this post was submitted on 29 May 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I've tried to switch to Linux as my primary OS several times over the years, and every time I've done it I've run into some bullshit where I need to install a kernel patch to make my mouse wheel work or find a custom driver on some obscure forum to have working sound. I'm a technically-competent person but it's been a huge hassle literally every time I've tried, and that's without getting into WINE or other cross-platform shenanigans. I want it to "just work" and my experience is that it just doesn't. That said, it's been a few years and Windows 11 appears to be insanely hot garbage, so maybe I'll give it another shot.
Do. Take a boot USB for a spin. Try a few distros.
I've been on Linux (Mint) for years and never had a mouse-wheel not work or any problems with sound (hardware failure notwithstanding). The computer's been the same all the way through, but it is a bit of a Ship of Theseus at this point. Mint has had no problem with new (and old) parts that I've thrown in. Or new mice, as I implied before.
Getting old Windows games to work has been the biggest non-starter, which is pretty much where OPs friend was having trouble too.
Minecraft (Java) runs fine with the standard launcher, but I do get FPS problems if I've had an Xorg update. That's more of a "your graphics card is so old Mint doesn't really support it any more" problem, which I know how to work around.
I did have problems getting Linux to run on a laptop once, but then it was 1998 and Linux drivers weren't quite so plug and play. I had no idea what refresh rates my TFT screen needed and neither did Linux, boldly warning that if I set them wrong I could burn out my screen. Since I needed a GUI, I went back to Windows 95.
Logitech wireless mice don't work on Linux until you find out someone wrote an app you can install to make them work.
My brand new Logitech mouse works on Windows 95 on first plugin.
Don't tell me mice work fine on Linux. It doesn't even natively support the most common mouse there is.
You need to lay at least some blame on Logitech for that one.
They've sold drivers to Microsoft, but since no-one writing Linux would give them any money, they wouldn't provide drivers for their proprietary hardware.
This then lead to early Linux adopters buying non-Logitech devices and not seeing a use-case for rolling a reverse-engineered driver into the kernel.
Logitech still haven't written their own Linux driver. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the money from Microsoft is so that they don't.