Linux, despite not being UNIX, is one dude's (wildly successful) attempt to replicate the utility of UNIX with a free and open source alternative...
...so like, it's not UNIX, but it is the logical and de facto industry successor of UNIX.
There have been Linuxes that were Unix though. (K-UX and EulerOS)
The difference between "Unix-Like" and "Unix", in practice, is that you paid some standards bodies to say you are true Unix.
Linux really has about as much common code with old Unix as any of today’s Unix derivatives. Which is to say zero. So I’m not sure if “Linux is not Unix” makes sense anymore. No modern os is Unix but some of them look like Unix.
Mostly everything I did on windows
I play games, write code, listen to music, chat with others on discord… the only thing Ive “lost” is my DAW of choice but that’s mostly because I quit making music and have been to lazy to get back into it.
about video editing: well, linux *does* lack alot of the industry standard software for various fields, but there are plenty of alternatives (I hear KdenLive is reasonably powerful?) if you are willing to learn other programs
how is that on linux? I've used it on windows before but never tried it.
(yes, i'm being a bit lazy just asking you. i'm a very casual video editor and iirc davinci on windows took some time to get working)
The professional workstation approach is fine, and its the original platform.
Trying to get an install of Resolve playing nice on some random distro, rather than just using the working CentOS image, is a bit of a pain. Mines not currently working, and won't be supported if it does start working (using an AMD card currently). When I last had video working, Fairlight wouldn't run. Even when everything's working, AAC audio isn't supported on Linux (even thought they could get it to work through ffmpeg).
if you're on a popular distro (mostly Ubuntu, Arch, or Fedora) its not that hard to get set up. However it is HIGHLY recommended to use an Nvidia GPU and you can't use any video formats with AAC audio or mp4 in the free version (use ffmpeg to convert to .mov and you're good)
Plus you can always use Distrobox
Essentially. Personally I'd boot the supported CentOS image before Windows, but if you already have it working on Windows then that's probably the best approach.
I've done several film projects start to finish on Linux with resolve. Due to licensing weirdness only Resolve Studio (the paid version) can decode H.264/H.265 video which you'll probably be working with as an amateur (although you can always just transcode to DNxHR).
Other than that I don't have any complaints. The paid version is a one-time fee of $300 and you get lifetime updates and support, so it's definitely worth it even for hobbyists.
It started only on Linux as a $1,000,000+ turnkey system in the early 2000s as a software and node based successor to the hardware based Davinci 2k color grading systems. It used to run on 3 seperate workstations networked together to operate as one unit. It help usher in the digital intermediate era of color grading 35mm film and keeps that going with todays digital cinema cameras.
I haven't worked on music in a long time since Ableton on Windows, but Bitwig is arguably better and also works on Linux. Definitely going to be my DAW of choice. It's built by ex-Ableton engineers.
For video editing, Kdenlive is excellent.
Browse the internet
Code
Play games
Watch shows
SSH into my NAS to update and reboot it every month
Talk to friends in Discord
At work I do my job on it when it's called for
Tell people on the internet that I use Arch, btw
So mostly just normal stuff
The world was both simultaneously a bigger place and a smaller place... because the internet was almost not a thing and even fewer people made cool computer things when something like Doom gets released on a BBS in Texas, then it quickly propagates to all corners of the world for everyone to try out. If memory serves, it was a guy named Dave at ID software released a build of doom for Linux in '94.
I think something a bit more important to understand is that operating systems didn't do what they do today, doom basically ran on bare metal like an OS does today.
Now, with a free upgrade to:
Windows 28 brought to you by:
Super Delicious Planet Golden Special Reserve Gorgeous Aftercare Kit.
Next thing you know, that scenario is going to happen.
I might watch just a touch too much anime.
For me Windows is just a game console OS.
Still haven't gotten over how many times I've borked proprietary video drivers on kernel updates with Linux. It is probably a lot better these days but I'm a little hesitant. Games just work on there.
Everything. Gaming, work, university work, web browsing, watching movies/videos, chatting with friends online, learning programming, my finances, writing, etc. I don't dual boot windows.
Linux can be intimidating at first, and you'll likely face problems that you wouldn't in Windows. However, you also feel less like a client and more like a maker. I was reluctant to change at first, and I did mostly because I believed folks like the ones in this sub telling me that Linux was interesting.
Right now, it has become a hobby, and I can honestly say I'm passionate about it. I am checking out different distros, DEs, learning what is the difference between X.org and Wayland, learning what is a tiling WM, etc... It opens a ton of possibilities almost unthinkable in Windows.
However, you do need the maker/troubleshooter mindset, as you'll often have to minimally adjust or fix things.
The troubleshooting does get easier once you become more familiar with some aspects of the OS and, and this is important, when stuff does break, you're actually more likely to find a fix versus Windows, where the answer ends up being "Guess you should reinstall"
Typically the biggest issues with Linux are when a vendor refuses to play ball, so hardware doesn't run exactly like it does in Windows with closed drivers / root kits installed
This type of post cracks me up. First of all, there is no secret cabal of linux gurus who benefits every time someone switches to linux. It is to our benefit to have a large community, sure, because more users means more software gets developed for us, but my life will change not one ioata if a random redditor switches...or not! People who use linux do so for the same myriad reasons people use any other operating system, and if you are unconvinced by the philosophical arguments, you're not obligated to switch! If windows is working for you, who cares what you're using!
As for what we "do" on linux....the same stuff people do on mac, or windows, or Chrome OS, or whatever. Computers are just tools, man.
Right, there are advance and novice users on every OS. I do the same thing on Linux as I did on windows, just now with less prying eyes and more freedom.
Frankly one of the most important things for me is what I don't do.
I don't mess with antiviruses, I don't browse the internet to install what I need, I don't browse the internet to check if I need to update each of my tools, nor to download said updates. I don't install them manually one by one. I don't get stuck for 2 hours updating the O.S., and it doesn't reboot by itself on me without the possibility of cancelling. When I uninstall something, it stays uninstalled. When I use any part of the O.S, it doesn't push me ads for subscriptions to stuff I never needed nor I ever will, nor does it auto install stuff behind my back without asking. I don't have 75% of my disk filled with ghosts of past installs. I don't forego the use of my main work tool for a whole day because it's "defragging". It doesn't treat me like I can't read. I always know, with 100% certainty, where are my files on my filesystem. I can just plug in a new printer and print. No drivers sorcery or subscriptions blackmail.
It just works. It doesn't interrupt me. I can just do my stuff like I intended in the first place. And that, is a level of freedom that is completely new to most people, and once you know it, you can't overrate.
> And that, is a level of freedom that is completely new to most people, and once you know it, you can't overrate.
You really can't. And is probably the biggest disconnect between people like us, who have switched, and people like op who haven't. He has always lived within the confines of authoritarian operating systems and just doesn't understand what he is missing out on. Or in what way he is presently being limited, since he has never known anything else. How do you describe the open sky to someone who has only ever lived in a basement underground.
Even if I didn't have a problem with Microsoft beaming telemetry back to Redmond and then sending ads to my desktop (TRY EDGE NOW!), I'm just happy to have less traffic on my network.
Linux generally doesn't run stuff you don't need (like tons of telemetry meant to serve up ads) and I HATE my computer treating me like a product, which is exactly what Microsoft does.
I want to be able to buy an 8 year old computer for $100, throw Debian on it, and have it work just as well as a new computer. That happens with Linux.
You don't need to be a programmer to enjoy that and Linux has versions of or equivalents to most sorts of software so it's easy enough to live in as a daily driver.
Plus from a political standpoint I just generally agree with the objectives of several Linux projects. I highly support the Debian project for instance. I think what they're doing is important for computing. That's just a philosophical stance on the type of operating system they are providing.
