Conclusion
While Linux has been around for a very long time, it has been ignored for mainstream desktop use for most of its existence. However, two little words are being written more and more in the technology press: "and Linux." Two years ago, no one even bothered to check whether or not products would work with the free operating system, but now it's becoming compulsory to divulge Linux compatibility.
Critics and Windows fanboys say that switching to Linux will bring the same limitations as switching to Mac will, thus putting the user in a sandbox of limited options, while Windows works with a near limitless range of hardware and software. Linux is not like a Mac operating system. In fact, Linux will run on a wider range of hardware than even Windows.
As far as the software goes, free alternatives to most mission-critical applications for Ubuntu are just a download away. As an operating system, Linux is completely customizable, from the kernel to the GUI and beyond, which is not something that can be said about Windows.
The question is not “can Linux run it?” That has never been the question with regard to Linux. Instead, you can make it do just about anything that you want it to do. The more pointed question is: “just how much of a hassle is this going to be?” Being a do-it-yourselfer, I don't mind the challenge. Spending the hours needed to properly overclock a rig only to fill your system tray with CPU-draining security programs and a perpetually fragmenting file system is just plain absurd to me. Scouring reviews and feverishly price-checking the best components possible for the custom system of your dreams only to install a stock operating system seems self-defeating.
Competition drives innovation and there is no lack of competition in the Linux sphere. Today, I use Ubuntu because today Ubuntu is king. But tomorrow is a new day and Novell's OpenSUSE along with Red Hat's Fedora are looking to become usurpers to (or re-claimers of) the throne.
Then there are Dell and HP, which pre-install their own custom variants of Ubuntu in new systems. Intel developed the Moblin distribution and turned it over to the Linux Foundation earlier this month. Google's Linux-based Android operating system is making its way from mobile phones to netbooks. Is the desktop far behind? There are even more free options beyond Linux. BSD has been around for a long time, while Sun Microsystems offers the OpenSolaris operating system. The OpenOffice office suite and Virtual Box virtual machine are all free.
Today, we have more quality choices of operating systems than ever before, and choices are always a good thing. Choice inherently means that there are differences, and with computers, that usually leads to specialization. If you need to build a rig on the cheap or just like to do-it-yourself, then Linux is for you, and today the Ubuntu distribution is where to start. If you are a hardcore PC gamer, I'm afraid that due to DirectX 10, you're stuck with Vista (or waiting for Windows 7) for the time being. If you need your hand held, then go buy a Mac.
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An easier way of installing programs is in the terminal
type:
sudo apt-get install *app name here*
... i'm a n00b in LINUX, but UBUNTU... it iz a nice start... the GUI iz easy to pick up... the rest iz reading forums... i got even crysis to work in Ubuntu... just the problem waz, that there waz no textures... with WINE and DX instaled the need for speed series runs pretty fine... all OpenGL games, that i played, run fine too... the interesting thing where you can consider using Ubuntu iz a old computer for internet browsing... if tha CPU iz approx 1Ghz, tha RAM 256Mb, and a 5 series GeForce or 9 Series Radeon to do the COMPIZ eyecandy... then YOU have a better-than-Vista visual and browsing experience...
Meh, I've killed my XP install and I use Windows 7, which I actually like. Ubuntu doesn't cut it for me due to the lack of games.. otherwise I'd be all for alternatives.
Great article. Really like that you outlined how to install all the "good little stuff" and not just the OS it self. Thumbs up!
as soon as ubuntu can run .exe without a hitch, windows is out the...ugh...window.
Sir you are wrong. GoogleEarth and AdobeFlash is fully 64-bit compatible.
One issue that you may encounter is GoogleGears that is 32bit only, but you can easily find Gears for 64 bit (without Google trade mark).
Ya, I have multiple games that will not work no matter what i do. I have tried configuring WINE manually and Play on Linux and Steam games will not function properly for me, neither does Trackmania. Im not sure if its becuse i have SLI or what but it simply doesn't work. I would love to use Linux as my primary OS, but when i install Windows 7 and ALL of my drivers are installed and working correctly automatically without any hassle, even nvidia video drivers, that is something that Linux is not capable of yet with alot of systems. Until the majority of programs and drivers work natively with Linux, it will just be a niche OS on desktop computers.
Well, let's get this out of the way first: Linux is my primary OS. And I realize it's a kernel, so piss off you pedantic bastards.
@thepinkpanther: Linux ain't Windows. Linux is Linux, so if your goal is to run Windows apps all day, I don't think choosing Linux as your primary OS makes the most sense.
