Life without windows 11 or macOS Ventura

Gnu+Linux as a complete open-source operating system, has come of age. Back when I first took a look at Linux distros in the early 2000s It was definitely intimidating for the average person to even consider as an alternative to Windows or OSX, But today the latest versions is not much harder to use than the big two.

Note: A Linux distribution or distro is a version of the Gnu+Linux OS packaged with other components, including installation programs, management tools or other software. Each Linux distribution targets specific users or systems, and fast majority ready to use.

Today I use Linux on the desktop almost exclusively. I can surf the web. I can email, print, scan and store files on my computer in much the same way as those of you who use Windows 11 do. I can watch streaming services like Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon and Hulu. I can even play AAA video games made easy thanks to Valve’s latest efforts with their steam deck handheld PC . Not only is Steam a fantastic way to discover new video games for the Gnu platform, it also allows me to access them with the greatest of ease. Obviously there are some Steam game titles that will not work with the steam deck, but this is quickly changing as Valve’s commitment to the Gnu+Linux desktop has never been stronger, and as a result, game developers are taking notice.

You're not going to be watching commercial Blu-ray on Gnu systems

While there are technically paid DVD players you can purchase for Gnu+Linux, there's no officially licensed way to play back Blu-ray movies on a Linux distro. The BlueRay Format is supported in Linux, the DRM that companies place on their commercial BluRay Discs is however mostly unsupported. To be fair older Blu-ray disc movies are more to work. Newer Blu-ray discs use BD+ disc encryption, while older ones used the more easily bypassed AACS encryption.

Closing remarks.

Most people will be able to run a Linux Distro without a problem. When I say most people I mean someone who browses the Internet, manages their emails, writes the occasional document or spreadsheet, and maybe does some lightweight media editing, etc. Linux is great for this sort of person and has no real drawbacks. Unless you use many proprietary programs that are not written to run on Linux.

There really is no best Distro. Every distribution has its pros and cons. Each is used for different applications. There is a learning curve when switching from the big two. Some things you didn’t need help with when you used Windows Mac, you might need help when you switch to Gnu+Linux. That's the reason why I started this page so many years ago. And I share those experiences with others. In fact I wrote this post using Linux mint 20.3 and the Firefox browser.

FeralInteractive / gamemode

GameMode is developed and maintained by “Feral Interactive”GameMode optimizes gaming performance by tweaking process priority order, changing CPU and GPU governors to performance mode, optimizing I/O throughput, changing kernel scheduler settings and blocking screensaver mode. Learn more here

Compatibility layer

In simple terms, a compatibility layer is an interface that allows programs not written for a system to run on another system.

For example..Wine ( an acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator") is a 'compatibility layer' capable of running Windows programs on several operating systems, such as Gnu+Linux, macOS, & BSD. You can use Wine alone to run Windows programs, but it requires a fair amount of technical expertise. With Proton, CrossOver, Lutris, and play on Linux, you don't need to be an expert.

Lutris

Wine is the main part of what makes up Lutris and enables a bunch of games to work. Lutris offers community scripts that automatically configure the Wine environment. Lutris also offers integration for software purchased from GOG, Humble Bundle, Steam, and Epic Games Store; those can be launched directly through the Lutris application.

CrossOver

CrossOver is a proprietary program based on wine. it is available for Gnu+Linux, macOS, and Chrome OS. CodeWeavers modifies the Wine source code, applies compatibility patches, adds configuration tools that are more user-friendly, automated installation scripts, and provides technical support.

PlayonLinux

PlayonLinux is a fully graphical interface to use Wine, free and easy to install, that allows you to install Windows games on Linux. In other words, all the complexity of Wine is hidden by default in PlayOnLinux and easily automates the installation of compatible software and games. Installing Windows applications with those programs are crazy  simple. You just pick, which popular Windows app you want to install and either start the download or pop in the CD or DVD.

Proton

Proton is a compatibility layer for use with the Steam client which allows games which are exclusive to Windows to run on the a Gnu/Linux device. It enables users to install and run Windows games that do not offer native Linux versions. Proton is developed with cooperation between developers at Valve and CodeWeavers.

Conclusion...

Compatibility layers are a must have application for the people migrating from Windows to Linux operating system. But be aware So, a compatibility layer like wine can only be a helper. If you need to play every single piece of Windows  to just work, Gnu+Linux is the wrong platform for you.

 

What is Proton GE?