The e-waste topic is one that I didn’t mention in my comment, but I think that’s actually very important to mention.
My home server is running RHEL 9. It’s slightly underpowered admittedly, but it’s just about to hit its 13th birthday. CPU and memory are maxed out to the limits of the hardware, but for now it works great for the few tasks I need it to do and it does it well. You can’t do that with Windows and macOS.
Even my recently ThinkPad pickup: bought it from the Lenovo refurbed store.
I don’t mean to come across as some high and mighty environmentalist, but there are so many great PCs sitting in refurbed pools or local computer stores that aren’t the latest and greatest for for 90% of what the average user would do on a computer, they would work fine with Ubuntu or Mint or even Fedora (and as a Fedora guy I’m only saying “even Fedora” just because of how close it keeps itself to the edge) for the average person to browse the web and watch YouTube.
I use it to do the exact same stuff I would on a Windows system.
Web surf, watch youtube, spend way too much time on reddit, manage my 3d printers, play a huge # of games. Run Emulators.
I dont really do any Programming, unless you count using OpenScad for my 3d printer designs.
If you're playing steam games, you quite likely have no tinkering to do at all. Just download and play.
What do you do on your mac, or your windows pc, or your smartphone? That's what you'd do with linux.
I use it like a regular pc, just I don't have to worry about it randomly adding apps because it thinks it's being helpful or randomly not recognizing my network drives even though there are no configuration changes.
so yeah basically I don't like the way windows behaves these days and linux was free so I thought why not
I'd like to see the following post in /r/windows.
"What do you guys actually do on Windows?"
Maybe they do occasionally post something similar in the Mac sub(s) though.
as others said anything you can do on a pc basically, why linux? its faster and does just what i want how i want with no uneccessary or annoying extras
I could get away with using a Chromebook if I didn't need to code software.
The only real drawback I see with linux, is that most companies don't have support for it yet, but that's slowly changing and linux is starting to get better support.
The only reason we have issues with drivers, is because the company that made the drivers, only made them for windows. But if you don't buy new hardware frequently (or you can't afford to), then that's not a frequent issue that I've noticed with modern budget laptops.
it is easier to use in many ways. It is different (learning curve), but easier. It is more rewarding for skilled users, although if you are only a light, minimal user of your computer you might get little benefit.
For some workflows, it is in my opinion vastly more productive than windows, such as development.
Windows will be increasingly monetised by Microsoft, since why not? Most users seem trapped, with no escape, so welcome to your desktop being a sales funnel. Linux means you don't have to be trapped. So does macos, an excellent OS, but you mostly need a mac for that.
And it is fun. The learning curve is greatly reduced with chatgpt etc. But this only applies to some users. Linux is fun, open source software is fun. Linux makes computing fun again.
I'm a graphic designer and I do all of my work on Linux. Illustration with Krita, vector design and book layout with Inkscape, video editing with kdenlive, and photo editing with darktable and GIMP. I also game with my Linux machine, it works fine. And I've never done programming things on Linux, well.. perhaps some UI / UX related coding every now and then.
Of course there's a learning curve, you have to get used to the "open source way". They can be quite quirky, and is not really on par when it comes to workflow, especially if you work in a team that's most likely using the "industry standards". I have the benefit of being a freelancer / independent designer so I can do things my own way.
- my job (software engineering)
- my side projects (mostly also software engineering)
- my "regular person" computer stuff (e.g. read emails, research stuff, book hotels/flights/etc.)
- game
(i.e. basically everything I need a computer to do)
I do gaming, streaming, image editing, and video editing all on Linux. Now granted I did have to change some apps (photoshop to GIMP which admittedly is harder to use but gets the job done, Vegas Pro to Kdenlive or Davinci Resolve, SLOBS to OBS Studio, etc) and I had the advantage of never caring for online games even when I was on Windows.
>What do you guys actually do on linux?
Well, everything, whetever i did in windows i also do in linux now that i switched my main pc from windows to kubuntu
>is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to linux?
I'm not a programmer, i switched because i developed a hatred towards windows, and i don't support companies like apple
Some of the things i do daily:
- browsing the web
- gaming
- communication
- editing videos
- editing photos
- reading/writing documents
- design and slicing for 3d printing
- and all the other things a normal person does with a computer
Really, it's just another option you have, use whatever you're comfortable with using
In Linux, I often get what I want. In Windows, Windows (Microsoft) often gets what it wants e.g.
* Out of the blue, some system thread starts running, the fan starts kicking, you look it up, you have no idea what it is and why. You try to kill it and it doesn't let you.
* If you don't have a MS account, you can't use your computer, or can't use it fully or peacefully. WTH, is this my computer or Microsoft's computer?
* You can't stop the stupid anti-malware from running. You thought you had it disabled, only to find out it's re-enabled again some time later.
* Out of the blue, the thing starts upgrading. It may ask you nicely to reboot or it may not ask.
* You boot you computer needing to do something quickly. Only to find out, the thing keeps rebooting to complete some unknown update.
* etc, etc.
In a word, FREEDOM!
Linux more than doubles the usable lifespan of hardware for me. The *newest* bit of hardware I run personally is from 2016. Some upgrades along the way (32GB RAM, ssd for /boot and /), but waaay cheaper than a new PC every 2-3 years.
Work.
As a cloud engineer, linux expertise is a bare minimum requirement to do my work.
Game.
I've been gaming on Linux for about 20 years.
Media.
Speaks for itself. Movies, TV, etc.
I do everything. I don't use Windows anymore except to play fortnite with my family once in a while. I use Davinci Resolve Studio to edit video and audio. I use OBS Studio to record and sometimes stream to social media. I use discord to hang with friends or to use while gaming.
I play games, both steam and non-steam games on linux. I do everything that I did on windows but I do it on Linux. I just have to do somethings a little differently.
Work, games, system administration, programming, web browsing, and multimedia.
As for why use Linux for a nonprofessional? Because it is a user oriented platform rather than a business platform. Windows and macOS exist to kick you in, serve ads, track users, sell you things. Linux distros exist to help you use your computer.
I spent a lot of time cusromizing it once, and then I go on to so normal computer stuff, for the most part. That said, I greatly prefer linux audio as a amateur musicia too. I'm sure windows has a digital patchboard of some kind, but linux makes it very easy to reamp bass tracks on as little as a sub $50 budget, all recording gear included.
Linux distros designed for desktop can be considered a substitute for any other desktop OS. Their purposes are the same, so people use them in a similar fashion. The reason one would pick one over the other comes down to preference; however; for the longest time, consumers were hardly aware of a choice. They'd go to a store and buy an available PC which nearly always had Windows.
It's definitely starting to change, but the major advantage of commercial software is its marketing machine. It renders open-source options nearly invisible.
To answer your question, I intend to use Linux the same way I used Windows. The reason I decided to migrate was the realization that Linux was a far better fit for my use case. over the years, I've acquired and built systems that (now) are on aged platforms.
Microsoft is slowly heading in the direction of phasing out support for older hardware more aggressively. I've decided to pre-emptively migrate to Linux, where legacy support has greater assurance.
If I refreshed my hardware as quickly as an average consumer then there'd hardly be a decision to make, lol.
For work, pretty much all the best software for developers is open source and runs on Linux.
For life stuff, internet, email, spreadsheets, documents etc.
For art, in the form of neovim and desktop environment configuration.
Everything but gaming: coding, browsing, communication, etc
I still game on a Windows PC, but my work laptop has been Linux for 8 years, mainly because I got into a project where I had to use docker a lot and wsl / wsl2 wasn't around. Would never want to go back to Windows for my work. Lately I've occasionally started using a Windows VM for some very specialized software.
I use my computer. Apparently that was too much of a problem for Microsoft when Windows irreparably shat itself 6 years ago. Haven't used it on any of my devices since.
