Windows line wrap

[Grondhammar]

Not worth its own thread, but I just noticed the informative linewrap on the PowerShell folder... Did not know this, but it makes sense (said by a 10 hrs a day Linux user).

 

[Judge]

Not too long ago I reinstalled Windows 10 on a spare SSD and it reminded me of how needlessly complex and overdone Windows is in comparison with Linux. Yet to consider that Windows 10 was considerably less problematic than Windows 11.

Made it a joy to return to Linux. Still not sure if I even want to install Windows 11 on another SSD just as a platform to play games and little else. May not be worth so many headaches one can completely bypass in using a Linux distribution of your choice.

Ironic that Linux is so pliable that you can customize it NOT to be needlessly complex even less than it already is compared to Windows. Where I simply turn off the visability of sections of Linux I never access anyways by simply unchecking a box using the Cinnamon menu editor. Showing only features I want to remain visible by my choice alone...and not any monolithic developer like Microsoft.

 

[Grondhammar]

Need an "amen, brother" reaction on here.

Linux modularity is such a key feature. Turn this off, turn that on, install a piece you'd like to use, then nuke it when it doesn't quite do the job and find something else. Such a wide-open landscape to work with.

I just wish everything in the Steam ecosystem worked with it... games and the occasional work need are the only reasons I keep Windows around.

 

[Judge]

Need an "amen, brother" reaction on here.

Linux modularity is such a key feature. Turn this off, turn that on, install a piece you'd like to use, then nuke it when it doesn't quite do the job and find something else. Such a wide-open landscape to work with.

Freedom of choice. "Have it your way". I love that. A "non-oppressive" operating system.

I just wish everything in the Steam ecosystem worked with it... games and the occasional work need are the only reasons I keep Windows around.

I suppose that's a "work in progress" in terms of distributions that specifically cater to gamers. With some touted as better than others.

 

[Outdated]

I gave up on Windows 20 years ago, at least with Linux when something doesn't work you get a reasonable amount of information about the problem and can often work it out if you're determined. Windows just tells you to "contact your system administrator", a polite way of saying "tell someone who cares".

I just wish everything in the Steam ecosystem worked with it... games and the occasional work need are the only reasons I keep Windows around.

I never play games online so I do a lot of mucking around with GOG versions of games and wine. It's a bit hit and miss but when a game runs under wine it runs so much batter than in Windows.

It was that point that really sold me on Linux, for the first few years I was dual booting both Linux and Windows and the difference was chalk and cheese. Games that ran really well in Linux seemed to struggle under Windows by comparison.

 

[Judge]

It was that point that really sold me on Linux, for the first few years I was dual booting both Linux and Windows and the difference was chalk and cheese. Games that ran really well in Linux seemed to struggle under Windows by comparison.

I've often noted that as a matter of memory allocation. That Windows is such a bloated operating system requiring so much memory to sustain it. Leaving less memory for individual applications to nominally run on.

OTOH, Linux uses up very little memory in comparison. So it's no wonder Windows apps often run better in Linux than they do in Windows 10 or 11. Something that certainly stands out to me in using a 27-year old version of Photoshop in Linux without issues that I had while running it in Windows 10.

Small wonder as well that I can run the latest version of Linux Mint 22 on a 15-year old hardware platform without any problems. No current Intel cpu, TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot required.

Making this coming week a good time to migrate to something else besides Windows 11. Or to at least take a look at what's out there.

 

[Outdated]

I've often noted that as a matter of memory allocation. That Windows is such a bloated operating system requiring so much memory to sustain it. Leaving less memory for individual applications to nominally run on.

It's not so much about the amount of ram Windows needs as it is about the way in which Windows uses that ram, exactly the same way in which it uses (abuses) harddrive space. Windows uses Random Access Memory in a truly random fashion, storing fragments of files here there and everywhere and it needs to maintain a fairly complex journal of what it put where.

Remember having to defrag your harddrive on a regular basis? Windows has exactly that same problem with the way in which it uses ram.

 

[Judge]

It's not so much about the amount of ram Windows needs as it is about the way in which Windows uses that ram, exactly the same way in which it uses (abuses) harddrive space. Windows uses Random Access Memory in a truly random fashion, storing fragments of files here there and everywhere and it needs to maintain a fairly complex journal of what it put where.

Remember having to defrag your harddrive on a regular basis? Windows has exactly that same problem with the way in which it uses ram.

True, in addition to memory restrictions Windows always scatters itself all over a conventional hard drive, requiring periodic defragmentation. Inevitably slows down applications where higher performance is required.

