I already commented a while ago that famous Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters uses Linux and free software, and we have also seen how in some chapter of the famous science program where some myths are dismantled or demonstrated they also use free software such as GIMP, etc. Well, today we are going to imitate them and try to dismantle some deeply ingrained myths that many people have about Linux and free or open source software, most of them without foundation and totally false as you will see.
Well, many are afraid to use Linux and free software during their university careers because they think that this is not what they will find in their world of work. But not everything is windows and apples in companies, and more and more companies have GNU / Linux systems, especially if we talk about large machines, so using and getting used to this software is not a waste of time, but everything otherwise, a big step forward for when you have to use it. F1 engineers without going any further use it during their studies and once they leave they take them to their teams for comfort and flexibility ...
We also hear many times people say with Linux you can't do that or that, that's why I don't use it, while in Windows or Mac yes I can, since there is an application. This is also false, that they tell me something that cannot be done with Linux and that can be done with other operating systems. There are more and more alternatives to proprietary software and practically anything can be done. Perhaps the weakest niche is that of video games, but it can be played on Linux, another thing is that there are so many titles available, but this is not vital ...
Others think that non-techs can't use it or it takes high knowledge to do it, but it is becoming easier and the countless desktop environments have shattered this way of thinking. Not zero that it is currently much more difficult to use Linux than another operating system, at least at a basic user level which is what most users need. Another thing is at a more advanced level and in text mode, but look at Microsoft PowerShell, for me it is much more complicated and tedious when working with it, I stay a thousand times with Bash in terms of usability ...
Very good article but I think you lack details to remove the fear.
1) write that before imponderables or wine or a local or remote virtual machine offers you the power to use a specific MS WOS program. and that Steam works on wine and with itĺ almost all the platform games available for MS WOS with similar features to the native ones, sometimes even a little better due to the best GNU / Linux file systems and its better kernel, in addition of not needing resident antivirus.
2) There are very configurable desktops like XFCE Mate or KDE that can easily look like MS WOS XP, 7 and even 8/10 which seems not to like much
3) ZERO VIRUSES, and it is true that no system is fully secure, and there are other types of attacks but there are no known effective VIRUSES for GNU / Linux, and therefore there is no need for antivirus
4) It runs more fluid than MS WOS, and will "resuscitate" computers that you consider "dead" for being slow with MS WOS, especially the expensive laptops that revive with XFCE.
Hello. Of course, we already talked about that in other articles. Anyway, thanks for your input.
A greeting.
What is the point of using Linux, if in the end you are going to emulate Windows or Apple programs? Isn't the free software philosophy supposed to be trumpeted?
Very good synthesis. I finished until the f *** of windows 10. I had already tried ubuntu mate on old laptops and on my raspberry, but I was missing the step to my work desk. I am not a programmer, just an average user, I took out a sheet of paper, wrote down all the free software solutions that I was already using in w10 and as I was doing, I switched to kubuntu in just two hours. Then I went to Ubuntu, I went back to kubuntu and in it I am installed and convinced. Of course, weekly and occasional backups for depending on what experiments I am doing hehe. Regretful? no way. Now I have a windows XP virtual machine for a program of these "book" that I need to use for a working tutorial and it did not work for me with wine. So this is my experience and I recommend it to everyone around me, however, linux seems to almost everyone like a Martian thing, only for geeks, only for super experts…. "I can't at work", "at home I only watch movies", etcetera ... well, they miss it. I regret not having made this leap much earlier than just a year ago.
Exactly! Greetings and thanks for following the blog.
I, the truth, I think it is the best (with AMD RYZEN it is difficult for me to play a bit because I also have a 580) but the truth being a mediocre user I think the truth is the best thing I have done
I am an old Linux user, but I thought that your article has a serious error. Not everything available for Windows has a substitute for Linux. For example AutoCAD, has no alternative and does not work well with wine. And let's not talk about Onedrive or Drive.
Hello,
Autodesk does not have a Linux version of AutoCAD and I know it is a fantastic program, but there are CAD alternatives on Linux.