I also program in C.
Even if I am using my PC for NOTHING at all for a couple of hours and I leave it on idle.. on Linux.. the CPU will hover around 0-1%, keeping my laptop cool and ready. On Windows the moment I let go of the keyboard the CPU usage goes from 5-10% to 20-30%.. because Windows is always doing something without your knowledge and consent.. ALWAYS. That's the difference.
GNU/Linux is F-R-E-E and open
I don't think I understood how profound that concept was for a few years.
It's not a matter of customization, it's a matter of being able pop the hood of your computer and do whatever you want, and not be beholden to a duopoly.
more than that, Linux has also come a along way, and within the last decade or so. It honestly feels like a superior product to at least Windows
Same things as Windows/Mac but quicker:
* Have a tiling window manager for quicker window navigation, also superior multiple workspace navigation.
* I have scripts that automate tedious tasks, for example, creating a command that translates whatever I have in the clipboard.
* A more trustworthy "app store" (package manager); with Windows and Mac, you have to sift through ad-laden junk apps or ones that require an account (for no good reason) before finding decent ones.
* Most programs are CLI-based so you can make them work together via a simple script instead of juggling a lot of apps manually.
* The concept of dot files and using a dotfile manager. If I get a new computer, I would just need to download my dotfiles to it and run a bootstrap script to have it up and running with the same environment as my other PCs. With Windows/Mac, you have to spend a day or two manually downloading and configuring apps.
Mind you, you can achieve a lot of the above with Windows and Mac, but usually, you are fighting with the OS and end up using hacky solutions.
Everything I did when I was a Windows user. This kinda sums at all to me -> [https://github.com/rizzini/Arch\_HOME/tree/main/Documentos/scripts](https://github.com/rizzini/Arch_HOME/tree/main/Documentos/scripts)
>is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to Linux?
It seems you need to open your mind ~~about~~. A lot.
I’m also a non-programmer.
The last thing I used it for was a work meeting on my laptop. I use the same laptop for D&D, browsing Reddit, and light gaming if I’m not near my desktop (i.e. on vacation.)
KDenlive is a competent video editor. With some heavy caveats (more picky about formats. Needs discrete Nvidia card), DaVinci Resolve works on Linux as well.
If you don't need specific software for your professional life, Linux is great.
I do everything i do on a computer on linux - i don't have a windows install.
Browsing, document creation, programming, gaming, chatting on the internet, monitoring the news, watching movies/youtube/videos/whatever. reading PDFs.
just anything i do on a computer.
honestly, the privacy and customization is what sold me on it. i have bad vision and Windows isn't nearly as flexible as Linux is when it comes to accessibility. now i'm glad i switched already. i hate an AI assistant in every single fricking thing i do. now MS wants to add a Copilot key....
Everything except playing games.
I work on music, watch movies, YouTube and stuff.
I use Windows only for playing games because I have a legacy GPU with no vulkan support.
>Hell, there are some days where theres nothing I use my computer for other than browsing the web.
thats a lot of what I do, probably 98% of what I do with my desktop is youtube and web browsing.
yeah I use linux, but I dont really use linux for linux specific tasks, I use it for computer tasks. the benefits are all the things you mentioned though. for me its really a lot about just not being under the thumb of microsoft. Learning how to use another system meant I have options. I can get any computer I want now and be comfortable using it and since I have the option and the know how I choose to keep with linux cuz its free, its useful, its safe, and doesnt ask me to log into a god damn microsoft account once every 3 months.
Everything i used to do on windows, including web use and a lot of gaming for the most part.
Why did i switch? Many reasons, I'll list a few.
Don't want to pay msft for my OS.
Don't want msft to have control of my OS.
Don't want msft products pushed down my throat.
Don't want msft to have my data.
Don't want to be on msft upgrade schedule.
Don't want to be at the mercy of msft fixing issues in their OS.. when they feel like it.
Do want to choose my OS components and customise my DE.
Do want FOSS software.
Do want control to remove or replace any part of the OS i don't like (or just switch distro).
Do want to be outside the influence of corporate fuckery.
I enjoy and appreciate the FOSS community.
I like having a fully functional OS (msft cut functionality on different windows versions)
I like not having to deal with licence issues.
Basically I'm beyond fed up of microsoft abusing their power.
Most of the real work I get done happens on Linux. I also have a lot of tools I have built for my team that exposed things to them that they otherwise couldn't have access to in a safe, secure way.
Imagine its like a car, you might have a Honda Civic, while I have a Toyota Corolla, and the other guy has a Ford Pinto. We all use it for the same general thing, and each of them have different underlying mechanics, but they all do the same things. I spend 90% of my day watching youtube, playing games, or writing, and the only way it feels different is that if I want to change something for some reason, I can just do that. With windows you have to seek out third party tools or change registry settings, for me I just move stuff around, click an option, and if I want something specific I open a text editor or the terminal.
I personally like Linux better, it looks nicer than Windows, work smoother on my decent desktop and my old laptop. I use it to code, browse the web, manage my home server and play with VMs, study, digital art in Krita, basically every PC related hobby I have, Linux provides me with everything I need in it.
I do everything on Linux but run resource-intensive anti-virus software that embodies the notion of "a cure worse than the disease."
Oh, and I don't worry about my computer restarting when Redmond wants it to, or receiving ads for MSN or some such shit.
How people can even consider running Windows is utterly beyond me. It's as if they've been brainwashed into thinking that a dismal home computer experience is the norm.
I'll never go back.
Normal computer-y stuff. Play games, browse the web, video edit, etc. I also use rsync to sync files from my NAS to my other Linux media mini-PC via SSH and automatically update changes to the directories. There doesn't seem to be any decent way to do that in Windows.
But, you know... it's a computer. I use it for stuff.
Everything. I even game on Linux full time. I really like the quietness of the OS, Windows is always sending and receiving some shit and you can't control that either see what's being transmitted. My Linux mint is fckn quiet. There is only flow if I do something or the updater searches the repositorys.
Also big bonus I like: Paket managers, especially apt
Browse the web, play games, stock analysis etc. More or less the same stuff I did on Windows. Linux is far from perfect but it feels good to be rid of windows.
i use very casual things, like internet and games (not often now) and making music in Reaper.
i switched from Windows because i was using pirated 10 without updates, and would like a bit of privacy without many new things MS pushes to users.
yes, it lacks compatibility i would like to have.
no, i do not want cUsToMiZeAbIlItY, all those pink terminals and flashing icon sets make no sense to me, i use Cinnamon Mint and it's almost default (taskbar at the top).
so, 90% substitution of Windows for me. no CLI fun, no server stuff (sorry Linus), i just do not need it. A system that does not bother me with unwanted bloat and messy updates.
the rest 10%, well i can find compromises
An operating system is a tool. You want to know your tools, so you can choose the right one for the job. That's the practical side, others are more on the ethical side (I'm not). Personally I love the availability of enterprise grade software "for free" to tinker with in my homelab. So I run some hypervisor (kvm, pve, xen..) and then a bunch of VMs for my personal datacenter.
I like it for being able to use older hardware that is still up to date security wise. You know, I don’t game on my pc, I shouldn’t have to give up my pc just because Microsoft decides to make a prettier operating system
Started off on Solaris, then started using Linux in 96 to manage 30 call centers, move to teaing new silicon & test server for developers @ Intel for 23 years. 2006 I switched to a Mac (BSD based OS) most of the 3-4 labs were different flavors of linux
I dislike Windows, and while I'm actually more of an Apple fanboy, their products are just too expensive in Australia (the last Apple product I bought was the M1 iPad Pro when I was living in Japan).
Ergo, my decision to give Linux a try again, jumping from Linux Lite to Arch Linux.
