I have a home built PC that I want to get off Windows 11.
Specs:
- Ryzen 3700X, upgrading to a 5800X3D soon
- RTX 2080 Super
- 500GB NVME for OS, 2TB SATA SSD for files, programs, etc.
- 1440p Ultrawide monitor
- an 8bitdo Ultimate controller
Usage:
- I usually play indie games, emulators, and occasional AAA games. Most of my library is on Steam, with some games on GOG, e.g. Cyberpunk.
- I have an original Steam Link in my living room, and I use it to play games from my PC on the couch. Does Steam on Linux even support this?
- I also write game mods, so I need a distro that is a good fit for software development (C++, Python, and Lisp).
- Random miscellany: I use mullvad VPN, stream movies from a friend’s plex server, and use an SFTP client to back up photos and videos from my phone.
I’ve been an on/off Linux user in the past, so I know my way around basic/intermediate terminal usage and configuration. Buuuut every previous attempt to move to Linux ended in disaster, so I have little patience for asterisks, strings attached, etc. If you’re offering a distro I’ve never heard of before, you’re probably gonna be hard pressed to convince me.
Thanks for the help!
In general, yes, but that’s usually considered bad advice to do from untrusted sources, where as the main Mullvad page would be considered a trusted source, IMO. I understand the sentiment in general isn’t a good idea, though.
I think sometimes, depending on what is going on in someone’s life, you simply do not have the energy, time, or inclination to learn the intricacies of how to use a new technology.
As an example, if someone has kids and is fairly stressed out from their job, and thus has limited free time, it would likely not be at all appealing to have to dive through a manual to learn the intricacies of a still niche distro to learn how to install their VPN (as someone would have to do if they were using it on their own, and not just following the commands of an internet stranger without researching it).
While I do think it’s generally good to challenge yourself and be willing to learn new things to avoid learned helplessness, realistically all of us have limited time, and depending on someone’s goals and inclination, learning more in-depth sysadmin skills may not be desirable, and different people have different tolerance levels for troubleshooting; some find it fun, other may find it infuriating.
As an example, a professional musician who wants to switch to linux likely would prefer not to have learn the intricacies of Jack, how it’s replaced by Pipewire, how to configure the kernel to perform best for low-latency tasks, ensuring their user profile in the correct admin group to access the correct permissions, etc. They very likely instead just want to get back to making music so they can do their job without having to divert from their main task just to learn how to go back to doing their main task.
I think it’s quite reasonable that some people may prefer the most direct path to the tasks they normally perform, and may become frustrated at having to learn a totally new skill set to go back to performing their original task.