this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2023
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I've been seeing all these posts about Linux lately, and looking at them, I can honestly see the appeal. I'd love having so much autonomy over the OS I use, and customize it however I like, even having so many options to choose from when it comes to distros. The only thing holding me back, however, is incompatibility issues. A lot of programs I work with very often are Windows-exclusive, and alternatives supporting Linux are rare. So I guess I'm stuck with Windows, since I deem those particular programs really important.

Any advice from Linux nerds here? All constructive replies are very appreciated.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

If I'm being totally honest, my primary use-case is gaming. I only have linux installed on my device, and if a game doesn't work, I simply play other things and hope it will eventually work.
Sometimes, with some effort, you can get windows programs to work using wine. For example, I was able to run Mod Organizer 2 to mod skyrim without issues. If that fails and your software won't work in wine, you could either find alternative native linux software or just dual-boot. I used to do that to play VR games in windows 10 since I've had issues running them in linux. Another option is to run a windows Virtual Machine whenever you need whatever software you can't get working, but there's pretty bad performance limitations unless you can get hardware passthrough working.