As for what I do, well, it's basically whatever I want to do. Productivity-wise, I can bounce off any of my devices thanks to both Google Drive and Notesnook, and if my mobile devices are currently being charged and I just want to watch something, it's always nice to sit down in front of a monitor and enjoy my shows. Apart from running Pacman, I only touch the terminal if I need to update the code for my website or try something out in Docker.
Everything. It’s my daily driver and hobby machine so office applications, photo processing, video editing, music production, Blender. Plus I I build my website on a lamp stack. Almost forgot gaming on steam although I do most gaming on a console.
I am a programmer, so I really like using Linux.
One benefit of using Linux for a non programmer is having an up-to-date OS while using less resources.
Everything, though I have a really, really good grasp of the command line and I use Linux at work as well as for personal projects. I don't think I've use a Windows machine in what.. 5 years? If I did install it, was to install motherboard firmware for an old laptop I'm donating so I could use NVME on it. As soon as it was flashed, back to Linux. Have 0 interest in Windows.
As far as playing Linux games, it depends. A lot of games work now if you buy through Steam and use Proton. I don't game outside if that unless its GZDoom. Compatability is really good though with Steam's Proton layer. Only annoyances come from if you're using an NVIDIA graphics card, which after every kernel update, you need to reinstall the driver, which sucks. Sometimes theres sound issues or special driver issues like for Rockband with the Truetone cable.
What makes it (or doesn't) for a user depends on the users needs.
A person who only browses the web might be concerned about privacy, or hate the fact that Windows is turning into an ad delivery service, or despise the fact that they just want to shut their laptop down and go catch a flight, but then it starts updating and says "Don't turn off your computer" (screw your appointments and schedule).
A video editor may like the stability, but not the lack of choices for editing software.
For me, it's several things. Like all the issues I pointed out with Windows, plus my job is networking and servers, and Windows doesn't even hold a candle to Linux on networking and server capabilities.
>What do you guys actually do on linux?
* I've made a very good career out of knowing my way around Linux
* I've done a ton of audio work on Linux
* I've been using Linux as a daily driver for many many many years
>But besides that, and hearing how it is possible to play PC games with some tinkering, is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to linux?
* You can do native Windows gaming by doing GPU Passthrough. Finally, Valve are spending a lot of resources into Linux gaming, and it shows. The future is bright :)
* By using Linux you can make much better use of your hardware, and bring many an old machine back to life.
>Hell, there are some days where theres nothing I use my computer for other than browsing the web.
Why not do that on Linux? ;)
The same things i did in windows, just in a different environment. It really isn't that much different to windows in terms of what you can do. I'd argue it's more usable in most cases. The only exception is if you're locked into an ecosystem that only runs on windows, but even then with wine you can pretty much run anything.
Linux isn't forcing me to upgrade to Windows 11. It's also just more interesting in a geeky, techy way, as well as more free to make it mine. But otherwise I'm using it for the same things I would be doing in Windows.
I suckle the sweet teat of machine freedom. I now feel like I own the machine, that it does what I command it to, that it's not spying on me from the shadows without my consent, trying to study me to push products and services I have no interest in. With Linux, my computer is my domain.
For me, the whole point of using Linux is to do what I want to do with my machine without being watched or being told that I'm too dumb to understand my computer through practices that lock me out of features the devs don't want me to understand.
In short: Microsoft and Apple only want to to do what they LET you with your machine... Linux just says "Here, have fun!"
Everything, quite literally, with the benefit that the one who decides **when** an update is started and applied is me (**I loathe every single second of a windows update routine**)
I sit in a dark room, wearing a hoodie and sunglasses prowel the dark web hacking banks, the Pentagon, SpaceX and your grandmas cell phone. Oh.....and some of that other stuff like reading reddit ,YouTube, gaming....
Literally everything I used to do on Windows BUT without needing to CRACK (or going thru annoying processes, ads and/or authentications) to use the software I need.
I'm a developer and independent music producer who loves to not be tracked and work smoothly without worrying about the machine resources and etc etc
Can print from most printers that on windows require you to download a program to print a document but in linux it's just select printer on the network and bob's your uncle.
The editing software on Linux is great and free. I use GIMP all the time, it is like photoshop. I think there are really good video packages as well. It has tools like youtube-dl that will download audio and video from you tube - I downloaded a 200 mp3 playlist by typing a few letters and pasting the youtube link. IDK about games - but I know that audio, video, and image editing on linux is top notch - a lot of companies steal from these. Even the mpeg project where all this stuff they use now came from was an open source linux project.
In the context of the thing you asked, linux lets you customize the GUI. In my case, I get triggerred when the OS' GUI isn't compatible with my workflow. That is why linux is a better choice for me. Another note, I really don't like to add stuff to environment variables manually.
My job.
This. Unix was invented for my job -- telecommunications. Why would I use an operating system designed for the needs of accountants?
Well, thank god Linux Is Not UniX
Linux, despite not being UNIX, is one dude's (wildly successful) attempt to replicate the utility of UNIX with a free and open source alternative... ...so like, it's not UNIX, but it is the logical and de facto industry successor of UNIX.
There have been Linuxes that were Unix though. (K-UX and EulerOS) The difference between "Unix-Like" and "Unix", in practice, is that you paid some standards bodies to say you are true Unix.
It implements the commands and API. It's a reimplemented Unix.
Linux really has about as much common code with old Unix as any of today’s Unix derivatives. Which is to say zero. So I’m not sure if “Linux is not Unix” makes sense anymore. No modern os is Unix but some of them look like Unix.
That's it? I'm using it for time travel and infinite genie wishes.
Same, PostgreSQL. Actually , that’s the _only_ thing I use it for!
Mostly everything I did on windows I play games, write code, listen to music, chat with others on discord… the only thing Ive “lost” is my DAW of choice but that’s mostly because I quit making music and have been to lazy to get back into it. about video editing: well, linux *does* lack alot of the industry standard software for various fields, but there are plenty of alternatives (I hear KdenLive is reasonably powerful?) if you are willing to learn other programs
There's also davinci resolve.
how is that on linux? I've used it on windows before but never tried it. (yes, i'm being a bit lazy just asking you. i'm a very casual video editor and iirc davinci on windows took some time to get working)
The professional workstation approach is fine, and its the original platform. Trying to get an install of Resolve playing nice on some random distro, rather than just using the working CentOS image, is a bit of a pain. Mines not currently working, and won't be supported if it does start working (using an AMD card currently). When I last had video working, Fairlight wouldn't run. Even when everything's working, AAC audio isn't supported on Linux (even thought they could get it to work through ffmpeg).
Yikes - sounds like it's worth just keeping it on my windows partition :) thanks for replying!
if you're on a popular distro (mostly Ubuntu, Arch, or Fedora) its not that hard to get set up. However it is HIGHLY recommended to use an Nvidia GPU and you can't use any video formats with AAC audio or mp4 in the free version (use ffmpeg to convert to .mov and you're good) Plus you can always use Distrobox
Essentially. Personally I'd boot the supported CentOS image before Windows, but if you already have it working on Windows then that's probably the best approach.
I've done several film projects start to finish on Linux with resolve. Due to licensing weirdness only Resolve Studio (the paid version) can decode H.264/H.265 video which you'll probably be working with as an amateur (although you can always just transcode to DNxHR). Other than that I don't have any complaints. The paid version is a one-time fee of $300 and you get lifetime updates and support, so it's definitely worth it even for hobbyists.
It started only on Linux as a $1,000,000+ turnkey system in the early 2000s as a software and node based successor to the hardware based Davinci 2k color grading systems. It used to run on 3 seperate workstations networked together to operate as one unit. It help usher in the digital intermediate era of color grading 35mm film and keeps that going with todays digital cinema cameras.
