Any fellow Linux users on here?

[Judge]

No, when it comes to installing a new system again it really will be Fedora this time around. By rights I should have already done it. It's the snaps system that I hate.

Point taken. You can't get around snaps with Ubuntu....at least not to the present.

What keeps you from considering Mint? Just wondering. Ducking the whole Nvidia considerations may work well for you. No snaps at all with Mint.

BTW, both of my drives running Mint were recently reinstalled. One with version 22.0 and the other with 22.1. Without any tweaks to the GRUB file, or blacklisting the Nouveau driver. I have a feeling it has something to do with subsequent kernel updates and that I no longer use that applet that was causing crashes and lockups. So far, so good. (Crossing my fingers)

 

[Outdated]

What keeps you from considering Mint?

Size of software repository and size of development team. Simple as that.

Your struggles with different versions of Wine are an example of the difference. With Fedora and Ubuntu you get Wine straight from the repository and what you get is a customised version of Wine that has been tweaked to run properly using the specific libraries that those operating systems are running. In other words a matched set.

Even when compiling Wine from scratch you're still going to have odd bugs and conflicts, in versions that have been tweaked by the OS dev team to suit a particular version of that OS you have no such problems.

 

[Judge]

Size of software repository and size of development team. Simple as that.

Too small for you? While I've tried a number of other distros, I can't say I've really had any perspective on what might be large versus small- even inadequate. Though I have spent some time with Ubuntu and didn't appreciate some of how their repository operated with my older computer.

Probably the best reason I continue to stick with Mint is that the applications they provide "out-of-the-box" seem optimal not only for a casual user, but also for someone with more technical experience, wanting to optimally maintain the OS. While I enjoy Pop!OS22.04, this is where Mint outshines it in terms of software offered or installed.

But then up to now I run only four minor games on it, directly from Mint's repository. I know if one is into gaming, they're probably going to want to tap into many repositories, and never rely on any single one. The games offered in Mint will put most folks to sleep.

I've never given much thought to their development team, but rather that they are in their 19th year and that they continue to produce LTS versions of their product, which is also a priority for me. But then also I still consider myself a noob to Linux even after two years...and I can understand your perspective being more defined compared to mine. Mint remains an excellent distro to use coming directly from Windows, but seems seldom a preferred distro for more advanced users.

My one major criticism of Mint? Less customization possibilities. But that seems deliberate on the part of Mint, in an effort to keep quality control consistent. While you can alter it to use Gnome, it isn't advisable and can produce some unwanted circumstances. Though there are a few things one can do with Cinnamon as opposed to Gnome.

Some day I would like to give an Arch distro another shot with my latest computer, just to see if I can finally make it all work. But I'm not in any hurry to find out...lol.

 

[Outdated]

Probably the best reason I continue to stick with Mint is that the applications they provide "out-of-the-box" seem optimal not only for a casual user, but also for someone with more technical experience, wanting to optimally maintain the OS. While I enjoy Pop!OS22.04, this is where Mint outshines it in terms of software offered or installed.

More than 10 years back now I tried all sorts of different distros including Mint, Manjaro, Slackware and many others. In the end it really did come down to size of dev team and compatibility of different softwares for me.

Wine is probably the most complex thing that I use all the time, I play a lot of Windows games, but I tinker with a lot of other things as well and experiment with different sorts of programs all the time. I'll avoid compiling programs myself where ever I can not because it's a pain in the arse but because the versions created specifically for a particular OS have less bugs and issues.

I wish Fedora did an LTS version. One thing I do like about Fedora though is that they actively track bug reports. It's the only OS I've ever used where if you report a bug they get back to you almost straight away and want to know all the details you can supply. But Fedora is the testing ground for their major commercial product Red Hat Enterprise Linux so sorting bugs is what Fedora's all about.

 

[Judge]

Wine is probably the most complex thing that I use all the time, I play a lot of Windows games, but I tinker with a lot of other things as well and experiment with different sorts of programs all the time. I'll avoid compiling programs myself where ever I can not because it's a pain in the arse but because the versions created specifically for a particular OS have less bugs and issues.

It is interesting how for some of us just how critical Wine can be. Up until recently I was beginning to think that my days of running an ancient version of Photoshop would eventually come to an end based on Wine and little else.

