Switching to Linux on a high(esh) end machine

[samuel]

Hello guys. I'd like to switch from W8 to some variant of x64 Linux since I don't game as much theese days.

What I want is even faster browsing and general computing, and a interface as similar to windows as it can be. And no bugs.....like now (ULPS dead and buggy, display corruption after display OFF=need to restart explorer).

[Geekazoid]

Linux, really? Most programs are specifically made for Windows. I'd personally go OS X before I went Linux. Well if you do go ahead with it I hope it works out for you (seriously).

[DIV1D3]

Ubuntu is quite good, you get the hang of it within 30 mins too. 

[ShadowCaptain]

elementary OS is really good looking

 

i also like xubuntu

 

although i generally just don't like linux

[Ciccioo]

don't try linux unless you're willing to spend (a lot of) time understanding how it works and how to fix its stuff

[samuel]

oh...no way to change the headphone amp values for my xonar and possibly no eq edit.

[lutzee]

Linux, really? Most programs are specifically made for Windows. I'd personally go OS X before I went Linux. Well if you do go ahead with it I hope it works out for you (seriously).

There are a lot of multi-platform (and POSIX compliant) programs available that replace many of the windows programs that people love. And a lot of good programs that get used on windows also get used under linux.

 

don't try linux unless you're willing to spend (a lot of) time understanding how it works and how to fix its stuff

This isn't always the case, if it is on a well designed system with the right distro then one can use linux with no problems, I set up Mint on one of my housemates desktops (photography student, female) and I haven't had any complaints that something isn't working.

[Almercenary]

Being a general linux noob, I have to say, if you want freedom, fast boot times and simplicity (relatively) debian worked awesome for me.

 

Linux, really? Most programs are specifically made for Windows. I'd personally go OS X before I went Linux. Well if you do go ahead with it I hope it works out for you (seriously).

Have to disagree with you there.  I picked up debian in about a few hours, yet when I try and use a mac for a few hours, I get annoyed at it.  Personal preference i suppose.  As for programs, a surprising amount are cross platform these days.

 

 

So try running it emulatered (sorry, can't remember the actual word) to start with and see if you like it, this way you can always revert

[Geekazoid]

Being a general linux noob, I have to say, if you want freedom, fast boot times and simplicity (relatively) debian worked awesome for me.

 

Have to disagree with you there.  I picked up debian in about a few hours, yet when I try and use a mac for a few hours, I get annoyed at it.  Personal preference i suppose.  As for programs, a surprising amount are cross platform these days.

 

 

So try running it emulatered (sorry, can't remember the actual word) to start with and see if you like it, this way you can always revert

Erm...you're weird (your member title saids so) . Okay now that that's out of the way I will say that I HAVE used Linux at various times and each time I wanted to rush back to Windows. I think if you love it, great, but for most people like me Windows is what I love and is what I'm sticking with.

[Almercenary]

Very true. I had used linux before so i probably found it easier than most people.Windows is still great imo because thats where all the gaming is at atm, but for everything else it's debian debian. But yeah, I am a bit weird, so take my opinion with a jar of salt.

[Ciccioo]

This isn't always the case, if it is on a well designed system with the right distro then one can use linux with no problems, I set up Mint on one of my housemates desktops (photography student, female) and I haven't had any complaints that something isn't working.

it's a matter of luck though, installing linux is a leap of fate and maybe a good thing to do is to try a bunch of distros and see what is the one that fits best

 

i use mint 13, i installed it when it was the most updated version and since then i had to face any kind of problem, a couple of which still aren't solved

i still really like it, it's great how it works and i appreciate the philosophy of the open source community in general, but often i find it to be overly complicated

also, i would like to update it to the latest version, but i can't because i'm afraid that something is going to go wrong and i will have to reinstall it and set it up again as i like it

 

windows just works

linux may or may not work

[lutzee]

it's a matter of luck though, installing linux is a leap of fate and maybe a good thing to do is to try a bunch of distros and see what is the one that fits best

 

i use mint 13, i installed it when it was the most updated version and since then i had to face any kind of problem, a couple of which still aren't solved

i still really like it, it's great how it works and i appreciate the philosophy of the open source community in general, but often i find it to be overly complicated

also, i would like to update it to the latest version, but i can't because i'm afraid that something is going to go wrong and i will have to reinstall it and set it up again as i like it

 

windows just works

linux may or may not work

I disagree with the last statement here, windows doesn't always 'just work', but OEMs have ensured that the systems are fully compatible with windows.

A well updated version of linux will work fine on the hardware available 99% of the time. Most of the time with graphics drivers is because AMD and nvidia don't bother trying to create an easy delivery method for linux.

Of course, if you try running debian on brand new hardware, then problems will occur, debian is designed to be stable, not cutting edge (its why I run arch instead)

Also mint isn't the greatest for updating, but its good for a linux noob. The PC I mentioned hasn't been updated at all, I probably should go run the updates, but there is no problems really.

