Sad to say, but this sucks

[spamegg]

I wonder why it's such a problem for younger people to achieve?

Younger people who grew up with smartphones really struggle understanding files, folders, directories, file systems:
https://www.theverge.com/22684730/stude ... tion-gen-z

[Neophyte]

Most games work on proton. Even things like easy cheat will work. The dev just has to put in one check mark on their end.

You can check: https://www.protondb.com/

That will show you which games work and how well.

And just FYI, the STEAM Deck also runs Linux.

Again, 70% of all Steam games are playable on Linux thanks to Proton. Only 20% are unsupported, and 10% are not yet tested. That's huge compared to when you had maybe 1% of games having a native Linux version.

[DisturbedDragon]

Couldn't install to SSD and blaming the OS? That's odd. This is a big red flag that more or less explains the rest of the post where no system specs or useful information is provided.

Games work just fine on Linux. I have hundreds of titles and 100% work in Linux Mint and Fedora. Only two or three times did I have to do anything to get them to work. Even that was to simply choose a different Proton version for the game.

Currently playing Ark: Survival Ascended, Ready or Not, Six Days in Fallujah, Halo: The Masterchief Collection and several others with zero issues. As a note, these games do not lag and crash on me as they do on several of my friends PC's running native on Windows. Games with anti-cheats also work no problem.

[greengnome]

I have some older windows only games in my steam library and used to keep an old Win7 computer around so I could play them if I wanted, but for me the cost of running windows is not worth it any more. Not speaking money, rather integrity. There are so many games available today I cannot possibly play all of them anyway. So my philosophy is that whatever doesn't run on Linux is not worth my limited gaming time.

Migrating their gaming to Linux may not be for everyone yet, but some portion of the users previously on Win7 will do just that. The userbase is slowly but steadily growing. Which in the long run will mean more attention from game developers.

[ugly]

Declaring that you are "good with computers" is meaningless.

If you are starting out using Linux, no matter how experienced you are with Windows, you are still a beginner with Linux.

When I first started using Linux, I also thought I was "good with computers". I made a lot of mistakes because of that mindset. I ignored instructions. I didn't understand how things worked. I made rookie mistakes because I thought I knew better. I still do. There is even an amount of 'unlearning' you need to do when you switch from Windows to Linux.

It turns out that what I thought of as being good with computers was just being good with Windows.

If you've been using Windows all your life, you've built up a lifetime of institutional knowledge of using Windows through experience. Particularly with gaming, which often takes a lot of learning to troubleshoot issues even on Windows. And particularly if you grew up playing games in the late 90s and early 2000s where gaming involved a lot of troubleshooting and was far from a plug and play experience.

You do not have that built-in knowledge with Linux. So you cannot expect that you can hop over to Linux and be anywhere close to proficient just because you used Windows for a long time.

Does Linux have its shortcomings when it comes to gaming? Absolutely. Depending on the games you like to play, it might not be for you. Things like anti-cheat can be a problem (although it is improving).

I game exclusively on Linux. My Steam library alone is about 275 games. Most of those games I bought back when I used Windows. I think there are about 10 games total in my library that do not work Linux. And about 30 that invovled some type of extra tweaking to get running properly.

I have nearly 250 games though GOG, EA Origin and Ubisoft. I have not played them all, and some are duplicates with Steam. But most of those games also work.

I also have Retroarch running that provides a similar emulation experience that I had on Windows.

I have games working properly from DOS era games all the way to the latest releases. But, I do not play many multi-player games.

Linux does not suck for gaming. It is absolutely not a 1:1 replacement for Windows when it comes to games. Linux also has a problem with various guides, instructions and tutorials available that are out-of-date, which can lead users down the wrong path. But it is viable to be a gamer on Linux.

[Professor_Slughorn]

I want Linux to be viable.
I hate Microsoft and Apple.
I also have no choice if I wish to GAME.
Like so many before it seems.......I came, I tried and I am leaving again because GAMES.
Better luck to the rest of you and I hope one day that gamers can come over to the community en masse.

Let me start off by saying that you should do what is best for you. Forget about Microsoft, Apple or Valve making money. All for-profit companies have one goal in mind. That goal is to maximize shareholder wealth. They are always going to try to figure out new ways to take the money out of your pocket and put in their pocket. Blaming companies for making money is kind of like blaming a chicken for laying eggs. Chickens lay eggs. Companies try to make money.

