How do y'all deal with programs not supported on Linux?

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.

Lettuceeatlettuce,
@Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml avatar

I personally only use Linux now for all my computers. I follow a philosophy for any software solutiom I need that goes like this:

  1. Use a FOSS solution or,
  2. Use a proprietary solution that has a native Linux build/browser version or,
  3. Use a cracked/pirated version in Wine/Windows VM.

Personally, I am absolutely committed to no more Windows for my personal computing, I have been for years. That means that if I cannot do one of those three options in that order, I don’t use that software/solution.

Unless you are doing a lot of specialized software work, those three options should have you covered. I’m curious what software you use that doesn’t work with any of those 3 categories.

Advanced CAD/CAM stuff there isn’t much in FOSS. Same with specialized Audio production work and advanced photo-manipulation. Specialized device support can be spotty too, but that varies wildly. Those are the only software categories off the top of my head that I know don’t really have good FOSS solutions.

Presi300,
@Presi300@lemmy.world avatar

All the programs I use just run on linux, no really. VSCode runs on linux, I’ve used libre office for longer than I’ve used Linux (and it obviously runs on linux), all my faves run on linux through steam or lutris.

However, if there is a windows only program you wanna run on linux, you have a few options.

I’d just cross running it though wine out, it’s really annoying to setup and my original success rate with it had been… Not great.

If your program isn’t terribly graphically demanding, you might be able to run it via a windows virtual machine. It’s not perfect but for lighter programs or visual studio, it works.

If your program is graphically demanding (e.g. Adobe suite, CorelDraw, Autocad, etc…) you’re kinda out of luck and will have to dual boot… (Or loose your sanity trying to get them working through wine)

Lemmchen, (edited )
  1. Use alternative that is FLOSS
  2. Use alternative in the browser
  3. Try WINE/Proton
  4. Use Windows VM
  5. Use dedicated Windows machine
thepiguy,

I try my best to look for open source alternatives. If a company does not support Linux, they don’t deserve my support as someone who has only used linux for almost 5 years now. Luckily I am not dragged all the way up into many of these ecosystems which don’t work on Linux

Tattorack,
@Tattorack@lemmy.world avatar

I already used open source programs on Windows. The programs I’m using to do all my work with are Krita, Blender 3D, Gimp, and Libre Office.

They either started out on Linux or support Linux natively, so switching to Linux didn’t really change any of the programs I use. The biggest change is playing games, but Valve has made it very pain free.

asexualchangeling,

Oh hey, same here! I’ve always been pretty poor so open source programs were the easiest way to do a lot of things

And can I just say, GIMP opens way faster in linux it really took me by supprise the first time

lordgoose,

I’m not sure which programs you’re using so hopefully something here can help but here’s some stuff I’ve read/done:

  • For MS Office, I believe you can just use it in your web browser or use LibreOffice as an alternative.
  • If you use anything Adobe-based, you’ll probably have to keep a Windows partition around or find an alternative. I haven’t seen anything for running Adobe in WINE or WINE-based tools and I’m not sure if Adobe functions in a virtual machine or not.
  • Most gaming-related issues can be dealt with via Proton (Steam’s compatibility tool). I’ve successfully gotten just about every game I play to run in Proton, with the only issues being EA’s launcher (the game still launches though).

If you have any specific programs that you have questions about, feel free to ask. Hope this helps!

toastal,

Try WINE. Raise issue with devs. Or just decide not to use it.

ryn,
@ryn@lemmy.ml avatar

write my own

captain_aggravated,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

Can you give us specific examples of the programs you use, and what you use them for?

Evotech,

Certified Linux answer

captain_aggravated,
@captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works avatar

I mean, it took me awhile to learn the names of all the software I currently use. And in some fields, it’s still “Yeah there’s not a good substitute.”

erasebegin,

wipe the linux partitions and get back to a life of convenience and productivity. until another 6 months have passed and I think “maybe this time…”

phoenixz,

I recently reinstalled Linux. 5 minutes download, 5 minutes USB write, 15 minutes install including setting up an encrypted drive, everything works out of the box. Installling the graphics driver for my RX 7800 was “hard” because it was two steps instead of one, and that added an additional 5-10 minutes. Now I’m having convenience and productivity beyond all coworkers who constantly battle with windows problems, but hey, windows is windows, it always has some issues, it’s fine.

Over this past weekend I installed Windows 11. 1.5 times the size. Took about 7 minutes to download, 20 minutes to write to usb, fine.

Then the nightmare started.

First try: boot windows installer, go to install, about 3 minutes later I get an error about windows installer needing drivers. Wut? Search the internet, turns out that windows installer won’t work if Linux partitions are available on the system. WTF, can’t just ignore them? Nope, I gotta screw out the m.2 drive. Fine.

Second try: boot windows installer, go to install, about 3 minutes later I get an error about windows installer needing drivers. Wut? Search again, find that windows installer can have driver issues if it sees a mix of m.2 drives and other devices. Fuck me. Open up the other side of the computer, disconnect the other drives. fine.

Third try: boot windows installer, go to install, about 3 minutes later I get an error about windows installer needing drivers. Wut? Search yet again and it turns out that windows can have issues if it’s using a mix of usb 2/3 port and device. Try a various different USB ports, keep running installer until find one that is accepted. Fine!

Thirteenth try: boot windows installer, go to install, about 3 minutes later I get a new error, turns out that you can’t use Linux ISO writers for windows installers, apparently Microsoft fucked around with why because we gotta make shit hard for non ms users, right? “Luckily” I had a virtual box install, rewrite the usb there.

