this post was submitted on 09 Jul 2023
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I'd need to check into whether Linux is also viable with the software I use: I'm starting a game design degree in September, so there's a wide variety of software, including the Adobe suite, that I'll be tied to for at least the next three years.
It's also worth to mention that there are options like Blender/Krita/Godot wich are quite good and don't require tooling like Wine.
But those might not be a viable option if your courses are specific to Adobe products.
But really, check those out anyways, it's worth it.
My plan at the moment, I think, is to wait until I have a full list of which softwares I'll be using (which I won't get until the course begins - the college pays for it all), and then make a decision. Based on the partial list I have, about half are compatible with Linux. I do also have the option of having Linux on my desktop and Windows on my laptop.
I'm definitely going to do some more research. The last time I looked into it, Linux wasn't compatible with the vast majority of the software I used and games I played, and there weren't many suitable alternatives. That situation has definitely changed by the looks of it, so I just need to research some more specific things.
For anything that you really can't get on Linux:
People have probably told you that Wine is the way to use it anyways, but maybe no one's mentioned Bottles which makes using Wine dead easy. Most of the time you can sort of just open up Bottles, run the installer for the software through there, make sure Bottles knows where the .exe is for the actual program is and you're good to go.
Brilliant recommendation, thank you! I was looking at Wine and feeling a bit intimidated by it. Bottles looks more straightforward.
it's possible to run windows in a VM on Linux (Microsoft even provides one intended for developers)
That's a good strategy and it makes sense. Don't forget that you don't have to decide for one alternative or the other. You could always have multiple options available and use them as suitable.
Just out of curiosity: when was the last time you looked into Linux?
Oh, it was a good while ago. I thought it was 3 years, but it was definitely pre-Covid, so it's probably more like 4 or 5 or more. I was annoyed with Windows (not that I can recall now exactly what it specifically did that irked me, but I do remember yelling at it so it was probably bad), so looked into alternatives, and the biggest thing that stopped me was the MMO I was playing a lot at the time was not compatible and nobody had found a way of convincing the two to work together. That has definitely changed since then.
Most software works with wine anymore, including the adobe suite. Be warned there is probably going to be some tinkering to get it working perfectly, but nothing a bit of searching can't solve.
I feel like it's worth keeping in mind that you'll likely be able to continue using some iteration of locally stored Windows for quite a while. The point at which Windows 10 becomes unusable is likely well past the point at which it makes sense for most people to use Windows 11 or whatever comes next.
I've definitely straight up skipped Windows releases before and kept moving along just fine. Of course that depends on what you're working on and how much control you have over your own PC in the context of whatever class or company you're dealing with.
But even then, there's nothing to say you can't dual-boot or run a second machine over a network and synergy the things together.
Personally, I've been using Windows 10 exclusively on my own machine for quite a while now, but I don't like much of anything that I've heard about 11 so far. If it came down to letting Microsoft control most of my usage of my PC or to using Linux as my primary OS, I feel like it would be worth the hassle.
Oh yeah, for sure. I'm definitely keeping that option in mind, if only because there's inevitably going to be some software or games that just won't work in Linux. Having Windows 10 available for when it's needed just makes sense, and its ability to be annoying is reduced if it's essentially quarantined on its own hard drive where I can ignore it except when I need it. I have also skipped Windows releases in the past, and I don't think I've ever voluntarily gone to a new one rather than been pushed due to hardware or software requirements.
Have to agree with you on Windows 11, too. My laptop has 11. I thought when I bought it that it was shipping with 10, but it came pre-installed with 11. It's not completely horrible in terms of actual functionality, so it's tolerable for a device I'm using solely for college work. But there's no denying it also gives me creepy vibes that I mostly just try not to think about. I do feel like 11 is spying on me in a way that 10 doesn't. It might be getting a reformat once the warranty has expired, though I also have to acknowledge how irrational it sounds to say "I'm reformatting you because you creep me out." 😀
Ngl, getting those tools working on Linux is going to be as marketable as working with them in the first place
Get hacking!
Ha! Yeah, I can definitely see that being an incredibly marketable skill, but I would not even know where to start!
You can always run a windows VM on your linux computer. I used to do that when I had to use citrix receiver for work.
It's definitely an option under consideration, but one of the softwares I use that doesn't work correctly in Linux is also very resource intensive, and VM's are less efficient in that area. So I think in that instance, dual-booting is more suitable. But the suggestion is appreciated. 🙂