When it comes to gaming on Linux there are a few things to consider.

1. There are several hundred active Linux distributions today. Imagine trying to get a game running on even half of the distributions. https://distrowatch.com/
2. Many distros give you more than one option for a desktop (Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce, GNOME, Plasma Desktop (KDE), Pantheon, Trinity (TDE), Budgie, Budgie, Enlightenment…..). Think of the complexity of getting games to work in all the different desktops.
3. All users are not going to be on the same OS version. How many people are still using Mint version 17.3 or 19.3? Windows has less of a problem. Microsoft and Apple are more active when it comes to getting users on the current software release.
4. The kernel. We can update the kernel in Linux. I don’t think there is an equivalent in Windows. This is another potential issue.
5. Rolling distributions versus standard releases. Anything goes when it comes to releases in Linux. Planning a game release, patch or update would be a nightmare for a software company trying to release a game on a number of distributions.
6. How many different combinations of CPUs, GPUs, RAM, motherboards, SSDs, and HDDs are there out there in the wild? I would wager that there are millions of possible combinations. This is not as much of an issue for Windows since companies generally make sure the hardware works for Windows. Linux is more of an afterthought, if at all.
7. How many PC games are out there? Steam reports they have over 80,000 games in their Library with 14,000 new games added in 2023. The people trying to get games working on Linux have a huge challenge.

Given the millions of combinations of software and hardware in the Linux ecosystem it is not surprising Linux gaming is where it is at today. One of the great strengths of the Linux desktop is the choice it affords its users. This is also a curse when developing and supporting games on Linux.

My suggestion would be to upgrade to Win 10 and enjoy playing the games. Do what makes you happy.

Cheers.

[ugly]

I want Linux to be viable.
I hate Microsoft and Apple.
I also have no choice if I wish to GAME.
Like so many before it seems.......I came, I tried and I am leaving again because GAMES.
Better luck to the rest of you and I hope one day that gamers can come over to the community en masse.

Let me start off by saying that you should do what is best for you.

...

My suggestion would be to upgrade to Win 10 and enjoy playing the games. Do what makes you happy.

That's really the key point. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another person.

A person is not stupid because they use Linux or Windows. A person isn't cool or uncool because they use Linux or Windows. A person isn't lazy because they use Linux or Windows. You aren't some type of slave to corporate overlords if you use Windows. You don't need to take an ideological stance on everything you do.

As I said, I think Linux is a perfectly viable gaming option. But it depends on multiple factors.

How much time and energy you have to learn something new. The types of games you play. Your tolerance for major or minor issues. How much you want to get away from Microsoft's ecosystem. How capable is software for Linux to meeting your needs for non-gaming. And many others.

If you consider all those factors, and it works out that Windows is your best option. Then you should go with Windows. It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

But I would also add that you should not just immediately give up in frustration because changing is difficult. Of course it is going to be difficult. You're learning something new.

[diyliberty]

I agree. Linux is not for you. Just reformat your drive for Windows and move on with your life.

[Professor_Slughorn]

But I would also add that you should not just immediately give up in frustration because changing is difficult. Of course it is going to be difficult. You're learning something new.

The tricky part of this is how much effort should you put into getting a game to work in Linux? A day, a week, a month?

[ugly]

But I would also add that you should not just immediately give up in frustration because changing is difficult. Of course it is going to be difficult. You're learning something new.

The tricky part of this is how much effort should you put into getting a game to work in Linux? A day, a week, a month?

I was referring to Linux in general. But, I guess the same applies for an individual game. As much time as you are willing to spend. That tolerance is going to be different for everybody. But, if someone is a beginner then you have to expect things will take longer to figure out.

At some point it is fair to give up. It might not be possible for the game to work. For example, I'm playing Amnesia: Rebirth right now. It worked fine when I bought it a couple years ago but never got around to playing it until now. Now it has some nasty graphical issues and crashing. So I filed a bug report (which took a good amount of time and learning). We'll see if a solution can be found. I probably have to move on from the game until then. For me, I have tons of other games that work fine that I can play, so I can wait on this one.

I wish Linux was as viable a gaming platform back when I was a teenager and had loads of time to learn stuff. It gets harder as you get older.