But no Linux CAD has matched the robustness of the mighty AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, Revit, Allplan, Vectorworks, Solidworks. For architects, Linux does not serve us at all, perhaps for other branches if it is useful.
Hello,
There is software that needs improvement, of course. AutoCAD is impressive, I have used it for some 2D and 3D designs and the truth is that the alternatives are good, but not at that level. Photoshop I have replaced it with GIMP and without problems ... but I know that there are some things that need improvement or a reaction from the developers of that software to launch a version for Linux.
Without going any further, Microsoft Office beats LibreOffice, Calligra and other alternative projects.
But as I have said on other occasions, the free software community or Linux cannot be blamed for this. If Adobe, Autodesk or anyone else doesn't want to port their software ...
Regards!
I could not migrate to Linux because the programs that I have used for years and are my source of work are not there. The gimp, I didn't like it
Is there a decent program (I currently use CorelDraw) for vector image editing for Linux ?, Thanks in advance, regards
I think the article is good, but the discussion is broader. I am a developer, I have worked in PHP, Delphi, VB and currently in Java and .NET. Net Framework and Java are the most complete development platforms and both became strong thanks to the OPEN SOURCE projects. Hibernate, Spring, to name a few, are open source projects written for Java and rewritten for .NET.
The clarification above is to see that open / closed tend to get closer.
As for the end user, I think it is a matter of getting the best of what you think is most convenient.
No, they don't exist, badly enough.
Are there CAD programs? Yes, sure. Are there programs like AutoCad? No, there is not.
Are there programs like PhotoShop? No, there is not.
Something like Solidworks? No, neither.
Can I program PLC? No.
Hmi, SCADA? Less.
Have you used any of these programs professionally in the engineering area? No.
So please stop recommending software you've never used.
Thank you.
Hahaha it's amazing what you know about my life. You are so sure that I have not used those programs ... and above you say that I stop recommending software that I have never used. You leave me impressed. Do you believe?
Anyway ... do you know what is the lottery number that is going to touch us? It would help my family and me a lot. Maybe you know it too. Please tell me!
When working on a large architectural or engineering project, you will hit your head when using FreeCAD. Windows software gives a thousand turns to the one that exists in Linux. Nowadays, specialists in BIM platforms are already required where you master tools such as Revit and ArchiCAD, which are programs that are better optimized in Windows. Imagine you want to emulate ArchiCAD in Wine, then forget it because Graphisoft gives you a key that connects to the usb port, without it the program cannot work.
In many studios Sketchup is called for, where they combine it with V-ray where they make great renderings and professional models. Sketchup is a very simple tool that you don't need great knowledge to use, while others such as Blender, Autodesk Maya, 3D MAX or Cinema 4D programs require a lot of study.
Hello, very good, good article, but I think it is very short
1 - Free Software and Open Source are 2 different things
Free Software implies the 4 Freedoms
Open Source, does not imply the 4 Freedoms, and you can enter Private Software, which has generated licenses such as LGPL, MIT, BSD for example: "GzDoom" this contains the licenses
- GzDoom -> Extended BSD License
- Doom Source -> https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Doom_Source_License
- DUMB -> http://dumb.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=licences
- FMOD Ex (proprietary) -> http://www.fmod.org/sales/
- GPL 2 (By FraggleScript)
- LGPL -> (By Timidity Player, GUS Emu, Game Music Emu and OPL3 Nuclei)
- MAME (By the OPL2 code, taken from the Emulator)
- MUSLib
- Paul Hsieh derivative license -> http://www.azillionmonkeys.com/qed/weblicense.html
- zLib (By Zip decompression -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/zlib )
- zDoom (Based on the Modification of Points of the BSD license -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD_licenses )
As I said, although it is "Open Source", the latter does not imply that it is "Free Software" since it includes proprietary software such as FMod Ex.