Proton-GE is an unofficial build of Proton that provides the latest releases of vanilla WINE. It has FFmpeg enabled for FAudio by default, and all of Proton’s patches ported over to be applied to WINE, as well as Wine-staging and VKD3D. It also contains extra patches that is not available for Proton like the problematic Media Foundation fixes.

More information can be found in this link » https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom#overview

How to install Proton GE
Download ProtonUp-Qt

You can download ProtonUp-Qt from this

Run ProtonUp-Qt

AppImages are portable applications that can run without installation, but you need to give it execute permission.

Righ click the AppImage you download

Install Proton-GE

Under Install for choose Steam, then press Add version

What is Steam play/Proton?

Steam play/Proton

Proton is a compatibility layer for use with the Steam client which allows games which are exclusive to Windows to run on the a Gnu/Linux device. It enables users to install and run Windows games that do not offer native Linux versions. Proton is developed with cooperation between developers at Valve and CodeWeavers.

Proton was first announced on August 21st, 2018. It is based on Wine and includes additional components like the wrappers DXVK (which translates Direct3D 9, 10 and 11 calls to Vulkan on-the-fly), vkd3d-proton (which translates Direct3D 12 to Vulkan), and FAudio (an XAudio reimplementation).

Although you can't play ALL Windows games on a linux distro using Proton, a lot of titles like Apex Legends, ELDEN RING and Tales of Arise run very well. So yes Steam Proton supports a lot of popular titles. The ProtonDB website contains a list of verified titles that run natively on Linux desktop and Steam Deck. You can play many other titles with a little tweaking.

To test Steam Proton on your Linux Distro, open Steam, and head over to Settings > Steam Play. Select the checkbox on Enable Steam Play for supported titles. You may also choose Enable Steam Play for all other titles from the Advanced menu.

Conclusion

The most important point to be made here is: The proton compatibility layer is not Windows and neither are Linux distributions. So, a compatibility layer like proton can only be a helper. If you need to play every single Windows game ever made, Gnu+Linux is the wrong platform. It is NOT the better Windows or any Windows replacement at all. Also, there are other options like dual boot.

Popular games playable with proton:
Apex Legends
ELDEN RING
Warframe
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Ascent
Hades
Tales of Arise
Control Ultimate Edition
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Bejeweled 38
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What exactly is a Linux Distro?

 What exactly is a Linux Distro?

A Linux distribution (often abbreviated as distro) is an operating system made from a software collection that includes the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system.

First, it is important to know what Linux actually is. Linux isn't an OS (operating system) but rather a kernel. Gnu is the OS (operating system). Linux distros are not produced by a single organization. Different organizations and people work on different parts. There’s the Linux kernel, and the GNU shell utilities. 

When you first enter the Gnu Linux world, One might think that Gnu It's just simply an alternative OS. In reality, GNU+Linux is a collection of hundreds of different distros, which are all built on the Linux kernel. There are six main “families” of Linux distributions: Debian, Red Hat, Arch Linux, Gentoo, Slackware, and SUSE. Most other Linux distributions use one of these three distributions as their foundation. For example Ubuntu is built around Debain, Manjoro is built around Arch Linux, Linux mint is built around both Debain and Ubuntu.

Every Linux distribution is like its own brand. Like different brands of boxing gloves. If you're looking for a new boxing glove, you might consider Everlast, Addidas, Machina Boxing, Rival, Fly, or Grant. They're all boxing gloves, they just offer a different variation of the same thing. Each glove might have different features, different padding, different weights, different purposes, and color schemes. However, in the end, they are all used to protect the hands from injury. So to be clear..A Linux distro isn’t just one operating system. It’s a large family tree of different operating systems, or distributions. Each system has its own purpose or intended use case. 

 

Types of Linux distributions

A Linux rolling release distribution is continuously updated in all areas of the operating system, including the Linux kernel, the desktop environment, all utilities and all applications. 

Examples of rolling release Linux distributions:

openSUSE Tumbleweed 

Arch Linux 

Debian Testing

Manjaro Linux 

ArcoLinux

Solus Linux 

PCLinuxOS

GeckoLinux Tumbleweed

Point release distribution puts out installation images on some sort of a fixed schedule, typically something like every six months, nine months or even annually.