[archmage6x3]

How much time indeed is the question. Here is some data for your personal crunching. Windows 10 can be placed on any box that will run it....for free. The only things gimped are some personal customization stuff and some "features lol"...but gaming and drivers? Wide open.

So for free..........one can end it and get back to gaming with the full use of one's hardware and full access to one's titles.

An activation key to customize your Win10 install, and unlock a few other whiz-bangs in the OS costs $5.99 from a key vendor.

SO......with a massively library like mine, one either gives up on some titles completely AND commit endless time and headache to game on those that actually work,AND run it on top of a program layer AND have gimped hardware performance because open drivers/engines, AND non stop issues with apps from university


or run a free ISO and fix all of that in an hour, installing directly to SSD out of the box.........and throw in 6 bucks so I can have pretty wallpaper.


six bucks folks.
Bill Gates wins.

[ugly]

Okay, we get it. You're just a low-effort troll.

But let's pretend you aren't.

Those $6 keys you get from key vendors, while they do work, are generally obtained through unauthorized means. Windows is not $6.

And the key error in logic you are making is that the only reason that you can fix everything in an hour is because you've been using Windows all your life. It is not a proper comparison of the time and effort it takes to get Windows out of the box to the time and effort it takes to get Linux running out of the box when you don't know how to use one of the operating systems.

Even as a novice Linux user, I can have my system up and ready to go in a matter of minutes, and have it done while I'm taking a dump.

[majpooper]

Background: I have two HP PCs one from 2012 and one from 2015 - both came with Windows 7 were upgraded to Windows 8.1 (maybe one went to Windows 8 first - can't remember) then free upgrade to Windows 10.

My wife does a lot of genealogy research and has and app that will only run on Windows (Family Tree Maker) she hasn't used it in a few years so having Windows 10 running in a VM has not really been needed. But that is how she has used in the past. A few years ago MS gave me a Windows 10 product key - it was not totally easy getting it but I got it - I should have written it down somewhere and maybe I did but bottom line I don't have it anymore. A few days ago I was going to install Windows 10 on a VM for my wife so she could use her Windows app. I called MS for a Windows 10 product key - they were able to track it last time based on the original Windows 7/8/8.1 product codes that I still had in addition to both our MS accounts (hotmail). They would not give me one this time for free - this is what I was told; Windows 10 was a free upgrade up until sometime maybe last year or whenever - I don't recall exactly, anyway no longer. Bottom line if I want a legit Windows 10 product code I have to buy . . . and it way more than $6 - definitely over a $100.

I have a few friends and family members for whom I have installed linux on machines that came with Windows 10 so I am going to see if I can use one of their product codes. In the mean time I will put Windows 10 in a VM and see if an instance of Windows 10 without a product code will run Family Tree Maker. But what puzzled me is that MS emailed me the link to down load the Windows 10 .iso

[archmage6x3]

A quick google search will show you that the "policy" for win 10 is the ISO is free to download. One may freely install to one machine for personal use. Activation key gets you the capability to change desktops/screensavers and a few other cookies.

For someone who has lots of Windows games, this is clearly the answer. I did not know this a few months ago to be honest. Like you, I thought I were looking a "about another hundred".

How wrong I was.

A win 10 key from the Microsoft Store right now as of this timestamp is $24.99
https://www.microsoftkeys.net/windows/m ... sAIdyqxIfo

I will give 6 bucks to the bulk dealer in South Korea because it is cheaper and perfectly legal for me to do so. How a legit online store with years of operation and millions of customers gets its keys is not my business. I am not the global internet key sales police. I am a customer.
Is it legal for ME to buy? yes. Is it cheaper than the other options? yes.
I am done after that. Arguments are nice and morals are cool and none of that pays my bills or gets me an extra point on my investments see?

If you pay more than thirty bucks to activate cosmetics on win 10 you got ripped off.
If all you need is the raw functionality then the iso is free from microsoft to install and use.

[majpooper]

A quick google search will show you that the "policy" for win 10 is the ISO is free to download. One may freely install to one machine for personal use. Activation key gets you the capability to change desktops/screensavers and a few other cookies.

For someone who has lots of Windows games, this is clearly the answer. I did not know this a few months ago to be honest. Like you, I thought I were looking a "about another hundred".

How wrong I was.