Out of all systems, if you plan on installing linux on an intel only based system, do it, a lot fewer issues as intels graphics drivers are open source (they are the XF86 drivers, which is the complete open source driver platform for graphics, and hence shipped with most distros)

[Opcode]

If you were going to try out a Linux distro. I personally recommend Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. There are a lot of under the hood tweaks and features enabled that make it, in my opinion, one of the better Linux distro's available right now. It's fast and a breeze to use, while Unity being quite a visually appealing desktop environment.

[willielikesmonkeys]

Linux, really? Most programs are specifically made for Windows. I'd personally go OS X before I went Linux. Well if you do go ahead with it I hope it works out for you (seriously).

Well, how would you get by on OS X if everything is made for Windows? Most of the programs that are windows only are that way because you don't need them for Linux, everything else has an alternative or a Linux version.

 

elementary OS is really good looking

 

i also like xubuntu

 

although i generally just don't like linux

Maybe not XFCE since let's be honest it's kind of awkward to use. Agreed that Elementary OS Luna is a good recomendation.

 

don't try linux unless you're willing to spend (a lot of) time understanding how it works and how to fix its stuff

Yes and no, think of how long it took you to learn the ropes of windows (Properly) and is it fair to give Linux any less time than that? 

 

Being a general linux noob, I have to say, if you want freedom, fast boot times and simplicity (relatively) debian worked awesome for me.

 

Have to disagree with you there.  I picked up debian in about a few hours, yet when I try and use a mac for a few hours, I get annoyed at it.  Personal preference i suppose.  As for programs, a surprising amount are cross platform these days.

 

 

So try running it emulatered (sorry, can't remember the actual word) to start with and see if you like it, this way you can always revert

You mean in a Virtual Machine? (VM for short) If you'd like to try it look into Virtual Box:

 

https://www.virtualbox.org/

 

Erm...you're weird (your member title saids so) . Okay now that that's out of the way I will say that I HAVE used Linux at various times and each time I wanted to rush back to Windows. I think if you love it, great, but for most people like me Windows is what I love and is what I'm sticking with.

What is it that sends you back to windows? And this brings up a good point, If you're serious about it, make the promise to use Linux and only Linux for a month and see how it forces you to learn the few differences. There aren't many but it's still enough to scare the weak minded. In most cases though if you have trouble either post on a forum or (please) google it first.

 

Very true. I had used linux before so i probably found it easier than most people.Windows is still great imo because thats where all the gaming is at atm, but for everything else it's debian debian. But yeah, I am a bit weird, so take my opinion with a jar of salt.

This is something that has been bugging the intermediate-advanced users since Valve announced Steam OS was going to be running on Debian testing (Pronounced Deb - Ian named after it's creators). People who didn't seem to know what was going on in the Linux world or are out of date all of a sudden seem to think that Debian is the best distro ever. It's Debian and it has it's strengths just like any other distro. If I may I'd like to refer you to the Major Distros page on Distrowatch:

 

http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major 

 

it's a matter of luck though, installing linux is a leap of fate and maybe a good thing to do is to try a bunch of distros and see what is the one that fits best

 

i use mint 13, i installed it when it was the most updated version and since then i had to face any kind of problem, a couple of which still aren't solved

i still really like it, it's great how it works and i appreciate the philosophy of the open source community in general, but often i find it to be overly complicated

also, i would like to update it to the latest version, but i can't because i'm afraid that something is going to go wrong and i will have to reinstall it and set it up again as i like it

 

windows just works

linux may or may not work

That to me is the BIGGEST difference between Windows and Linux. If Windows breaks it's gone, you reinstall. With Linux there is a work around for everything and it can be fixed with enough hacking, it just so happens that most of the time it's easier to reinstall

 

And it's funny that you say Windows just works, that's what most Linux users say about Linux.

[Ciccioo]

That to me is the BIGGEST difference between Windows and Linux. If Windows breaks it's gone, you reinstall. With Linux there is a work around for everything and it can be fixed with enough hacking, it just so happens that most of the time it's easier to reinstall

And it's funny that you say Windows just works, that's what most Linux users say about Linux.

let's be honest here, a lot of linux users are linuxfags, their argument is often 'I USE ARCH AND ITS HARD BECAUSE COMMANDLINE AND ITS AWESOME AND WINDOWS SUCKS' but it's really hard (in my experience) to just have linux to work

when me and my friends started to get into it, the main discussions were 'hey, how did you get that thing to work?', 'does it still crash?', 'fucking wine', "i'll format again tomorrow"

maybe we were just unlucky, or it's a problem of old versions of linux, but as far as i know linux is a "no pain no gain" thing

and of course, when you finally get it to work it feels nerdgasmy

also, saying that "there is a workaround for everything" sounds really bad to me, because it means that you don't fix it, you just work your way around it, which may lead to even weirded situations to diagnose later

plus, windows may have problems when you install junk and/or conflicting software, linux on the other hand sometimes has huge flaws at really basic levels

i mean, i can't plug an external screen to my laptop without using the integrated screen too, or it flashes and crashes all over the place. hours of googling didn't fix it

