An open letter to Linus: We at /r/linux_gaming are happy to help

[WkdPaul]

* Thread cleaned *

 

Please keep this thread clean and on-topic.

 

I will repeat that any infraction to the Community Standards, will have the reply removed and can result in a warning.

[Mo5]

It seems like people don't understand that OSs are tools and there's a right tool for every job lol

[Helly]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

Describing how to do something with a GUI:
1) Takes a much longer time to describe. You need to look up where everything is, think of words to describe the look of some buttons and their position, etc.

2) Takes a much longer time for the user to do, since they have to read, look, read, look, click, read, look, and so on.

3) Has a dramatically higher risk of the user clicking the wrong button, thus screwing something up.

4) The guide has a very high chance of getting outdated and misleading in the near future if an update to the program changes the look of something. Let's say you need to click 10 buttons to do something which can be done with 1 line of code. If any of those 10 buttons changes in an update, the guide will be really misleading and may result in people changing the wrong things.

 

Compare that to descibing how to do something in the CLI. It's just:

1) Write this.

2) You're done

 

 

And just because someone suggests using the terminal does not mean it is the only way of doing things.

GUI description points 1, 3 and 4 can all be solved by creating the GUI the right way. If you have to click 10 buttons to do something, your GUI simply sucks and/or your program is way to complicated.

A guide is meant to point out something to people who do it for the first time so they can remember it for the next time. A GUI description is 1000x easier to remember then a command. When i have to enter a command every time i'll have to look up the command every time... especially if its a long command. Yes i know the terminal remembers it all and i can go through previous commands with the arrow keys. But that has a limit and if you're going through guides like crazy, older commands will be gone.

The terminal has a lot of advantages but so do GUI's. Hence my point of needing to end up somewhere in the middle of linux and windows. Which is basically linux with programmers who build better and working GUI's, but in my experience linux programmers have been to lazy to do it right or i've been using all the wrong programs.

[GoldenLag]

2 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

that's because the guides are made by linux pro's that do everything via commandline. 

its also easier to create a guide where you simply copy paste x into y and do z. 

 

especially when dealing with larger changes. 

[QXC]

12 hours ago, aaronfranke said:

Nvidia:

1. (optional, but required for Proton) Add the repository for the latest Nvidia drivers with "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers"

2. Open the "Additional Drivers" GUI menu and click on one of the drivers.

3. Enter your password, wait, reboot.

4. You're done.

 

No matter what, do not download graphics drivers with a web browser, this is the #1 noob mistake.

 

AMD:

1. You're done. No setup required. Some games might not work well though, unlike with Nvidia on Linux.

Actually on (x)ubuntu 18.10 you don't even need to add the PPA, I just ran "sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall" the other day and it was done. Yeah it was only 390 instead of 418, but that's fine for me.

EDIT:

And in response to the CLI stuff, I do feel like you need to know the CLI to have a good linux experience. You can usually get stuff done in the GUI, but the CLI is the first class UI in the linux world and usually the best way to get stuff done. People just have this irrational fear/hatred of it, likely from using cmd in windows...

[BelacDarkstorm]

2 minutes ago, 1kv said:

That aside, I think it'd be good to see another video on Linux Gaming. Linux has come quite far in the past few years with game support, so much so that I'm considering moving back to Linux again.

I'm just not sure if Linus would really be interested in making another Linux video. Same goes for the viewerbase; I'm not sure whether or not the viewers would want to watch that type of thing.

Linus mention on WAN recently (I don't remember when) that they are planning a video in the near future, and based on the viewer count on their previous 2 videos shows that there is some interest there. That being said I don't think they should as nothing too crazy has changed since their last video and everything right now is incremental changes.

 

The one way I think it would be worth making a new video is if they use a different distro that has newer nvidia drivers by default, but may not be the most noob friendly. Then it could be a bit less of, hey this is a better linux gaming video then the last one with only a couple changes, to, this is how to setup linux for a gaming setup. I personally would prefer to see the latter over the former.

