Do you actually need to use Linux?

Discussion in 'all things UNIX' started by guest, Feb 27, 2019.

  1. Joxx

    Joxx Registered Member

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    It seems to be.
    But that's one of the consequences of the typical arrogance of many (most?) penguin users.
    I'm fed up to the point of vomit :gack: with the Linux "community" whatever that exactly means; tired of the stupidity and blindness, of the condescend attitude. I sometimes see Linux users as akin to political snowflakes, self contained in a sort of safe space :rolleyes: and then always asking: why don't more people use Linux? why do they keep using that evil tool called Windows?
    Shut up you cry babies, grow up you little princesses.

    Disclaimer I'm a Linux user.
     
  2. reasonablePrivacy

    reasonablePrivacy Registered Member

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    It is easier to imagine liking Windows 7 or even Windows Vista with Service Packs. They were quite stable and you have some control over them. Sometimes particular driver's version worked great, but newer version of driver introduced bugs. Well, Windows 10 may install this newer driver's version automatically, without user consent, even after manual changes in Device manager that are meant to prevent that.
     
  3. hmmm

    hmmm Registered Member

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    Windows for Games keep offline windows is just a virus malware fest. Linux for online browsing
    much safer less problems
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2019
  4. Beyonder

    Beyonder Registered Member

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  5. bcsman

    bcsman Registered Member

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    I have numerous computers running everything from XP to Win 10. My wife's computer is a dual boot with Win and Linux. I would say 95% of the time she is in Linux and loves it, but she mainly uses the computer for surfing. The only reason she has Windows is for the older e mail program that runs on it, Outlook Express. She isn't very good at using anything new lol. As far as gaming goes she's hard core Xbox so nothing played on the PC. I have played with probably 15-20 distros and have fun doing that. My only Win 10 is setup to do manual updates, I absolutely abhor the auto stuff.
     
  6. reasonablePrivacy

    reasonablePrivacy Registered Member

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    I know some people play games very frequently, just like you. Some other do it lets say one or two times in a week. I understand that for first group dual boot is too cumbersome, but they are also people who don't play that frequently and Gnu/Linux may be a viable choice for them. I just don't like hearing that everybody who plays games must use Windows.

    You can always just buy two PC and keep them close to each other ;) Let's say desktop with Windows for gaming and laptop with Gnu/Linux or MacOS for education, keeping in touch with family&friends, work etc.
     
  7. jagth

    jagth Registered Member

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    reading you is sad, I encountered some problems with windows several times, but I'm would never change to operating system which require from me command line for clickable features and system options, on windows it's rare case, gui is important as well as software that linux cannot deliver either, and don't give me examples of wine or play on linux because it's cr...p

    right now using latest windows 10 build without any problems

    edit; also important note; freeware open source is mostly cr...p, this is disgusting, I would pay them if they delivered quality, but now, they do not do, thus why windows software and mac os software are both superior
     
  8. Beyonder

    Beyonder Registered Member

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    I actually do have a laptop with Linux and a Macbook. I just don't see the point in using them for browsing, since they are inferior to my stationary in every way hardware wise.
     
  9. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    The only need in life is ... a need for speed.

    On a serious note, no you don't need to. Apart from basics (food, shelter, reality tv), everything else is optional.

    Mrk
     
  10. Nightwalker

    Nightwalker Registered Member

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    Amen to that.
     
  11. reasonablePrivacy

    reasonablePrivacy Registered Member

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    +1
     
  12. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    I think most Linux users who have stopped using Windows just feel relieved. In late 2014 I needed a new laptop. My old Belnea had ran Vista for years and then Vista finally crashed and burned. So I installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on it. The difference in overall speed was astounding. Admittedly the laptop only had 1GB of RAM, so Vista was never going to run well on it (Vista was preinstalled), but it totally transformed its performance and then became a pleasure to use. When I decided to actually purchase another laptop there was a choice of Win 7, Win 8.1, Linux or a preinstalled dual boot of Win 7 and Linux. Although I liked Win 7, I went for a Lenovo preinstalled with Ubuntu. This was primarily because of the way Microsoft had made updating Win 7 problematical. Whether this was by accident or design didn't immediately concern me, I had just had enough of the Microsoft hegemony and there are viable alternatives to it. The relief of not worrying about Windows updates borking the system and the fact that I don't have to worry about an AV trying to eviscerate the hard drive by removing false-positives was palpable. Attacking the perceived 'Linux community' in a derogatory and disparaging way reveals more about an individual's thought processes than anything else and seems indicative of acute paranoia and a distinct lack of a grip on reality. My problem isn't with the Microsoft community or any ontologically created fantasy world of 'others' but with Microsoft itself. I always thought XP was a good OS even though many disliked it on its initial release. I enjoyed running Win 7 for several years. The last year I ran Win 7 I couldn't properly update it, there is no real explanation for why Microsoft made this such a problem. Basically they lost me as a customer as I didn't want Win 8 and I didn't want to run an unpatched system. My newest desktop is an iMac. I still run the Lenovo laptop (now with Ubuntu 16.04 LTS). I can't imagine Canonical, or even Apple, treating their users like MS do. In my experience it's curtains for Windows! Do I need to use Linux? I need a computer I suppose. I have four, I'm just relieved that none of them run Windows.
     
  13. vasa1

    vasa1 Registered Member

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    Wow!
     
