this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023

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What can you do on Linux that you can't do on Windows? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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edit: hey guys, 60+ comments, can't reply from now on, but know that I am grateful for your comments, keep the convo going. Thank you to the y'all people who gave unbiased answers and thanks also to those who told me about Waydroid and Docker

edit: Well, now that's sobering, apparently I can do most of these things on Windows with ease too. I won't be switching back to Windows anytime soon, but it appears that my friend was right. I am getting FOMO Fear of missing out right now.

I do need these apps right now, but there are some apps on Windows for which we don't have a great replacement

Adobe
MS word (yeah, I don't like Libre and most of Libre Suit) it's not as good as MS suite, of c, but it's really bad.
Games ( a big one although steam is helping bridge the gap)
Many torrented apps, most of these are Windows specific and thus I won't have any luck installing them on Linux.
Apparently windows is allowing their users to use some Android apps?

Torrented apps would be my biggest concern, I mean, these are Windows specific, how can I run them on Linux? Seriously, I want to know how. Can wine run most of the apps without error? I am thinking of torrenting some educational software made for Windows.

Let me list the customizations I have done with my xfce desktop and you tell me if I can do that on Windows.

I told my friend that I can't leave linux because of all the customization I have done and he said, you just don't like to accept that Windows can do that too. Yeah, because I think it can't do some of it (and I like Linux better)

But yeah, let's give the devil it's due, can I do these things on Windows?

I have applications which launch from terminal eg: vlc would open vlc (no questions asked, no other stuff needed, just type vlc)
Bash scripts which updates my system (not completely, snaps and flatpaks seem to be immune to this). I am pretty sure you can't do this on Windows.
I can basically automate most of my tasks and it has a good integration with my apps.
I can create desktop launchers.
Not update my system, I love to update because my updates aren't usually 4 freaking GB and the largest update I have seen has been 200-300 mbs, probably less but yeah, I was free to not update my PC if I so choose. Can you do this on Windows? And also, Linux updates fail less often, I mean, it might break your system, but the thing won't stop in the middle and say "Bye Bye, updates failed" and now you have to waste 4GB again to download the update. PS: You should always keep your apps upto date mostly for security reasons, but Linux won't force it on you and ruin your workflow.
Create custom panel plugin.

My understanding is that the Windows terminal sucks? I don't know why, it just looks bad.

I am sure as hell there are more but this is at the top of my mind rn, can I do this on Windows. Also, give me something that you personally do on Linux but can't do it on Windows.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can be root on GNU/Linux, you cannot on Windows or any other nasty proprietary OS.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Hold the meta key and click+drag to move applications around

this varies depending on Desktop Environment

But holy crap do I accidentally select text or drag files randomly around when intending to move a window (on windows)

edit: in case I wasn't clear of when my issues arise

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Nothing. Also everything.

You can probably do most of not all of the things I do on Linux on a regular basis on windows just as well. But at this point I feel like I have a reverse "Windows is the default" effect going on since for me Linux has been and is the default for over 10 years.

When I start work in the morning I turn on my Linux laptop to ssh into some Linux servers (and RDP to the occasional windows servers/desktops).

After work I play games on my Linux handheld or do some work on my Linux desktop. Maybe move some files on my Linux Nas.

Like I said I could probably do all of this on windows. It would be a major change and in would have to relearn some things in addition to figuring out how to do some stuff on windows that I just never do. But at this point why even bother. There are a lot of ideological reasons to move to Linux there might be some technical reasons on either side but I just don't have any pull to use windows unless I need to (some special program/firmware updater whatever) for which I do have an install hanging around, which I boot once in 6months or so

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (3 children)

@Subject6051 download and install at no cost, customize/change DE or not use one at all and opt for a simple window manager, use a packet manager to download and install applications

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not update my system

You can't do that on Windows, the updates are forced on you.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You definitely can with Group Policies.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not sure what Windows version is OP referring to but I was talking about Windows 10 (regular, not enterprise) and based on what I've been reading about Windows 11 I assume it's either the same or worse.

So to give you more details, in regular Windows 10 you cannot block Windows updates. I tried everything - stopping and disabling the service, changing system/WU settings, editing registry, editing group policy, blocking Windows Update with firewall, blocking their domains in HOST file and any other advise available online, even setting the connection a metered - Windows just ignores all of it and downloads and installs updates anyway. Just because some settings exist doesn't mean enabling them will work as you would expect. It's fucking ridiculous. Fuck Microsoft.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (12 children)

what's the price of windows these days?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Flatpaks can be updated via shell scripts with something like flatpak update -y - what trouble are you having?

As for things that Linux can do that Windows can't the list is literally endless. I think the biggest one for me is that the system does what I tell it to do. I'm not begging my computer to do things, I am commanding it. I don't want my OS to think for itself and second-guess me, and I don't want my computer to tell me "no". Also, being able to use a filesystem made within the last 30 years could be considered useful depending on if you value your data. ZRAM is another neat trick that seems obvious in hindsight. Linux has all the cool experimental technology first, and it takes a long time to end up on Windows, if ever.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

insert uninstall bootloader meme

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

On sway I have this setup that lets me run two instances of any lan-only game in a couch co-op side by side configuration, each window getting its own mouse and keyboard or gamepad.
Setting up a keybind to do an arbitrary thing is so easy on sway that I'll set one up just for one task I'm working on then delete it later.
Put a task bar on the left, the right, the top, half of the screen, the middle of the screen? Whatever, go wild.
BTRFS with Timeshift leveraging BTRFS's COW system to give me essentially free backups that I can boot into? Saved my tailfeathers a few times.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can install Cygwin in windows and do everything you list but if you don’t NEED windows for something why use it?

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I started using Linux for some Radio Astronomy project. The tools were made with Linux in mind. Running said tools would have needed cygWin. WSL did not exist at the time, but that would still be using Linux.

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