 

As a casual Linux user, here are my suggestions/thoughts on different distros to try:

• Arch Linux
  • This is what I personally run, but is NOT a viable option for anyone new to linux, unless you REALLY feel like following the installation guide on the Arch wiki and then finding all the relevant articles on your particular hardware and for what you want. I think it is worth mentioning that, although it is rolling release, which is inherently less stable then a version release system like Ubuntu, I run the testing repo and have never run into any problems. All that being said I think it would be kind of fun watching Linus struggle trying to get xorg running.
• Manjaro
  • This is meant to be a more stable and more friendly Arch Linux. I personally am not a big fan, though I am envious of their fantastic driver installer that work brilliantly. My main issues come from the fact that I'm impatient when it comes to updates and I personally didn't find many of their changes to be very intuitive.
• Antergos
  • This is basically a more noob friendly Arch that can be fairly easily installed AND gives you several options to customize you installation, from different desktop environments to additional components, such as Steam and proprietary graphics drivers. Additionally it comes preinstalled with pamac that allows you to easily install and remove packages AND has aur support, though it isn't exactly pretty. This is personally what I would suggest as it has the benefits of Arch while still being easy to install. Additionally if you run into any issues, you have the entirety of the Arch Wiki to get help from.

If you can't tell I love Arch

[Traches]

Regarding GUI vs CLI:

 

They're tools. Both have their place. A GUI is a layer of abstraction over a CLI, which in some situations greatly improves the experience, and in others can only serve to slow down an experienced user.

 

A GUI

• Has "discoverability". This means that a new user can sit down and figure it out without outside reference. This is huge.
• Helps users out, to some degree. Visual design allows dangerous options to look dangerous, and important options to look important. A well designed GUI feels intuitive, because it guides the user along the path they're most likely trying to follow.
• Allows you to work with things that aren't text. Also huge. Could you imagine a command line implementation of photoshop? It would be terrible.
• Tends to be mouse focused.

A CLI:

• Requires outside reference.
• Often requires more mental effort to use than a GUI. In many use cases, this single drawback outweighs all other benefits.
• Allows an experienced user to accomplish many things much faster than through a comparable GUI, and to multitask more easily.
• Is keyboard focused, which is generally faster.
• Is easier to develop applications for. Many GUI applications are simply wrappers for existing CLI applications.
• Is easier to develop applications which communicate with each other. It's trivial to write a script to run command line instructions programatically (for example, resize many images in a folder, or rename many files based on certain rules)
• Requires a tiny fraction of the computing power that a GUI does. This allows the use of old or limited hardware.
• Related to the previous point: SSH is much less bandwidth intensive than remote desktop. Transmitting text input and output between 2 computers is far simpler than remotely mirroring an entire desktop environment.

The better you get at using a command line, the closer you get 'to the metal' and the more you understand how your PC works. It is an amazingly powerful tool; calling it 'stone age' is pretty ignorant.

 

That said, any distro targeted towards general use must be completely configurable without the use of a terminal. My fiancee called me earlier today because she had accidentally hit the 'insert' button on her keyboard and couldn't figure out how to fix it; she is not going to be changing her desktop background via the command line anytime soon. She is certainly capable of learning that, but she shouldn't have to in the same way that you shouldn't have to know in detail how a car works in order to drive one. The baseline mental effort required to use most Linux distros is too high for most people, and that is one of the single biggest obstacles to its adoption.

[Emily Young]

1 hour ago, QXC said:

Actually on (x)ubuntu 18.10 you don't even need to add the PPA, I just ran "sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall" the other day and it was done. Yeah it was only 390 instead of 418, but that's fine for me.

And for that matter, Ubuntu's Software & Updates / Software Sources app lets you add PPAs via a GUI, too, and without that many clicks. It really is still faster to do it via terminal though, because:

 

GUI

1. Open Software & Updates in the system menu
2. Click the Other Software tab
3. Click Add
4. Paste the PPA address from the PPA's launchpad page (eg. ppa:foo/foobar)
5. Click Add Source
6. Enter your password in the authentication dialog and click Authenticate

Terminal

1. Open the terminal
2. Paste the apt-add-repository line from the PPA's launchpad page (eg. apt-add-repository ppa:foo/foobar) and hit enter/return
3. Enter your password when prompted and hit enter/return

The next time you either do an apt install or launch Synaptic Package Manager, you've got access to the new PPA either way.

 

And for a Windows example, say you want to install the Hyper-V feature:

 

GUI

1. Open Apps and Features
2. Click on Manage optional features
3. Realize that this GUI isn't the right GUI for that because MSFT hasn't yet ported it over
4. Go back and click Programs and Features under Related Settings because it's not readily accessible elsewhere
5. Click Turn Windows features on or off
6. Check Hyper-V and click OK

Terminal (PowerShell)

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
2. Type / paste Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All and hit enter/return

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

1 hour ago, QXC said:

Yeah it was only 390 instead of 418, but that's fine for me.

that does matter when you do a tutorial about gaming on Linux. for gaming, especially bleeding edge stuff like DXVK that constantly gets updated you want the latest drivers. 