(and bad battery management, and crashes, all sorts of things)

i should format, one day

[needmorewood]

elementaryOS is pretty great. its ubuntu based. now i wouldnt say it has NO bugs but its pretty stable

[lutzee]

let's be honest here, a lot of linux users are linuxfags, their argument is often 'I USE ARCH AND ITS HARD BECAUSE COMMANDLINE AND ITS AWESOME AND WINDOWS SUCKS' but it's really hard (in my experience) to just have linux to work

when me and my friends started to get into it, the main discussions were 'hey, how did you get that thing to work?', 'does it still crash?', 'fucking wine', "i'll format again tomorrow"

maybe we were just unlucky, or it's a problem of old versions of linux, but as far as i know linux is a "no pain no gain" thing

and of course, when you finally get it to work it feels nerdgasmy

also, saying that "there is a workaround for everything" sounds really bad to me, because it means that you don't fix it, you just work your way around it, which may lead to even weirded situations to diagnose later

plus, windows may have problems when you install junk and/or conflicting software, linux on the other hand sometimes has huge flaws at really basic levels

i mean, i can't plug an external screen to my laptop without using the integrated screen too, or it flashes and crashes all over the place. hours of googling didn't fix it

(and bad battery management, and crashes, all sorts of things)

i should format, one day

Sure linux users are a little bit elitest, but we aren't all 'LINUXFAGS' as you put it. I always find the right distro for a persons situation.

Also work around don't always mean problems will be caused, often its just using a different way of doing something that works and is perfectly correct.

The screen issue you have mentioned isn't true (unless you are on nvidia graphics then it may be doing something funky)

You can use xrandr to set screen outputs being used, and there are front end graphical user interfaces for it (I use arandr)

Battery management is dependent on how well the laptop supports the correct ACPI spec.

I never advise anyone to use arch unless they are firmly comfortable in how their system works. most of the time I will push *buntu distros.

[Ciccioo]

(unless you are on nvidia graphics then it may be doing something funky)

that's the case

 

and please notice that you mentioned 2 hardware conditions that are necessary in order to get linux to work properly, and that was just based on my specific case

so, while linux can be good and have all the advantages of the universe, it's not such a mature os as windows, it can't guarantee the same degree of consistency across hardware configurations

 

and that rant about the linux fanboys wasn't meant to sound that douchebaggy, i apologize

 

sure as hell the OP should give it a shot with a live cd at least, and he'll decide himself if linux is good for him

[unraw]

My experience with linux on high end machines hasn't been too positive... Lots of driver issues etc.. Plus there are no programs that really take advantage of the power available on a high end machine (Autodesk products, Photoshop, etc) and gaming sucks right now on linux. 

 

 I love linux for laptops and low end machines though!

[lutzee]

that's the case

 

and please notice that you mentioned 2 hardware conditions that are necessary in order to get linux to work properly, and that was just based on my specific case

so, while linux can be good and have all the advantages of the universe, it's not such a mature os as windows, it can't guarantee the same degree of consistency across hardware configurations

 

and that rant about the linux fanboys wasn't meant to sound that douchebaggy, i apologize

 

sure as hell the OP should give it a shot with a live cd at least, and he'll decide himself if linux is good for him

This isn't necessarily linux's fault though, its because nvidia neglected their linux drivers, if nvidia sat down and wrote a fully fledged graphics driver for linux allowing full support for optimus etc then there wouldn't be problems, but they haven't and they are coming to pay for not doing it.

[Ciccioo]

This isn't necessarily linux's fault though, its because nvidia neglected their linux drivers, if nvidia sat down and wrote a fully fledged graphics driver for linux allowing full support for optimus etc then there wouldn't be problems, but they haven't and they are coming to pay for not doing it.

some time ago i read that nvidia was about to release linux drivers with optimus support, but i didn't read anything about it ever again

[willielikesmonkeys]

some time ago i read that nvidia was about to release linux drivers with optimus support, but i didn't read anything about it ever again

Yeah OpenCL acceleration in Linux isn't as mature as windows but the lighter kernel does make up for it to the point that performance is similar to windows. But to the OP it's nothing to worry about, a quick google search with the name of your GPU and "Linux driver" should yield a good enough result. But for the most part that's probably the only driver you need to worry about. 

 

And yeah elitists are a problem but they've gotten better in recent years, just try to stick to the forum of your chosen distro.