A win 10 key from the Microsoft Store right now as of this timestamp is $24.99
https://www.microsoftkeys.net/windows/m ... sAIdyqxIfo

I will give 6 bucks to the bulk dealer in South Korea because it is cheaper and perfectly legal for me to do so. How a legit online store with years of operation and millions of customers gets its keys is not my business. I am not the global internet key sales police. I am a customer.
Is it legal for ME to buy? yes. Is it cheaper than the other options? yes.
I am done after that. Arguments are nice and morals are cool and none of that pays my bills or gets me an extra point on my investments see?

If you pay more than thirty bucks to activate cosmetics on win 10 you got ripped off.
If all you need is the raw functionality then the iso is free from microsoft to install and use.

That is not a link to Microsoft - it's a scam
www.microsoftkeys.net is not www.microsoft.com
My PiHole DNS server flags this site

Hold on, this website isn’t safe

This is a phishing site – a fake site that tries to steal your sensitive info (passwords, credit card numbers, and more). We recommend avoiding the site completely.

MS pretty directs you away from Windows 10 and to Windows 11 for which a legit key is $134 - I suppose you could call them or if you looked hard enough you could get a legit Windows 10 key from them but I really didn't want to spend all that time trying to do that.

[archmage6x3]

lol yeah it is a bad title for text with no context lololol. That is why I mentioned the "vendor in South Korea"

for a better reference the Walmart online page I found is selling activation keys for 37 and some change?

and since Wal Mart is American god they can never be wrong.

[featherlessbiped]

According to the Windows general threads on 4chan's technology board /g/:
1. There aren't any easy Windows ISO downloads to be had from Microsoft, but you can get filesizes and hashes from several reliable sources and the ISOs from perhaps reliable sources.
2. No one actually activates Windows legitimately, they use some sort of hack and python script to fake an activated install to get updates.
3. The only Windows ISO worth using is the one used for cash registers and point-of-sale (POS) devices, as it has an end-of-service date in the 2030s or thereabouts, it has no (less?) bloatware, no mandatory "break your drivers" updates, and it's generally less of a pain. The only issue with the current iteration of the POS (lol) ISO is that it has an inferior CPU scheduler because Microsoft laid off the guy who did that I guess.

Bear in mind that this information comes from a pseudo-anonymous imageboard with few content quality controls, but it seems legit to me.

My apologies if the source of this info offends anyone.

[majpooper]

lol yeah it is a bad title for text with no context lololol. That is why I mentioned the "vendor in South Korea"

Hey - do your thing that's the way you roll - I get it. Me . . . yeah, "bad title" or not it works for me. Peace

EDIT:

for a better reference the Walmart online page I found is selling activation keys for 37 and some change?

and since Wal Mart is American god they can never be wrong.

Just for fun I checked Walmart out and did some research on the Walmart Windows product keys - which they do sell pretty cheap.

Turns out Walmart uses 3rd party vendors and the results are not always so great - not that you may not end up with on that works but it is not a sure thing and Walmart make it clear there is a NO RETURN policy - you buy it it's yours. Read some of the reviews on the Walmart web site. But, hey you can buy a Windows 10 product key on sale now for $26 - what the heck roll the dice it may work . . . . if not you are only out $26.

[petran79]

there are still ways to extend Win7 on Steam though eventually you'll have to install the games manually, just like it happened with XP

[Professor_Slughorn]

The OP mentioned owning his software. Unfortunately, in most cases this is not correct. Typically the company gives a person a license to run the software on a single computer. I think most people know this fact. “The first-sale doctrine of 1909, in its current form, allows the "owner of a particular copy" of a copyrighted work to sell or dispose of his copy without the copyright owner's authorization. "The first sale doctrine does not apply to a person who possesses a copy of the copyrighted work without owning it, such as a licensee," the court ruled.” https://www.wired.com/2010/09/first-sale-doctrine/

I think that there will be a number of opportunities for Linux and Linux gaming in the future. Microsoft had an okay OS with Windows 10. Windows 11 is a regression, to say the least. I am still on 10 with the gaming PC and will remain there for the foreseeable future. We bought an inexpensive laptop for my wife. My impression of Win 11 so far is meh!

The really big opportunity will come if MS decides to go with a subscription based windows. It might be the push to get people to switch.