[aezakmi]

8 hours ago, dragodin said:

Hi @aezakmi, you can run witcher 3 with steam proton https://www.protondb.com/app/292030

LoL is currently broken on Debian/Ubuntu based distros, I recommend Manjaro https://lutris.net/games/league-of-legends/

Fallout 4 has mixed results with steam proton https://www.protondb.com/app/377160

Thanks I'll try on a dual boot, since Manjaro is based on Arch I could try with Arch itself since I already have it on a DVD

 

8 hours ago, Helly said:

Thank you for this post.... It PERFECTLY demonstrates EVERYTHING wrong with linux and why it will NEVER be viable for the average user.

• EVERY "help post"/"tutorial" on linux starts the same way, open a terminal.....
• Don't download with a browser.... seriously? People are used to that, so that's what they will do....

Want people to move to linux.... FIX YOUR SHIT.

 

as far as im concerned... as long as the above applies, linux can GTFO.

 

ps. Yes i'm pissed, i've wanted to switch to linux LONG LONG ago, but every time i've done it, it just takes to long to get up to speed and actually be able to get shit done.... not worth it for me, and i imagine lots and lots of other ppl.

It's not that hard at least for me, I use Arch on my netbook and it's way better than Windows since you can control everything that happens to the OS and if you fuck up well it's your fault can't blame the devs lol. 

I find Windows 7/10 just... too simple

 

NAS is running Lubuntu since it doesn't hogs on resources and it's perfect for what I use it: managing files and using P2P

 

Once you read (and practice) enough you'll find yourself knowing how to use a Terminal for anything you want.

 

 

[cMc214]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:41 AM, GodofGrunts said:

I'll also back this up. I'm a Linux Systems Admin for my job and play games exclusively on Linux. If you guys are ever having trouble or want a second opinion let me know.

I hate Windows and hope to one day be brave enough to make the move.  My fear at the moment is spending hours on work arounds and jury rigging when my game time is already very limited.  

[GodofGrunts]

13 minutes ago, cMc214 said:

I hate Windows and hope to one day be brave enough to make the move.  My fear at the moment is spending hours on work arounds and jury rigging when my game time is already very limited.  

Yep I understand that. I was lucky enough to start using Linux when I was in high school and had a ton of free time. It doesn't feel like I do any more work on my nix boxes then I did on my Windows boxes, but I also have 10 years of experience with it.

As a compromise, you could get another drive and dual boot. Then if you ever experience trouble you can just do a quick reboot and get back into Windows.

[KarathKasun]

15 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

No, Windows IS good, it just has some problems due to some bad business decisions M$ took.

Overall it is pretty good.

No, not really.  The forced updates have killed it for lots of people over the last year or so.  The base functionality is not really better/worse than something like Debian.  I will admit the default GUI used on most distros is... cancer at best, with massive regressions in the past few years.  Thankfully there ARE ways around these problems without dropping cash on a shell replacement or customization suite.

 

Quote

See, that's the Problem I have with the Linux people.

Instead of admitting the Problems THEY have, they point fingers at other people and say "but they are way way worse".

Yes, we know that. We are aware of that. So stop pointing fingers and start fixing your stuff!

 

I'm doing my part in pointing out some of the Problems I see with Linux. If you are involved, you try your best to fix that stuff.

STOP IT!
Stop pointing fingers!

FIX your stuff.

We are aware of that.

But there is no alternative.

No, its because Linux is not a good Desktop Operating system, it is very lacking in this area and people are moving back to Windows because of that - including me for example.

 

Also there is shit like Gnome 2 -> 3.

WHY, just WHY?!
If you want something different, make it and call it different or allow the Users to 

But that Gnome 2 -> 3 shit is worse than M$ Windows 8.

And the worst part:
There is no way for the users to hold the developers accountable.

While there is for Windows: Just don't buy it and ask to not have it.

That worked with Windows 8 and forced M$ roll it back a bit and make the Windows 10 Start Menu.

And on Linux? Just fragment the developers further and give birth to 2 new Desktop Enviroments -> MATE (based on Gnome2) and Cinnamon (Gnome3).

Yeah. Awesome...

 

So that makes how many Desktop Enviroments? 6 Bigger ones??

Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon, KDE, XFCE, LXDE/LXQT. + a ton of smaller ones like Enlightenment.

That isn't the Problem.

And I don't care too much about that.

For example this PC I'm writing these lines from does not need no Windows but still has it because the Desktop Enviroments are just not that great and have some problems...

 

At least the Integration of File Sharing got better. But then again: Why the hell are there 10 different file managers??
Why can't they collaborate a bit more and make one or two things awesome than like 4 half hearted things??

 

An OSX Like Interface has its place - on a MAC, with the usual like 3-10 Apps you usually use on a MAC.

Its totally misplaced on a PC with at worst hundreds of programms installed...

Nearly all of the above is due to Linux UI designers being a bunch of hipsters and advocates for irony.

 

<rant>
That being said... LXDE has to be, hands down, my favorite GUI.  It sticks to familiar forms and is EXCEPTIONALLY lightweight, but it lacks many GUI tools for system configuration.  And I cant really blame its devs for this problem... Because the core system devs got a wild hair up their ass and just threw out the entire system configuration framework fairly recently.  And just as things were settling down, the entire network configuration stack gets nuked and replaced too.  This recent problem of people just ripping working components out and consolidating UI dev work on two trash implementations is what has killed "vanilla" Linux.

 

Now if you have a problem with the default trash fire of a UI, Gnome 2 & 3, you don't really have any options unless you also know how to use the new CLI tools and even more confusing than before config scripts.

<end rant>

 

TL;DR Linux was really close to mainstream, recent changes in dev direction have killed it.  Even as a home-game Linux sysadmin, I would rather use Windows Server 2016 at this point.  The last time I had to seriously re-learn its GUI or CLI was back in ~2006 (powershell), and I can still use the classic shell commands from NT5 to this day.

 

You could almost make the argument that the Linux devs at large seem to just want a whole new OS, but didnt have the balls to call it something else.

[cMc214]

1 hour ago, GodofGrunts said:

Yep I understand that. I was lucky enough to start using Linux when I was in high school and had a ton of free time. It doesn't feel like I do any more work on my nix boxes then I did on my Windows boxes, but I also have 10 years of experience with it.

As a compromise, you could get another drive and dual boot. Then if you ever experience trouble you can just do a quick reboot and get back into Windows.

Well I am in research mode and moving towards it.  I am literally working the dual boot option  but came across some issues installing the second drive.  See here lol 

 

[Stefan Payne]

7 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

i'm not disagreeing GUI's shouldn't exist. but the terminal is still a very powerful tool for some things. wanna install 50 programs in one go? it can do it. troubleshoot a machine without having to boot a GUI? it can do it. 

 

it shouldn't be the main way we interface with our computers, but it should still be there for those of us that want to use it. 

Yes I agree, that the Commandline should still be powerful and be able to do everything or most things you can do with the GUI.

BUT: Its also the other way around:
Everything you can do with the Commandline should be able to be done with the GUI (and vice versa), both should be possible. And it should be up to the user what he/she prefers to use (or is able to).

And here is the Problem: There are things you can not do with the GUI, that are just not implemented.

One of those things is a not visible SMB (Windows) Share. Or its so well hidden in the GUI that you can't easily find it.

[Mo5]

can't remember if this was mentioned or not but if you're making a GUI guide you need to make like 5 different guides because GNOME, KDE etc are all different whereas in terminal it's the same for all of them

[mr moose]

7 hours ago, Traches said:

Seems to me like the anti-linux guys are the angry ones. I'm not here to say everyone and their mother should ditch Windows, I'm here to say that Linux is a viable option for many use cases, rises to the dizzying heights of "better than windows" in some cases (programming mostly), and those use cases are expanding as time goes on. Also, personally I don't like being surveilled by my own computer.

 

Oh please,  I never made claims you were saying anything about getting people to move to linux,  but from your response it's clear you are.  I only said you shouldn't come into a forum and start arguing over it.  I have bolded the unnecessary claims that in no way address anything I said, yet seem to indicate you are in fact here to argue about how good Linux is. 

 

I've got some news for you, I and many others really don't care, what most people are trying to tell you, if you stopped to read what they said rather than assume they are just wrong, is that they are fed up with the general Linux community telling them a million different things about Linux and never being able to see any realization of those things.  If you really want to promote linux as being better then that's were you need to start,  you need to address those contradictions first.

