Finally migrated from Windows to Linux. For anyone wondering, what is the state of Linux as your primary OS for home PC\laptop in 2023.
I’ve finalised my Archlinux installation yesterday, I dropped of Linux more than 10 years ago and experience in 2023 in comparison is awesome and beyond even wildest dreams back then:
- For average user looking for more out of the box experience I would suggest something Arch based (people in comments suggest EndeavourOS, please do your research). Archlinux installation took me quite some time
- Almost everything works out of the box, by just installing corresponding package
- KDE Plasma environment is fast and beautiful
- Pipewire audio server (Jack\Pulseaudio replacement) works great
- Wayland window server is not there yet, especially if you have Nvidia with proprietary drivers and want to use VR. Waking up, session restoration and other scenarios have issues. Use X11.
- Wine is great!
- Music making - Bitwig Studio DAW has linux native version, yabridge allow you to use windows VSTs, which are easily installed via wine
- Gaming works out of the box with Steam for majority of titles, some games have native linux version. Performance is great. In worst case windows game might loose 5-15% in performance. Was not case for my titles
- Gaming outside steam is fine too. Use Wine, Lutris, Proton
- VR is a mixed bag. Not everything is there (Desktop view, sound control and mirroring, camera, motions smooth, lighthouses do not wake up os go to sleep. I use my phone to turn them on/off). But if its not the problem for you, quite some titles work. Tried: native HF Alyx, Lab, windows: Beat Saber and Boneworks. For me it’s a surprise, I did not count on it. Performance is great.
So overall my experience is great. Eventually I’m going to get rid of WIndows on other computers and laptops at howe. I can finally wave goodbye to Windows, with lots of ads and bloatware. Alway glad to help with answers regarding installation while my memory and history logs are fresh. ^^
I’m curious what you mean by “no animations while playing games”?
I like Wayland and use it on my laptop. But I also have Nvidia on my PC and while it’s janky at places, I don’t get all the problems you describe (at least on i3 for me)
I use multiple monitors with different refresh rates and don’t really have any major issue. It syncs with the highest one. I indeed don’t use a compositor because it’s distracting and also turn off all the composition pipe line stuff. The result of turning off the latter is less latency and a teeny tiny bit of tearing in the lower 3rd when scrolling web pages but that’s it.
Games can run utilize gsync when in-game vsync is enabled so long as you disable the second monitor with xrandr.
I believe no animations while playing games would be like, no DE animations while playing games.
Hey, whatever works for you, works, it’s just… is disabling your 2nd monitor with xrandr every time you wanna play a game really more convenient than using Wayland? That’s a genuine question btw, I’d be surprised if KDE on Wayland is THAT bad, where disabling your 2nd monitor on X11 is preferable to using it
Of course whatever works for you works too, we found workarounds for what we need.
Yes it’s more convenient because it’s a keybinding away. Also, on Wayland I have to use kernel modeset and it is impossible to “overclock/undervoltage” the GPU to save energy. I also get more frames on X. It’s not that KDE on Wayland is bad…it’s exactly switching to X just to do that to play games is inconvenient.