  14. reasonablePrivacy

    reasonablePrivacy Registered Member

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    You could browser the Internet while you are playing games. No need for closing or minimizing full-screen game.
    My laptop isn't particularly performant (old i5), but web pages load instantly.
     
  15. guest

    guest Guest

    i feel actually the same, if it wasn't for the job, i won't have any use of Windows and its kindergarten security circus...
     
  16. Daveski17

    Daveski17 Registered Member

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    It certainly is a security circus. A circus I now don't have to endure.
     
  17. wat0114

    wat0114 Registered Member

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    That pretty much sums up my feeling too. However, I still like a lot of things about Windows such as the long-term familiarity I have with it, being able to run Office (I get a huge discount through my employer on the Pro editions), and the fact it's run incredibly stable for me over the years even after all the updates. I just find Windows to be a bit better than Linux in its overall "spit & polish", although some distros, in particular MX-18, the one I dual-boot with now, is excellent.

    The option to boot to either one depending on how my mood suits me at the time is a nice little luxury for me to have.

    EDIT

    I would add that for computer security enthusiasts Windows is not that hard to properly secure, but for the average joe, it's a bigger challenge for them than just running Linux straight out of the box.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2019
  18. guest

    guest Guest

    That is what matters, some members here forgot that they had years of Windows before properly mastering security.
    I remember when I started computing decades ago, if the cyberscape was malware-infested like now, I would be in big trouble...
     
  19. Alec

    Alec Registered Member

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    Do you actually need to use Linux?

    I'm just glad I have a choice. Seriously. Twenty-five years ago or so, it was starting to look like some version of Microsoft Windows was going to be in everyone's future. It ran on probably 98+% of systems. DOS / Windows95 was taking over the world even though it sucked immensely.

    Apple had a Mac operating system, but it was the old hold-over from the original 80's Macintosh days and not the NeXT-derivative version that would become OS X and now macOS. Apple was suffering at the hands of CEO John Sculley who came from that tech powerhouse Pepsi-Cola! Apple had no iPod millions, or iPhone billions. Apple was on the road to extinction.

    Linux was barely in existence. You would likely have to ask Linus Torvalds what the state of the OS was back in 1994 - 1995. Probably he and like 100 other people were the only ones that knew all that much about it. Sure there was Unix and FreeBSD and some others, but those were operating systems which ran on mainframes and computers you saw on college campuses... not on a desktop system you bought for home use.

    A few failures or alternative histories later, and we could easily have had no choice: Windows 95. That's it, take it or leave it. Choice in operating systems & distributions have served us well... increasing security, stability, usability, etc for everyone regardless of your specific personal choice. Windows, Linux, and macOS are all far better for the competition.
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2019
  20. Gringo95

    Gringo95 Registered Member

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    The system security risks associated with Windows are somewhat overstated because it is Windows users that present the most opportunities for malware to infect and take root plus their blind belief in antivirus vendor promises of ‘protection’.

    Unfortunately I need to use Windows 10 for my work otherwise it would have been in the bin a long time ago. For everything else I use Linux.

    Most distros do not compare with the ‘look’ of Windows out of the box although some like Makulu LinDoz have been designed this way. In any case, KDE Plasma 5 and anything supporting Compiz/Emerald can be made to look even better than Windows with a raft of extra features and you don’t need to buy WindowBlinds, Object Desktop or Start10 to make it look how you want.

    The need for terminal use in Linux is much reduced now depending on the base system. What might require terminal use will already have been documented in the distro wiki or one forum or another and in the majority of cases the process will simply by a matter of copy & paste.

    Stability can be an issue no matter which system you use. Choose a rolling release bleeding edge Linux distro and you pretty much know what to expect. In case of disaster however I can reinstall a new Linux system in less than 10 minutes and have everything I need to work with initially. Depending on the distro I then need to install around a dozen additional pieces of software that all come from one single source (package manager) and take 5 minutes to download and install. Theme changes and other personal customizations such as Cairo Dock edits takes me around another 20 minutes so overall I’ve taken around half an hour to setup a complete new system. You can’t do this with Windows.

    Recommendations can be pretty meaningless because everyone had different requirements but for general users I would suggest Kubuntu 18.04, Neptune or my personal preference Condres OS (KDE).
    For Xfce – Voyager (with Compiz/Emerald added), MATE – Ubuntu (again with Compiz/Emerald), Cinnamon - Mint and for those who like something quick and different BunsenLabs or antiX
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2019
  21. Beyonder

    Beyonder Registered Member

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    I browse while playing games by using the Steam overlay.

    My Macbook and laptop both have Core 2 Duo.
     
  22. shmu26

    shmu26 Registered Member

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    The article talked about everything except the elephant in the room: Windows security. Windows presents a significant security risk that is largely absent on Linux. There are security solutions for Windows, but they need to be intelligently applied. Linux demands a lot less time and energy in that area.
     
  23. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    Gringo95,

    I agree. It would take me days to reinstall Windows and get it set up the way it used to be. But restoring an image backup of a Linux or Windows system only takes a minute or so. We never reinstall OS.
     
  24. guest

    guest Guest

    You have to every 6 months now with win10 if you want a clean system.
     
  25. Brian K

    Brian K Imaging Specialist

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    guest,

    My OS is six and a half years old. Running fine. As good as a fresh Win10 (multi-booting) on the same HD.

    The Win10 upgrades are done every 6 months.
     
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