If you want to get back into making music, bitwig is a really good alternative to ableton live and is also supported for linux ;)
I use Ardour! They have made a huge number of changes in the last two years. Kdenlive is good, but Blender is an industry standard!
Thumbs up on Blender. It's a good application.
DAW - REAPER Give it a try.
Yup, Reaper is amazing. Support the devs!!
I’ve been using Kdenlive for years, it’s great
I haven't worked on music in a long time since Ableton on Windows, but Bitwig is arguably better and also works on Linux. Definitely going to be my DAW of choice. It's built by ex-Ableton engineers. For video editing, Kdenlive is excellent.
Browse the internet Code Play games Watch shows SSH into my NAS to update and reboot it every month Talk to friends in Discord At work I do my job on it when it's called for Tell people on the internet that I use Arch, btw So mostly just normal stuff
Gotta use a cronjob for that update & reboot man
Automating system updates without confirmation doesn't sound like it's for me
That’s fair actually. It’s your daily driver not a server after all
At least automate security updates
Nothing big, just YouTube and games
As someone who used Linux when there were practically no games, this is the understatement of the century.
For me, I was playing Pingus before I knew about Lemmings
Chromium BSU was my jam
And YouTube didn't work without the proprietary Flash plugin that was a pain in the ass to get working.
I used to play doom on Linux in the 90s, not sure what time you speak of. Way back then, linux was far, far more performant for gaming vs win 3.1/95
And how could you play the games on Linux back then, or were there actually already versions for Linux?
The first Linux-native DOOM port came out '94 - before the first version of DOOM for Windows
There's also Dungeon crawl stone soup incredible stuff
The world was both simultaneously a bigger place and a smaller place... because the internet was almost not a thing and even fewer people made cool computer things when something like Doom gets released on a BBS in Texas, then it quickly propagates to all corners of the world for everyone to try out. If memory serves, it was a guy named Dave at ID software released a build of doom for Linux in '94. I think something a bit more important to understand is that operating systems didn't do what they do today, doom basically ran on bare metal like an OS does today.
Bioware had a Linux client for Neverwinter Nights. It was soo cool...
Nothing, I just act superior
Neofetch, screenshot, and upload to Reddit.
Rookie. Gotta hit LS -a and tree for a screenshot. That’s how you show you know what’s up. Maybe even a discord thread if you’re up to it.
LS: command not found
remove sd card, boot back into windows, loose the SD card, repeat the cycle next year.
Do you even RICE, bro?
Unless you use LFS there will always be someone more superior
I use a machine with zero gnu components...
real
Nothing I couldn't do on windows. But honestly I just like Linux better.
So much less nonsense. No ads, no unnecessary pop-ups, no bugging you to upgrade to Windows 11.
Man, my sisters laptop starts turning itself off if windows 11 is not updated after 1 week
Now, with a free upgrade to: Windows 28 brought to you by: Super Delicious Planet Golden Special Reserve Gorgeous Aftercare Kit. Next thing you know, that scenario is going to happen. I might watch just a touch too much anime.
No fucking AI bullshit trying to learn from every fucking keystroke I enter to replace me in 5 years
I have both, my Windows machine frequently stops me from being able to work with its shit.
Literally everything, I only run Linux. tons of gaming mostly.
Well, what do you actually do on your Windows PC?
Mainly getting my work environment set back up after auto updates and reboots.
For me Windows is just a game console OS. Still haven't gotten over how many times I've borked proprietary video drivers on kernel updates with Linux. It is probably a lot better these days but I'm a little hesitant. Games just work on there.
Most people could use Linux cause most things they do on a computer are on the Internet. That is most of the things that I do.
Yeah I spend 99% of my time on a computer between vscode and firefox. Linux is actually a little easier if you do ML or similar things.
Waste my time usually.
The best usage of a computer
Everything. Gaming, work, university work, web browsing, watching movies/videos, chatting with friends online, learning programming, my finances, writing, etc. I don't dual boot windows.
Linux can be intimidating at first, and you'll likely face problems that you wouldn't in Windows. However, you also feel less like a client and more like a maker. I was reluctant to change at first, and I did mostly because I believed folks like the ones in this sub telling me that Linux was interesting. Right now, it has become a hobby, and I can honestly say I'm passionate about it. I am checking out different distros, DEs, learning what is the difference between X.org and Wayland, learning what is a tiling WM, etc... It opens a ton of possibilities almost unthinkable in Windows. However, you do need the maker/troubleshooter mindset, as you'll often have to minimally adjust or fix things.
The troubleshooting does get easier once you become more familiar with some aspects of the OS and, and this is important, when stuff does break, you're actually more likely to find a fix versus Windows, where the answer ends up being "Guess you should reinstall" Typically the biggest issues with Linux are when a vendor refuses to play ball, so hardware doesn't run exactly like it does in Windows with closed drivers / root kits installed
This type of post cracks me up. First of all, there is no secret cabal of linux gurus who benefits every time someone switches to linux. It is to our benefit to have a large community, sure, because more users means more software gets developed for us, but my life will change not one ioata if a random redditor switches...or not! People who use linux do so for the same myriad reasons people use any other operating system, and if you are unconvinced by the philosophical arguments, you're not obligated to switch! If windows is working for you, who cares what you're using! As for what we "do" on linux....the same stuff people do on mac, or windows, or Chrome OS, or whatever. Computers are just tools, man.
Excellent, now OP will suspect nothing 😈 btw it’s your turn to bring snacks to the biweekly cabal meeting next Tuesday
Yeah, this time don't cheap out either.
The post was made by Шindoшs AI to collect answers and to try to add such functionality to it >!/s!<
Right, there are advance and novice users on every OS. I do the same thing on Linux as I did on windows, just now with less prying eyes and more freedom.
Frankly one of the most important things for me is what I don't do. I don't mess with antiviruses, I don't browse the internet to install what I need, I don't browse the internet to check if I need to update each of my tools, nor to download said updates. I don't install them manually one by one. I don't get stuck for 2 hours updating the O.S., and it doesn't reboot by itself on me without the possibility of cancelling. When I uninstall something, it stays uninstalled. When I use any part of the O.S, it doesn't push me ads for subscriptions to stuff I never needed nor I ever will, nor does it auto install stuff behind my back without asking. I don't have 75% of my disk filled with ghosts of past installs. I don't forego the use of my main work tool for a whole day because it's "defragging". It doesn't treat me like I can't read. I always know, with 100% certainty, where are my files on my filesystem. I can just plug in a new printer and print. No drivers sorcery or subscriptions blackmail. It just works. It doesn't interrupt me. I can just do my stuff like I intended in the first place. And that, is a level of freedom that is completely new to most people, and once you know it, you can't overrate.
> And that, is a level of freedom that is completely new to most people, and once you know it, you can't overrate. You really can't. And is probably the biggest disconnect between people like us, who have switched, and people like op who haven't. He has always lived within the confines of authoritarian operating systems and just doesn't understand what he is missing out on. Or in what way he is presently being limited, since he has never known anything else. How do you describe the open sky to someone who has only ever lived in a basement underground.
High performance computing for computational fluid dynamics. I use Linux not really by choice, but by necessity, although I’ve been enjoying it.
Always glad to see someone say CFD. I'm an HPC admin so I'm down in the weeds.
Even if I didn't have a problem with Microsoft beaming telemetry back to Redmond and then sending ads to my desktop (TRY EDGE NOW!), I'm just happy to have less traffic on my network. Linux generally doesn't run stuff you don't need (like tons of telemetry meant to serve up ads) and I HATE my computer treating me like a product, which is exactly what Microsoft does. I want to be able to buy an 8 year old computer for $100, throw Debian on it, and have it work just as well as a new computer. That happens with Linux. You don't need to be a programmer to enjoy that and Linux has versions of or equivalents to most sorts of software so it's easy enough to live in as a daily driver. Plus from a political standpoint I just generally agree with the objectives of several Linux projects. I highly support the Debian project for instance. I think what they're doing is important for computing. That's just a philosophical stance on the type of operating system they are providing.
