Is linux your daily driver?

[Dani]

Linux has come a long way, but it's still primarily a server OS, correct? How many of you linux fanboys and girls use it as your primary operating system for daily tasks? How does it compare to Windows or macOS in terms of productivity and overall user experience?

[Reverend Jim]

I've tried loinux several times over the years on spare computers, virtual machines, and a Raspberry Pi. I gave up on all of them because it was too difficult to maintain. Now all I use it for is Live USB recovery tools.

[Salem]

I use it all day, every day.

TBH, M$ stopped being an OS company after Windows 7 and the so-called OS just became a marketing tool to ram ever more crap in front of your face.

[Vince_6]

I used Linux on and off for years. I was finally willing to commit to Windows 11 when it installed some updates and it went into a reboot loop afterwards. I said screw it and went back to Linux. Been using it for months as my primary OS and I am quite happy with the decision.

[Dani]

I started this thread thinking about James, DaniWeb's sysadmin, who I was surprised to hear uses Windows as his daily driver, despite his proficiency in Linux. I believe he quoted things like Linux not being ideal for gaming.

I'm macOS only these days.

[Benjamin_17]

The last time I used Windows was Windows XP when I got a blue screen of death trying to install it. Since then, I have been daily driving with Linux (Ubuntu then Pop! then back to Ubuntu) since then. No real problems, yes I do not play the games I use to, but within Steam there is still quite a healthy choice to pick from. Honestly I would struggle going back now as I am used to the Linux environment. Occasionally I run into trouble with normal products from Microsoft (since I am in a Microsoft ecosystem with my job) where they might support some application with Linux on the first release, but then fail to keep the support going, but the basics are still covered.

[jkon]

I exclusively use Linux on my personal PCs, currently the Ubuntu distribution. I switched from Windows between 2010 and 2012. Before that, I used Linux on a different PC for several years, followed by a period of dual booting. Thanks to WINE, I have yet to encounter software I cannot run on my PC. I believe Ubuntu has become so user-friendly that even inexperienced users are unlikely to face significant problems. However, precisely because they might lack someone to ask for help – and often struggle with effective searching and understanding online resources – I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone completely unfamiliar with operating systems. My gaming experience is limited, so I can't comment on Ubuntu's performance in that area. Ultimately, I prefer an operating system that doesn't require me to constantly think about its usage, allowing for a seamless transition between work and personal tasks.

[Reverend Jim]

When I ran into problems with linux I found the online help was less than helpful. The help, when offered, consisted of experts explaining things to other experts, even though I mentioned that I was anything but. All help assumed I had much more knowledge than I did. The explanations sounded like Trek techno-babble.

[Reverend Jim]

Yes , that is still an issue...

Many years back a neighbour was taking an evening course to become more computer literate. She was confused one day, telling me that her instructor had tried to explain to the class what "formatting a disk" meant. He talked about magnetic fields, tracks, sectors, etc. but she was still in the dark as to what formatting actually did. In under 60 seconds I explained what formatting was in terms of paving and marking lines in a parking lot. As a bonus, once I was done she also understood fragmentation and file pointers as well as the difference between a full and quick format.

In order to be an effective communicator you have to be aware of your audience.

[Dani]

Wow, I'm surprised how many people here are primarily Linux users compared to how infrequently our Linux forum gets posted in these days.