[sigtau]

A few nights ago, Installed Linux Mint it on my laptop that just wasn't quite good enough for any 3D or game design work.  Works great as a large, weighty, overglorified netbook now (and runs considerably more efficiently, albeit having a few quirks here and there).  I'm interested in hearing you guys' thoughts on using Linux as a desktop OS, rather than keeping it reserved for servers (currently, I run a home IRC server on the latest release of Debian--and it runs quite efficiently).

The only thing holding me from using any flavour of Linux on my main desktop machine--where I am most of the time--is the fact that Linux just isn't cut out for anything even remotely 3D related for the time being.  It is, however, imperative that I have at least one Linux computer around for coding/testing purposes, in addition to the fact that it means that--if my parents keep their promise of getting me a MacBook Pro as my university laptop--I will never again be fazed by incompatibility

But back on topic, what's you guys' take on Linux (any distribution, really) as a desktop OS?

[KyadCK]

I have Opensuse as my desktop's backup OS, the primary OS on 2 laptops, and in a VM for VMware's Unity, primarily for just dicking around.

I also have a few versions of linux that I keep on USB sticks, SD cards, and microSD cards, for when I need to jack a public computer for a little while. They're good enough to get MC working if the hardware is willing, which is good enough for me.

While I don't use it as a primary OS (because I play games most of the time), it does, for me, have its place on desktops as the ultimate recovery tool, and older computers as a nice light weight web browsing OS that I know guests can't break 

[TwentyPercentCooler]

My spare laptop runs Linux Ubuntu and I have my primary laptop dual-booting Win7/Linux Mint. Any time I'm not gaming, I'm on Linux. It takes some getting used to if you aren't old enough to have ever used DOS (I got my first computer right as Windows 3.1 came out), but I find it growing on me more and more as I use it. Most old games will even run in Wine these days, and I use mostly open-source programs that also happen to be compatible (LibreOffice, Inkscape for vector graphics, GIMP for raster, etc.).

[Fury]

I'd use linux if I didn't also use my PC for gaming. 3D hardware acceleration on GPU's is quirky at best though, but usually older GPU's have relatively little issues while still having more than enough power for any apps that can utilize hardware acceleration. In case of laptops linux often trails far behind of Windows or OS X in terms of power management, linux kernel had some huge regressions in that regard last year. I haven't followed up on it, so I don't know if those regressions have been fixed properly yet.

If your requirements to use windows only apps are little, you may want to check Wine HQ website whether those apps can be run under Wine. If everything checks out, have fun with linux.

[Nuke]

i went through more than a couple linux phases. ive tried fedora, various ubuntu distros, some more portable oses like slax. and while i do like to use linux for for troubleshooting hardware and i like programming under linux, the os is nothing but a massive time sink when used to run basic applications. i couldnt get on my network because the wifi thingie i was using wasnt done yet and didnt support my encryption. i ended up hard wiring into my router. i couldnt run some hardware, like my trackir for example. its not bad for gaming provided your game supports linux. and if you are like me youve amassed a huge collection of essential windows applications, and when you go to linux you usually have to learn all new software from scratch and getting it to run under wine sucks. im also not fond of oses that brute force too much security on the user. theres nothing on my rig id be worried about somone else getting ahold of, and i backup regularly. so security has never really been an issue for me. i mean this isnt the ****ing cia, its my cave in the woods.

actually im looking forward for when reactos goes beta. supports windows applications and drivers out of the box, without all the ms bull**** that comes with it.

[achtung]

Used Fedora almost exclusively for four years now. Only boot into windows for games, and sometimes Netflix (I use a vm for Netflix usually). The biggest issues I've had have revolved around video drivers. AMD's (officially sanctioned) open drivers are very stable, but slow, their closed drivers are fast, but very buggy. nVidia's closed divers are superb, and there are signs the open nouveau drivers may be getting back door support from nVidia. Only other issues I've really run up against fall back on selinux being paranoid, but that's fixed with a quick setenforce 0  as root.

I've become very comfortable with the Linux environment over the years, and I can't see myself going back now. If it weren't for games and Netflix, I wouldn't have a windows partition. I'm not into any serious AV, and that's probably one of Linux's weakest points.

