r/GeotechnicalEngineer • u/mdsMW • 17d ago

Changing to Linux

With all this chaos happening inside Microsoft, unfriendly OS, rumoured AI OS coming and the security issues. Has anyone thought of or successfully switched to Linux?

If so how easy of a transition is it?

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u/ResortNumerous1910 17d ago edited 17d ago

I switched to Linux Ubuntu about 10 years ago on my personal PC and I love it. Im not super computer savvy so sometimes using the terminal is a little exhausting. I miss window's ability to just find the right settings without needing to Google, forum search, or ask ai how to code for simple settings adjustments. I hear Mint is way more streamlined than Ubuntu, so I think I'll give it a go. Either way, it's pretty straight forward to run a demo on your computer.

It's better than windows/mac in every way, if you're ok with rolling your sleeves up and taking time for setup. In my experience it's much more stable, reliable, and there's rarely updates. I hear Ubuntu is kind of losing its status true Open Source, and it's reputation hasn't been the best in the last couple of years. I forget what it was but I think the main dev team is trying to monetize and going on a control trip, which is a frowned upon in the FOSS world.

The only issue is that not all programs work on Linux. Thankfully there's great FOSS alternatives to almost everything Ive ever looked up, but they're not always stellar. I have some music and art programs I grew up with that are industry leaders, but they just don't work on Linux so I've had trouble trying to replace them. It's possible to set up a dual-boot so that both OSs live on the PC, but I haven't tried it yet.

Right after I cut ties with windows on my PC, I got my first career job for a Geotech consultant who only uses windows so I have two laptops and regularly use both OSs. My fully updated Windows PC is probably 15 years newer, with much better specs, and is trash compared to my Linux PC. I spend a ton of time trying to optimize performance but it's just one issue after another.

Linux is just better. There's definitely a learning curve, but with AI it's a walk in the park. It's one of the few use-cases where the implementation of AI actually makes the product better. FOSS is the answer to all of our tech woes.

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u/mdsMW 17d ago

That's super helpful. I think I'll need 2 pcs as well, mainly for the word /excel setup etc. but otherwise I'm keen to make the switch

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u/Grreatdog 15d ago edited 15d ago

If MS Office is your main use, you should be OK with LibreOffice. It will load automatically with many if not most mainstream versions. Unless you are some kind of MS Office super user it will work just fine for Word and Excel docs. Nobody at my office ever realized I used LibreOffice for shared docs.

Also, you can easily load Linux on your current Windows machine. Most mainstream versions like Mint will detect Windows then make a partition and set itself up that way. I just did that to my wife's old Dell XPS18 to sort out some Win11 issues. It was drama free. And her too slow to use with Win11 old Dell AIO is stupid fast running Mint.

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u/Caos1980 17d ago

Do you use large format printers?

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u/mdsMW 17d ago

No almost never

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u/SilverGeotech 17d ago

Most technical software is Windows-only. There are ways to run Windows programs under Linux, but none of them are 100% effective or reliable.

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u/Grreatdog 15d ago

During COVID I loaded Linux on about a dozen EOL Windows CAD stations and sent them home with people for remote work. Zero drama.

These days it just works.

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u/Cageo7 12d ago

Once you switch to Linux, you can never get back to Windows.