@fordry06: That certainly is a problem. Now, most hardware manufacturers don't disclose all the information about their hardware, so it's quite hard to write perfectly working drivers for OSes other than Windows. Although it's not Red Hat/SuSE/Ubuntu/(Insert Linux vendor here)'s fault, as a user, you don't really care about that, do you? Basically, for a lot of hardware out there, you have to fight to get it to work in Linux. For me, I got a bog standard laptop. In Ubuntu 9.04, pretty much everything I use worked out of the box. Now, certain things aren't working as well, such as my card reader only reading SD and MMC cards in Ubuntu... but I don't use anything other than SD cards. So for me, it's working just fine. For others... not so much. And regarding your games in Linux, see what I said above to thepinkpanther. Linux ain't Windows.
Well, having gravitated away from games, and not being particularly loyal to any company or OS or anything, I really honestly don't care if I'm on *gasp* a Mac or Windows or Linux. So it all works out for me. Hey, if you really want me to get philosophical then let me just say that I think you can enjoy life best when you stop caring about all the trivial things. Why should I care what Microsoft has to say about Apple or vice versa? Why should I care when a Linux zealot declares the start of the nineteenth Crusade against Sata- er, Bill Gates?
Flame on! or not.
Great article Adam! You are a man after my own heart! I rule over my computer with an iron fist and judiciously gut every MS OS I've own. I also drink no one's kool-aid (XP: 1.5GB Disk space, 19 running processes; Vista: 10GB Disk Space; 30 running processes). Ubuntu 9.04 is my primary OS and I absolutely love the amount of control I have. I now have no use for vista except for games. (Still working on that).
Summed it up quite nicely
Good! Er, well, not perfect, but good.
Linux (the kernel) has built-in 32-bit compatibility when running in 64-bit: I mean, you could perfectly run the rest of the system (including the GUI) in 32-bit, or actually have both: I merrily cut and paste between my 32-bit browser and 64-bit office suite - well, I used to: since Adobe unveiled the 64-bit build of Flash 10 and Sun published a 64-bit Java plugin, everything runs 64-bit.
Google Earth is 32-bit only, true; but if you install the 32-bit counterparts to its required libraries, it works like a charm in 64-bit. It may be a bit difficult (it's like trying to guess which version of .Net a Windows program requires), but then you can bypass it by adding a third party repository: it's like installing packages manually , but it also resolves dependencies.
For example, if you add the Medibuntu repositories, you'll get Google Earth on your 64-bit OS. No glitch.
Hardware support: I've installed 9.04 on 3 different machines. All of them detected all the hardware right away. The new Linux wi-fi stack is so good, there's hardly a chipset that isn't recognized. And at least, it has proper support for WPA2 and doesn't disconnect at the drop of a hat like Vista does...
But I'm not using Ubuntu. I use another, more suited to my needs, distribution.
Unfortunatelly VirtualBox (or VMWare) doesn't solve the problem of playing state-of-the-art games available for Windows, without loosing 70% performance.
While the software houses stick to Microsoft pressure and rules, Linux won't grow in that important slice of users. IMO this is where it all starts for the consumer market and Microsoft knows it well.
I'm pretty sure if software houses developed Crysis, Far Cry, Burnout, etc, for Linux platform with a good graphic support, i'm pretty sure the number of Linux users would grow a lot. Do you remember Doom on Linux? Wasn't it great?
i just happen to have tried Ubuntu 9.4 last weekend...please force a restore point before installing as if you decide to uninstall it will not undo the O/S selection screen.
After i did a restore after removing the installation it was all back to normal.
Linux is great for a pc that just will web browse and use open office apps.
Why is it always UBUNTU? EVERY reviewer who "runs" Linux runs Ubuntu! Why don't some one try Fedora or SUSE?
Why is it always UBUNTU? EVERY reviewer who "runs" Linux runs Ubuntu! Why don't some one try Fedora or SUSE?
I agree.... Also, this Article is wrong, I dont care what hassle you go through getting current games like Crysis working fully is basically impossible. Gaming in linux is useless. I have been trying to get my ATI 4870X2 working in just about every major linux distro INCLUDING Ubuntu 9.04 for about 2 months now and it DOESNT WORK... Linux=Useless currently...
Becouse Ubuntu it the most popular by far, and most people switching OS will start with Ubuntu, later on with Debian, etc.
For people who wan't to know what games run on Linux, and how to install them. Check out the appdb on http://appdb.winehq.org/
Also, use the latest beta version of Wine, not the stable one, if you want to try some games.
