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Linux for home use? What OS do you use on your main PC?
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Linux for home use? What OS do you use on your main PC?

nocloudnocloud Member
edited March 2023 in General

I've totally got rid of windows. Nothing against windows, it's does what it does well and is well supported. But i worry about the low privacy. I also believe that PC gaming is becoming more and more niche and Linux is having more and more innovation from the community.

Proton compatibility layer is working well for many games, still some issues, but not yet found a windows game that doesn't run on Linux. ( although i don't have a large collection )

So i have been using Linux for a while on my laptop and I have all the same apps, last year i got a cheap steam deck which is based on Arch linux, and now just installed Nobara (fedora based gaming distro) on my old but still good desktop.

Also it's the first time i have used BTRFS file system, that can use an entire drive and utilise subvolumes instead of making separate partitions, and can switch between different linux distros, backup and restore instantly.

Is anyone else using Linux for gaming, or content creation, or just as a general desktop? what distro are you using?

Also interested in getting a poll result on what OS you use on your main PC? I'm a little supprised that the amount of home linux users seems to be low on the forum. I would love to know why, especially as many of you use linux day in day out for servers etc.

What OS do you use on your main PC at home?
  1. Choose your OS331 votes
    1. Windows
      52.27%
    2. macOS
      12.69%
    3. Linux
      32.02%
    4. ChromeOS
        1.21%
    5. Android
        0.00%
    6. Other
        1.81%
«134567

Comments

  • bdlbdl Member

    Manjaro

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • I have two systems installed on my computer: Windows 11 + Kubuntu 22.04

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • Manjaro for work, Ubuntu for home laptop and Windows on the desktop. Considering dual booting Windows and manjaro on the desktop but WSL2 has been holding up well for my Linux needs

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • Both, pretty much all the time.
    Windows is host though

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • nocloudnocloud Member
    edited March 2023

    yer, I guess for the poll for those who dual boot should just pick the OS they mostly boot into.

    I used to dual boot too, it's just but in the end I realised I just have to go cold turkey on Windows.

  • BasToTheMaxBasToTheMax Member, Host Rep

    I've switched to Ubuntu about a month ago. I am still happy on my decision. The main reason for my OS change was memory usage. My laptop doesn't have a lot and by switching to Ubuntu, the usage dropped by almost three times.

    I still have windows on my laptop as dual boot, but I only use when something only works on windows (like my video editor).

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • Dualbooting Manjaro and Windows on my laptop.

    Python within Manjaro runs circles around Python within Windows.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • Windows is the only option for PC gaming, Linux is the one to use for servers, macOS for everything else.

  • dosaidosai Member

    Debian on both PC and servers.

    Thanked by 2nocloud Carlin0
  • @komdsfojn said:
    Windows is the only option for PC gaming, Linux is the one to use for servers, macOS for everything else.

    But have you tried Linux for gaming? I mean a modern distro like Nobara, which is already preconfigured. Even my xbox controller connected first time on this distro and after the fist run (where vulcan shader cashe runs) it runs about the same as windows. Some games run faster some slower but overall seems on par.

    I know there are still bugs, but seems worth the sacrifice imho.

  • LeviLevi Member
    edited March 2023

    Debian and just terminal curl to browse websites and read html source.

    Thanked by 4nocloud OhJohn equalz 1q1
  • hostbethostbet Member, Host Rep

    Windows for personal computer, Linux for servers.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • @LTniger said:
    Debian and just terminal curl to browse websites and read html source.

    sounds like fun :D

    Thanked by 1yongsiklee
  • darkimmortaldarkimmortal Member
    edited March 2023

    Windows for its driver model, onus of compatibility on vendors, low input lag / general latency, and polish in the areas that free software hobbyists can’t be bothered with

    I wish I didn’t have to trade privacy for good ux

    Thanked by 2nocloud rcy026
  • MannDudeMannDude Host Rep, Veteran

    Debian workstation, MXLinux on laptop.

    Been using Debian, Ubuntu, or a variant at home for the last 10+ years now.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • @MannDude said:
    Debian workstation, MXLinux on laptop.

    Been using Debian, Ubuntu, or a variant at home for the last 10+ years now.

    Was using MX linux too for a while, but i like gnome, so although it can be done it was too buggy with gnome. so moved to arch. liking it so far.

    Thanked by 1MannDude
  • @nocloud said:

    @komdsfojn said:
    Windows is the only option for PC gaming, Linux is the one to use for servers, macOS for everything else.