Though in my own case I've been using SSDs exclusively for years, which do not require defragmentation at all. Yet I do wish Samsung would develop and port their proprietary maintenance software (Samsung Magician) for their SSDs to Linux operating systems. So far they pander only to Windows...maybe Mac too. Defragmenting an SSD can shorten that drive's lifespan.

 

[Misery]

I would have probably dropped Windows ages ago myself if it wasnt for like 99% of the things I have requiring Windows.

That's probably the most frustrating part of the whole thing.

I'm aware Linux is better. But I'm also aware that with the stuff I use, it'd be almost entirely non-functional. Because Windows has been seen as like the ONLY option for ages.

I just wish everything in the Steam ecosystem worked with it

Yep.

 

[Crabcore]

I'm aware Linux is better. But I'm also aware that with the stuff I use, it'd be almost entirely non-functional. Because Windows has been seen as like the ONLY option for ages.

I couldn't have said it better. The more I use Linux, the more I realize Windows has all the goods.

I don't mind the jank so much, but when Portal (of all games) crashes, most of them that say they should work don't even boot, and then you get redirected to windows .exe files for specific frameworks it realizes you're missing, it's pretty easy to be like, "Yep, we still have a very long way to go". Obviously this doesn't even include all of the music and art tools that Wine won't even try to run - once you use those, there's really no alternative.

Linux is a wonderful work of art, and I'm glad the community has been able to come this far with it. But to be honest, it needs a little more time before it can actually rival the Windows experience. The day when I can just install a snap or flatpak and not have to troubleshoot the program afterward will be a pretty huge milestone, at least in my life.

 

[Misery]

Obviously this doesn't even include all of the music and art tools that Wine won't even try to run - once you use those, there's really no alternative.

Indeed.

Pretty much all of my fractal and fractal-adjacent software only runs on Windows. And considering how bonkers most of these apps are, I dont want to try arguing with them in Wine or anything like that.

Indie games too. Most indie devs are very well-meaning, but are also extremely constrained. The resources just arent there to make Linux versions of games most of the time.

There are certainly exceptions, but that's usually for games that get enough traction first.

I cant count the number of times I've seen "I'll buy if there's ever a Mac or Linux version" in Steam forums.

Really quite irritating.

 

[Crabcore]

Indie games too. Most indie devs are very well-meaning, but are also extremely constrained. The resources just arent there to make Linux versions of games most of the time.

Yes! Although, the one exception to that rule seems to be that Unreal or Unity games are pretty solid, but you're absolutely right - once they branch out and make their own engine or something, it just becomes a guessing game as to which frameworks (probably Windows-based) you don't have, because it was expecting Windows.

There are definitely great alternatives to all of these things on the Linux side, but I think a lot of Linux users forget that Windows will hook all of this stuff up for you 'behind the scenes', pretty much flawlessly and 100% of the time.

 

[Outdated]

The day when I can just install a snap or flatpak and not have to troubleshoot the program afterward will be a pretty huge milestone, at least in my life.

Ubuntu uses Snaps.

In all honesty I'm not a big fan of that but that's how Ubuntu has been for 5 years now. You can also use both Flatpak and Snaps in other Linux distros too, just install the base runtime first and you're good to go.

 

[Crabcore]

Ubuntu uses Snaps.

In all honesty I'm not a big fan of that but that's how Ubuntu has been for 5 years now. You can also use both Flatpak and Snaps in other Linux distros too, just install the base runtime first and you're good to go.

I think my hangup is having to manually install dependencies and repositories. There's always one extra step that I find myself scouring the man pages for, like the main repository or helper tool that makes everything work well together.

This is me on beginner mode (Ubuntu) as well -- I couldn't imagine using something like Arch!

 

[Misery]

I think my hangup is having to manually install dependencies and repositories. There's always one extra step that I find myself scouring the man pages for, like the main repository or helper tool that makes everything work well together.

Honestly I think this is another hangup that keeps people from using Linux as much.

Like, while my main reason was what I already stated, the OTHER reason is that I simply see it as "too much trouble".

I am very old fashioned when it comes to computers, and "back in the day" for me meant DOS. You gave it a direct command and it did the thing. That was it. No dealing with whatever distros are or any of the other things people often talk about when it comes to Linux. You just got right down to business after turning the bloody thing on the very first time. And every time after.

The DOS mentality never faded for me. I look at something that does not immediately work, that requires a bunch of weird steps before it'll Do Things, and just... yeah, that's usually the point of lost interest. Or the point where I just lose my patience and get angry. It's one thing for an individual app to do that... it's another for it to be the entire OS.

Whether or not it actually DOES require a ton of weird steps isnt truly part of the equation. It has a reputation for being more complicated and SOUNDS that way. That's enough for a lot of people to avoid something.

