Are you ready to dive in? I've switched to my regular route today.
Are you ready to dive in? I've switched to my regular route today.
Previously I experimented with Linux on my own machine, using Ubuntu 12 and PCLinuxOS. WINE was the main solution for running Windows apps, while the toughest parts were connecting my wireless card and updating graphics drivers. At work, I run CentOS across several client devices, but that’s mostly my routine. Moving forward, I watched a beginner’s Linux gaming guide. My usual setup had some odd Windows problems and I was considering a fresh install on Windows 10. I have a separate laptop for work, so the essentials on my personal PC are just games. I backed up everything and did a clean install of Manjaro with KDE, enabled Steam Play on all games, and everything loaded smoothly—especially after updating the NVIDIA drivers. I also tried Steam In-Home streaming for GTA V to my shield, which worked perfectly. What impressed me was how quickly Manjaro ran, considering my older hardware (i5 4670K, GTX980, 12GB RAM, 240GB SSD). After adding the Snap Store and installing common apps like Discord, Spotify, and FooBar2000, everything functioned flawlessly. Now I’m curious—has anyone else switched to Linux? Do you think it could be a better alternative to Windows at this point?
I could try Linux but opt for Windows 10 even if it feels poor quality
A lot of discussions have been happening lately, and it’s nice to see progress. The main obstacle keeping me from using Linux daily is Office 2016. It’s essential for me, and I’ve tried everything without success since Ubuntu 14.04. While I can adjust games and find workarounds, Office 2016 remains a deal-breaker. If I can make it function somehow, that would be perfect. Majaro managed to restore two of my older laptops—C2D and i7-620L—and I’m determined to get it working too.
Windows 10 often encounters its own problems, typically requiring a full reinstall. I had to replace it after some bizarre issues with Bluetooth audio—my system froze completely, YouTube wouldn’t play, and nothing functioned properly. Additionally, there was a suspicious page file occupying around 90GB of space on my boot drive that I couldn’t locate.
It's a small choice, but I'd take it to the extreme. It's not great, but it's there.
I agree with your perspective. My main tools are Outlook, Excel, plus several RMM and ticketing systems. I worry they won’t function properly on Linux, which could limit my productivity if I didn’t have a dedicated machine. A virtual machine might work, but I see it as unfair.
Wine offers great compatibility, but it struggles with graphics and older 32-bit applications that can't run in a 64-bit setup. This issue is expected to be resolved soon with a fix, though a temporary solution exists. Generally, you'll need a hardware graphics card and an NVIDIA or AMD GPU. I suggest giving it a try and learning some Linux commands along the way. If you're using Manjaro, keep in mind it's based on Arch Linux—other Arch-based distributions will be helpful too.