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7 (Games). Wine can run a good portion of games, with the exceptions typically being those that have highly intrusive DRM or anti-cheat measures, which I consider unethical and which are the game developer's fault, not the user's.

8 (Peripherals). See drivers.

9 (Complicated). Windows is also complicated. For someone coming from Linux (and who is somehow unfamiliar with Windows), even simple tasks like installing programs requires research. (Why can't I just "apt install python3" or similar to get the Python 3 interpreter I need installed? Why do I have to run a Web browser (one of the most complicated pieces of software that a desktop user will ever run, other than the OS's core (and even then I'm not sure about that), just to install Python 3?)

10 (Installing Linux Is Hard). For many distributions, like Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora, it isn't any harder than installing Windows. In fact, in complicated set-ups (like dual booting), I suspect installing Linux might be *easier* than installing Windows. (Also, I note that installing Linux from the Windows Store is more liike running Wine on Linux, so it doesn't count as running the program "natively", if that even matters.)

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Orkhepaj: Yes switching to a new thing only good if the advantages outweigh the switch cost.
Note that this applies to switching from Linux to Windows, and for me at this point, the advantages *don't* outweigh the switch cost plus the disadvantages.
Post edited May 29, 2021 by dtgreene
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darktjm: Technically, pulse audio is optional. I use ALSA. Auto-mute is selectable via a standard mixer control. See attached.

Note that I actually agree with you about outdated, distro-specific, and outright wrong (even if it works) advice out there, and the fact that it's impossible for people just looking for quick answers to tell what's good or bad. Ubuntu's help "facility" is one of the worst offenders. It even sometimes affects me, and I've been using Linux since kernel 1.0 was new (and UNIX before that).

Should I comment on the crappy article as well? I'll just leave it at "90% of what it says is outright bullshit".

edit: One more thing: if you're used to X, you won't see the benefits of Y because you really just want to continue using X. That's why a Windows person saying Windows is better than Linux will not ever convince me, since I see things I think are critical to my computing experience missing from Windows, making it a non-starter.
isnt alsa just behind pulse audio?
that auto mute is the buggy part if I remember right, no matter what i tried it didnt work until I wrote a script to manually change the volumes of the channels

yup feel free to comment the article, I don't agree with some of its points

thats why i tried out linux to see myself it is good or not, i got disappointed by it, thought it can be a real alternative to win ,but seems it still needs a few years at least
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darktjm: Technically, pulse audio is optional. I use ALSA. Auto-mute is selectable via a standard mixer control. See attached.
Common suggestion: If your audio is not working, try installing PulseAudio, or if it's already installed, try removing it.

Also, there's something new called pipewire, that's aiming to replace PulseAudio as well as JACK (which is used for low-latency audio for things like music production). Fedora 34 uses pipewire by default, I believe. (Note that Fedora is considered bleeding-edge, getting all the hot new software technologies and making them the default long before more "stable" distributions. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this approach, which is why there are other distros for those who don't like things changing as quickly.)
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dtgreene: Here is my analysis of the points here:

1 (Lack of Software). Of the examples given, there's only two that I would actually use. For Outlook, many e-mail providers (including gmail) provide webmail services, and aside from that, there's clients like mutt and kmail that can be used. 7-zip is easily available on Linux (so that shouldn't have been on the list here), plus there's the fact that, on Linux, .tar.gz archives (or .tar.xz, which kernel.org uses) are more common than .7z.

2 (Software Updates). This isn't something I've encountered. In particular, I believe software like Python and Rust get updated in a timely manner. Also, some users *don't* want their software that updates constantly, hence why you get distributions like Debian and Alma/Rocky Linux which only give security patches. Also, note that updates to software in the repositories is specifically the distribution's responsibility. Also, one major advantage of Linux is that it makes it *much* easier to update everything at once. (Also, the OS distribution looks *very* different if you look at servers, where I believe Linux dominates.)

3 (Distributions). The many Linux distribution is a positive. The article cites a total of around 600, but in practice there aren't that many that a newcomer needs to consider. (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, *maybe* Arch for the adventurous, and spins of the above, and that's all (and the choice of spin only affects the initial installation).)

(Posting now to avoid data lost in case the post gets eaten.)
thx for posting what this topic is about , points for win or linux :P

1. lack of software , well that depends on the person , many games are not available on linux, and some work software are missing too , if those are not needed then yup linux have enough software
2. I used arch so it got most app updates instantly , still some fall behind when install script got outdated, and ive read here some games dont get updates for linux when they get updates for win version
3. this is where I totally oppose most linux users , I think this many distros is a huge disadvantage
you ask 10 linux users and you will get like 5 answers which linux you should use, thats bad
some distros die or slowly fall behind and new ones pop out each year not good at all especially as many are the same like popos or ubuntu or mint , what the hell is the diff ? :O
I really cant see why some of these couldnt be just removed and their teams join to another distro effectively increasing dev speed and quality
and saying to try them out is the worst time waster answer someone can get
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dtgreene: 10 (Installing Linux Is Hard). For many distributions, like Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora, it isn't any harder than installing Windows. In fact, in complicated set-ups (like dual booting), I suspect installing Linux might be *easier* than installing Windows. (Also, I note that installing Linux from the Windows Store is more liike running Wine on Linux, so it doesn't count as running the program "natively", if that even matters.)
I started using Chocolatey on Windows as package manager for that very reason.

