't many. On the other hand, you should do the same on Windows.
About the forklift firmware... There's about as much chance random specialized software works only on Windows as it has of working only on DOS, or only on Linux, or only on QNX.
Lol ook, if you wish so...
inhales
I don't know what window you been sticking your head out of, but bring it back in and put your seatbelt back on because the Linux train is not going to stop for your ass.
FTFY. KDE has more features, is more customizable, and has better performance than Windows. Personal preference is one thing, but you're just wrong here.
Printers!?!?! When was the last time you tried to connect a printer to a Linux machine? They all work out of the box with zero config needed, no matter what distro you're using. The same can't be said about Windows, where you need to hunt for drivers to install and keep an eye out for that sneaky Mcafee checkbox. Printers are a solved problem everywhere except Windows.
Nvidia GPUs work fine. Again, I don't know what paint you've been snorting. My current workstation has a 4090 in it, but before that I had a 1080->980->970. I went full time Linux with the 980, and never had any problems. I think you're confusing the complaints; the complaints about Nvidia are that their driver is not open source. The drivers do work though, and they perform much better on Linux than on Windows (ask anyone doing compute heavy work, like AI, simulation, rendering). Nvidia's recent trillion dollar valuation has little to do with PC gaming (Windows or not).
Wifi and Bluetooth work fine. That's a myth perpetuated online by crack heads. If you can't get wifi and bluetooth working on your machine, that's on you.
Idk about the latest intel chips, but I do have a 7th gen Ryzen in my workstation, and it all works perfectly. Even if the latest intel chip doesn't work today, of course it will be fixed. Linux is a primary platform for Intel and AMD both. Choosing Windows because of that is like preordering a digital game (aka pointless and dumb).
I understand your point of view. You're used to a shitty operating system, and don't have experience with one hyper optimized for virtualization like Linux. Even if you don't have the technical skills to run software through Wine, or with an easy wrapper, there are many GUIs you can use to run Windows in a VM, with GPU passthrough and everything.
Oh my God you sound like me 5 years ago, back when I was an insufferable Linux fan boy, constantly downplaying every negative of Linux and pretending none of the pros of Windows existed.
I never had the balls to pretend nvidia gpus performed better on Linux though, so you got me there.
What value brand cheese puffs are you planting into your cloaca? Nvidia GPUs do perform better on Linux. In fact, pretty much everything performs better on Linux.
Also, you should talk to your doctor about your balls bro.
That's just some utter nonsense, sorry.
I forgive you.
No.
You now normal people have to deal with people like you to learn how to use Linux. No wonder most people would rather stick with Windows despite all of its problems.
Windows had a fantastic UI but I despise the changes they have made to it.
A bottom bar showing all your windows? fantastic! windows are such a core component of the OS that it sure looks like the OS was named after them right? So why in the world would closed programs, with no windows appear there? why would multiple windows fuse into a single icon?????
I was fine with just not pinning programs and setting the task bar to "never combine", but they literally removed the option with Windows 11. I really don't understand why Microsoft is de-emphasizing the 'windows' part of Windows. Apparently 'never combine' is coming back at some point to 11, so that's good.
Now, I'm not going to compare the Windows UI to Linux DE's since there are many alternatives that may or may not fit someone better.
As for hardware compatibility, I would say its a mixed bag on both directions. I moved my laptop from Windows to Linux when it started bluescreening when waking up from sleep. It works fine on Linux.
Sure, you have some WiFi cards that don't work out of the box on Linux. But they don't work out of the box on Windows either, you need to install the drivers on both OSs manually so its not any better.
Then you have some computers where Linux works like ass and can't sleep, and you got some computers where Windows works like ass and can't sleep.
The only solid arguments against Linux nowadays is
I personally like Windows UI as it is with all the pinned buttons. It is the same way on Ubuntu and MacOS and this is what everyone is used to. Windows also has a lot of accessibility features, it's the only OS, which can be used with keyboard only, mouse only or even a gamepad only out of the box.
As for drivers, I only install drivers if I want additional features. Otherwise everything works out of the box. I haven't seen anything that doesn't work since Win7 days.