Fourteenth try and hours later: boot windows installer, go to install, about 3 minutes later I get a new error. My AMD Rhyzen 5 64GB 3000MHz system with an AMD RX 7800 XT and 1TB m.2 dedicated to windows doesn’t match the specs for windows 1, it can’t run windows 11. That’s what it actually said. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! Search again, about an hour later I figre out that Microsoft finally started implementing the evil TPM system and it was disabled in the BIOS. Go to bios, enable it, now I can run the installer.

The install the requires 4 reboots just for the operating system, took about another hour to do so, it asked me loads of times if Microsoft could please please please sell me more shit that I don’t want, it required me to connect it to Microsoft services even though I don’t want that and finally I had a desktop. Installing graphics drivers took about another hour and a reboot.

Then I didn’t wanted to use Microsoft’s shit browser, at the least I prefer google to spy on me rather than Microsoft. Go download gogle Chrome, immediately get bombarded with “please no please use our shitty browser, you get the Microsoft experience ™!!!”

Welcome to the fucking Microsoft experience! It took me over 6 fucking hours to complete. I could have installed Linux arch in LESS time, a version known to be finicky and HARD.

Why does anyone pay money for windows? It’s insane. Their shit doesn’t work because Microsoft never cared a single shit about good software. They care about money and so their marketing department is doing the heavy lifting. Just lie to people, tell them that their shit is all superior and the “best experience”

I run into trouble with Linux sometimes, but NEVER this level of shitty incompetence and sabotage.

cows_are_underrated,

I could have installed Linux arch in LESS time, a version known to be finicky and HARD.

I recently had to install arch 3 times since. First time I fucked up, second try the system fucked up and third time worked. With me trying to fix the system this took me 2-3 hours. Most of them trying to fix the second install. The third time I used the installation script(which didn’t worked in the beginning) which made the install easy as hell taking about 10 minutes configuring the install and about 5 minutes installing everything. Later I just had to install gnome which were about 10 minutes total.

phoenixz,

And yet Microsoft in 2023 still is stuck with “this computer cannot run windows 11” when all that was wrong was that TPM was disabled in the bios. Just say you need TPM and that I need to enable it, why is it impossible for Microsoft to ever give a clear and concise error message?

statist43,

Everytime I install windows again for some reason, its always a fucked up hourlong shit. And after installing then comes the disableing of unnesessary bullshit it comea with.

Linux just works, I use Ubuntu because Im just a normal user, and I don’t know why people even use windows.

phoenixz,

Same, I don’t have a clue why people actually use and PAY for that shit. It’s like buying a new car. You get into he agency, get in, want to start and drive away but right out of the gate the battery is empty. Okay, let’s charge it? But yeeaaahhh, the great 12v standard that works everywhere doesn’t work for windowagon, you need a 15.9v because that way microshit can sabotage those people that just want to get from a to b without having to deal with their bullshit.

wviana,

It would be nice if you say in the post which apps are those that hold you. People would be able to suggest solutions.

Flaky,
@Flaky@iusearchlinux.fyi avatar

Depends. Steam and Proton handles most games and if not, I’ll check Lutris. FWIW, some games like Doom and RollerCoaster Tycoon (the Sawyer, 2D era) have open-source remakes that work on modern machines.

For regular software, I will try it in WINE and if it provides a good enough experience for daily use, I’ll keep it there. If it doesn’t, for any reason, I’ll stick it in a Windows VM. For instance, Exact Audio Copy will work fine in WINE provided you get .NET 3.5 installed for the MusicBrainz metadata plugin, but MusicBee has severe enough problems (font redirection problems, lag when scrolling, can’t drag tabs) for me that I just use it in a virtual machine or another PC. (I actually have another rig I’m considering using as a “jukebox” machine, since I have macOS on it and use it for Apple Music, so I’m compartmentalising my music to one machine if that makes sense)

sparr,

You’re no more stuck with Windows than a Mac user is stuck on a Mac.

skullgiver, (edited )
@skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    beirdobaggins,

    I’m a Linux admin at work and I use Linux for my main system.

    I do need to administer some Windows only things too. I got them to give me an older desktop system running windows that I leave running in my cube.

    Anytime I need to do Windows stuff I remote into that machine.

    rockandsock,

    One of my computers has windows on one of the ssds because I have to use windows for work software once every week or so for about 20-30 minutes and there are a few other windows programs that I need to use occasionally.

    Basically I use Windows for a couple of hours a month and Linux the rest of the time.

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    If they are Windows exclusive then your best bet is to simply run Windows in a virtual machine inside Linux and run the applications from there.

    Neil,
    @Neil@lemmy.ml avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    Zoidberg,

    How did you manage with video performance? I don’t game and have had a lot of experience with both vbox and kvm. Kvm performance for video is excruciatingly slow. It got to a point I said “that does it” and went back to vbox.

    OsrsNeedsF2P,

    Is there a good KVM GUI client like Virtual Box?

    ftbd,

    virt-manager

    Krause,
    @Krause@lemmygrad.ml avatar

    virt-manager.org

    apps.gnome.org/Boxes/

    danielfgom,
    @danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

    Yea KVM is great but it’s not so easy to pass device’s through. Whereas in Virtualbox you go to the menu, select devices, the type of device (eg usb) and then select the device (eg printer) to have it show up on Windows.

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