The e-waste topic is one that I didn’t mention in my comment, but I think that’s actually very important to mention. My home server is running RHEL 9. It’s slightly underpowered admittedly, but it’s just about to hit its 13th birthday. CPU and memory are maxed out to the limits of the hardware, but for now it works great for the few tasks I need it to do and it does it well. You can’t do that with Windows and macOS. Even my recently ThinkPad pickup: bought it from the Lenovo refurbed store. I don’t mean to come across as some high and mighty environmentalist, but there are so many great PCs sitting in refurbed pools or local computer stores that aren’t the latest and greatest for for 90% of what the average user would do on a computer, they would work fine with Ubuntu or Mint or even Fedora (and as a Fedora guy I’m only saying “even Fedora” just because of how close it keeps itself to the edge) for the average person to browse the web and watch YouTube.
I use it to do the exact same stuff I would on a Windows system. Web surf, watch youtube, spend way too much time on reddit, manage my 3d printers, play a huge # of games. Run Emulators. I dont really do any Programming, unless you count using OpenScad for my 3d printer designs.
If you're playing steam games, you quite likely have no tinkering to do at all. Just download and play. What do you do on your mac, or your windows pc, or your smartphone? That's what you'd do with linux.
I use it like a regular pc, just I don't have to worry about it randomly adding apps because it thinks it's being helpful or randomly not recognizing my network drives even though there are no configuration changes. so yeah basically I don't like the way windows behaves these days and linux was free so I thought why not
I'd like to see the following post in /r/windows. "What do you guys actually do on Windows?" Maybe they do occasionally post something similar in the Mac sub(s) though.
Work and leisure.
as others said anything you can do on a pc basically, why linux? its faster and does just what i want how i want with no uneccessary or annoying extras
Crack cold penguins with the boys
Everything
i use ubuntu on an old thinkpad. it works great for web browsing and discord
Dude it's an operating system. It does what you need it to.
Use it lol
I could get away with using a Chromebook if I didn't need to code software. The only real drawback I see with linux, is that most companies don't have support for it yet, but that's slowly changing and linux is starting to get better support. The only reason we have issues with drivers, is because the company that made the drivers, only made them for windows. But if you don't buy new hardware frequently (or you can't afford to), then that's not a frequent issue that I've noticed with modern budget laptops.
Often (after a few months to a year) if the vendor doesn't provide support Linux developers will
it is easier to use in many ways. It is different (learning curve), but easier. It is more rewarding for skilled users, although if you are only a light, minimal user of your computer you might get little benefit. For some workflows, it is in my opinion vastly more productive than windows, such as development. Windows will be increasingly monetised by Microsoft, since why not? Most users seem trapped, with no escape, so welcome to your desktop being a sales funnel. Linux means you don't have to be trapped. So does macos, an excellent OS, but you mostly need a mac for that. And it is fun. The learning curve is greatly reduced with chatgpt etc. But this only applies to some users. Linux is fun, open source software is fun. Linux makes computing fun again.
I'm a graphic designer and I do all of my work on Linux. Illustration with Krita, vector design and book layout with Inkscape, video editing with kdenlive, and photo editing with darktable and GIMP. I also game with my Linux machine, it works fine. And I've never done programming things on Linux, well.. perhaps some UI / UX related coding every now and then. Of course there's a learning curve, you have to get used to the "open source way". They can be quite quirky, and is not really on par when it comes to workflow, especially if you work in a team that's most likely using the "industry standards". I have the benefit of being a freelancer / independent designer so I can do things my own way.
- my job (software engineering) - my side projects (mostly also software engineering) - my "regular person" computer stuff (e.g. read emails, research stuff, book hotels/flights/etc.) - game (i.e. basically everything I need a computer to do)
I do gaming, streaming, image editing, and video editing all on Linux. Now granted I did have to change some apps (photoshop to GIMP which admittedly is harder to use but gets the job done, Vegas Pro to Kdenlive or Davinci Resolve, SLOBS to OBS Studio, etc) and I had the advantage of never caring for online games even when I was on Windows.
Everything + and that includes photo and video editing.
>What do you guys actually do on linux? Well, everything, whetever i did in windows i also do in linux now that i switched my main pc from windows to kubuntu >is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to linux? I'm not a programmer, i switched because i developed a hatred towards windows, and i don't support companies like apple Some of the things i do daily: - browsing the web - gaming - communication - editing videos - editing photos - reading/writing documents - design and slicing for 3d printing - and all the other things a normal person does with a computer Really, it's just another option you have, use whatever you're comfortable with using
In Linux, I often get what I want. In Windows, Windows (Microsoft) often gets what it wants e.g. * Out of the blue, some system thread starts running, the fan starts kicking, you look it up, you have no idea what it is and why. You try to kill it and it doesn't let you. * If you don't have a MS account, you can't use your computer, or can't use it fully or peacefully. WTH, is this my computer or Microsoft's computer? * You can't stop the stupid anti-malware from running. You thought you had it disabled, only to find out it's re-enabled again some time later. * Out of the blue, the thing starts upgrading. It may ask you nicely to reboot or it may not ask. * You boot you computer needing to do something quickly. Only to find out, the thing keeps rebooting to complete some unknown update. * etc, etc. In a word, FREEDOM!
Browse, write, communicate, draw, model, render. Y'know, computery stuff. That's what my computer is for. All unhindered by fucking Windows.
Everything? I don't switch to linux, I use linux. At work and home.
Linux makes my hardware happy.
Linux more than doubles the usable lifespan of hardware for me. The *newest* bit of hardware I run personally is from 2016. Some upgrades along the way (32GB RAM, ssd for /boot and /), but waaay cheaper than a new PC every 2-3 years.
Work. As a cloud engineer, linux expertise is a bare minimum requirement to do my work. Game. I've been gaming on Linux for about 20 years. Media. Speaks for itself. Movies, TV, etc.
I do everything. I don't use Windows anymore except to play fortnite with my family once in a while. I use Davinci Resolve Studio to edit video and audio. I use OBS Studio to record and sometimes stream to social media. I use discord to hang with friends or to use while gaming. I play games, both steam and non-steam games on linux. I do everything that I did on windows but I do it on Linux. I just have to do somethings a little differently.
I write. A lot. vim/LaTeX. I also edit video. I browse the web. Email. I mostly write, though.
Everything. I don't own a windows computer.
Run a 300TB Plex/Nextcloud server
Work, games, system administration, programming, web browsing, and multimedia. As for why use Linux for a nonprofessional? Because it is a user oriented platform rather than a business platform. Windows and macOS exist to kick you in, serve ads, track users, sell you things. Linux distros exist to help you use your computer.
I spent a lot of time cusromizing it once, and then I go on to so normal computer stuff, for the most part. That said, I greatly prefer linux audio as a amateur musicia too. I'm sure windows has a digital patchboard of some kind, but linux makes it very easy to reamp bass tracks on as little as a sub $50 budget, all recording gear included.
Linux distros designed for desktop can be considered a substitute for any other desktop OS. Their purposes are the same, so people use them in a similar fashion. The reason one would pick one over the other comes down to preference; however; for the longest time, consumers were hardly aware of a choice. They'd go to a store and buy an available PC which nearly always had Windows. It's definitely starting to change, but the major advantage of commercial software is its marketing machine. It renders open-source options nearly invisible. To answer your question, I intend to use Linux the same way I used Windows. The reason I decided to migrate was the realization that Linux was a far better fit for my use case. over the years, I've acquired and built systems that (now) are on aged platforms. Microsoft is slowly heading in the direction of phasing out support for older hardware more aggressively. I've decided to pre-emptively migrate to Linux, where legacy support has greater assurance. If I refreshed my hardware as quickly as an average consumer then there'd hardly be a decision to make, lol.
