I use it on my backup "farting around on the interwebs" machine. If my primary app wasn't a Windows only app, I would use it as my main OS.

Well, I'm speaking to desktop Linux, and to a lesser degree, Linux on SMB servers, here. I don't care if it works flawlessly on 50 billion phones or datacenter servers - good for it.

I wanted to like Linux, I really did. I've been using it since Red Hat 4.0, and it's still just as buggy as it was back then. For example, on several different PCs using a couple of different distros, simply trying to restart the system doesn't work about half the time. HALF THE TIME, in 2014, I cannot get a fresh Linux system to reboot! I can document this back to openSUSE 12.x. And don't even get me started on PulseAudio almost causing me to go deaf by screeching at full volume in the middle of a playlist while I was in bed falling asleep.

I know people will take issue with what I'm about to say, but to me, Linux is EXACTLY as it was back in the '90s. No difference in terms of usability or reliability, except that now when you crash or lose power, you won't lose an entire partition like you did with EXT2.

The problem with Linux is that the contributors don't make it better - they release version 1.0, improve it a bit, but by the time they get to version 1.3, they decide to completely trash it all and rewrite it, introducing new bugs and incomplete features. NO THANK YOU. They've had 20 years, but they still can't get their act together!

My preferred Linux distro for the past few years has been openSUSE, but after 20+ years I expected much better by now. I'm done making excuses for Linux, I really am. They're on my s**list now, but I still use openSUSE for some quick and dirty IT-related tasks.

For REAL UNIX, though, I'm a diehard FreeBSD guy; been using that since the late '90s and it only gets better and better with age. I am continually amazed by the cohesiveness, feature list, performance, and reliability of the BSDs. The only other OS comparable to them would be Netware 3.x and 4.x. Long live BSD!

Oh and there's absolutely nothing wrong with Windows these days (aside from Metro on the desktop 😜)

King_Corduroy wrote:

So I was wondering how many of you actually use linux?

On my Atom-based server I run Ubuntu 14.04 LTS, and a few of my SBC's (Raspberry Pi, Cubieboard, and others) have some flavour of Linux on them, but I don't use it on my desktop. My laptop is a Macbook Pro with Mavericks, that's a UNIX at least.

Didn't we just have this conversation?
Anyone have bad luck with Linux?

I use Manjaro Linux on one of my desktops and various Linux distros on my USB rescue/utility stick (customized Manjaro Linux, Clonezilla Live, Dr.Web LiveCD, Tails, Slacko Puppy.). 😀

I use linux in VMs on a Windows 7 host, because:

- I can get free development tools needed for compiling some projects [other peoples], whereas I'd have to pay a disproportionate amount for the corresponding microsoft tools which would be overkill - I'm just dabbling, not a pro and not a student either.

- as an offline proxy for work environments where we use unix and linux, again for development/dabbling reasons only this time *nix is not just a free alternative but the target environment.

Otherwise, not at the moment, the above approach works adequately so I've no pressing need for a dedicated linux machine. I'm using Ubuntu and Debian, with their crappy default desktop environments. Have not used them much for a while, as I recall the last time I upgraded Debian the desktop "experience" got even worse. 😵

I mainly use Lubuntu 14.04 LTS as an alternative OS on my retro P3 rig, especially since the demise(official only) of WinXP. I guess it is more or less sufficient for routine/day-to-day tasks, except for games, like most have said.

Another aspect is the increased scope for troubleshooting(detailed logs and messages)if something is wrong, IMO. However one can argue that the troubleshooting itself might not have been required in the first place if it had been implemented better 🤣 (no offense to the developers, btw). Also I do like the Live CD/USB options available with most Linux distros for quick checks & verifications of the system hardware in general.

Jorpho wrote:

Didn't we just have this conversation?
Anyone have bad luck with Linux?

Not quite the same, similar yes and eventually everyone started saying what distro they were using yes but less straight forward. I'm just kinda letting everyone tell why they like the distro's they are using and what they are using.

