Let me start by explaining where I’m coming from. I’m pretty much a standard Windows user. I liked XP, I was ok with 7 and ok with 10. But overall I don’t like a lot of things about Windows I think we can all agree on; business practices, spying, lack of customization, cost, etc.

In the past, I have tried to move to Linux more than once including a failed dual boot situation. There are things I really, really like about Linux that I can’t believe aren’t part of Windows. Despite that I really hate Linux. I’ll explain that opinion so you can trash me with facts. Just understand that this is the way I see it.

First, being primarily a Windows user means I am uncomfortable with using all of the little squiggles around the outside of the keyboard to get things done. At one point I was using the most Windows-like version where I could click and download a package which was fine, but eventually I found one that had to be done manually, so this feels like inconsistency. In the dual boot situation I found myself using Windows constantly because I could not get online with Linux for some reason, which meant I had to boot in Windows to research the problem only in the end to have people tell me that the components of the computer I built were too new and I would have to wait for someone to write drivers. There are a lot of equivalent programs in Linux to Windows and I use some of them now, like Open Office, Audacity(which I love), Firefox( which I hate) and probably more I can’t think of at the moment. I currently have a computer attached to my TV that I made really cheap from parts I had laying around and I’m running Mint on it. The only thing it is used for is watching YouTube videos on the big screen, usually exercise videos. It IS a problem. It loads up ridiculously slow.

So my experience has been bad overall every time I try and yes I realize I’m not doing it right. I’m not a typical Linux user.

But here’s the thing, I WANT to be a Linux user mostly because I hate Microsoft so much. And now especially because according to Lemmy Windows 11 is a shit show of advertising and other crap and apparently my roughly 2 year old and still fairly powerful desktop does not meet their requirements due to that stupid chip it needs to have. I do not wish to buy a new computer and I do not wish to be a Windows slave again.

So the question is, is there hope for me giving this another try? I’m not a power user but I do use my computer for a lot of things. I will get specific here.

  1. Surfing the net. It needs to NOT lag or fail to connect.

  2. I play games with my friend online every Monday. Most of the games are on Steam. So far we have played: Borderlands Borderlands 2 Borderlands 3 Borderlands the pre sequel Tiny Tina’s Wonderland Diablo 4 Grimm Dawn Aliens fire team elite

  3. I edit videos. I use Sony Vegas pro 13. It was expensive and I’m used to it. It is important to me.

  4. I do some word processing and spreadsheet stuff. Currently I use Open Office as I mentioned.

  5. Audio conversion and manipulation with Audacity.

  6. Drawing and photo manipulation. I use a variety of programs. The most important ones in order are CorelCad. It is basically AutoCad and was expensive to buy and I’m used to it. Fusion 360, also important for 3D printing. Prusa slicer for 3D printing and one called Photofiltre. It’s a simple free program I believe does have a Linux version. These are important to me.

  7. Programming microcontrollers for projects using the Arduino IDE.

  8. I use a program called Vetric which programs the tool path for my CNC router.

  9. A number of smaller more rarely used programs like one to convert a font into hexadecimal, one that normalizes mp3 files, one that captures what I do on the screen, etc.

If I had it my way, I would just continue using Windows 10. I more or less know how it works and it really doesn’t give me any problems. However with this end of life thing approaching I will eventually need to migrate somehow for security’s sake, right? I mean I don’t even know if half of these programs will be compatible with Windows 11.

I should also mention that I’m a goal oriented person. I just want to use it, I don’t want to tinker with it. That goes for pretty much any tool. I consider the OS a tool.

So given that encyclopedia of information, do you think I could/should give Linux another try? If so, which distro should I go with that will be the most compatible with my hardware and usage?

Regarding hardware, I’m not home now so just genetically I have an AMD Rhyzen 7 processor, a Radeon video card, sort of upper mid tier, 32 GB of RAM, decent motherboard and a boatload of storage.

Feel free to ask questions and I will now don my flameproof jacket for the absolute shit storm of criticism in guessing that’s heading my way. Thank you in advance.

  • CaptDust@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    4·
    10 days ago

    I think you need to stick with windows, there’s a lot of specialized software you listed (Vegas, CNC machine) that I don’t think will work well.

    • Professorozone@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      10 days ago

      I’m really afraid it won’t work with the new windows either. Unless I maybe disconnect from the web and continue using 10 and have a new machine for 11. But that’s a pain and quite frankly what I’m trying to avoid.

      I usually build a new computer every few years. I get real excited to buy new stuff and watch a bunch of videos and do a bunch of research on the latest stuff, spend a bunch of time doing cable management and maybe customizing stuff only to turn it on and remind myself that it’s just a computer and the user experience really isn’t much different than before. I would build a powerhouse only to have Windows stumble on something a simple as opening a new window. A friggin supercomputer will not open that window any faster for whatever reason. It seems like the only thing that improves is gaming capability, but frankly I don’t really run games that are that intensive.

      • CaptDust@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        10 days ago

        I’m not sure what options you have friend, it’s pick your poison either way. You’re dependent on software vendors that support Microsoft, in turn you are equally dependent on Microsoft. That includes playing by their requirements, buying a motherboard or PC with a TPM chip and accepting ads in your user experience.

        You could hack together a VM, or use WINE with the unsupported software. You mentioned you’re not looking to tinker and desire something seamless - Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did with Vegas, there’s been a lot of improvements with WINE - but my experience was subpar from windows with this specific software.

        A third option is to remove your dependencies on vendors that don’t support Linux, and learn equivalents. Facing this similar fork, I chose to learn and replace Vegas with Davinci Resolve, and I haven’t regretted it yet. But I also respect you have your workflow.

        I rarely suggest anyone stick with windows, but the scenarios you’ve presented is exceptional.

        Edit- additional note on the software concerns in W11, it’s not that different from 10, like at all. I’m massively confident they will continue working without problem.

        • Professorozone@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          1·
          9 days ago

          Thank you. You’re mentioning if DaVinci is the kind of thing I was looking for. Would you say it’s as powerful as Vegas?