[castor]

Well, I haven't had a windows desktop installed since 98SE days, no troubles at all. But then again, I don't need a broad range of sw, and nothing *specific* or too eccentric.

[S-99]

Linux is pretty good. Using linux mint debian. I dual booted for a long time. Then i just switched entirely back in 2008. It serves my purposes and needs fairly well. The only troubles i've really had were windows specific utilities like printer firmware updaters and stuff of the same like (stuff that basically will not run in linux period).

Perhaps i should keep a virtual machine around. But, i won't do that since i wont spend money on windows. So i'm not going to use a pirated copy of windows in a virtual machine. When i switched to linux, i did it with the full intention of never needing to use windows again. For the most part, i don't need to, and this is true. It does however get annoying when i have to fix someones printer with a firmware updater that will only run in windows where the printer was installed (**** like that gets annoying).

[achtung]

printer firmware updaters

Also drivers. Avoid lexmark at all costs.

[S-99]

It's horrible when a dependency for one of their drivers is only found on the lexmark thailand website or whatever.

[LHN91]

I run Windows on most of my boxes, but have Mint 12 KDE as the main OS on my C-50 based laptop. Most of the regressions in power management were on Sandy Bridge, so the battery life is still fair, if about 20 minutes shorter than in 7. My laptop as a linux box works, because it basically only gets used for Office (2007 installs fairly cleanly in Wine - or at least Word, Excel, and Powerpoint do), Chromium, music, and programming. The AMD GPU drivers are flaky at best, though, and are needed to get video working reasonably since it only has a 1 gHz dual core.

[S-99]

Laptop mode tools anyone? If it's normal spinning magnetic hard drive, then you can easily get way more battery than in windows. Doesn't work for solid state drives however. I just wish i could do a lot more with windows power settings, just doing as much as the kde power settings manager would be great.

[Nuke]

Linux is pretty good. Using linux mint debian. I dual booted for a long time. Then i just switched entirely back in 2008. It serves my purposes and needs fairly well. The only troubles i've really had were windows specific utilities like printer firmware updaters and stuff of the same like (stuff that basically will not run in linux period).

Perhaps i should keep a virtual machine around. But, i won't do that since i wont spend money on windows. So i'm not going to use a pirated copy of windows in a virtual machine. When i switched to linux, i did it with the full intention of never needing to use windows again. For the most part, i don't need to, and this is true. It does however get annoying when i have to fix someones printer with a firmware updater that will only run in windows where the printer was installed (**** like that gets annoying).

you might be able to do a live cd boot of the reactos alpha. some of the windows only utilities might work under that os.

[el_magnifico]

Linux as a desktop OS? Based on my personal experience, I could sum it up as this: A money saver, an amazing enabler, and not for everybody.

Allow me to explain what I mean. Software piracy in Argentina is pretty much the norm rather than the exception. Microsoft knows it and doesn't gives a **** as long as they can put the pressure on the government and the private companies to make themselves a profit. But they pretty much know that they can't possibly expect individuals with 2nd world salaries to pay for their dollar-priced OS and software, so they happily look the other way as long as they can generate a dependency on their products.*

Me? I still don't like the deal, since I find it dirty and humiliating, so I do my best to avoid piracy. So I dual-boot between Ubuntu (primary OS), and a Win 7 Starter + Office Starter running mostly with open source and freeware (secondary OS). Were it not for Linux, I wouldn't be able to afford staying on the legal side (which around here is, again, more of a moral posture than a legal necessity for home users), since I would need a REAL OS, and not a Starter version.

I have to admit, I actually love Win 7. It's amazing, stable, fast, easy to use, reasonably backwards-compatible, everything a Windows OS should have been from the beginning. I just wish it could be more affordable.

I'd use linux if I didn't also use my PC for gaming.

Yeah, I know. I find Linux lacking in games (but I don't really have the time to do much gaming, if any), and very specialized software (which I have no use for). But I guess if you do use those programs, or if you're a hardcore gamer, Linux may not be for you.

printer firmware updaters

Also drivers. Avoid lexmark at all costs.