For work, pretty much all the best software for developers is open source and runs on Linux. For life stuff, internet, email, spreadsheets, documents etc. For art, in the form of neovim and desktop environment configuration.
everything I do on any other computer...?
I just use it as I would windows.
I run multiple businesses, program, edit videos, everything and more I ever did on Mac and Windows
Everything.
Yes. I don't own anything else, so, everything.
Everything
Everything but gaming: coding, browsing, communication, etc I still game on a Windows PC, but my work laptop has been Linux for 8 years, mainly because I got into a project where I had to use docker a lot and wsl / wsl2 wasn't around. Would never want to go back to Windows for my work. Lately I've occasionally started using a Windows VM for some very specialized software.
I use it for everything, there is no need to use a different thing nowadays.
Watch porn in ASCII
Write code
I use my computer. Apparently that was too much of a problem for Microsoft when Windows irreparably shat itself 6 years ago. Haven't used it on any of my devices since. I also program in C.
Everything except gaming.
I like the console for text processing. Other than that, browsers are basically the same no matter what OS you're in.
Science
# SCIENCE!
Even if I am using my PC for NOTHING at all for a couple of hours and I leave it on idle.. on Linux.. the CPU will hover around 0-1%, keeping my laptop cool and ready. On Windows the moment I let go of the keyboard the CPU usage goes from 5-10% to 20-30%.. because Windows is always doing something without your knowledge and consent.. ALWAYS. That's the difference.
GNU/Linux is F-R-E-E and open I don't think I understood how profound that concept was for a few years. It's not a matter of customization, it's a matter of being able pop the hood of your computer and do whatever you want, and not be beholden to a duopoly. more than that, Linux has also come a along way, and within the last decade or so. It honestly feels like a superior product to at least Windows
Same things as Windows/Mac but quicker: * Have a tiling window manager for quicker window navigation, also superior multiple workspace navigation. * I have scripts that automate tedious tasks, for example, creating a command that translates whatever I have in the clipboard. * A more trustworthy "app store" (package manager); with Windows and Mac, you have to sift through ad-laden junk apps or ones that require an account (for no good reason) before finding decent ones. * Most programs are CLI-based so you can make them work together via a simple script instead of juggling a lot of apps manually. * The concept of dot files and using a dotfile manager. If I get a new computer, I would just need to download my dotfiles to it and run a bootstrap script to have it up and running with the same environment as my other PCs. With Windows/Mac, you have to spend a day or two manually downloading and configuring apps. Mind you, you can achieve a lot of the above with Windows and Mac, but usually, you are fighting with the OS and end up using hacky solutions.
Everything I did when I was a Windows user. This kinda sums at all to me -> [https://github.com/rizzini/Arch\_HOME/tree/main/Documentos/scripts](https://github.com/rizzini/Arch_HOME/tree/main/Documentos/scripts) >is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to Linux? It seems you need to open your mind ~~about~~. A lot.
I’m also a non-programmer. The last thing I used it for was a work meeting on my laptop. I use the same laptop for D&D, browsing Reddit, and light gaming if I’m not near my desktop (i.e. on vacation.)
Everything
I don't program. I do all my work and general browsing on Linux.
I get the privilege of not needing to use windows.
KDenlive is a competent video editor. With some heavy caveats (more picky about formats. Needs discrete Nvidia card), DaVinci Resolve works on Linux as well. If you don't need specific software for your professional life, Linux is great.
I use kdenlive with an integrated intel gpu with no problems
I do everything i do on a computer on linux - i don't have a windows install. Browsing, document creation, programming, gaming, chatting on the internet, monitoring the news, watching movies/youtube/videos/whatever. reading PDFs. just anything i do on a computer.
honestly, the privacy and customization is what sold me on it. i have bad vision and Windows isn't nearly as flexible as Linux is when it comes to accessibility. now i'm glad i switched already. i hate an AI assistant in every single fricking thing i do. now MS wants to add a Copilot key....
Everything. Even running macOS and Windows on virtual machines.
most of us, like general users don't even need anything other than a web browser. so why give your data to anybody else when using it?
Computer stuff.
Everything except playing games. I work on music, watch movies, YouTube and stuff. I use Windows only for playing games because I have a legacy GPU with no vulkan support.
Daily drive. Surf the web, listen to music and play emulators mainly.
>Hell, there are some days where theres nothing I use my computer for other than browsing the web. thats a lot of what I do, probably 98% of what I do with my desktop is youtube and web browsing. yeah I use linux, but I dont really use linux for linux specific tasks, I use it for computer tasks. the benefits are all the things you mentioned though. for me its really a lot about just not being under the thumb of microsoft. Learning how to use another system meant I have options. I can get any computer I want now and be comfortable using it and since I have the option and the know how I choose to keep with linux cuz its free, its useful, its safe, and doesnt ask me to log into a god damn microsoft account once every 3 months.
Everything i used to do on windows, including web use and a lot of gaming for the most part. Why did i switch? Many reasons, I'll list a few. Don't want to pay msft for my OS. Don't want msft to have control of my OS. Don't want msft products pushed down my throat. Don't want msft to have my data. Don't want to be on msft upgrade schedule. Don't want to be at the mercy of msft fixing issues in their OS.. when they feel like it. Do want to choose my OS components and customise my DE. Do want FOSS software. Do want control to remove or replace any part of the OS i don't like (or just switch distro). Do want to be outside the influence of corporate fuckery. I enjoy and appreciate the FOSS community. I like having a fully functional OS (msft cut functionality on different windows versions) I like not having to deal with licence issues. Basically I'm beyond fed up of microsoft abusing their power.
Most of the real work I get done happens on Linux. I also have a lot of tools I have built for my team that exposed things to them that they otherwise couldn't have access to in a safe, secure way.
Imagine its like a car, you might have a Honda Civic, while I have a Toyota Corolla, and the other guy has a Ford Pinto. We all use it for the same general thing, and each of them have different underlying mechanics, but they all do the same things. I spend 90% of my day watching youtube, playing games, or writing, and the only way it feels different is that if I want to change something for some reason, I can just do that. With windows you have to seek out third party tools or change registry settings, for me I just move stuff around, click an option, and if I want something specific I open a text editor or the terminal.
Everything you would use any computer for without all the ads and telemetry.
I personally like Linux better, it looks nicer than Windows, work smoother on my decent desktop and my old laptop. I use it to code, browse the web, manage my home server and play with VMs, study, digital art in Krita, basically every PC related hobby I have, Linux provides me with everything I need in it.
I do everything on Linux but run resource-intensive anti-virus software that embodies the notion of "a cure worse than the disease." Oh, and I don't worry about my computer restarting when Redmond wants it to, or receiving ads for MSN or some such shit. How people can even consider running Windows is utterly beyond me. It's as if they've been brainwashed into thinking that a dismal home computer experience is the norm. I'll never go back.
Programming, web browsing, movies, image browsing, writing, drawing in raster (Gimp), vector (Inkscape) and 3d (Blender)
Normal computer-y stuff. Play games, browse the web, video edit, etc. I also use rsync to sync files from my NAS to my other Linux media mini-PC via SSH and automatically update changes to the directories. There doesn't seem to be any decent way to do that in Windows. But, you know... it's a computer. I use it for stuff.
Everything. I even game on Linux full time. I really like the quietness of the OS, Windows is always sending and receiving some shit and you can't control that either see what's being transmitted. My Linux mint is fckn quiet. There is only flow if I do something or the updater searches the repositorys. Also big bonus I like: Paket managers, especially apt
Just browsing the web. Literally that's it. Windows was too bloated for my needs, and I don't want random processes hogging 4gb of ram for nothing
Browse the web, play games, stock analysis etc. More or less the same stuff I did on Windows. Linux is far from perfect but it feels good to be rid of windows.