Luckily I have only recently begun to understand that it isn't Wine at all making problems for me in installing and running Photoshop. That it comes down to two important considerations with graphics:

1) Install Photoshop under Wine while using the Nouveau Driver.
2) Install Linux icc profiles and use those "Compatible with Adobe RGB 1998". And once you configure your monitor to use that particular icc profile, do not ever change it.

That it was never about Wine, other than to be very careful in using installation instructions that absolutely work, whether through the repository or a third-party website like this:

Linux Mint 22 – How to Install Wine on Linux Mint 22

 

[Outdated]

How to install Wine in Fedora:

sudo dnf install wine

 

[Judge]

How to install Wine in Fedora:

sudo dnf install wine

Yep. I recall doing so in Mint in their repository, and it was finally Wine 9.0 at the time. It worked as far as I could see. A new experience!

One thing for sure, doing it the hard way means you cannot make a single syntax error in the terminal involving multiple lines of commands. And having to use the Synaptic Package Manager to purge a botched installation of Wine is no fun.

At this point, for any noobs I have to concur. Use your repository, as long as it reflects the latest version of Wine to install. Though it does make me wonder what took Mint so long to do just that. Oh well....

 

[Outdated]

One thing for sure, doing it the hard way means you cannot make a single syntax error in the terminal involving multiple lines of commands.

I've always suffered from fat fingers on the keyboard, to get around that issue I just copy and paste commands. So much easier and less stressful. In a terminal the keyboard commands for copy and paste are not the same ones you're used to in Windows, but right click with the mouse and copy and paste works just fine.

At this point, for any noobs I have to concur. Use your repository, as long as it reflects the latest version of Wine to install. Though it does make me wonder what took Mint so long to do just that. Oh well....

That's the difference with having a huge dev team, the poor bastards at Mint are probably working their arses off and doing inhuman amounts of work but there's so much that needs to be done for every new release.

 

[Judge]

I've always suffered from fat fingers on the keyboard, to get around that issue I just copy and paste commands. So much easier and less stressful. In a terminal the keyboard commands for copy and paste are not the same ones you're used to in Windows, but right click with the mouse and copy and paste works just fine.

More often than not that's exactly what I do as well. Though sometimes it depends on how those third-parties offer such instructions. Not to mention they may not be entirely correct themselves. I don't mind saying each time I install Wine it makes me nervous.

That's the difference with having a huge dev team, the poor bastards at Mint are probably working their arses off and doing inhuman amounts of work but there's so much that needs to be done for every new release.

Yeah, basic logistics seldom change for a small operation. Though with each new version I can't say I've found any real problems. The only thing I don't like in the latest version is more or less an aesthetic opinion, not liking that they have darkened some of their interfaces, and gone to pill shaped buttons which I have never cared for inside quadrangular boxes/containers.

Makes me wonder as well about "System76", the guys working crazily on the next version of POP!OS in Rust. Previews of their Alpha versions look good, but there's still a number of bugs that go with them at this stage of development. I'm anxious to see the completed product, but sure don't want to see them rush it to release either.

 

[Outdated]

I really hate the desktop theme and icons the newer version of Cinnamon comes with. I think it might be partly my autism as well as the aesthetics, when I first started using Cinnamon it's default was the Adwaita icon set and I like them so I always switch it over to that.

An icon is supposed to be a simple but descriptive picture. Modern icons have gone so overboard on style that they are no longer descriptive. If you're not entirely familiar with them you have no hope in hell of working out what they're supposed to represent.

 

[Judge]

I really hate the desktop theme and icons the newer version of Cinnamon comes with. I think it might be partly my autism as well as the aesthetics, when I first started using Cinnamon it's default was the Adwaita icon set and I like them so I always switch it over to that.

I like 90 degree angled shapes with 90 degree angle interfaces. But then sometimes I suspect my OCD plays a part in such things. When mixing circular objects with square ones just rubs me the wrong way.

I still remember when I was a web designer and the boyfriend of my boss suggested I deliberately design some elements of websites that are asymmetrical. It was liberating. One case where I really thought I had made a difference in resisting my obsessions and compulsions.

Though in everyday life I'm still obsessed with so many objects being equidistant from one another. Much like having pictures precisely parallel to the floor and ceiling. Or any labels always facing forward.

Welcome to my world.

 

[Outdated]

I like 90 degree angled shapes with 90 degree angle interfaces.