I have seen on many websites that many believe that "Free Software" and "Open Source" are exactly the same. increasing the confusion that this implies, another thing is the terminologies
Linux => It's just the kernel
GNU or Wildebeest => It is an Operating system
FreeBSD => It is an Operating system
Liñux => wildebeest + Linux in this case means that many things are contained from the Ñu operating system but the kernel it uses is Linux
FreeBSD => Contains a lot of free software from Wildebeest but its core is FreeBSD
kFreeBSD => Similar to FreeBSD but this is another kernel, in fact this one is incompatible with FreeBSD
Therefore, many users have also learned a little about "Legalities" and their "Consequences" for the computer world.
2 - Videogames we have around 15 thousand without counting the approximate 5 thousand of native Steam for Liñux, of which approximately 600 are Free Software, and another 300 are Open Source and Paid examples
Free Software -> ReTux, Wyrmsun
Open Source and Paid -> Cube Trains, CoreBreach
2.1 -> For many videogames of yesteryear made for msdos, you can use the "DOSBox" emulator or, failing that, a virtual machine like "VirtualBOX OSE". For video games made for Microsoft Windows, the compatibility layer "Wine Is Not Emulator" can be used.
In this latter, many videogames work, even several that are on Steam. Even I myself am making a Script for those games that I can play, and they work at the «Platinum» level, that is, to work 100% the first time with the latest stable version of Wine which is today «Friday, June 02, 2017 »the version« 2.0.1 »
Here is the Script -> https://www.playonlinux.com/en/topic-15204.html
But the outdated version, I have more games, but I have not updated that version of the script yet.
By the way I have been using Liñux since 1998 and since 2004 I use it almost exclusively for video games
3 - Ease of use, it is becoming much easier, apart from that for a long time we have "Distributions" that are really only "Pre-Selected and Pre-configured Software" for specific purposes.
Another common confusion of users, especially those who do not have much knowledge, is that they assume that a distribution is an "Operating System Different from another distribution" I mean that many believe that if something was compiled in Slackware or Debian, this will never to work in "Ubuntu or ArchLinux" which is false
Since as long as you have the necessary libraries with their correct versions, you will be able to start it, regardless of the distribution where said executable binary has been compiled
4 - Resources: For wildebeest systems, there is a lot of software, which can exclusively be very light software to be able to take advantage of teams with very scarce resources.
Therefore, by consuming much less resources, and being more objective is much faster. also for discontinued hardware you can use Discontinued software, for example install to an Old PC "Ubuntu 8.04.4" and use the "PPAs". although I particularly recommend "Slackware 11.0" + "slpkg" the latter is a package manager.
5 - Malware: Be very careful with this, many believe that for Liñux there are no viruses or malwares, when the reality is that they do, and for quite some time.
Since 2006 I came across an infected Binary. Then I saw a "VMWare + Crack" for Liñux that was also infected (https://bitacoraderedes.com/2013/11/19/un-caso-real-un-linux-troyanizado-analisis-y-limpieza/)
Also remember that there is Malware made at the Web level that can work under any operating system as long as you allow it or you have no idea what you are agreeing to do.
Totally agree. Thanks for the input, Greetings
I went to Ubuntu due to serious problems when wanting to reinstall my old one? Windows 7 that, after two uninterrupted years of service, did not give more. I understand that the impossibility of installing Windows may be due to my ignorance but it was really driving me crazy so as I had just seen in a news story about Ubuntu, I decided to try it with the idea of "well, at least I will be able to surf the Internet" . To my surprise, in addition to the VERY EASY INSTALLATION WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM, I found a totally incredible world. Within a week I discovered the distributions (yes, I was totally unaware that there were different desktop environments). I started testing one by one on a virtual machine and decided on Linux Mint with Cinnamon. Wonderful is the only thing I can say. Fast, stable, and aesthetically magnificent.
Another thing (heh heh), I also re-discovered free software. I said goodbye to all those serials and craks that tormented so much in Windows and that one knows what things were really running on the system. In short, I said goodbye to piracy. And yes, it is true that for practically all needs there is a free alternative, of course unless you use a really specific software.
Another thing to highlight and that continues to surprise me: the management of the system with the Internet. I do not know if Windows does it wrong or if Linux does it simply better but it is fluid when, for example, watching videos on Youtube it shows (I also understand that my bad experience with Windoes could be due to 2 years installing such amount of junk software, I know. But even when I installed it for the first time it was so fluid).