Examples of point release Linux distributions:

Ubuntu

Linux Mint

PopOS

antiX

openSUSE Leap

Fedora

Debian

Slackware

 

Unlike Windows 11, Gnu+Linux will run on pretty much any PC you've got lying around. While Microsoft regularly stops supporting older hardware, Gnu+Linux continues to power such low-end devices. Since Linux distributions can run on less powerful computers, if you use the right distro, you won't have to upgrade your computer as often. I'm still running a custom system built back in 2009. It is the oldest computer I have, and I keep it quite busy. It never slows down because I use a Linux distro on it. It runs Linux mint 20 for an operating system. It has an AMD athlon II x2 260 CPU, AMD Radeon HD 7350 Graphics, with 4 GB RAM. Gnu+Linux's efficiency on older hardware lets you use older machines for longer. Linux distros have been proven to reduce e-waste and our computer's impact on the environment.

For Windows 10 & 11 you’ll will need a relatively newer computer. For example..The oldest CPU you can run Windows 11 with is an 8th generation Intel processor, first launched in August 2017. AMD users require even newer hardware the Zen 2, which hit the market in 2019, is the oldest AMD CPU compatible with Windows 11. Again with Linux mint 20, I am able to run a system that is 13 years old.

Most Linux Distros come with everything you need to browse the Internet, instant message, e-mail, share and write documents, work with digital photos, listen to music, play games and much more. Most distros have extensive hardware support available including drivers from AMD, nVidia, Intel, and others. You can connect digital cameras, scanners, MP3 players and more. So yes, thousands of peripherals are supported without requiring the messy installation of drivers or other software. Just plug in the device and go. 

 

Want to know more about Linux disros? Check out DistoWatch

Desktop environment

What is a desktop environment? Simply put a desktop environment is a collection of programs running on top of an OS (operating system) that makes up the desktop Graphical User Interface. In the case of Windows and OS X, there is just the one desktop environment. Gnu+Linux does not have this limitation, though. In the world of Gnu+Linux there are many desktop environments to choose from GNOME, KDE, and Xfce are three of the most popular desktop environments. However there are many more to choose from like 

Enlightenment, Cinnamon, and Mate to name a few. Each desktop environment includes built-in applications like web browsers and file managers. Those interfaces tend to be more customizable plus all Gnu programs are run with all gnu desktops, so you never have to worry about a program not working with a certain desktop environment.

What exactly is Gnu?

What exactly is Gnu? 

I know that name gets tossed around a lot across the web. I mentioned the term a lot in my post. It actually stands for something. GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's not UNIX.”) GNU is also the project within which the free software concept originated by Richard Stallman, the founder of the project. He views GNU as a "technical means to a social end. The logo for the operating system is a Wildebeest head.

GNU

Gnu is what is known as an operating system, os  for short. An operating system is the software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as executing applications and controlling peripherals. In other words. An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources. For example Microsoft Windows 11 is an operating system. 

Gnu is an free and open OS that is similar to other famous competitors, such as Mac and Microsoft Windows. Without an operating system, every program would need to include its own user interface as well as the complete code needed to deal with all low-level usage of the main computer, such as disk drive, network interfaces and so on. When many of us turn the computer we expect to see a simple to use graphics user interface or GUI. The GUI is most frequently used by the casual that is mostly interested in double-clicking a file icon to open the file in its default program. So yes the operating system helps the the average person to get the most out of their computer. 

For many regular people, the idea of installing an operating system might seem like a very hard thing to do. I have no fear, believe it or not, Gnu offers one of the easiest installations of all operating systems. You can even test that Gnu to make sure it works on your computer. The means you run the operating system from either a CD/DVD, but mostly these days from a USB flash drive without making any changes to your hard drive. You get the full functionality without having to commit to the installation. Once you’ve tested things out, and decided you wanted to run it, you simply double-click the “Install” icon and walk through the simple installation wizard.

At the heart of most GNU systems is the 

kernel called Linux. A kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest level of the OS. So many times you will see references made to Gnu/Linux which is referring to the Gnu operating system and the Linux kernel. 

 

So to recap...

GNU is an operating system that is free software—that is, it respects users' freedom. Just like Windows and macOS, Gnu offers thousands upon thousands of high-quality programs that can be easily found and installed. 

Gnu is pushed by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). "The Free Software Foundation is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom." It was founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985.

Gnu is easy to use. There was a time when it was very hard for beginners and simply discouraged them from trying it. Over time, there has been a lot of progress made to make things easier. Gnu is pretty easy to use these days with a few exceptions.

The "Linux" kernel

What is a kernel

A kernel is a computer program at the core of a computer's OS (operating system). It generally has complete control over everything in the system. The kernel performs its tasks, such as running processes, managing hardware devices such as the hard disk.

