this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2023
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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 know hardware compatibility has massively improved, but back when I was messing with Linux in high school compatibility was a huge issue. I managed to end up with two laptops and some desktop hardware that were truly difficult to get running. It's like I somehow found a list of incompatible hardware and chose the worst options.
The most frustrating were an evil Broadcom (I think) wireless card and an AMD switchable card (they did actually make a few). That graphics card wasn't supported for very long and was a bother even in Windows.
Edit to add: I was just saying that to point out why some people might have that opinion, even if it isn't valid anymore. I'm actually thinking of jumping back on the Linux bandwagon.
Linux will be my next OS. Win11 is a nightmare, and now with the huge progress Linux has made in the gaming space, is just a no brainer.
I'm not very experienced with it yet, but I did dial not it for a while back in college, back when Ubuntu's Feisty Fawn was the newest shit, and Edgy Eft was the more established version. I didn't do a whole lot with it, because I mainly used the PC to write papers for classes and gaming. And Linux gaming back then was mostly non existent.
But I did ok with using it for browsing and research and using LibreOffice to write the document. Actually had to manually write a cfg file to get the extra buttons on my mouse to work like they were supposed to.
Long story short, I don't have much knowledge of it these days, that was back in 04-06ish. But I know enough to know how to look for what I need. And I have a friend who's already made the switch for the same reason. I'm just paranoid to switch to it completely, as I've never done that, but I think I'll be building a new rig soon anyway, so I might just start fresh with Linux for that.
Either way I'll switch by the time Win10 ends support. I will not be installing 11 on anything of mine. I'll probably still have family that will need it, but I'm not doing it.
To be fair... Mac works 90% with Mac hardware. It's third party things that can screw you up... Like that pesky "USB" everyone is talking about. Who knew reading the official documentation and creating a USB driver for your own chipset would break all the USB devices not made by Mac? Who would have thought? At least there is an Intel emulation layer you can run in...
It's definitely worthwhile for me, although I keep windows around if I need it for work (rarely) or play (occasionally).
I use Lenovo laptops a lot anyways, so it's pretty straightforward to chose one that supports Linux.
Those Broadcom wireless cards gave me PTSD. The only way I got one of them working was compiling the raw firmware blobs into my kernel on a Gentoo stage 3 install... I shutter imagining administering that system as my daily driver. It was a good learning experience but I'm not cut out for that level of effort just to surf the web, open some documents, and play DOOM.