this post was submitted on 09 Jan 2024
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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[–] gaael@lemmy.world 114 points 10 months ago (53 children)

Please stop posting good reasons to use Linux, I already feel bad enough for the poor people stuck in Win$ and MacO$

[–] thejevans@lemmy.ml 72 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (25 children)

I just got rid of my last Windows installation, and I got rid of all my Apple devices a couple years ago. The Linux life is so nice!

On the other hand, I just setup a Windows gaming machine for a friend (I would have pushed Linux, but I live far away and can't commit to being tech support). There were so many hoops to jump through to cut through all the crap:

  • I had to set the region to somewhere in the EU so that my friend can uninstall Edge sometime in March, 2024 without breaking other functionality
  • I had to run a hidden script at a specific point during the install to allow me to not have to use a Microsoft account
  • I had to disconnect the non-boot drive and reinstall because the Windows installer uses motherboard drive ordering instead of UUID to decide which drive to put the boot partition on.
  • I had to run Win Debloat Tools to get rid of all the crap Microsoft adds to their OS
  • I had to find a 3rd party driver update tool because the motherboard manufacturer's software is terrible and installs a bunch of extra crap.
  • I had to install a 3rd party Nvidia driver update tool because their official one requires making an account and gives a bunch of unwanted ads as notifications.

It's seriously bonkers. It makes you really appreciate Linux as a whole and package managers in particular.

[–] SaltySalamander@kbin.social 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I had to run a hidden script at a specific point during the install to allow me to not have to use a Microsoft account

No, all you had to do was leave the PC disconnected from the internet during the install.

I had to install a 3rd party Nvidia driver update tool because their official one requires making an account and gives a bunch of unwanted ads as notifications.

The nVidia driver, direct from nVidia, certainly does not require an account. Only need an account if you plan on using GeForce Experience.

[–] thejevans@lemmy.ml 0 points 10 months ago

I wish it were that simple. The motherboard I was using had built-in wifi, which, while technically on a B-Key M.2 slot, was buried beneath RF shielding, heatsinks, and plastic cowling. On top of that, I would have had to take off the CPU heatsink and take out the GPU to get to it.

I tried just removing the external antennae and looking in the BIOS for a way to disable the WiFi card before looking for a way to bypass the network requirement. Removing the antennae still showed a few available networks, and I couldn't find a way to disable the card in the BIOS.

Sure, there may be other things I could have tried. I could have taken the computer apart, rebuilt it, installed Windows, taken it apart, and rebuilt it again. I could have isolated my wireless access point from the internet in the hopes that it would give up and give me the option then. None of the available options were as simple as "just don't connect it to a network, dude."

The windows installer did not give me an option to not connect to wifi as long as there were networks available, of which there are many in my apartment complex.


You can manually download drivers from Nvidia, and that's basically what this tool I'm using does for me, but for GPU drivers in particular, you want to have the newest version available, especially if you like to play new games on launch day. The only way to officially get automatic game-ready Nvidia drivers is through the GeForce Experience app, which, as you said, requires an account.

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