this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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I have used Windows all my life, and I have some questions. (lemmy.world)
submitted 17 hours ago by ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Basically the forced shift to the enshittified Windows 11 in october has me eyeing the fence a lot. But all I know about Linux is 1: it's a cantankerous beast that can smell your fear and lack of computer skills and 2: that's apparently not true any more? Making the change has slowly become a more real possibility for me, though I'm pretty much a fairly casual PC-user, I don't do much more than play games. So I wrote down some questions I had about Linux.

Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a "Linux Update" program like what Windows has?

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

And also, what distro might be best for me?

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[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 3 points 17 hours ago

Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?

Many games with draconian anti cheat don't work. You can check that on https://areweanticheatyet.com/ and https://www.protondb.com/.

Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?

Do you mean creating or applying mods? Some of the tools might not run out of the box. But for most mods you actually just have to place the files in the correct folder.

If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?

Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?

Wine is the program used to run Windows software. It is used by Steam together with some other tools under the name Proton or Steam Play. It is best to use Wine with a helper frontend like Bottles. That creates an encapsulated Windows environment for every program and helps you in keeping potentially conflicting workarounds separate from each other.

But you can also run Wine standalone. Then every program will be installed to the same fake-Windows environment.

Missing libraries like .Net or the Visual C++ Runtime are actually the most common pitfall when trying to run Windows software on Linux. Bottles, Steam and other helpers will aid in their installation.

How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a "Linux Update" program like what Windows has?

Every distribution has an application repository that also contains the system files. In general you update everything at once through one interface.

How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?

Open source makes it more safe. You have more eyes on the software. And something that is only safe because nobody knows how it works isn't really safe.

Antivirus software's is not necessary. Neither is it necessary on Windows. It makes a system less secure because it opens up more possibilities of something going wrong. There have been enough cases of anti virus software with security issues on Windows. Or even anti virus software attacking important system files directly.

That said, if you still want to install a virus scanner there is ClamAV.

Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux

AMD and Intel greatly, because they are open source. They are integrated and don't need any configuration or installation.

Nvidia is worse. You have to install them yourself and sometimes they are unstable. But it's not worse than on Windows.

Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?

Only if you really try and even then it's probably impossible. Hardware nowadays has many safeguards.

And also, what distro might be best for me?

If you have friends or family already using Linux you should install what they use.

I like OpenSUSE Tumbleweed.