[KarathKasun]

2 hours ago, Stefan Payne said:

And here is the Problem: There are things you can not do with the GUI, that are just not implemented.

One of those things is a not visible SMB (Windows) Share. Or its so well hidden in the GUI that you can't easily find it.

SMB just works in Ubuntu 18.xx.  It really does (just type in the IP/share name in the file manager, it will even do domain auth)... as long as you use the Gnome 3/Cinnamon UI.  But I'd rather stab my eyes out with used hypo needles.

[Stefan Payne]

8 hours ago, firelighter487 said:

you don't even wanna know how much crap i install on OSX. often times way more than on a linux or windows machine. 

 

to estimate, on a Mac i usually have about 50 programs, on Linux about 40 and on Windows 5. 

Yes and Linux comes with like 50 programms out of the Box.

And if you install them manually, you know what the programms are for and what they are needed for, how much you use them. 

Meaning: You can sort them in a way you want and that makes sense to you.

 

In the end the way Windows does it, wich is IIRC an interpretation of an older Unix(like) UIs like Nextstep and other stuff.

At the time, they may look weird by todays standards but they were pretty nice.

 

But I was a fan of OS/2 WARP4 at the time over Window 95 and got my hands on it for some reason and installed it. Because I had a Matrox G400 I had no Problems with graphics drivers.

And I used OS/2 WARP4 for a long time for "internet stuff" and I liked it really really well.

 

Also I have always tried Linux even back in the SuSe 6.4 days or before that, back in the early 2000s with my K7 system or even before that...

 

But at the time, Windows UI was rather simple and basic, didn't have many useful shortcuts. 

BUT: M$ really really worked on that and improved the Windows UI in the last 10 years with each iteration and also tried some new things - wich wasn't liked by most users...

 

I also have some Problems with MacOS X - like how the file manager sorts anything just by name - regardless if its a file or folder. And its not an easy switch (or on by default) and other stuff as well. But in the end its a bit better than "Linux"...

If you only have 1 Screen, OSX is more than fine. For 2 or more screens, you really see the advantages of Windows. Especially that you can switch the second screen off or to duplicate the first all with the press of a button.

 

And there is one thing that M$ Invented more than 25 years ago that didn't get enough praise but is the best thing to look at Hardware and Drivers:

THE Device Manager!

 

You have all your devices and drivers in one place and can see where the Problems are, what drivers are installed and what are not. Its awesome.

 

 

PS: I don't care what people say about a OS or how good/bad it is.

I want to see for myself and experience it myself and come to whatever conclusion myself.

I want to use something else than Windows but every time I do, I find thins that are just annoying and at some point I can't live with it no more and go back to Windows.

[aaronfranke]

13 hours ago, Helly said:

Thank you for this post.... It PERFECTLY demonstrates EVERYTHING wrong with linux and why it will NEVER be viable for the average user.

• EVERY "help post"/"tutorial" on linux starts the same way, open a terminal.....
• Don't download with a browser.... seriously? People are used to that, so that's what they will do....

The only step in my guide that involves the terminal is the optional one to get beta drivers. I think there's a way to do it with the GUI (EDIT: See @GabenJr's post) but it's easier to copy-paste one terminal command. I'm not asking anyone to learn the terminal, I'm just asking them to copy-paste literally one command and then everything else can be easily done in other ways.

 

Do you download Android programs with a web browser? No, you use the Google Play store.

Do you download iPhone programs with a web browser? No, you use the iPhone App Store.

Do you download PS4/Xbox/Switch/etc games with a web browser? No, you use their respective app stores.

Do you download Mac programs with a web browser? You certainly can, but there's also the Mac App Store.

Finally: Do you download Linux programs with a web browser? Typically no, you use the package manager instead, which does have GUI front-ends.

 

Literally every platform except Windows and to a lesser extent Mac don't have you downloading programs with a web browser. Using a centralized installing and updating tool is easier, more secure, and faster. The only downside is that it's not what Windows users are used to doing.

 

However, Windows users already do this for many things. For example, Steam itself is a centralized installing/updating tool. I dare you to try and get gamers to switch back to manually running an installer for each game, and manually downloading patches for each game. It's not only annoying, it would be practically impossible to have massive online multiplayer games without automatic updates, since you'd have to be constantly updating your game.

 

TL;DR: Linux will not regress to the archaic practice of downloading most programs with a web browser just to make Windows users happy.

[BlueGoliath]

Must be shadow banned or something...