I tried several Linux distros over the years, like Mint, PopOS!, MXLinux, and everytime it was super easy to install and update software via their provided package managers. And the best part, I never had to reboot after any updates unless it was major version changes of these distros.

This is a feature that I didn’t want to miss anymore, and after a little research I found Chocolatey which does a very similar job for Windows. Finally I can update almost all my installed software just by opening ConEmu (a much better alternative to the standard Windows console) and typing choco upgrade all, and after 10 seconds or so well over a hundred software packages are checked for updates, and almost all updates and installations are handled automatically without any necessary user interaction. And there’s even a GUI for users who are too afraid to type something in the console.
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Post edited May 29, 2021 by 4-vektor
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nightcraw1er.488: Take a nail, if you want it in, or you want out...
Exactly.

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dtgreene: Why do I have to run a Web browser (one of the most complicated pieces of software that a desktop user will ever run, other than the OS's core ..., just to install
Nailed it. But most people aren't aware of this. Also because browsers got really good at hiding what they actually do. Browsers are a window into a very hostile world, and come with coatings upon coating against all those hazards. But for most people a browser is just a natural part of the system - and who can blame them. Everything needs to be convenient and at your fingertips... How many people actually use uMatrix or even NoScript, and actually understand what those do?
Post edited May 29, 2021 by toxicTom
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4-vektor: This is a feature that I didn’t want to miss anymore, and after a little research I found Chocolatey which does a very similar job for Windows. Finally I can update almost all my installed software just by opening ConEmu (a much better alternative to the standard Windows console) and typing choco upgrade all, and after 10 seconds or so well over a hundred software packages are checked for updates, and almost all updates and installations are handled automatically without any necessary user interaction. And there’s even a GUI for users who are too afraid to type something in the console.
I like user interaction. A lot of my software works fine as is. I don't need unnecessary updates - that can potentially break something that I don't want broken.
At work we/I have Adobe Creative Cloud. For me, the most useful updates are those for Indesign. Still, for most (my) intents and purposes - I'd be perfectly fine with the version of 7 years ago. Photoshop & Illustrator: I don't think I have any use for new features since... 2002 or so.
Isn't there a word for this phobia - the fear of missing out on (any) updates?
As I see it, a lot of software companies want to stay relevant (keep existing customers paying) while their existing software has reached the end of its development years ago. I can't blame them from their POV, but I won't be turned into a milking-cow.
But I assume that you're mostly talking about free / open source software. I'm pretty sure that this choco won't update my DAW and all VST plugins installed.
Post edited May 29, 2021 by teceem
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teceem: As I see it, a lot of software companies want to stay relevant (keep existing customers paying) while their existing software has reached the end of its development years ago. I can't blame them from their POV, but I won't be turned into a milking-cow.
But I assume that you're mostly talking about free / open source software. I'm pretty sure that this choco won't update my DAW and all VST plugins installed.
As a software dev myself, with many connections, I can confirm that this is exactly how it is. Our company (GIS) is in the comfortable position that our customers gladly pay for features that we're eager to implement ourselves. So our product is far from feature-complete, and probably never will be - but that's just the area I'm working in - there's always more to do. In other areas there is just that much to do and improve.
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nightcraw1er.488: Take a nail, if you want it in, or you want out...
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toxicTom: Exactly.

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dtgreene: Why do I have to run a Web browser (one of the most complicated pieces of software that a desktop user will ever run, other than the OS's core ..., just to install
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toxicTom: Nailed it. But most people aren't aware of this. Also because browsers got really good at hiding what they actually do. Browsers are a window into a very hostile world, and come with coatings upon coating against all those hazards. But for most people a browser is just a natural part of the system - and who can blame them. Everything needs to be convenient and at your fingertips... How many people actually use uMatrix or even NoScript, and actually understand what those do?
Agreed.
This is not protection, this is data leakage..

Is this (attached image) really necessary for the site to work properly?
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Post edited May 29, 2021 by .Keys
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.Keys: Agreed.
This is not protection, this is data leakage..
That's why self-defense classes are necessary.
Keep banging that drum, Orkhepaj ... ;-)

Those darned Linux-using heretics, who won't bow down to their corporate overlords and accept the tripe they are served! XD
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toxicTom: As a software dev myself, with many connections, I can confirm that this is exactly how it is. Our company (GIS) is in the comfortable position that our customers gladly pay for features that we're eager to implement ourselves. So our product is far from feature-complete, and probably never will be - but that's just the area I'm working in - there's always more to do. In other areas there is just that much to do and improve.
Often when software is at the end-of-development stage, minor improvements can still be found/implemented. These days, the fact that they're 'minor' can be covered up by switching to a subscription service.
The other alternative is 'bloating it up'. Hey, our image editing software can now make your coffee, open the window blinds and end world hunger!
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teceem: Hey, our image editing software can now make your coffee, open the window blinds and end world hunger!
using (Env.kaching(amount))
{
SaveWorld(amount);
}
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teceem: Hey, our image editing software can now make your coffee, open the window blinds and end world hunger!
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toxicTom: using (Env.kaching(amount))
{
SaveWorld(amount);
}
So I wasn't just being silly? 8-o
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teceem: So I wasn't just being silly? 8-o
You tried.