Since getting a steam deck, I legitimately wish I knew way more about Linux than I do now. The thing is basically a grown up toy in many ways more than just video games.
If anyone has recommendations to resources I could use to better familiarize myself with accomplishing basic tasks with (arch) Linux, I’d appreciate it.
I’ve been working through linuxjourney.com and have learned quite a bit
Before you can even entertain the arguments in this article, don’t you first need to address the barrier to entry of installing an operating system in the first place? This isn’t even a hurdle specific to Linux, I don’t really think the average user has the technical know-how to install any operating system onto a computer.
Yeah, it makes me think back to the CD days. I think just having a Windows install CD already premade for you made the process at least semi approachable.
Last month when I was installing an OS (it was proxmox, not exactly beginner friendly, I know) the first boot disk creator I used “worked” but ended up failing in the install. The second one worked though.
All in all, creating your own install disk is nice and flexible, but it really is a barrier for the average user.
Linux is clearly great and can even be used by non techie elder people, but only if you can stick around in case they encounter any difficulty. Why? Because they can ask anyone to get some help on windows, but most people would be scared to even approach something they don’t know, so they wouldn’t help these old people on Linux.
Is it a shame? Yes, but that’s the reality.
I guess that if you put an elder on a prepared Linux computer with nothing more to setup, the elder would be perfectly fine using it. But if they want to add a program or anything, that’s when they gonna need your help and presence.
With something like a software center? I doubt it, unless they can’t use an app store on their phone either.
Elderly people aren’t (usually) stupid.
Well then if they really can’t use that they’ll have just as much trouble as on Windows, so I don’t get the point.
I think that Linux is the worst for middle-tier tech people.
For elderies, kids or someone that just visit social media, listen to music on Spotify and edit photos from vacations this it is perfect. They might learn where the app store is, how to open up menu and that’s all.
For tech saavy, programmers, engineers I… don’t really get how you can use Windows at all until you are forced by your environment. Going from Windows to Linux to do work is just like going from ChromeOS to MacOS.
But the worst would be the midtier, a friend who does a joke in “ohshit.exe” style, but don’t know what is an executable. That has multiple free games from Epic Store he never plays but must be installed and work. That have bought Photoshop and “original” MS Office licence years ago for outdated version but keep it, because “original”. And that has some amateur audio eqippment that even if Linux have build-in drivers for, would complain the .exe installer from that “download for free” website does not work.
Damn this is the opposite of my experience. As much as I appreciate some aspects on the philosophical side of Linux, and the lack of spying etc, but really the main reason I’ve stuck with it is that it just works.
My updates don’t break things, my updates only happen when I allow them to happen, I don’t have to periodically run disk cleanup and crap like that to remove dozens of gigabytes of useless data like old windows updates, my search works properly, I dont get ads in my OS after some updates that I have to find out how to disable, I don’t have shitty MS apps that I can’t uninstall, dark mode actually applies to my entire system so I don’t get blinded at night when I open XYZ program.
I probably lose a couple of hours every month on my work laptop just doing silly Windows nonsense that I just don’t have to deal with on Linux.
A good way to fix this, I guess, would be teaching children to use GNU/Linux alongside or in place of Windows when they’re learning how to use computers in digital literacy classes.
Because this isn’t an OS problem, it’s a familiarity problem.
I must fit in the middle here. I know that virtual drives exist, I’ve had a friend install one on my computer, but I never got it to work. I installed an old game off of a disk once, but when it quit working I had no idea why or what to do. I had a laptop and installed Ubuntu on it, and just never used it because I didn’t know what it would be good for and I got tired of constantly updating/fixing/troubleshooting it.
I’m used to the options and menus of windows, Linux is just confusing to me.
For tech saavy, programmers, engineers I… don’t really get how you can use Windows at all until you are forced by your environment. Going from Windows to Linux to do work is just like going from ChromeOS to MacOS.
I do native Windows, Linux and Android development and much prefer working on Windows since I like the software and tooling there better. At home, I don’t really want to fiddle with Linux anymore than I want to. Spending 2 days trying to fix my work PC’s Ubuntu installation not being able to detect my Nvidia GPU has scared me off bothering with it.
Coincidentally, I did not have fun switching over to my Ubuntu partition at work today and finding out my Bluetooth mouse stopped working with it all of a sudden.
Ubuntu installation not being able to detect my Nvidia GPU
NVidia and Linux… don’t get along very well. They’ve also been caught violating the GPL in their drivers, resulting in the kernel being hardcoded to block them in some instances. There is good reason why Valve picked an AMD APU in their handheld
Ubuntu partition at work today and finding out my Bluetooth mouse stopped working with it
Modern bluetooth controllers store the paired devices on their onboard memory, rather than only in the OS (allowing your bluetooth peripherals to work in the BIOS etc). If the two paired device lists fall out of sync, this could lead to erroneous behavior, especially since you’re dual booting two completely different operating systems using completely different driver implementations to talk to your hardware
Just wanted to share why things are broken - not trying to persuade you to change your workflow. Use whatever works best for you!
And are there even industry standard equivalent programs available for graphic designers on Linux?
Most FOSS alternatives tend to be a significant step back for folks used to their closed source industry counterparts like for example Adobe. The available video editing software is either a step back or closed source (DaVinci Resolve).
It’s probably the proverbial chicken-and-egg situation.
I put zorin on my parent’s computer 2 years ago, while its a great distro, their windows app support is just marketing, its an out of date wine version with an unmaintained launcher. Worse than tinkering with wine yourself.
I really want to love WINE, but it’s so difficult to find .net framework installers that actually work on it. Luckily the few Windows apps I use under Linux work with Wine (using Mono as an alternative to .net), or were compiled for XP so run OOTB without any framework install necessary
I used it for gaming until I found that face tracking on Linux (mostly on the output side) is a pain in the butt. It’s great for most things these days and I still keep it on my laptop but it’s now the niche things it doesn’t do well.
