this post was submitted on 24 Oct 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 still run dual-boot because Linux can be fucky and incompatible with things like Adobe but I am on Linux 99% of the time. But I also run software to strip most of the ads and spyware from Windows. But it feels like paying for a job and then turning around and doing the job yourself anyway 😡
I don't know your situation. I'm not an graphsit.
But what I've discovered,
There is nothing better to apply an self strict boycott, to learn other tools like gimp or others.
In the gaming, the boycott work as a filter though, which game I can or I can't.
And that's fine, and more the time is going on, and more its better and I don't feel my boycott hurting me so much. I've discovered (by my self, I knew it) apex legends last year to tell you XD
If you're doing anything professionally (even freelancing) that's not often an option. No matter how good you are with gimp if client demands that you deliver PSDs to them. Even if you could model the next Titanic at the most beautiful way on freecad it's worth nothing if client demands solidworks files. And so on.
Self imposed boycott is of course fine if it works for you. I've been using Linux since RedHat 5.2 as a daily driver, but since I make a living with computers as well I need to have Windows around for this and that. More often than not it's of course paid by the company, but I've been doing freelance stuff as well and there I need to pay for my tools.
I swear whenever I mention I need my Adobe programs everyone is so quick to offer alternatives but NOTHING will be an alternative to a .psd/.ai file made in Photoshop or Illustrator. I need to make vectors in Illustrator, texture then in Photoshop, send the layers to After Effects, make some more vectors in Illustrator, use the same psd in InDesign... I can go without the cloud or streamlined UI but I really need that interoperability layer to function. Any time spent fiddling is costing me money as a bottom line.
And as someone who's been spending hours learning FreeCAD, you're really hitting me where I'm sensitive 😅
Let's be clear, it's not that you need to use Adobe products, it's not that nothing will be an alternative to them, it's that current FOSS alternatives just aren't feature compatible, no matter how much the lay person likes to pretend they are. That's fair, and that's why I dual boot windows; some proprietary products are just better, and in a competitive industry, you can't afford to use subpar tools.
But there's no reason the FOSS version can't be as good or better, it's just a matter of funding and vision, which are both hard to come by in a non-profit world. I hope that one day we will see a cohesive suite of tools that can replace Adobe products, but I fully acknowledge that gimp 2, krita, inkscape, and blender ain't it.
Eh, partially agreed but Adobe does have a stranglehold on the market due to proprietary encoding. The world still runs on their licensed filetypes and that's a big hurdle for FOSS to overcome. A paradigm shift could happen but a lot is stacked up against it for now. Certainly not an issue that's unable to be solved but we need some seriously clever minds dedicated to the problem.
Yeah clearly, that's why I did start by saying I don't know the situation of OP.
I'm speaking as an user/gamer, who do things just for myself mainly ^^
I don't have the same consideration and focus as an freelancer like you. Clearly.
Trying to figure anything out in Linux is an absolute shit show because every support document presumes you're a software engineer and uses all sorts of vocabulary I don't have or understand. If it doesn't work, I don't try to fix it, I just move on or fire up Windows and do it.
A lot of documentation suppose, you like to know what you doing and why.
But if u do an tldr, and focus on the command lines, its often working out of the box and its like following an tutorial with picture to tell you where to click. Supposing you reading the good tuto regarding your distribution.
I like the doc, I feel it like respect.
I feel it like, they don't suppose I'm an engineer but they suppose I have an brain an can learn new principles or acquire new vocabulary (one of the life's constant in a way) to understand what I do. And often theses principles can be applied elsewhere, even IRL sometimes.
I'm not an engineer XD.
I can't make sense of any of this, sorry.
I think they're trying to say that a lot of the time reading the documentation treats you as if you're an expert in that particular topic, but if you can find a good guide it will usually give you all the information and commands you need to accomplish what you wanted to do. They go on to say they prefer guides that respect the user's intelligence while not making things overly complex.
Unfortunately I am not an intelligent user.
I often try to follow commands in guides and then it gives me a generic error like "command not found" and I have no idea what to do with that information or where to go next.
It doesn't necessarily mean you aren't intelligent but perhaps you're trying to do things you would do in Windows without having a foundational knowledge of Linux. Linux is not a drop-in replacement for Windows, it's a totally different operating system with different ways of doing things.
In this example situation you are talking about it's the equivalent of if I asked you to edit an image in Photoshop but you didn't have it installed. That's what "command not found" is trying to tell you. It's not found because it's not installed on the system.
I never needed a "foundational knowledge" of Windows, though. Like there are some basic things you have to learn but I used it for 30 years and no one ever asked me to open a terminal, which is the first thing everyone tells you to do in Linux.
I understand what it means, I just don't know what to do with it.
Of course you need a foundational knowledge of Windows before you are able to accomplish certain tasks. You are not born with the knowledge of how to operate a computer. Even people who have not used computers before struggle with basic tasks. If I ask someone who is new to Windows to install Photoshop will they be able to accomplish it with no prior knowledge? You have to know you open the web browser, navigation to the proper website, download the installer, run the installer, find the menu shortcut, etc.
As for how to install programs on Linux it does depend on the distribution and the application you wish to install but let's take Ubuntu for example. If I want to install VLC I would type
sudo apt install vlc. If I want to install Firefox I would typesudo apt install firefox. Instructions should be available online with a quick search.Yes, that's part of the problem. Not only do I have to find a solution for whatever is being fucky at the time from some obscure forum where someone figured out a solution, but I have to find someone who has done so on the same distro as me. Otherwise all the commands people throw at them just return a generic error.
Then people tell you "don't run these commands if you don't know what they do!". Okay well fuck me I guess because I have no clue what I'm doing at any given time and no one explains it.
I understand and that's definitely a valid criticism of Linux. It's not a drop in replacement for Windows and it's definitely not as user friendly or targeted towards a general audience. Due to the flexibility of customisation, and the sheer amount of different distributions it is hard to provide individual support without knowing all the details of your system. It's not like Windows where in general you're probably running one of two versions.
And while being a criticism to some, it is also a strength to others.
If you ever get stuck on something feel free to shoot me a message and if I can I will try and provide advice.
I appreciate the offer. I just don't have time to become a coder. I already have a job. I just want a computer that can complete some basic tasks without constantly having compatibility issues or becoming borked in some way.
Linux people are passionate about Linux and will tell you all the reasons to switch. I'm here to tell you to stick to what you already know. There's no point changing your entire operating system if you don't have the time to invest in a totally new way of using your computer.
It does make me curious why you even decided to install Linux though. Something must have made you take that step.
Because Windows is ass and constantly trying to force bullshit onto my computer. And the whole thing is basically spyware now.
You are speaking and acting like you can't have an BSOD with an unknown .exe downloaded somewhere,
Lmao,
I haven't had a BSOD in 10 years.
Yes. You do. And I'm really not interested in having this debate again because it always ends the same: denial.
And what's that?
Sorry too,
"... And if all else fails, you can always see the source code and fix it"
I get that. I mean, WINE has gone a long way, but it is not perfect. I think I need to buy an SSD just for Windows, and that would be ideal.
I've no idea how to use Wine.
My laptop is my main PC and it only has 1 SSD slot and I barely even use any of it anyway so I just split in half. But that works, too!
https://usebottles.com
I truly do not generate that much stuff either. I am also not that precious with stuff I do make. I ak pretty sure I have a smaller SSD I can copy the image to, so no spending extra.
I'm sure I could if I knew what any of those things were.