I’ve been seeing all these posts about Linux lately, and looking at them, I can honestly see the appeal. I’d love having so much autonomy over the OS I use, and customize it however I like, even having so many options to choose from when it comes to distros. The only thing holding me back, however, is incompatibility issues. A lot of programs I work with very often are Windows-exclusive, and alternatives supporting Linux are rare. So I guess I’m stuck with Windows, since I deem those particular programs really important.
Any advice from Linux nerds here? All constructive replies are very appreciated.
You mostly don’t because Linux desktop is kind of a “collective delusion”. You either assume you’ll be using alternatives that aren’t compatible with your current applications and potentially deal with collaboration issues with users of such apps or stick with Windows.
https://tadeubento.com/2023/linux-desktop-a-collective-delusion/
When it comes to distros I suggest you keep to Debian and use Flatpak to install software - this will give you a rock solid OS with all the latest version of the applications you might want to use. Flatpak apps can be installed from the GNOME Software “store” GUI which makes things really convenient.
Speaking about office, LibreOffice is great, however it isn’t as good as people like to sell it. Take for instance this simple documented I created in MS Word, side-by-side, it can’t even properly display a simple document with some headings and a few bullet points:
Things like that print screen and what is written on the article are the hard facts that people like to avoid and downvote, but it is what it is. Linux is great, but not in most desktop use case scenarios.
deleted by creator
No, it is why Linux becomes an unviable alternative - you can’t open and edit a document and be sure it won’t get messed up in some way.
deleted by creator
The amount of times I’ve had this argument in the office is untrue. I think the default values aren’t stored in the docx file or something like that, but when you manually set a value it does store it in the docx.
Then you have the whole proprietary blobs in a “open” standard to deal with.
The worst offenders are people who format with tabs and spaces and wonder why it’s all messed up.
You’re missing the point, if you get a document from a MS Office user you can’t simply view it or print it and assume the result will be what the user intended it to be. Same applies in reverse if you make changes to the document. This makes LibreOffice unsuitable and not a real alternative.
No, the problem is that most people on this post want it both ways, want to say that LibreOffice is 100% perfect and can fit 100% of uses cases and be used for collaboration and at the same time say stuff like you said “It’s not messed up, though. It’s just set to a different value.”. Its one thing or the other, not both.
And for what’s worth is shouldn’t be “set to a different value” because it breaks compatibility and LibreOffice say it does the best they can to ensure compatibility with MS Office formats.
deleted by creator
I know a LOT of people who’ve been doing this since Office 97 and formatting holds across computers. And to be fair it seems to hold a lot better between older and newer versions of MS Office than with LibeOffice.
Every single docx file that I opened in a recent LibreOffice version looked exactly as intended. What features specifically are you talking about that dont work?
Look at my screenshot above. Do you call that “looked exactly as intended”?
deleted by creator
You guys want to have it both ways, first you’ll say that Office online is the ultimate solution for every Linux user that needs to collaborate with MS Office users and now this. lol
The LibreOffice stuff generally has a workaround, even if frustrating. Most general use stuff on Linux is fine (again, not without pain wrt interoperability with my other systems).
My issue with Linux is the stuff that just doesn’t run at all (software and HW). For niche stuff, you can occasionally find a halfway implemented bridge utility made by a well-meaning (and brilliant!) enthusiast, but, in my cases, it either doesn’t work or is too glitchy to be anything more than a effort to see if I can get it to run as opposed to doing the task I set out to do originally. Add to that the fact that your (paid) software and HW is explicitly unsupported and at best at a “you’re on your own” status, and it becomes a high risk proposition.
Make no mistake - trying to get stuff to work is fun in and of itself. I use Linux. It’s fun. It’s breathed fresh life into old machines. It was my daily driver for years. Etc.
Ultimately, I really, really wish more proprietary software and associated HW supported Linux. I’m happy to pay for stuff I need/want that is outside of the FOSS world. But until devs of commercial products recognize the value of investing in Linux, it’s a game of whackamole.
In meantime, I still try to get my stuff to work on Linux. It’s a much better OS, but to successfully run the stuff I need I am confined to Windows (with WSL) - unfortunately.