The "Linux" kernel

April 1991, Linus Torvalds, at the time a 21-year-old computer science student at the University of Helsinki, Finland, started working on some simple ideas for an operating system inspired by UNIX, for a personal computer. On 17 September 1991, Torvalds prepared version 0.01 of Linux. On 5 October 1991, Torvalds announced the first "official" version of Linux, version 0.02. After that, despite the limited functionality of the early versions, Linux rapidly gained developers and users around the world. Then in March of 1994, Linux 1.0.0 was released with 176,250 lines of code. It was the first version suitable for use in production environments. As of 2022 The Linux kernel has around 27.8 million lines of code.

Linux is a free, open source kernel, released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Anyone can run, study, modify, and redistribute the source code, or even sell copies of their modified code, as long as they do so under the same license. Unlike proprietary software, open source software is computer software that is developed as a public, open collaboration and again is made freely available to the public.

To be clear...Linux is a kernel. It is not a OS. Linux is also known as a monolithic kernel. Another type of kernel is called a hybrid kernel. Hybrid kernels are used in most commercial operating systems such as Microsoft windows 10, 11 and  Apple macOS.

GPU Shortage: Try playing at 720p resolutions.

Back in Sept. 2021 there was an on going GPU shortage. However its not a new problem. GPU shortages go back as for as 2017 of the cryptocurrency-related demand in 2017 and 2018. Back then with most of these GPU sales happening online, scalpers quickly crash the party, using bots that to buy up all the cards before the most people have chance to click "add to cart." Then in 2020 COVID-19 crippled the global supply chain. Everybody needed a PC video chat or homework.  For many people, sharing one family computer was no longer going to work. Chromebook and tablet sales sky rocketed, and we saw the biggest PC demand in a decade.

I do not upgrade PC parts every year. I am not really a PC gamer. I usually only play single-player games and sometimes multiplayer but the multi-player games I play are much older. Games like left 4 dead or Borderlands 2. I do have do have two "newer" GPUs, one is a 1070 and the other is a RX 5700. Both cards do very well playing games at 1080p. The question is do you need new  GPUs to play new games today? For the games I mostly play the answer is no. But can you play games like Doom 2016, Doom Eternal, Dying Light, Warframe, or the Tomb Raider series on a GTX 750ti?

The GTX 750 Ti is rated for a board power of just 60W. Is the the GTX 750 Ti good for playing games? Depends on your budget and your needs. It gives playable fps even in newer titles at low 720p. It is a bit faster than GT 1030 (GDDR5 version), but slower than a 1050. Yes it is perfectly capable of running most newer games at low settings at 720p resolutions. It a still solid upgrade over a IGPU.

 

This is my first post of 2022...

There's a lot that has happened in the new year. The first thing is we got the steam deck. For those who don't know The Steam Deck is a handheld console like gaming computer developed by Valve. Why does this make a difference?  Steam Deck runs a modified Arch Linux operating system called SteamOS v3.0. The show stopper is, this sharp looking device is able to run "some native" Windows games. It is able to run non Linux native games with the help of Proton. Proton is a compatibility layer that allows some but not all games, developed for Microsoft Windows to be played on steam deck Gun+Linux-based SteamOS.

With the surge of Linux gaming..Recently Nvidia did the unthinkable. Nvidia is releasing some of its Linux GPU drivers as open-source. However, It's going to be years before they catch up with AMD and Intel. Intel and AMD both have been maintaining open-source graphics drivers for their products for years which is included in the standard Linux kernel. Since the code is available for anyone to look at and modify, Intel and AMD graphics work better with newer changes in the Linux ecosystem, like the emerging Wayland display server. So what Nvidia doing is a good start. But their years from catching up with their competitors in the open source world.

The other big news The PC component supply chain issues seem to be getting better. Even for discrete graphics cards. In fact The street price for graphics cards has  dropped by 40% since January 2022 and they are becoming much easier to find in stock at local stores like Best buy.

We all know how hard it is to install Arch Linux. However this year. The Arch Linux developers released, archinstall menu-based installer for their Linux distro. What does that mean exactly? After you get the latest ISO from the official site, you have to proceed installing it in a system by making a bootable medium. Then you simply type in “archinstall" and then you will be asked several other prompts to select the disk drive, network interface, desktop environment , and graphics driver. You can even specify additional packages to install.  I still wouldn't recommend Arch to new Gnu-linux users.

 

More post to come...