    But have you tried Linux for gaming? I mean a modern distro like Nobara, which is already preconfigured. Even my xbox controller connected first time on this distro and after the fist run (where vulcan shader cashe runs) it runs about the same as windows. Some games run faster some slower but overall seems on par.

    I know there are still bugs, but seems worth the sacrifice imho.

    I guess I should rephrase it to Windows is the best option for PC gaming. Certainly there are games you can play on Linux, but it isn't ideal.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • cpsdcpsd Member

    I feel myself more productive in Windows.

  • Linux for home or work is great -- my personal favorite distro right now is Linux Mint, which is based off of Ubuntu LTS (Linux Mint 21 is built on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, for example). I've tried dozens of distros and pretty much all the DEs over the years, and there are many outstanding ones out there. One to fit every preference. Try a bunch! You'll find your match!

    However, IMO, many of the Ubuntu-derived and Ubuntu official flavors are actually quite good as daily drivers if you just need to live your life and not tweak an OS.

    For me, Linux Mint (with Cinnamon desktop, but they also offer excellent MATE and Xfce versions) finds a great balance of stability, features, and familiarity IMO, and is a polished, solid distro for "normal" daily use, and I would recommend it to anyone -- beginners and experienced alike -- if you just need to get things done and have a familiar UI to do it in. https://www.linuxmint.com/

    Have fun! Linux is a great choice for your PC! :)

    Thanked by 2nocloud Halo11
  • i've been following Linux gaming for a long time, and even today it is not quite ready for my use case. FIFA now has an anti-cheat which is still not compatible with Linux/Proton. you will find similar issues with online mulitplayer games.

    I've used linux extensively for a while, although i am not into compiling my own kernel or be an Arch user BTW. i care more about getting things done and i can manage with Windows for now.

    if privacy is your main issue, then your comfort level depends on how much you can tolerate modern things. some people go all the way and want their entire hardware to run FOSS, even the bios. It is your call on where you draw the line.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • jlet88jlet88 Member
    edited March 2023

    P.S. BTW the OP mentioned gaming, content creation, and general desktop use -- I am not a gamer, but I do a ton of content creation and general desktop use on Linux ALL DAY LONG, and I'd never go back to Windows or Mac, although I do still own several Windows and Mac computers. Over time, they'll all be transitioned over to Linux or sold on Ebay. (I just haven't gotten around to it yet.)

    But I could kiss Windows and Mac goodbye forever since I've found replacements for literally all the apps I used for media creation and general desktop tasks, and they work great!

    Just try out a bunch of distros and have fun exploring the software that's out there! I'd suggest sticking with LTS releases BTW, I've found them to be more stable and plus, once you settle in on a distro you like, you may not want to have to reinstall the OS too often. LTS releases give you support for several years as I'm sure you know, and you can get going, become productive, and not think about it for a while.

    If you are a media creator, one distro to try out for sure is Ubuntu Studio - https://ubuntustudio.org/ - it's not my personal favorite, since I can also set up Linux Mint to do what I need, but Ubuntu Studio is very good and comes set up for creative people out of the box, and it's a good starting point for creative people who want to make the leap to Linux.

    The main thing is to take the time to explore Linux and learn what's available to do all the normal daily tasks you normally do on Windows or Mac.

    As for Linux gaming, I can't speak how good it is though.

    Thanked by 3nocloud OhJohn NanoG6
  • Windows on desktop, Linux on servers.

    I'd like to use Linux on the desktop, I have no love for Windows and all software I use has Linux builds (vs code, rider, davinci, vmware, docker) but I generally try it for a couple of weeks then switch back. Things you take for granted on Windows/OSX are not quite there on Linux, i.e. dual screens with different scaling, Wayland is improving this but it still has a long way to go yet. I've been testing it out every year since Mandrake 6 (1999), maybe on the 30th year anniversary it might be ready for me to make the switch full-time :D

    Thanked by 2Ympker nocloud
  • I said this in another thread, but as much as I like Linux, for Gaming Windows often is the only option. While Steam continues to make more games available on Linux, many third party launcher games like Valorant, small (private) MMORPG servers, ESO and other game, just like some software like Affinity Designer, Audials One.. just won't work (properly) with Linux.

    Thanked by 2nocloud seilent
  • @komdsfojn said:

    @nocloud said:

    @komdsfojn said:
    Windows is the only option for PC gaming, Linux is the one to use for servers, macOS for everything else.