 

5 minutes ago, aaronfranke said:

The only step in my guide that involves the terminal is the optional one to get beta drivers. I think there's a way to do it with the GUI but it's easier to copy-paste one terminal command. I'm not asking anyone to learn the terminal, I'm just asking them to copy-paste literally one command and then everything else can be easily done in other ways.

 

Do you download Android programs with a web browser? No, you use the Google Play store.

Do you download iPhone programs with a web browser? No, you use the iPhone App Store.

Do you download PS4/Xbox/Switch/etc games with a web browser? No, you use their respective app stores.

Do you download Mac programs with a web browser? You can, but there's also the Mac App Store.

 

Literally every platform except Windows and to a lesser extent Mac don't have you downloading programs with a web browser. Using a centralized installing and updating tool is easier, more secure, and faster. The only downside is that it's not what Windows users are used to doing.

 

However, Windows users already do this for many things. For example, Steam itself is a centralized installing/updating tool. I dare you to try and get gamers to switch back to manually running an installer for each game, and manually downloading patches for each game. It's not only annoying, it would be practically impossible to have massive online multiplayer games without automatic updates, since you'd have to be constantly updating your game.

 

TL;DR: Linux will not regress to the archaic practice of downloading most programs with a web browser just to make Windows users happy.

 

The Windows Vs. other platform comparisons are missing some much needed context. Every single one of those platforms are walled gardens to some extent. There is no proof that Linux's way of doing it is secure nor is it always easier. The fact that you need to add third party PPAs using a web browser alone cripples the whole security argument.

 

And updating software isn't black and white either. Windows just takes a "Do it yourself" approach to software management on the developers side. Yes, it can be less convenient but you know what? There are far fewer risks of a single piece of software breaking the whole update mechanism like there is with Linux.  A bad/buggy update to any package manager could literally prevent you from installing/removing software. 

 

Package managers upgrading themselves is also completely nuts. 

[aaronfranke]

2 minutes ago, BlueGoliath said:

The Windows Vs. other platform comparisons are missing some much needed context. Every single one of those platforms are walled gardens to some extent. There is no proof that Linux's way of doing it is secure nor is it always easier. The fact that you need to add third party PPAs using a web browser alone cripples the whole security argument.

You're completely right about the other platforms being walled gardens. That is indeed the main difference between Linux and other platforms, Linux package managers are decentralized. Though this wasn't core to my main point, which is that package managers exist and are good.

 

Using the package manager ensures that software is only downloaded from a trusted source, verified by signing the package. When you add a PPA/repo you are indeed adding a new trusted source, and there is obviously some risk there, since you could add one with malware in it. But if you trust the owners of that repo then it's more safe than downloading just with a browser. Websites can be hacked and downloads can be replaced, but hacking a repo also requires knowing the private key used to sign the packages.

[aaronfranke]

7 hours ago, QXC said:

Yeah it was only 390 instead of 418, but that's fine for me.

If your goal is to play the latest games with Proton, it isn't. Vulkan is very new and new features are occasionally added, like Transform Feedback, which significantly improves DXVK, the tool used to translate DX11 to Vulkan. You need to use the latest drivers to have the latest Vulkan features.

[Allmykidsareblack]

I tried Linux for gaming about 3 weeks ago, let me share you my experience.

 

Installing linux mint onto my old netbook was great for it. It's usable again.

 

Installing linux mint onto my desktop, installing steam and setting everything up was a breeze. Playing games I noticed a decrease in fps. Day 2 my game crashed. Rebooting into linux not possible anymore. Partition is corrupt.

 

Never again linux.

[KarathKasun]

6 minutes ago, aaronfranke said:

You're completely right about the other platforms being walled gardens. That is indeed the main difference between Linux and other platforms, Linux package managers are decentralized. Though this wasn't core to my main point, which is that package managers exist and are good.

 

Using the package manager ensures that software is only downloaded from a trusted source, verified by signing the package. When you add a PPA/repo you are indeed adding a new trusted source, and there is obviously some risk there, since you could add one with malware in it. But if you trust the owners of that repo then it's more safe than downloading just with a browser. Websites can be hacked and downloads can be replaced, but hacking a repo also requires knowing the private key used to sign the packages.

And then packages dont even work if a project isnt re-building packages constantly.  Linux is just now getting out of DLL hell with sandbox frameworks where the app includes all of its includes.

 

People do not want to compile everything from source and dig around making symlinks to fill in missing library requirements.