Are you using or have you tried linux?

[Independent voter]

I've tried linux several times over the years, slack, debian, unbutu and now I'm thinking of uninstalling win 10 and trying Arch linux.

Problem is sooner or later there is also something that winds up making me reinstall windows, usually something I can't do in linux, last time it was a device driver for my wifi.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

If you want something that is fairly similar to Windows, try Mint.

[Slant]

I've tried linux several times over the years, slack, debian, unbutu and now I'm thinking of uninstalling win 10 and trying Arch linux.

Problem is sooner or later there is also something that winds up making me reinstall windows, usually something I can't do in linux, last time it was a device driver for my wifi.

I'm going to get a super deal on an iMac soon. I will install Linux on it and have the best of both worlds permanently. Windows 10 for gaming, Linux for everything else. I'm looking forward to programs working the way they should.

[Gheld]

dabbled in it in the past when it was the only way to be accepted by the IRC crowd.

[Deleted]

I tried it (Ubuntu) twice or so some years ago, but didn't really like it.
In general, I stick to Mac OSX as much as possible, and use Windows if absolutely necessary.

[ComputerNerd]

I have an XP machine I will likely try Linux on at some point in the future.
Linux Mint most likely given what I have read about so far.

[kail]

I installed Ubuntu on my laptop when I had one at high school. Figured I could still do what I normally do on the laptop (browse Web, type documents, stream stuff) while adding in a different and great looking UI. That and I liked getting the question from classmates "What laptop is that???"

For my desktop, I could dual-boot. But I end up realizing that there would be little point for what I normally do on my PC. Would rather keep the software and games compatibility with Windows but wouldn't mind a more Linux focus by game devs. Ubuntu's GUI > any Windows.

[Tziva]

I ran Debian as a dual boot on a laptop for years (this would have been like 17 years ago). I'm not even sure if that distribution exists anymore.

[Reinhard von Lohengramm]

I typically don't like running a dual boot config on my systems, as for everyday use I'll eventuallyshift to just using one and one only. Typically this is Windows due to MS Office (OneNote specifically). That being said... I've a fair bit of experience with Linux. This past semester I installed Mint Cinnamon on a VM to do work in C for a class. Last year I had to use an Ubuntu VM for a different class.

I'm not opposed to Linux but I'll only actively use OS's with a desktop interface similar to Windows; Microsoft got the design down right about 20 years ago, and everyone that does something else is doing it wrong IMO. I'm looking at you guys specifically, OS X Aqua and Ubuntu Unity.

[Deleted]

I ran Debian as a dual boot on a laptop for years (this would have been like 17 years ago). I'm not even sure if that distribution exists anymore.

Debian is up there with the most popular distros that exist, although primarily for servers. And on top of that Ubuntu and a load of other distros are forked from it. So yeah, it still exists :P

OT: Once or twice for desktop/laptop though I don't bother with that anymore. All personal servers I manage run Debian.

[Kujako]

I use Linux for a lot of things, but mostly just server-based stuff.

For my personal/gaming computer? Hell no.

More or less ditto. Anyplace where the software changes infrequently, it's great. If you're going to be installing, upgrading, changing software often... it hurts.

[J Allen Brack]

I've used Linux based security stuff as a boot disk/USB to diagnose hard drive stuff... and crack a wifi password or two when I was broke without internet in an apartment complex. I'm just too much of a lazy asshole and basic bitch to actually use it so I just stick to my unauthenticated Windows 7, which Microshit can pry from my cold, cheeto-dusted hands. 7 is basically the new XP as far as I'm concerned.

[Masark]

I ran Debian as a dual boot on a laptop for years (this would have been like 17 years ago). I'm not even sure if that distribution exists anymore.

Oh, very. Debian is about the third most popular distribution.

It's also one of the major parent distributions, alongside Slackware, Fedora/Red Hat, and Arch. Both of the distros more popular than Debian (Ubuntu and Mint) are downstream of it.

[Butler to Baby Sloths]

I ran Debian as a dual boot on a laptop for years (this would have been like 17 years ago). I'm not even sure if that distribution exists anymore.

Sure it does Very popular with the enterprise sector.

[Deleted]

Why would one use it? I have no idea what it really is either tbh.

I have never even seen it or even know anyone that uses it. I dont even think I have ever heard anyone mention it even.

[I Push Buttons]

Why would one use it? I have no idea what it really is either tbh.

I have never even seen it or even know anyone that uses it. I dont even think I have ever heard anyone mention it even.

Something teens and twenty somethings use so they can brag about not shilling for Microsoft to people who otherwise couldn't give a shit.

[Vash The Stampede]

All but one of my PCs run Linux. Specifically Mint 17.3, with one test machine running Ubuntu 16.04. My main gaming PC still runs Linux, cause Valve failed to get developers to bring all games to Linux. And Wine is really terrible. It doesn't even have DX10/DX11 support yet.

But it works good if you don't intend to play a lot of games on the machine, or the games you play do happen to work. But no Fallout 4, Dark Souls 3, and etc. So I'm forced to have at least one Windows machine.

[May90]

I don't like Linux as a main OS, but I do have it on my laptop, since physics research is mostly done in Unix nowadays, and I resent Mac OS enough to use Linux instead. I have a dual boot with Windows though.

I ran Debian as a dual boot on a laptop for years (this would have been like 17 years ago). I'm not even sure if that distribution exists anymore.

Debian is still up and running, but, as far as I know, it doesn't have a reputation of being very user friendly, and it is more popular among programmers and such. Most regular folks use Ubuntu, Fedora Core, etc.

[jellmoo]

It's been a few years since I have, and sadly my distro of choice is no longer around (Crunchbang). I'm starting to feel the itch again though. I may just try my hand at using Debian with Openbox, but I'm also really curious to see how XFCE is these days.

[Blueobelisk]

You can dual-boot Windows and Linux.

This is the correct answer. Not sure why you need one over the other. Just use whatever's better for the situation.