Anyone use just Linux?

[Analoguesat]

Radeon X600

 

[RustySpoons]

Radeon X600

Linux has historically had issues with AMD/ATI cards.
This PC I'm using the onboard Intel iGPU (don't play games) to drive three screens.
Fingers crossed it works. I may boot up off a Live USB first and give it a go to see if everything is compatible.

 

[Analoguesat]

Linux has historically had issues with AMD/ATI cards.

Still not good enough seeing as millions of thee must have been sold!

 

[RustySpoons]

Still not good enough seeing as millions of thee must have been sold!

It's ridiculous, I was reading/watching information on switching to Linux and in 2018 it's still a thing!
I have no first hand experience so can't comment. I do know however if you try and run Mac OSX on a PC it also has issues with AMD cards.

 

[Archive-8]

All my mint machines are using the the onboard graphics chip.

Is nvidia ok with Linux?

 

[RustySpoons]

All my mint machines are using the the onboard graphics chip.

Is nvidia ok with Linux?

From what I've read Chris it's just AMD/ATI cards that have compatibility issues.

 

[excollier]

Yup, NVidia is fine with Linux - I have an Nvidia card and use only the inbuilt Nouveau driver rather than the Nvidia driver, but both are fine. I also use two screens with no problems at all.

 

[RustySpoons]

Ah well that plan to escape Windows was short lived:

I downloaded two different distros of Linux.

Elementary OS - Was too basic, very pretty. But graphics did not work.
Then installed Linux Mint, it warned me that my graphics were running in "Software Rendering" and only had one monitor working.
Updated it, nothing, installed the latest Kernel and it broke it.

So back to Windows!

 

[Lazarus]

Quelle Fromage

 

[Analoguesat]

Ah well that plan to escape Windows was short lived:

I downloaded two different distros of Linux.

Elementary OS - Was too basic, very pretty. But graphics did not work.
Then installed Linux Mint, it warned me that my graphics were running in "Software Rendering" and only had one monitor working.
Updated it, nothing, installed the latest Kernel and it broke it.

So back to Windows!

Yeah sounds about right with my experiences of trying to run linux on my desktop computer......

 

[Topper]

I did escape Windows for a few weeks and liked Mint but I found the ugrading path far too complicated and ended up losing a lot of my stuff because of it, whilst I have read that updating has improved I do not feel inclined to return to it for the moment and am happy with W10

 

[Lazarus]

Updating is dead easy now.

Just click on an option in the Update Menu.

That's it.

 

[excollier]

Linux does require a little effort - I was able to switch from Windows years ago and it has become easier since then. It actually taught me a lot about computers in terms of hardware and software - I had never partitioned a hard drive until I took up Linux - now I work in IT after 30 odd years of manual labour, so thanks Linux!!

 

[excollier]

Updating is dead easy now.

Just click on an option in the Update Menu.

That's it.

yup and Mint is probably the easiest of all - way simpler than Windows and almost never a reboot required

 

[excollier]

There is a lot of new hardware that is just plain Linux unfriendly and will probably never work - down to the bully boy tactics of Microsoft, to eradicate any competition for the hardware - ironically Microsoft are a big contributor to the Linux foundation these days after the departure of Steve Ballmer who always called Linux "a cancer". This in mind I may need to move to BSD.......

 

[RustySpoons]

There is a lot of new hardware that is just plain Linux unfriendly and will probably never work - down to the bully boy tactics of Microsoft, to eradicate any competition for the hardware - ironically Microsoft are a big contributor to the Linux foundation these days after the departure of Steve Ballmer who always called Linux "a cancer". This in mind I may need to move to BSD.......

That's my problem, I don't think my system is compatible fully. Without working graphics it's pointless.

I may revisit it when that's sorted. Also other things like Thundebolt 3 refused to work.

 

[excollier]

That's my problem, I don't think my system is compatible fully. Without working graphics it's pointless.

I may revisit it when that's sorted. Also other things like Thundebolt 3 refused to work.

what is your system? Laptop or desktop? motherboard and cpu? graphics?

 

[RustySpoons]

what is your system? Laptop or desktop? motherboard and cpu? graphics?

Desktop...

Intel i7 8700K
ASRock Fatal1ty Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac
Intel UHD 630 iGPU
3x 24" BenQ BL2411
Samsung NVMe 256Gb SSD
2x Samsung 840 Pro 256Gb
2x Sandisk X110 256Gb
16Gb Ram

I did have 32Gb and a Asus Maxiumus X Hero but I didn't like the board and wanted a Phanteks Shift X case, so went ITX.

I've got a Thinkpad X240 and a X250, I might put one of those on Linux.

 

[Captain Jack]

I don't believe Linux is fit for being a desktop OS. It has too many nuances and niggles for it to be reliable. I tried various flavours of Linux over many years but none fit the bill. Even the mighty Ubuntu sucks - I run the "update" on version 16 and it completely trashed the entire OS. It wouldn't even boot. The only way to recover was to reinstall.

If you have time on your hands and some computer knowledge (or at least an inclination to learn) - great. If you don't and you don't want to use Windows (and I don't blame you), get a Mac. Better yet, install MacOS on your PC - it is, after all, Unix based.

 

[RustySpoons]

I don't believe Linux is fit for being a desktop OS. It has too many nuances and niggles for it to be reliable. I tried various flavours of Linux over many years but none fit the bill. Even the mighty Ubuntu sucks - I run the "update" on version 16 and it completely trashed the entire OS. It wouldn't even boot. The only way to recover was to reinstall.

If you have time on your hands and some computer knowledge (or at least an inclination to learn) - great. If you don't and you don't want to use Windows (and I don't blame you), get a Mac. Better yet, install MacOS on your PC - it is, after all, Unix based.

It's always been a 2nd PC or a VM for me, never ready for Prime time. I thought in 2018 we would be there but seems not
I'd never buy a Mac, I've owned them from 1995 - 2012, wouldn't buy another. Always ran them parallel to a PC but the hardware is seriously lacking and also the upgrade path is non existent. Running OSX on a PC I have done, but woe betide you if you dare do an update.