It's been a couple of weeks since I've been using Linux Mint and little by little I'm getting to know the command terminal (at first it was scary but now I am shocked at you !!).
Anyway, if you feel like trying something new and you are not a lot of games. Give a chance to a Linux distribution that I am sure you will not regret.
Thank you for following us and telling your story. All the best.
My dad is 80 years old and has an old machine, I installed Linux Lite on him and he had no problem using it. It should be mentioned that he only sees emails, surfs the internet and sees photos, the system is super friendly and installing software is very simple with its package with ready-to-install applications
Thanks for reading us and for your anecdote. Greetings.
I've been since god knows when using computers, and I'm sorry but even Ubuntu is a cake.
In my most recent case, Ubuntu on my laptop has been an odyssey. The fans are left on or off, but for some driver issue they do not turn on and off automatically depending on the temperature. The dual graphics another joke, that if bumblebee (ah no, they no longer maintain it and you have to look for another possibility) that if there is another new one that to make it work you have to edit configuration files. The mouse did not keep the DPI settings, again to find the solution. And to top it off, it boots slower than Windows on an SSD because even with the Wi-Fi card turned off, Ubuntu still makes a mistake with booting it.
I even like to find solutions to these problems, but my father had long since thrown his laptop out the window.
Well, I have the same problem but instead of having the laptop with Ubuntu, it is with Windows. Outdated drivers, hardware without support ... anyway ... what things right ?.
A strange case of yours ... and in any case you can not blame Linux, but the hardware manufacturers and their drivers (if they deign to have them for Linux). Because although the support is very good, there are still things to improve of course. But when a kernel developer has to break his brain with reverse engineering or the tools he has to be able to create an open source driver because the manufacturer of said device does not deign to do it (perhaps pressures or favors or simple lack of commitment with Linux?)… it is enough that it works and we should be more grateful for this immense work.
At Microsoft they don't have to make that effort, others are already in charge of creating fantastic proprietary controllers ...
Master, you play a subject where you have a lot of straw to cut and you left us with the emotion, if I did not use linux I would still be afraid.
Add that osx is a version of unix.
I had used Linux on several occasions, but shared with Windows and that is a milk, in the end I ended up returning to Windows, that happened to me in various facets of my life in different years, but I always had the Linux bug. As a result of I do not know which Windows 10 update that I was left with an 8, I also learned that the issue of playing in Linux had changed a lot and that was the reason why I used Windows, because of the games, it was a inveterate gamer, with a very good high-end gamer pc. But for things in life, I was unemployed and when I went back to work, I have a job in which I have no time for anything, so I may not have played for about 2 years, so I said to myself ... this is the mine, on the gamer pc I installed ONLY Linux, the typical distrohooping and such, until you find your distro, which in my case is none other than Xubuntu, I have xubuntu since lts 16.04 came out and I don't change it for anything, my pc flies literally and I don't have a single problem and if I ever want to play, now I can do it more than enough, things are very different from years ago. I left the laptop as a guinea pig to continue distrohooping, but with no distro I could get the amule to work correctly, nor on gamer pc with xubuntu either, in fact in my xubuntu it is the only thing that does not work, vuze and everything else perfect, so after trying and trying on the laptop, in the end it has stayed and is going to stay with slackware, which does cost a hell of a distro and there is very little information about it on the Internet, especially in Spanish and in In general, in Spain it seems to have quite a few users, but it is the only one that works perfectly with amule 2.3.1, not the svn thing, so breaking my head a lot, googling and googling, I managed to have my slackware to use, I still have to polish a few things, but there it is working perfectly, so in summary in my house there is no Windows at all, all PCs have only Linux and super, super happy. Greetings.
ENGINEER HERE, THERE IS A VARIANT OF AUTOCAD FOR LINUX WHICH IS DRAFTSIGHT AND THE OTHER IS MEDUSA, NOT TO MENTION FREECAD.
