Like perhaps many others I am debating what to do with my PC at the end of support for windows 10 later this year. I have read a lot of discussions here about switching to Linux, and a lot of commentary that though it has gotten a lot more plug and play it maybe still has some weaknesses. I just want to know what those are, and if it can support what I currently do with my computer.

Basically my computer is just for gaming. I play a plethora of games both major titles and small indy games. I also use mods on my games sometimes. Beyond gaming it’s just basic web browsing.

More specific questions:

  1. I think I need to pick a “distro”, right? Based on the above, which distro may work best for me?

  2. what am I most likely to NOT be able to do, if anything? I have heard modding in particular can be challenging with Linux. Like Skyrim mods that use a script extender or rely on various Windows programs. Is that true? Are there some smaller indy games that don’t have Linux support (thinking back to the early mac days)?

  3. I would rate my computer technical ability at like… A 4/10. I haven’t done anything too crazy but can Google most issues and willing to learn. Is this realistically enough to get me up and running with Linux? I don’t have any programming experience or anything of the sort.

  4. if the final answer here involves running a windows partition, is it possible to safely still use a windows 10 partition, even after the end of support? Or does it need to be a windows 11 partition? Best case is no partition, but curious if it comes to that.

  5. anything else I might run into that I’m not expecting? Words of encouragement?

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    181·
    2 days ago

    1. I personally recommend Mint as the out-of-the-box experience is very familiar to a Windows user and the OS comes with everything one would expect a desktop OS to have pre-installed. That said, don’t stress too hard over the distro. This isn’t like Windows vs MacOS where everything is completely different. No, basically all your knowledge of one distro is transferable to another distro if you decide to change it up in the future.

    2. At this point, I just assume a game works in Linux unless proven otherwise. Hit install in Steam and then hit play, no extra effort required. There are some that won’t, mostly games that use kernel-level anti-cheats and specifically disable the game if running in Linux. There are only a few dozen games total that fit this description. ProtonDb is a great resource for confirming if a game works or what tweaks might be desired. Anything rated Gold or higher you can assume will just work without you having to mess with it.

    3. Linux is less of a resource hog than Windows, so if your computer is strong enough for Windows, it will work great on Linux too.

    4. If you wish to dual boot, using two different drives is generally the way to go. Doing two different partitions works, but Windows really, really hates other OSes being installed along side it, even other Windows installs. Gaming is my primary pastime and I haven’t booted into my Windows drive in months. From my experience for the average person, a dual boot is only something you will want temporarily as you get used to the unfamiliar OS.

    5. Good luck on your swap. I’m damn happy I did it and hope you will be too!