    But have you tried Linux for gaming? I mean a modern distro like Nobara, which is already preconfigured. Even my xbox controller connected first time on this distro and after the fist run (where vulcan shader cashe runs) it runs about the same as windows. Some games run faster some slower but overall seems on par.

    I know there are still bugs, but seems worth the sacrifice imho.

    I guess I should rephrase it to Windows is the best option for PC gaming. Certainly there are games you can play on Linux, but it isn't ideal.

    You make it sound like there are just a handful of windows games that run on Linux.

    It depends what you mean by ideal. For me it's not ideal having a closed source OS.

    But I was kinda asking have you tried from personal experience. have you used steam with proton enabled, or lutris? have you ever tried a linux gaming distro?

    You know there are not many windows games that don't run on linux with proton enabled. I have yet to find one although i know there are some games that proton has not got to work. for the steam deck it's about 20% but the vast majority of those are due to screen size issues with the HUD/GUI or text on screen, so they would also not work if the steam deck ran windows.

    For proton compatibility on a full size laptop or desktop, the number is much much lower.

  • defaultdefault Veteran
    edited March 2023

    I am old, since the era of Windows 95 on low resources, so I am a fan of Linux Mint MATE nowadays, because it has a similar feel without lots of resources in use.

    Thanked by 2Ympker nocloud
  • @default said:
    I am old, since the era of Windows 95 on low resources, so I am a fan of Linux Mint MATE nowadays, because it has a similar feel without lots of resources in use.

    I always liked Linux Mint. At some point I switched to ZorinOS from Mint, though.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • @zako12 said:
    Windows on desktop, Linux on servers.

    I'd like to use Linux on the desktop, I have no love for Windows and all software I use has Linux builds (vs code, rider, davinci, vmware, docker) but I generally try it for a couple of weeks then switch back. Things you take for granted on Windows/OSX are not quite there on Linux, i.e. dual screens with different scaling, Wayland is improving this but it still has a long way to go yet. I've been testing it out every year since Mandrake 6 (1999), maybe on the 30th year anniversary it might be ready for me to make the switch full-time :D

    I used to feel the same, and I would try Linux then back to Windows, then back to Linux, then back to MacOS, then back to Linux, etc... for many years. And there are definitely things you have to get used to. You'll never reach the highest level of polish that you can get from MacOS, for example.

    And everyone has different needs and things that they don't want to give up. I hear you about dual screens with different scaling issues. I agree that is something that is not polished very well on Linux, but it's not perfect on Windows either, and frankly it's a relatively "recent" thing with Windows 10-11. We were all content with the strangeness back in the Windows 7 days, and Linux has surpassed Windows 7 IMO in that area. MacOS of course sets the standard. But things are improving on Linux in that area. So maybe one day it will be fine for you.

    In my case for dual screens, I just keep them at the same scaling, and try to keep similar pixel-density monitors next to each other, and it's been great on just about very modern distro I've tested. I've got lots of screen types and laptops, and I get by fine. But yeah, if you have a 27" 4K screen next to a 23" 1080p FHD screen, yeah, that's going to give you some visual UI headaches, unless you set them both to the same scaling, and then things will be super tiny on the 4K screen, or super huge on the 1080p screen, or other weirdness. Yep. But there are other workarounds, but I do know know what you mean.

    Linux will never achieve the same level of visual polish as MacOS for sure, but I just look at it that Linux desktops are a few X years behind, which really isn't bad at all considering all the benefits one can get from using Linux. But YMMV of course.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • @default said:
    I am old, since the era of Windows 95 on low resources, so I am a fan of Linux Mint MATE nowadays, because it has a similar feel without lots of resources in use.

    Linux Mint MATE is great. I prefer Cinnamon over MATE on a typical computer, but MATE is definitely a winner too, and lighter on resources, so on an older computer I'd install MATE as well.

    Thanked by 1nocloud
  • @Ympker said:

    @default said:
    I am old, since the era of Windows 95 on low resources, so I am a fan of Linux Mint MATE nowadays, because it has a similar feel without lots of resources in use.

    I always liked Linux Mint. At some point I switched to ZorinOS from Mint, though.

    I tried ZorinOS. I simply did not like it. I got "married" with Linux Mint MATE. I hope it stays active for a very long time.

    Thanked by 3jlet88 Ympker nocloud
  • i hate desktop linux distro. Nothing conceptually changed since 2008. And this is awful.

    Thanked by 3nocloud NanoG6 Azenot
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