Kinda letting everyone represent you know? 🤣

I've been using Linux on/off since 1999. I switched to Linux as a desktop OS for a couple of years when Vista came out and a few years after that used Ubuntu/Fedora on my work laptop. I've since switched back to Windows (8.1 now) due to Steam.

I'm a big fan of debian, its been good to see how far its come over the last 10 years.
I use Ubuntu Server for alot of client servers. Various IM servers, Samba file and domain controller.

ratfink wrote:

- I can get free development tools needed for compiling some projects [other peoples], whereas I'd have to pay a disproportionate amount for the corresponding microsoft tools which would be overkill - I'm just dabbling, not a pro and not a student either.

Visual Studio Express is freeware and should be fine for compiling some projects and for dabbling.

Yes, I have that. I think it was somehow related to needing Windows Server 2008 to run the Windows version of whatever it was. My use of the word "compiling" was a bit all-embracing.

As I said in the other thread. I use Debian Wheezy with packages from Backports (kernel, graphics drivers, etc). I use MATE as my desktop of choice.

I wouldn't recommend it though. Debian is always stale compared to every other Desktop, unless you run the Testing (currently Jessie) branch. For example, Steam will not install on Debian Wheezy, and the recently released Unreal engine demos no not work either due to glibc being too old. Debian is usually my server OS of choice, but about 6 months ago I dropped Linux Mint in favor of Debian for my desktop. After beating my head against it for quite a bit, I got a usable desktop out of it.

Nope. Big waste of time IMO. 😀

Distributions like Linux are great for people that just need Internet access and want to save money in licensing costs. But as soon as you want to something even remotely complex you quickly run into something that doesn't work.

For me there is no substitute to Windows. I love MS software, couldn't live without it and they can take my money no problem.

Linux is awesome!!

laxdragon wrote:

As I said in the other thread. I use Debian Wheezy with packages from Backports (kernel, graphics drivers, etc). I use MATE as my desktop of choice.

I wouldn't recommend it though. Debian is always stale compared to every other Desktop, unless you run the Testing (currently Jessie) branch. For example, Steam will not install on Debian Wheezy, and the recently released Unreal engine demos no not work either due to glibc being too old. Debian is usually my server OS of choice, but about 6 months ago I dropped Linux Mint in favor of Debian for my desktop. After beating my head against it for quite a bit, I got a usable desktop out of it.

L O L That was my experience with Debian Wheezy exactly also. It's lovely when it works but OMGOSH is it a pain in the ass should you want to do anything else. 🤣
I tried using it for a while after I switched from Mint but man I just found everyway to destroy it possible 🤣. Eventually I gave up and switched to fedora and all my woes are gone (except for the fact that linux lacks any real AutoCAD style software). I even have steam on fedora it's wonderful since there are now something like 700+ games to choose from.

I put slacko puppy linux on most of my old machines so they can get on the net without issue, as its gotten to the point firefox3\opera 10x don't display things correctly anymore

Doesn't even need the linux file systems, it can run off the same fat32 or ntfs partition win9x\2k\XP does.

AlphaWing wrote:

Doesn't even need the linux file systems, it can run off the same fat32 or ntfs partition win9x\2k\XP does.

I hear about new Linux variants every now and then that don't require fancy repartitioning and/or can actually use a swap file on the same partition as the rest of the Linux installation. (I remember toying with PhatLinux way back around 1999 or so.) They never seem to catch on.

Last time I checked, Fedora Core does by default try to use some sort of "logical volume manager" when you install it, but that just breaks compatibility with any other tool you might want to use to access its partitions.

I'm running a broken, unable to successfully migrate out of deprecated stuff Arch Linux on my laptop.

I only really use it for browsing without the risk of stupid viruses. And for occasionally running stuff that runs better under Linux than windows. (Incidentally many windows games I play actually function better under Wine than legitimate windows, how the hell is that possible?)