I want to love Linux, I really do. The problem is, I can’t. I’ve tried time and time again to run Linux as a desktop operating system, and these four problems keep pushing me right back into Microsoft’s deathly hold.
First-party app compatibility
As much as I want to find a Lightroom replacement, I just can’t
The driving factor for me not using Linux as a primary operating system is simply first-party app compatibility.
I know, I know, “Just find an open source alternative and use that!” But, I am so heavily integrated with the Adobe ecosystem for photo and video editing, that I just can’t do it. Trust me, I’ve tried to leave Adobe’s dystopian future many, many times, but their grasp is just too tight.
Also, there are other notable apps that I need in my day to day life that just don’t work on Linux. xTool Studio, the software that runs my laser engravers and cutters, doesn’t work on Linux. The CNC software I use, Vectric VCarve Pro, also doesn’t work on Linux. Even my favorite email client, Spark, doesn’t support Linux.
There are ways to run Windows software on Linux, but, for a production system, I just can’t bring myself to rely on a compatibility layer like that. One update to either the compatibility layer or the software itself and then I’m scrambling to try and figure something out—it’s just not worth it to me.
Driver issues
Why do I have to fight NVIDIA drivers just to play my Linux-compatible games?
When I moved a lot of my work back to my MacBook, and changed my Windows desktop over to just be a gaming system, I decided to give Linux a try because gaming on Linux was supposed to be much better now. The first game I decided to try was Minecraft, a Linux-native game, and I fought, and fought with NVIDIA drivers to get simple Minecraft working properly.
Eventually, I left Garuda Linux for Bazzite and was able to get Minecraft to play well, but it took way more tinkering and trying to figure things out then I care to deal with on my daily gaming rig. Bazzite was fine for gaming, but it, too, eventually pushed me back to Windows because updates and driver issues made certain things not work properly.
Not all games work on Linux (yet)
I still can’t play some of my favorite titles on Linux
While I was able to eventually play Minecraft on my Linux system, getting all of my mods and modpacks working was a complete nightmare. I normally use CurseForge for my modpacks, but I couldn’t get it to work properly on Linux for the life of me. I eventually did get Prism Launcher to work, but I had constant issues with resolutions and mods not working properly when using it.
Another area that I just can’t get past is that not all games are compatible with Linux at all. If I want to jump into a round of Call of Duty or Battlefield, I can’t on Linux—at least, not reliably. Apex Legends used to work, but a recent update broke its compatibility because of a change EA made to stop cheating. Not even Fortnite works on Linux.
While some games, like Call of Duty, can work in some capacities on Linux, there are often times that specific components of the game will break. For instance, looking at ProtonDB, just last month, someone left a review for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War talking about how matchmaking wasn’t working for them, though others reported getting it to work sometimes.
When I want to play a game, I really just want to sit down and play the game—I don’t want to have to worry about if an update broke compatibility, or if I need to update multiple layers of my operating system to get it to work. I just want to click play and then enjoy some time with friends. Linux, sadly, can’t give that to me yet.
I don’t want to have to tinker with my daily driver
My Windows desktop doesn’t require me to tinker with it to get basic functions working
At the end of the day, I want my main computer to just work when I sit down to use it. My computer is my livelihood, and it needs to be reliable. Linux is rock-solid for my servers, and I wouldn’t even think about running anything else on those. But, for my main computer, it has to be Windows or macOS because I just can’t deal with the constant tinkering that desktop Linux requires.
The last time I tried to run desktop Linux, I was always having to deal with driver updates breaking display output, or USB drivers randomly not working. While these things can happen in Windows, it’s much fewer and further between than my experience on Linux.
I want to love Linux, it’s just not ready to love me back yet
Linux today is lightyears ahead of where Linux was 5 years ago, let alone 10 years ago. The problem is, Linux and I just aren’t compatible yet on a desktop level. Maybe in 5 or 10 more years, I’ll be ready to run Linux as a primary desktop operating system. Until then, I’ll just stick to my (sadly) tried and true Windows.
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