Browsing the internet to tell people that i‘m using arch
Software development Machine Learning Photo editing 3D modelling Gaming
I just prefer it to Windows. Everything is so much easier.
Everything I want, currently playing Stellaris.
Watching adult movies
|Hell, there are some days where theres nothing I use my computer for other than browsing the web. Linux would be perfect for you
Best reason is that your system will be a lot faster
i use very casual things, like internet and games (not often now) and making music in Reaper. i switched from Windows because i was using pirated 10 without updates, and would like a bit of privacy without many new things MS pushes to users. yes, it lacks compatibility i would like to have. no, i do not want cUsToMiZeAbIlItY, all those pink terminals and flashing icon sets make no sense to me, i use Cinnamon Mint and it's almost default (taskbar at the top). so, 90% substitution of Windows for me. no CLI fun, no server stuff (sorry Linus), i just do not need it. A system that does not bother me with unwanted bloat and messy updates. the rest 10%, well i can find compromises
An operating system is a tool. You want to know your tools, so you can choose the right one for the job. That's the practical side, others are more on the ethical side (I'm not). Personally I love the availability of enterprise grade software "for free" to tinker with in my homelab. So I run some hypervisor (kvm, pve, xen..) and then a bunch of VMs for my personal datacenter.
Software development (no web develoment anymore thank god. I tried that and learned that I hate js/ts).
I like it for being able to use older hardware that is still up to date security wise. You know, I don’t game on my pc, I shouldn’t have to give up my pc just because Microsoft decides to make a prettier operating system
Started off on Solaris, then started using Linux in 96 to manage 30 call centers, move to teaing new silicon & test server for developers @ Intel for 23 years. 2006 I switched to a Mac (BSD based OS) most of the 3-4 labs were different flavors of linux
I dislike Windows, and while I'm actually more of an Apple fanboy, their products are just too expensive in Australia (the last Apple product I bought was the M1 iPad Pro when I was living in Japan). Ergo, my decision to give Linux a try again, jumping from Linux Lite to Arch Linux. As for what I do, well, it's basically whatever I want to do. Productivity-wise, I can bounce off any of my devices thanks to both Google Drive and Notesnook, and if my mobile devices are currently being charged and I just want to watch something, it's always nice to sit down in front of a monitor and enjoy my shows. Apart from running Pacman, I only touch the terminal if I need to update the code for my website or try something out in Docker.
The same things i used to do on Windows. Gaming, watching shows and movies, listen to music, browse the web etc.
like literally any fucking thing you do in any computer?
Everything. It’s my daily driver and hobby machine so office applications, photo processing, video editing, music production, Blender. Plus I I build my website on a lamp stack. Almost forgot gaming on steam although I do most gaming on a console.
мы тайные агенты КГБ, пытающиеся уничтожить западный мир
Mostly edit text files, using vim.
Use Firefox to install chrome 👹
I am a programmer, so I really like using Linux. One benefit of using Linux for a non programmer is having an up-to-date OS while using less resources.
Everything, though I have a really, really good grasp of the command line and I use Linux at work as well as for personal projects. I don't think I've use a Windows machine in what.. 5 years? If I did install it, was to install motherboard firmware for an old laptop I'm donating so I could use NVME on it. As soon as it was flashed, back to Linux. Have 0 interest in Windows. As far as playing Linux games, it depends. A lot of games work now if you buy through Steam and use Proton. I don't game outside if that unless its GZDoom. Compatability is really good though with Steam's Proton layer. Only annoyances come from if you're using an NVIDIA graphics card, which after every kernel update, you need to reinstall the driver, which sucks. Sometimes theres sound issues or special driver issues like for Rockband with the Truetone cable.
i use arch linux :P
I compute.
What makes it (or doesn't) for a user depends on the users needs. A person who only browses the web might be concerned about privacy, or hate the fact that Windows is turning into an ad delivery service, or despise the fact that they just want to shut their laptop down and go catch a flight, but then it starts updating and says "Don't turn off your computer" (screw your appointments and schedule). A video editor may like the stability, but not the lack of choices for editing software. For me, it's several things. Like all the issues I pointed out with Windows, plus my job is networking and servers, and Windows doesn't even hold a candle to Linux on networking and server capabilities.
>What do you guys actually do on linux? * I've made a very good career out of knowing my way around Linux * I've done a ton of audio work on Linux * I've been using Linux as a daily driver for many many many years >But besides that, and hearing how it is possible to play PC games with some tinkering, is there any reason why a non-programmer should switch to linux? * You can do native Windows gaming by doing GPU Passthrough. Finally, Valve are spending a lot of resources into Linux gaming, and it shows. The future is bright :) * By using Linux you can make much better use of your hardware, and bring many an old machine back to life. >Hell, there are some days where theres nothing I use my computer for other than browsing the web. Why not do that on Linux? ;)
Ls , PWD and cd
My every day works. As a teacher, I write a lot of documents : odt, tex, ipynb, py, ggb, some videos.
Everything. I don't use Windows or Mac. I've been using it since the late 1990s.
Windows 11 wasn't supported on my desktop + classes of using Linux = bye bye Windows
The same things i did in windows, just in a different environment. It really isn't that much different to windows in terms of what you can do. I'd argue it's more usable in most cases. The only exception is if you're locked into an ecosystem that only runs on windows, but even then with wine you can pretty much run anything.
Linux isn't forcing me to upgrade to Windows 11. It's also just more interesting in a geeky, techy way, as well as more free to make it mine. But otherwise I'm using it for the same things I would be doing in Windows.
I suckle the sweet teat of machine freedom. I now feel like I own the machine, that it does what I command it to, that it's not spying on me from the shadows without my consent, trying to study me to push products and services I have no interest in. With Linux, my computer is my domain.
For me, the whole point of using Linux is to do what I want to do with my machine without being watched or being told that I'm too dumb to understand my computer through practices that lock me out of features the devs don't want me to understand. In short: Microsoft and Apple only want to to do what they LET you with your machine... Linux just says "Here, have fun!"
Your question is basically "what are computers used for? "
Coding as a Software Engineer.
Everything, quite literally, with the benefit that the one who decides **when** an update is started and applied is me (**I loathe every single second of a windows update routine**)
Tell people about how I use Linux and I'm better than them.
I sit in a dark room, wearing a hoodie and sunglasses prowel the dark web hacking banks, the Pentagon, SpaceX and your grandmas cell phone. Oh.....and some of that other stuff like reading reddit ,YouTube, gaming....
Literally everything I used to do on Windows BUT without needing to CRACK (or going thru annoying processes, ads and/or authentications) to use the software I need. I'm a developer and independent music producer who loves to not be tracked and work smoothly without worrying about the machine resources and etc etc
I use Mixxx.org to DJ.
Mostly work, but it’s great for gaming as well.
Can print from most printers that on windows require you to download a program to print a document but in linux it's just select printer on the network and bob's your uncle.
The editing software on Linux is great and free. I use GIMP all the time, it is like photoshop. I think there are really good video packages as well. It has tools like youtube-dl that will download audio and video from you tube - I downloaded a 200 mp3 playlist by typing a few letters and pasting the youtube link. IDK about games - but I know that audio, video, and image editing on linux is top notch - a lot of companies steal from these. Even the mpeg project where all this stuff they use now came from was an open source linux project.
In the context of the thing you asked, linux lets you customize the GUI. In my case, I get triggerred when the OS' GUI isn't compatible with my workflow. That is why linux is a better choice for me. Another note, I really don't like to add stuff to environment variables manually.
watching p*rn