this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2024

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Rant: My recent experience of trying to install windows for gaming and why I'm really thankful for Linux (feddit.uk)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I thought I'd chuck windows on my gaming laptop an Acer nitro 5 from last year, to see how it's going do some bits I can't on Linux VR, certain multiplayer games etc.

What a disaster! I've spent the whole day brute forcing drivers and generally dicking about trying to get my setup sorted.

Upon installation, Wi-Fi drivers don't exist, so you cannot use the internet while installing if you're on Wi-Fi. Mint's had this since what 2006? But that's cool, Cortana is here to chat away and not understand any requests. Once finally in the OS after 20 questions that could be considered harassment if it was a person, nothing was ready to go. Every single driver needed sourcing and installing.

People have the cheek to complain about Linux's Nvidia install, literally two clicks on most distros if it isn't already baked in. Go to website find driver, download click click click agree click wait more software click click wait.

Plug in my sound card OK it's a bit old now UA-25 but nothing happens...hmm find obscure video partially install a driver from Vista then cancel the installation program so you can side load a driver from 8,1 but wait there's more disable core isolation to allow the driver to work reboot into a now slightly more compromised OS.

OK plug in wheel again not new stuff G25 oh it works cool. Oh, no H-shifter OK download driver. "Can't find device, ensure it's plugged in". Windows decided it knew better, downloaded its own driver that blocks the official one and loads a steering wheel as a gamepad..GG cool cool.

I do not understand why we still have this image that Windows is noob friendly, it's such a convoluted obfuscated process to do anything. It does worse than nothing, it thinks it's smart enough to carry out tasks on the user behalf and just bork it.

All of these issues are because I don't have the new shiny things, but it really highlighted why I love Linux now if you'll excuse me I'm going to install a distro and play on my 20-year-old peripherals

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (5 children)

It’s concerning that you think “just buy new stuff” is reasonable and that Windows should only work on new hardware out of the box.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago

It's concerning that you insinuate that 20 year old hardware just works in Linux.

Just because a 20 year old sound card happens to work in your favorite Linux distro doesn't in any way mean that it will work forever or that there are drivers for all 20 year old soundcards.

Where does it say that it's not allowed to create a Windows driver for a 20 year old soundcard?

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This is the reality of the computer industry, you don't have to like it, but you have to expect it and work within the reality of the industry.

If OP had complained about how their 10 or 5 year old devices didn't work, then they might have had a point, but 20 years old? That is unresonable.

[–] Dumpdog 7 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yes, the reality of the computer industry is that the industry changes. That has quite the dual meaning. I want it to mean it changes for the better...ahem....Open Source

If people want to use a working twenty year old device, it is completely reasonable to complain that Windows doesn't allow that - because that is where Linux STANDS ON ITS OWN MERITS

[–] accideath 6 points 3 months ago

And still, it is usually possible to get the 20 y/o hardware to run in windows. It might need a bit of trickery but in essence, windows has changed so little under the hood, in the last 20 years…

Recently I acquired a 20 year old film scanner. I had the choice of either buying a new third party scanner software for 100€ or just get the old one working. I found some script that made the old driver identify as something newer and it installed without a problem and has been working since. (Or rather it has worked until recently, when I switched to linux anyways because I want to use the pc for gaming exclusively, since for work related stuff, I have a Mac)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I consider it more like OP was lucky that the devices worked on Linux, and then reality hit when he got on Windows.

[–] Dumpdog 5 points 3 months ago

I also consider it lucky but that's not the point. The point is that he has the right to complain about Windows. The point is also that he has the option to ask the Linux community to build a driver to make it work if it didn't work. The point is Microsoft does not give two shits about what OP wants because it has an extremely large share of the market. It no longer has to do good by its customer because it is no longer neccessary.

The point is... he can complain because he tried doing it with Windows and it didn't work. Your mileage may vary.

[–] Dumpdog 3 points 3 months ago

"Just buy new stuff" is the mindset of the perpetually boring and uncreative. Break shit and build better stuff.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 months ago

@beatle @stoy expecting any modern os to support 20 year old hardware is silly.

[+] [email protected] -13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You forget that he's an "IT guy that has worked with Linux and Windows professionally". Trust him, bro!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I am NOT going to post my business card or link my LinkedIn to win an internet argument, I have shown that OPs complaints are unresonable expectations, that was my goal.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

You're sure allowed to think you did, and sure as hell I don't care about your alleged IT professional background. Just like you say that Windows is noob friendly, I say Windows is NOT friendly, period. The OP makes a great case on yet another reason why Windows is complete and utter crap, and I'm an IT guy that has worked with Linux and Windows professionally. I HATE Windows. I'm not sending my business card either, and I know better than to have a LinkedIn profile. That's hould be enough to tell us apart.

[–] accideath 4 points 3 months ago

Windows is noob friendly. If you do what noobs do and just buy an off the shelf PC and don’t think about stuff like drivers at all. Now, Linux isn’t much less noob friendly in those cases and just primarily suffers from lack of system integrators using it and, to a much lesser degree, from a lack of software.

[–] Dumpdog -1 points 3 months ago

Linkedin. How to tell me you're not linked in by telling me you're Linkedin.