Great article Adam! You are a man after my own heart! I rule over my computer with an iron fist and judiciously gut every MS OS I've own. I also drink no one's kool-aid (XP: 1.5GB Disk space, 19 running processes; Vista: 10GB Disk Space; 30 running processes). Ubuntu 9.04 is my primary OS and I absolutely love the amount of control I have. I now have no use for vista except for games. (Still working on that).
#1 reason linux has 0 market share, lame Linux gurus who scream Linux isnt Windows dont compare it to that and dont listen (LISTEN hello?) to what people are wanting in an OS... Microsoft listened (at least a little), and I think a couple of people use their software... lol
Yeah yeah yeah, a Ford aint a Chevy but they both take you places and can do basically the same thing.
as soon as ubuntu can run .exe without a hitch, windows is out the...ugh...window.
That's a stupid thing to say. In that case I wish Windows would run .deb without a hitch. Oh wait, those files aren't supposed to work on Windows. Do you expect OSX to run .exe as well?
Linux ain't Windows. Linux is Linux, so if your goal is to run Windows apps all day, I don't think choosing Linux as your primary OS makes the most sense.
Precisely. Why will Linux never be mainstream? Because People want it to behave like Windows. If you want it to be like Windows, why not use Windows? Strange as it may seem it behaves just like Windows!
I would love to use Linux as my primary OS, but when i install Windows 7 and ALL of my drivers are installed and working correctly automatically without any hassle, even nvidia video drivers, that is something that Linux is not capable of yet with alot of systems.
Linux is capable of it, very capable. The driver developers just aren't making open source drivers for it. Ubuntu doesn't come with NVIDIA video drivers pre-installed because that would go against the point of using Linux (open source software) and might even be breaching the Ubuntu philosophy. Even restricted drivers are sub-par. Linux is not the problem, it is and always will be the driver developers.
Additionally, a new installation of Ubuntu without you installing restricted video drivers performs smoothly (usually). You can get straight onto the net or into Open Office and write up some documents and spreadsheets. On Windows you'll likely have a few more drivers to install, and then some office software before you can do anything useful.
Why is it always UBUNTU? EVERY reviewer who "runs" Linux runs Ubuntu! Why don't some one try Fedora or SUSE?
Given that Ubuntu is the most common distribution, it's just down to probability I guess. Don't forget that most people who have heard of Linux have probably heard of Ubuntu. So it's probably a good idea to start with something that rings a bell. I do think a few articles on other distros would be good. In fact, more Linux articles in general would be nice.
Oh, and before someone calls me a Linux fanboy, I don't even use Linux (although I have dabbled with it a little).
#1 reason linux has 0 market share, lame Linux gurus who scream Linux isnt Windows dont compare it to that and dont listen (LISTEN hello?) to what people are wanting in an OS... Microsoft listened (at least a little), and I think a couple of people use their software... lolYeah yeah yeah, a Ford aint a Chevy but they both take you places and can do basically the same thing.
Here is current status for COD5 and wine
What works
Installation
Ingame menu & settings
Starting a campaign
What does not
Sound (except in the movies)
What was not tested
Extensive game play (because it runs very slow; I only tested the first mission)
Multiplayer
Additional Comments
To make it run do the following:
- regedit sound.reg
(sound.reg being this file:
http://bugs.winehq.org/attachment.cgi?id=18560)
- patch the current git tree with this patch and compile:
http://bugs.winehq.org/attachment.cgi?id=18559
- copy the XAudio2_0.dll into the
drive_c/windows/system32 directory.
(http://rapidshare.de/files/41317359/XAudio2_0.dll.html)
If you are thrown back to the "MISSION SELECT" screen after
choosing the difficulty try to disconnect from the internet.
Resuming your current game play should work then also when
connected to the internet.
Uh "Runs very slow" , sound does not work? No mention of Punkbuster. Cmon lets be honest COD5 in reality aint happening in linux anytime soon if ever.
So, I tried another game to see if wine works, Battle for Middle Earth 2 and No Mention at all, meaning probably doesnt work at all.
Ok lets try Crysis
What works
Gameplay
What does not
crashes, freezes, "out of memory" errors
What was not tested
Multiplayer
CRASHES FREEZES? NO THANKS, MULTIPLAYER NOT TESTED??? Are you serious?
I could go on and on and on and on and well you get the point. Linux needs some hardcore changes, or something before gamers can embrace it.
Linux needs some hardcore changes, or something before gamers can embrace it.
No it doesn't. Linux needs no changes. Games are not compiled to run on Linux, therefore the root problem is (once again) with the developers. Besides, Wine is not Linux, therefore running games with problems in Wine does not indicate a problem with Linux, it indicates a problem with Wine.