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.

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)

musaoruc,

Well you can’t really use something not useful to you. Yes Linux is very nice but at the end of the day you gotta use the thing that gets the job done.

cybersandwich,

Agree.

Take this from someone who has spent entirely too long fighting to make certain software and games work on Linux…seriously way too much time.

Just dual boot. It’s the best of both worlds. You can spend your time in Linux but when you want to play that game or need to use your special software you can just switch into it.

It also gives you the flexibility to try alternative software but you always know you have the real deal on your windows partition if you get stuck.

fr_mg,

Depends on the game and version of windows…old games with new windows 99% of time won´t work.

cybersandwich,

It always depends on the game and the software. Sometimes even games and software that should run well on Linux have issues. At some point you’ll realize you’re spending more time troubleshooting thab enjoying the game or using the software.

I’ve had that realization with Apex. It works fine 80% flawlessly on PopOS. But over the last year there has been a bug or something that throws an error. It’s always after updates. A file fails to update all the way so I have to manually revalidate game files and download the ones that are inevitably broken.

I was spending 5-10-15minutes fighting this issue each time I wanted to play and I have a finite amount of time these days. So as soon as the error happens, I restart into windows and play.

It’s unfortunate since it’s been flawless until recently, but at the end of the day I want to play apex not troubleshoot proton,respawn,steam, and PopOS.

fr_mg,

Since many years i do not play because have no time for that, including the fixing the issues. Used to play and like to fix issues because that is a good learning technique.

grue,

I hate rebooting to play games (or even just closing my other software, for that matter), so I choose to reject games I’d have to reboot for.

BURN,

I chose to reject Linux for this same reason. I was rebooting 4-5 times daily to be able to play games, so I just reset the default to windows

SomethingBurger,

Depends on the program.

  • Games: Proton works well 99% of the time.
  • Office: I use LibreOffice as much as possible. At work, I use the Web version of MS Office; it doesn’t have all features of the desktop version but it’s good enough for my use case.
  • Media editing (music, image, video): GIMP, Krita, Kdenlive and Ardour are more than enough for my personal use.

In general, I would recommend trying the Linux alternative, and if it’s not good enough, use a Windows VM or dual-boot. If you spend 90% of your time in Photoshop or any other professional software without a Linux version or feature-complete alternative, you should stay on Windows, and maybe use Linux only when you’re not working.

s38b35M5,
@s38b35M5@lemmy.world avatar

Have you compared kdenlive to shotcut? Wondering how they compare as I’ve been working with SC for a few months an dfinally getting used to it, but the lack of a titler feature is a glaring omission.

JetpackJackson,

I second this, OP, this is pretty much the state of it, but I do recommend trying out a Linux program called Wine, it can run some windows programs in your Linux environment. It’s not always the best, but I run a circuit making program there and I only had a bit of issue once. I just wanted to mention wine since some stuff works well with it, but now I’m realizing a VM might be better if it’s multiple programs lol. Oh well.

bobs_monkey,

Which circuit maker?

JetpackJackson,

LTspice

penquin,
@penquin@lemmy.kde.social avatar

Depends on what you use. I’ve used Linux for 6 years and I’ve never needed any windows exclusive app. I still do have a laptop that’s running windows for just in case. I literally only open it once a week or so to update it, that’s it. For my use case, Linux has everything.

grue,

I don’t even have a single computer in my house with Windows on it anymore, and haven’t for years. Even the disused Windows 7 install I had sitting on an SSD gathering dust in a drawer has now been relegated to a disk image file.

bdonvr,

Wine/Proton can run a huge amount of Windows programs.

Honestly though I’ve just been using Linux for 8 or so years now and just find some other solution. For general computing it really isn’t hard at all. Perhaps if you have some weird proprietary work software or absolutely need Adobe it could be an issue

TCB13,
@TCB13@lemmy.world avatar

Wine/Proton can run a huge amount of Windows programs.

Except for everything that people usually want such as the latest MS Office. Or that nice program developed for Windows 98 that works flawlessly under Windows 11 and it totally broken under 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

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

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)

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.

slacktoid,
@slacktoid@lemmy.ml avatar

If you must and you have the hardware maybe run Windows in a VM just for those applications. You can even suspend the vm state to resume from where you were.

featherfurl,

My approach has been to slowly learn how to play to the strengths of Linux and not pine after anything on Windows because ultimately I’ve gained a lot more than I’ve lost.

The one piece of software I haven’t been able to avoid keeping around is Sigma Studio, so I have a 10 year old shit top for running it, but it also runs in a VM if I need it. Thankfully I only need to use it once or twice a year.

If you rely on multiple pieces of software for important everyday activities and they aren’t usable in wine or a VM, you probably have no choice but to use the operating system that is the best vehicle for those tools. Doesn’t stop you from also using linux for other stuff, but I can understand how that’s not the same as going all in.

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