Regarding drivers and hardware recognition, my personal experience has been far better with Linux than with Windows. I guess I've been lucky.

*: Which they are quite successful at doing. High Schools and even many universities demand that you learn and use Microsoft Office and Windows, but they won't buy you a copy. This is, in a country where the government has the constitutional obligation to provide you with everything you may need for your education, free of cost. They actually expect you to pirate it, and will look at you as if you were some kind of dangerous alien if you dare to tell them you have moral concerns with that.

[jr2]

I've been dual-booting Linux and WinDOwS for a while now.  I've used Mandriva (used to be Mandrake), Ubuntu, and now Mint.  I like Linux, and actually would prefer to use it, except Windows 7 is pretty darn comfortable, and unfortunately, many programs require you to use Windows (Steam for Linux? Ha).

The only thing I don't like about Linux is, if you break something in GUI mode, there is not 'safe mode' that runs in GUI... you're at the command prompt.  Have fun (oh boy).. they seriously should consider putting fail-safe default copies of settings files to use to that you can go back in GUI and undo your mistakes (settings restore points would also be nice).  I mean, it sucks to re-install the entire OS because you don't know where the darn setting file is for the graphics mode and you made a mistake and set it wrong and now the GUI won't start.

[S-99]

Linux as a desktop OS? Based on my personal experience, I could sum it up as this: A money saver, an amazing enabler, and not for everybody.

I think you explained it best for me on my end too.

Regarding drivers and hardware recognition, my personal experience has been far better with Linux than with Windows. I guess I've been lucky.

Many things work directly out of the box. If not, there's usually included utilities to get things to work easily such as proprietary driver downloads. If not either of those, dmesg, lspci, lsusb, etc (i just use hardinfo most of the time though) is a great command for identifying hardware without needing to rip open a computer to see what's inside and then get drivers for windows or linux (in linux there's a couple of ways to get stuff working with a lot of tweaking if not supported out of the box, or if not supported at all). There's two big reasons i always make sure to have a capable live cd when i work on windows computers.

1. Very easy manual backups. Just plug in a backup drive, and copy everything without needing to worry about files in use under windows.

2. Hardware identification in linux. Not whether or not linux can make something work. It just makes the search for windows drivers much easier when device manager will only tell you "unknown device" (since stuff like brand and product name really helps with driver hunting).

[jr2]

FYI, for drivers, you can always make universal driver install discs using DriverPacks.net - they support almost any hardware you can think of.  You can either make one big install disk (or folder on an external drive, like I do); or, you can make separate folders for each category: Display, Mobile Display, PhysX, Audio, LAN, WLAN, Mass Storage, Cardreaders, CPU, Chipset, Touchpad/Mouse, Modem, Webcam, TVcard, Miscellaneous

Make sure you get the latest (unless you need an old one), correct version of the driverpack (x86 / x64 and Win 2K/XP/2K3 or Vista/7)

You have to get the application to make the driverpacks work.

Sorry for the mini-hijack.  If anyone's got questions, let me know and I'll make a new thread about it, but DriverPacks.net has their own forums so you could always ask there.

[S-99]

It is sort of a hard-light hijack. But, thx for the info. this will make life a lot easier. I will keep a dvd-rw for rewrite available.

The only time this gets ****ed up is when you need to slipstream drivers without much if any documentation. Had to do that for somebody with an hp dv6. Where the laptop came with vista with a bios that didn't let you select sata compatibility mode. Pain in the ass finding the driver to slipstream. It was interesting using nlite, but i find the power of remastering a linux livecd to be much greater.

Should i upload my linux mint 9 remaster? It's pretty darn multipurpose. Well, what i want to do is make a remaster of linux mint debian with their latest service pack and the updated repositories with the software that i believe makes an awesome livecd to install or just use as a livecd. Unfortunately, i like remastersys and how well it integrates with the ubuntu installer. However, for debian distributions which it is compatible with makes you use it's own installer which sucks balls. Looking for an alternative.

[jr2]

You are aware of Hiren's Boot Disk, right?  And FalconFour's (which I prefer), which is based off of Hiren's?

[S-99]

I must ask for clarification what are the boot disks intended for?