PERSONALLY I HAVE USED DRAFTSIGHT, AND I DO NOT ASK FOR ANYTHING FROM THE OTHER SUITES, NOT FOR ANYTHING IN THE EQUIPMENT I HAVE WORKED (I REFER TO PEOPLE) WE HAVE MADE PROJECTS AND BUILT THEM FROM SCRATCH USING THIS SOFTWARE.
GIVE IT A CHECK GIRLS, INFORM YOURSELF BEFORE SENDING AN ADVENTURED JUDGMENT.
Using Draftsignt is like using an autocad 2002 but with a nice graphical interface.
When you try Draftsight and AutoCAD 2018, you'll stick with the latter.
I use both Windows and Linux, on one computer I have a partition with Ubuntu and another with Suse, and on another Windows pc which is the one I use to work with, but honestly at a professional level I have no choice but to use Windows, I am an Architect, and the alternatives of Software for this sector in linux are light years ahead of those of Windows. As an operating system, I accept that Linux distros provide me with greater security, are more robust and stable, if I compare OS ubuntu, Debian, and all distros can have the upper hand over Microsoft, but the Software made for each one is something else. . If I want to make a house or a small project, then Freecad or Bricscad is enough for me, but if we are talking about something bigger, a building of about 20 floors, I will not find an alternative in Linux that gives me what Revit gives me in Windows, especially if we work collaboratively with other Architect firms remotely. For basic work if Linux solves you, but at a professional level where you really get the most out of every last feature of your software No, for a basic user Gimp may seem good enough to replace Photoshop, or Blender to 3dsMax, Bricscad to Autocad , Freecad to Revit, but not in the professional world, because you must conform to the standard, you must work with what others use as well, besides that you opt for software that does everything you need to do your job in the best possible way .
LINUX is really very good.
Another thing is the distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian) which are very good and others that leave something to be desired.
If you want a stable and secure server Fedora or Debian are the best options.
Ubuntu may seem very nice but ... it consumes resources like Windows because of the graphical interface it has and it is also much more unstable than other more secure distros.
On the software side, it can go well for a home desktop, but there are NO PROFESSIONAL applications for video editing (those that exist are applications at the amateur / home level) nor are there FREE and free CAD programs
Ready, after evaluating all the comments I came to the conclusion that linux is very useful as long as you use it for the internet, are retired or give it an amateur utility.
If you are a professional (that is, if you are going to work) the most correct alternative is Windows or Mac.
Maybe in a decade things will change, but today 2018 continues as 10 years ago.
Let's see linux fanboys, tell me how can I render my architecture works in linux ????? It just can't be done, and if you give me alternatives, these don't compare in the least to what can be done in Windows with Lumion or Twinmotion. It is one thing to use Linux to do simple, everyday jobs and another thing to use it to work as it is in my case. P.S. The first time I used Ubuntu, I didn't know what to do. I had to spend hours searching the Internet for the famous "what to do after installing Ubuntu" and let me tell you that it is very tedious so many commands and other things to install something simple.
The problem is not due to GNU / Linux but to the lack of support for this system from professional software developers. As a professional (electromechanical technician) I make plans of electrical installations with AutoCAD, I have been using it for two years, and learning how to use it I took two courses of 4 months each at an institute; well, that is beside the point, but what I mean is that I had to put effort and money into learning how to use it, since the program has a high learning curve. The point is that as there is no AutoCAD, all the similar applications that exist in GNU / Linux are toys, they do not serve me for professional use and I am also obliged to learn how to use them and I really do not want to.
Do not think that I do not like GNU / Linux, it is a fabulous, robust and secure system, I have used it for 14 years and it is fascinating, but the problem is not the system, but the lack of the applications that one uses the most. While I manage very well with Gimp to edit photos, with AbiWord and Libre Office to edit texts and with Open Shot Video Editor, there is no replacement for applications like Corel Draw or AutoCAD.
Therefore, when you want to "demystify" the use of GNU / Linux, you have to tell the whole truth, that there is software that will never be available on this system just because of its proprietary / proprietary nature and because of obscure agreements that make it impossible to the de facto file formats they enforce allow the construction of equivalent applications.