How was your experience using Linux in college?

SexualPolytope , 5 hours ago (edited 4 hours ago)

I’ve been using exclusively Linux since high school, and now I’m doing a PhD in math. It’s always been pretty smooth. I used to have a separate Windows rig for gaming, but don’t really need it anymore, now that Proton works very well with most games. (I don’t really play AAA games, so that helps.)

Coming to the point, for academic stuff, I mostly needed to use a PDF reader (Zathura and qPdfView), LaTeX, and some computation and graphing software (mostly SageMath). I sometimes needed to use DOCX files, but LibreOffice works well for that. Most other software I need from time to time are usually Linux native.

Also, many universities provide access to O365. I’ve used it in some rare cases where I needed to provide input in some collaborative document. But in most cases, I was able to convince my friends/colleagues to use Google Docs instead.

Unless you do CAD, or some creative work, Linux should be perfect for your usecase.

WhiteBerry , 1 hour ago

I had a Maths Prof who used Mint so this kinda checks out

whotookkarl , 2 hours ago (edited 2 hours ago)

Comp sci undergrad from a mid tier university graduated in 2012, didn’t need Windows at all. I mostly used an Ubuntu desktop, pocket sized mini laptop with bsd, and a red hat vdi the school provided during a research assistantship.

The school had labs in the library and comp sci building if you needed windows for something but it never came up. Group projects shared files on school provided web based tools or dropbox and used the same for class forums, sharing docs and assignments, etc. Some web stuff was broken for Firefox and had to use chrome, but never hit anything requiring IE (pre Edge).

Even if you’re not in a technical field you may want to explore some of the common tools they use like git for version control (like save/restore points in a video game), LaTeX/TeX for better typesetting than office, and off-site backups.

HobbitFoot , 2 hours ago

Mainly only with my PS2.

priapus , 3 hours ago

I’ve used Linux all through college and haven’t had any problems. I never had to use Windows only software for my degree, but I can’t really say what you might need. LibreOffice can mess up the formatting of more complex documents, but will normally be fine. If you’re working in a group project and need to use shared docs you can always use Word or Google Docs online.

HubertManne , 3 hours ago

I didn't but it was the early nineties and honestly I did not even realize the command line was unix on machines vs dos. I just thought I was messing up the terms or it was just a variant system. I did not realize all dos was the same.

bobs_monkey , 6 hours ago

For what is worth, I’ve had better luck on MSOffice integration with onlyoffice, but ymmv

clark OP , 6 hours ago

I’ve actually not researched that much about OnlyOffice but I’ll definitely be sure to do that.

eco_game , 4 hours ago

+1 on OnlyOffice, it has 1:1 formatting compatibility with Microsoft Office. Unlike LibreOffice, it doesn’t have to translate documents between odt and docx in the background.

In the same vein, OnlyOffice has poor compatibility with odt files etc.

bobs_monkey , 4 hours ago

I’ve definitely notice weirdness with odt files, but truth be told I damn never run into those, everything is xlsx, docx, etc as I’m interfacing with companies that are firmly MS, but they’re also none the wiser usually. Every now and again there’ll be a formatting issue, especially with Excel, but it isn’t too common thankfully.

avidamoeba , 4 hours ago

I’ve used Ubuntu on a laptop during my undergrad 2008-13. I used LyX to write anything I’d submit, including some psych work. I’ve used LibreOffice (OpenOffice) for some stuff too. I had to use MS Office or some other Windows-only software on occasion. I used a Windows VM for that. I’ve kept this formula till present day. Linux (Ubuntu LTS/Debian) on the hardware, Windows VM on Linux for special occasions.

aksdb , 4 hours ago

I ran Arch on a convertible laptop around 2006-2010. Most notes I did using OpenOffice Writer, with hotkeys to quickly add formulas. Drawings were done with the pen. Homework (where speed didn’t matter as much but where I wanted high quality) were done in ConTeXt.

Programming was done in FreePascal using Lazarus IDE or Java using Netbeans IDE, depending on the course and my personal preference.

I think I had no complaints from anyone. Quite the contrary, one professor even gifted me a book as a thanks for the high quality typesetting in my homeworks, since most students didn’t give a shit and had no fucking clue how to really use their beloved MS Word.

MonkderVierte , 4 hours ago

I’m also curious about how well LibreOffice and Microsoft Office mesh, i.e. can you share and edit documents together with MOffice users if you use LibreOffice?

You can. But if the sender is the type to use linebreaks for spacing and textbox for grouping, be prepared that the layout may explode after saving and reopening the .docx in LO.
But that’s the formats (MS OOXML) fault, consists mostly of proprietary extensions, no such issues with .odt (ODF).

Hexbear2 , 4 hours ago

2001-2005. My computer lab in the school of math and natural sciences (including computer science), had windows 2000 (best windows of all time), Apple Power PCs, and all dual booted linux. All we used for comp sci was linux. Yellowdog on the Power PCs. Learned to program/develop in C++ and Java, mostly used e-macs, goal was to never lift hands from the keyboard or use the mouse, keeps you in the zone. Used Gnome as the desk top environment back then.

So pretty good :)

Today I use linux mint with cinamon for day to day computing, been using it for about 10 years now without issue.

I went back to college for a professional program, and used linux mint in 2022, it worked out just fine. As far as office software, I used word 365 online through the university web portal.