 

[cooljethro]

I find Linux pretty difficult to use (even Linux Mint/Cinnamon) as a newbie and I'm not sure my ADHD tendencies will ever allow me to persist to learn how to use it properly. It just seems easier to use Windows, especially as someone who uses Steam/plays video games lots.

That said, I currently have Linux Mint installed on a spare machine, so we'll see how that turns out, eventually.

 

[Judge]

I find Linux pretty difficult to use (even Linux Mint/Cinnamon) as a newbie and I'm not sure my ADHD tendencies will ever allow me to persist to learn how to use it properly. It just seems easier to use Windows, especially as someone who uses Steam/plays video games lots.

That said, I currently have Linux Mint installed on a spare machine, so we'll see how that turns out, eventually.

Hang in there, stick with Linux. Despite the frustration, there will likely be a payoff to be perceived by using Linux as your daily driver. Takes a bit, I know.

Recently I reinstalled Windows 10 on a spare SSD to run on my older computer. For as many years as I ran Windows all the way back to version 3.1, I was amazed to see how complex and overdone Windows was compared to Linux Mint 22.1 Cinnamon. And that apart from Mint being far less extravagant and convoluted, that I could control and limit that factor. Showing only those features and functions I wanted to deal with. Making the most out of learning what one can do with the menu editor.

But then customizing any GUI of an OS has always been "my thang."

And in my journey of about 2.5 years in Linux, it's taken me that long just to feel comfortable with Linux, and to be able to customize Mint in particular to the degree I have always wanted. Took long enough, yes. But it was worth the effort to learn something quite foreign from Windows, which has been a staple for most everyone for the last 35 years.

Keeping it simple in Linux and loving it. Having it my way- not Microsoft's.

 

[Judge]

Interesting to realize that even deep within the Linux community, there remain arguments over those not willing to change, versus those willing to adapt to new technologies.

Case and point: Those who like and those who hate "Rust". Keeps me eyeing such arguments, mostly given that System76 has just recently released their Pop!OS "Cosmic" in beta. Very different from earlier versions I have enjoyed almost as much as Mint, though they were using Gnome.

This latest incarnation of the "Pop!" operating systems has abandoned Gnome, going with Rust. While I can reluctantly do without Gnome applets, I'm hoping that I can still customize the GUI the same way I did with Pop!OS22.04, merely by altering certain key CSS files. Provided of course that I can locate them relative to an entirely new and different version of "Pop!OS".

I would encourage most any newcomer to Linux Mint to consider "Pop!OS Cosmic" when it comes out of beta sometime hopefully in the first quarter of 2026. Different than Mint, yet still based on Ubuntu 24.04.

Seems Linux kernel creator Linus Torvald is a bit miffed about the controversy. Emphasizing that learning new things remains a positive experience. Even over new programming languages like Rust versus the old, but venerable "C".

Torvalds weighs in on 'nasty' Rust vs C for Linux debate

 

[Outdated]

...mostly given that System76 has just recently released their Pop!OS "Cosmic" in beta. Very different from earlier versions I have enjoyed almost as much as Mint, though they were using Gnome.

Out of curiosity I did a bit of an explore to have a look and see what the hype is about.

As soon as I saw the image below that was the end of my interest. It looks exactly how Gnome 3.0 looked back in 2015. The exact same thing that Win8 did, which was one of the greatest advertisements Linux could have ever asked for.

No nice neatly laid out menu of installed programs, instead pages and pages of everything jumbled together like on a phone, or like stupid Google and Apple Play Stores. That's one of the reasons I use a computer and hate phones with real passion. I won't be investigating it any further.

 

[Judge]

Out of curiosity I did a bit of an explore to have a look and see what the hype is about.

As soon as I saw the image below that was the end of my interest. It looks exactly how Gnome 3.0 looked back in 2015. The exact same thing that Win8 did, which was one of the greatest advertisements Linux could have ever asked for.

Keep in mind this OS is still in Beta. The image you posted was missing the submenu that sits below the icons. A huge reason why I never used the Gnome interface that has only radio buttons to roam through grouped icons rather than a submenu that shows up under all the icons. And you can customize those submenus and whatever groups you choose to add or subtract. The submenu your image did not show is circled in red below:

No nice neatly laid out menu of installed programs, instead pages and pages of everything jumbled together like on a phone, or like stupid Google and Apple Play Stores. That's one of the reasons I use a computer and hate phones with real passion. I won't be investigating it any further.

Pressing the "super key" in Pop!OS would instantly provide you with that information, displaying all currently installed programs in alphabetical order.

I'll be waiting to download the actual finished OS before making any judgements just yet.