I used to love laying out tables in HTML, I was really good at it, they just made sense to me. Boxes inside boxes.

 

[Judge]

I used to love laying out tables in HTML, I was really good at it, they just made sense to me. Boxes inside boxes.

LOL. Oh yeah.

You should see how I used to use nested tables for in HTML when it came to rendering sophisticated graphics. Quite extravagant if I do say so, myself. What I was doing compared to the rest of the industry was actually using graphical assets from the games as a metaphor for the product websites I was creating. Relative unique some 25 years ago. But later they really got wild when they wanted me to incorporate Flash animation into them. Yikes...

But don't even go into the failed use of frames. Remember those? I had to deal with two incredibly popular and well-known game product websites that another party made all in frames. I hated having to work on them. Often like "looking for a needle in a haystack" just to locate a particular page!

 

[Outdated]

But don't even go into the failed use of frames. Remember those? I had to deal with two incredibly popular and well-known game product websites that another party made all in frames. I hated having to work on them.

I had no problems with frames as long as I had set them up myself. Play with someone else's frames? Nope. Redo the whole lot from scratch. Partly because of the way they were set up but also the way my mind works it was easier for me to wrap my head around everything if I was in control of every aspect.

And yes, my tables got fairly complex too but it gave so much more control over graphics and alignment. These days if I'm really fussy about presentation in a document I'll write it up as HTML and make a PDF from that instead of using an Office suite. I just find it easier and less frustrating to get exactly what I want that way.

 

[Princess Viola]

Gaming on Linux, even Windows games is so cool and easy.

Except sometimes where it isn't but honestly neither of those problems have anything to do with Linux but they're still annoying lol.

(Whenever the EA App has to update, I've got to change the .exe in Lutris to a different .exe, launch the program, close it, then change it back to the normal .exe file for it to update and start working again (otherwise I'm stuck in a 'The EA App needs to restart to download and install an update' loop). Sure, it takes no more than a minute to do but it's still a slight annoyance, y'know?)

 

[Outdated]

(Whenever the EA App has to update, I've got to change the .exe in Lutris to a different .exe, launch the program, close it, then change it back to the normal .exe file for it to update and start working again (otherwise I'm stuck in a 'The EA App needs to restart to download and install an update' loop). Sure, it takes no more than a minute to do but it's still a slight annoyance, y'know?)

Because I never play online I don't have to worry about that part. I've had trouble getting some older games to run but for the most part it all runs very smoothly.

 

[Princess Viola]

Because I never play online I don't have to worry about that part. I've had trouble getting some older games to run but for the most part it all runs very smoothly.

I mean I don't really play online either (well I mean I do just...not any games on the EA App), it's just game publishers loooooove having their own dang launchers required to play them so if I don't update the app, I can't play The Sims.

 

[Outdated]

...it's just game publishers loooooove having their own dang launchers required to play them so if I don't update the app, I can't play The Sims.

Especially EA. I did play Sims3 for a while and that didn't need any EA app, I still have Sims Medieval installed and it plays really well. I haven't seen Sims4 though.

 

[Judge]

Especially EA. I did play Sims3 for a while and that didn't need any EA app, I still have Sims Medieval installed and it plays really well. I haven't seen Sims4 though.

When you ran those versions of the Sims, even in Linux were you able to avoid any new connection to the Internet?

I have Sims 3 but never used it beyond Windows 7. I always hated that Origin app that I would manually terminate once I got the game running. But I would not want to make any connection to the Internet through a Windows app in Linux for security reasons. Even when running Photoshop 5.5 it's always offline.

Are you just using Wine to run the Sims 3 ? Would be nice to run that without all the other garbage.

 

[Outdated]

When you ran those versions of the Sims, even in Linux were you able to avoid any new connection to the Internet?

I have never given Wine any way of connecting, it's completely sandboxed for me. Most of these games will recognise that there's no connection available and not try. Because of the way my Wine is sandboxed though I simply can't run the EA app or GoG Galaxy. Not that I'd want to anyway, the experience with Steam and forced updates for someone with metered internet and download limits is not good.

[Edit] Just thought I should add - for The Sims Medieval look at the files in the game directory, in the /bin folder. There's a launcher program in there that I simply ignore. My desktop link is pointed at TSM.exe. The game runs perfectly. It's similar for most games.