I think word sucks a lot and 2003 and 2007 are the best versions and little improvement since then (improvement is efficiency and easy of creating an end-product), but I’m not willing to re-learn how to master Libre Office, I just can’t be bothered. So no input on that.

Static_Rocket , 4 hours ago

I made it through college without using windows on any of my personal machines, but I did need to access a library or computer lab to take 1 test that needed a specialized web browser for some reason. Other than that, I was actually pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to slip by with a good PDF viewer, libreoffice, and Inkscape.

My degree was in computer engineering, most groups I worked in outside of the engineering department just preferred collaboration through office online or google docs.

ipacialsection , 6 hours ago

LibreOffice has opened every DOC(X) the school has sent me, albeit imperfectly, and all assignments are turned in as PDFs, which I usually make using Markdown and LaTeX. I have had to use Office 365 for collaboration, but only about twice a year, and that runs very smoothly in Firefox. On one occasion I tried to collaborate with CryptPad, but it didn’t work as well as I hoped.

Most computer labs at my uni run Windows 10, rarely 11, but a lot of the science labs run Linux.

The most frustrating thing has been the lockdown browser used for some exams. My university library has computers I can borrow for exams, but yours might not, and they detect VMs, so you might have to dual boot for that.

clark OP , 5 hours ago

Oh yeah, I didn’t think of the lockdown browser. I’m in Sweden, so I should only hope our education has come so far that I’ll be able to borrow a spare Windows computer.

variants , 5 hours ago

If computer has a removable drive you could just get a second drive and run windows on that if you really need to for some reason

solidgrue , 6 hours ago

Heck, I ran Linux on my college computers back in the 90s. It was just a thing you did. Ah, memories…

Anyhoo, it largely depends on the school but for most intents and purposes Windows, Mac and Linux are interoperable. By that I mean they can generally open, manipulate and share all of the common document formats natively, with some minor caveats.

Many schools also have access to Microsoft O365, which makes the MS Office online suite available as well. All you really need to use that is a web browser.

I work in an office environment these days where Windows, Mac and Linux are all well supported and are in broad use. I use Linux (Debian) exclusively, my one coworker is all-windows and a third is all-mac. Our boss uses Windows on the desktop, but also uses a Macbook. We are able to collaborate and exchange data without many problems.

I would say the two main challenges you’re liable to face will be when Word files include forms or other uncommon formatting structures. LibreOffice is generally able to deal with them, but may mangle some fonts & formatting. Its not common but it does happen.

The other main challenge could be required courseware-- specialized software used in a curriculum for teaching-- and proctor software for when you’re taking exams online. Those might require Windows or Mac

If it ever comes up, Windows will run in a Virtual Machine (VM) just fine. VirtualBox by Oracle is generally free for individual use, and is relatively easy to start up. Your laptop will probably come with Windows pre-installed, so you could just nuke it, install Linux, install VirtualBox, and then install Windows as a VM using the license that came with your laptop. You’d need to ask an academic advisor at the school if that’s acceptable for whatever proctor software they use.

I recommend against dual-booting a Windows environment if you can avoid it. Linux & Windows are uneasy roommates, and will occasionally wipe out the other’s boot loader. It’s not terribly difficult to recover, but there is a risk that could (will) happen at the WORST possible moment. However, it might be unavoidable if they use proctor software that requires windows on bare metal. Again, you’d have to ask the school.

Good luck!

clark OP , 6 hours ago

Thank you for writing this!

Your laptop will probably come with Windows pre-installed, so you could just nuke it, install Linux, install VirtualBox, and then install Windows as a VM using the license that came with your laptop.

Would you suggest I buy a computer with Windows pre-installed, or a DIY-edition computer (like Framework) with no OS pre-installed?

solidgrue , 5 hours ago

Oh, shoot. If you’re gonna roll your own then that’s probably the better play because at least then the firmware won’t be all locked down and you can pick known-compatible parts. Get it with no OS and sort it out later if you need to.

It’s easy enough to buy a Windows license key later on if you need it. The school night even make it available you at a student discount. Boot it from a USB drive, even.

DannyBoy , 5 hours ago

I was in for computer science major but took lots of other electives. The only course I needed Windows for was Windows App Programming. The rest I was fine with on Linux.

Llituro , 6 hours ago

using google’s office tools is going to be pretty generally acceptable for most people. depending on your studies, you might be expected to use windows software at some point. i would recommend dual booting. depending on your computing hardware, buying a relatively cheap 1 TB SSD from any retailer and installing windows on it is usually the best option. should simply be a matter of selecting the correct boot device from your system bios. for psychologists, my supposition would be that any proprietary software used, if any, would be windows exclusive.

clark OP , 6 hours ago

Honestly I did look into dual booting some time ago, but I don’t think (and this is just a guess) that I’ll be that dependent on Windows for my studies, and it feels a bit icky to have a secondary OS that I’ll barely use (just like me having Play Store on my GOS phone). :')

Azarova , 6 hours ago

If you’re ever forced to use windows for whatever reason, your college should have computers in a library or something that you could use. As far as office software compatibility goes, the office documents themselves are likely to show up with formatting errors if opened in another office suite, but there’s no such issue if you export to PDF though, so I always did my work in LibreOffice and then turned in a PDF and there were never any issues. For group work, I always found it easier to just use one of the browser-based office suites for file compatibility or for working on the same document together.