Thinking about switching to Linux

[Salem Graves]

Update: Just wanted to update that I did switch to Linux, Ubuntu with KDE Plasma. Really wasn’t too hard a switch with ChatGPT assisting me, I got Red Dead Redemption 2 running really well after years of not being able to get it running well and the whole system is generally faster than it was on windows, not regretting the switch!

Currently using windows 10 and thinking about switching to Linux. No real reason other than curiosity. I know very little about Linux, I do know gaming can be a little more complicated on Linux. What are your thoughts? Would many recommend the switch or would it be better to just continue with windows? My system doesn't meet the requirements for win11.

[Omega]

You can always give it a try.

Make a Windows 10 installation drive on Windows first, it is a huge pain in the butt to make on on Linux later.

Don't dual boot, it is too likely to break due to Windows updates.

[Electric Cupcake]

Originally posted by Omega:

Make a Windows 10 installation drive on Windows first, it is a huge pain in the butt to make on on Linux later.

Other way around. Install linux to a USB drive first to try before full installing.

As you may know, back in the 70s, before Microsoft, the most popular operating systems among hackers was the Unix family since they were modular and easy to modify. Bell Labs was too busy being broken up by antitrust lawsuits to do much about the unauthorized sharing and modifying of software, but eventually companies began cracking down, so the GNU project was started with the stated goal of making a free clone of Unix that everyone is free to modify as they please, and the whole thing started being called "Linux" in the early 90s after Linus Torvalds began popularizing it outside the original tight-knit teams.

Linux is fundamentally different from Windows, and has evolved in completely different directions. You don't have to be a wizard coder, but you should be comfortable entering text commands and occasionally editing text configuration files instead of clicking on icons and menus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN7mbRccT-8

[Omega]

Originally posted by Electric Cupcake:

Other way around. Install linux to a USB drive first to try before full installing.

You mean boot in to a live environment? That is not what I was refering to, I was telling OP to make sure he has everything ready to reinstall Windows again should he need to go back. The Windows ISO can not be bit-to-bit copied, so dd or other flashing tools won't work, so you have to use a special tool such as WoeUSB-ng, these tools are not very easy to use and have lots of quirks.

[bidulless]

hello

imo it's a good choice as most games are working nowadays under linux ,and we should thanks valve and it investment on proton for that.
Nonetheless i have to warm you that , even when most games will work under linux, making your old windows app working under linux will be a bit more problematic unless you decide to abandon most of them or switch to some more or less linux similar tools...

[DonMcK]

Originally posted by Omega:

Originally posted by Electric Cupcake:

Other way around. Install linux to a USB drive first to try before full installing.

You mean boot in to a live environment? That is not what I was refering to, I was telling OP to make sure he has everything ready to reinstall Windows again should he need to go back. The Windows ISO can not be bit-to-bit copied, so dd or other flashing tools won't work, so you have to use a special tool such as WoeUSB-ng, these tools are not very easy to use and have lots of quirks.

Using Mint, download iso, right click and select make bootable usb

[Omega]

Originally posted by DonMcK:

Originally posted by Omega:

You mean boot in to a live environment? That is not what I was refering to, I was telling OP to make sure he has everything ready to reinstall Windows again should he need to go back. The Windows ISO can not be bit-to-bit copied, so dd or other flashing tools won't work, so you have to use a special tool such as WoeUSB-ng, these tools are not very easy to use and have lots of quirks.

Using Mint, download iso, right click and select make bootable usb

Does not work for WIndows ISOs.. Like I said, they can not be bit-to-bit copied.

[D. Flame]

Use Linux Mint. I upgraded my Windows 11 Laptop to Linux Mint and never regretted it. My Desktop is still on Windows 10, but when support for Win10 ends, I will be moving it to Mint as well.

[Crashed]

If you want to play around with the Linux command line without making any commitment, install WSL2. Here's an Ubuntu terminal for WSL2:
https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pdxgncfsczv

[D. Flame]

Originally posted by D. Flame:

Use Linux Mint. I upgraded my Windows 11 Laptop to Linux Mint and never regretted it. My Desktop is still on Windows 10, but when support for Win10 ends, I will be moving it to Mint as well.

Also:
https://youtu.be/ACxR5orLT0E?si=i7Eyw27dt5y-syn4

[Electric Cupcake]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WkcLwXCFJQ

I pray I wasn't so fixated on desktop ricing when I first started back in 2005 or thereabouts.

But then, when they made the switch to Unity Desktop, I was right pissed that they unnaturally moved the window control buttons to the left.

Though it's gutsy for this gent to jump from Mint to Arch to setting up personal custom Window Manager in a short amount of time.

I guess Randall wasn't completely joking.
https://xkcd.com/456/

[ShadowStorm]

If you have a spare USB SSD lying around, install a Linux distro to that. You'll still have Windows on your internal drive and can boot into Linux whenever.
This is how I play games on my iMac and it works very well for me.

[r.linder]

Installing Linux and using it off of a flash drive is ill-advised, the performance is going to be subpar to what it could be because of limitations with USB. It's far better to dual boot or use a separate SSD.

[ShadowStorm]

Originally posted by r.linder:

Installing Linux and using it off of a flash drive is ill-advised, the performance is going to be subpar to what it could be because of limitations with USB. It's far better to dual boot or use a separate SSD.

Yeah, a flash drive will have horrible performance. Either a second SSD or repartitioning the current SSD is best performance-wise.
You can run off of a USB SSD and at least for me the performance is an acceptable.
I'm only doing that myself because I've got an iMac and its just more convenient for me to run a second OS from USB

[BurakZG]

Linux on SD card or pendrive works bad. Maybe I'm unlucky, but from 3 pedrives I bought recently only 1 works decent. Linux installed on that works really bad.

I also have linux installed on M.2 SSD drive in USB-C case. That works perfect. Actually there is no noticable slow down in performance. It's perfect option if somebody want's to use linux with some kind of company laptop.

My advice for people who are switching from windows to linux, is to NOT try to find linux similar to Windows. You will keep being annoyed by differences.

[andreasaspenberg575]

you can usually try linux without installing it. that might be wise.