More like, “doesn’t matter – not being tracked > all.” :^)
Even so, Linux is easier to use than Windows (yes, I went there.) because of a single and only fact:
Configuration files.
Does the average Windows user can configure EVERYTHING through a SINGLE configuration/text file, that explicitly says “what does what”? Video, sound, window size, hotkeys…?
Linux is easier if you’re already comfortable with a computer. A lot of users wouldn’t understand how to edit a config file / would be uncomfortable doing so, especially those who grew up with modern phones and apps. Even if a 30 second edit took 30 minutes in a GUI, lots of people will prefer the GUI.
Unfortunately most people find Windows / MacOS “just works”. If Linux was that easy, adoption would be higher. I love my Arch setup but the average user would probably find it unusable LOL
No it’s not. That’s a flat out typical year of the Linux desktop mentality.
I have commits to TF and cncf. I ran lfs like 6 years ago. I use Windows DE because it’s a far better experience now that WSL does 99% of what I need. Not because I’m uncomfortable in Linux.
People use what comes on the computer. OS usage on the Steam Deck is overwhelmingly Linux because that’s what comes on it. This indicates that Linux is perfectly fine for the average person, it just needs to come pre-installed. Very few people install their own OS either way, Linux or Windows.
100% - I was thinking more about adoption for gaming in relation to the article (which I should have been clearer about), but pre-installation is the #1 reason for the lack of general adoption. But I think if the perception of Linux was a little less intimidating, and some aspects were easier (NVIDIA drivers, I’m looking at you LOL), I think people putting together a new PC would have a much more difficult choice to make when flashing the pen drive :P
That’s an incredibly wrong assessment. People don’t use Linux because it’s not pushed like drugs by hardware manufacturers. It’s that simple. Linux is at a point where it’s actually way easier to install, use and maintain than the 2 other major players out there. Add to this the diversity of DEs, ways to make things work, customization, etc.
I think 5 or 6 years ago, I would agree with this. But I’m not talking about being comfortable with Windows, I’m talking about computers as a whole - a lot of younger people have grown up on app-based devices like iPads, deeply entrenched in “ecosystems”. I’ve found myself in situations where when working with people younger than myself, I regularly find myself having to explain things as mundane as how files work since they’re used to things like Google Drive. Sure, if you took someone with no computer experience and put a Linux and a Windows machine in front of them? I’m sure both have a similar learning curve, and maybe an arguably easier one for Linux. But realistically, when growing up surrounded by devices is now the norm, we can’t really ignore the prior experience.
This is true, and frankly a huge issue. It’s ironic that right now “older generations” (like myself) know more about computers than younger ones. When I was growing up the widely accepted concept was that the younger generation was always going to do circles around the older ones when it comes to technical and computer concepts. You have no idea how many younger ones know nothing about computing. Like asking if a laptop with “8GB of memory is enough to store all their music”. It’s kind of alarming.
I agree to an extent, but most games just work in Linux with no slowdowns or glitches. And I’ve had to mess with many games in Windows over the years to get them to run.
I don’t agree whole heartedly, but I understand where you are coming from.
I recently installed Win11 for work related reasons. Not entirely happy with that, but keep learning or die. If I’m gonna have to support Win11, I should probably run it for a while, lol.
I will say it was nice to just install steam, vortex, download game and mods, and just play without any further tinkering required.
I’d love to see Linux have that sort of native support, not just from the gaming industry, but the community as well.
Yup. If performance isn’t good enough, I upgrade my hardware. The delta between Windows and Linux is generally not interesting enough to have separate installs.
I’ve got one called a “mayflash adapter” that I’ve had for the better part of a decade. I think it was originally a 3rd party wii peripheral, but it has slots for 4 GC controllers and dual USB with a switch for “PC/WII”. It still works perfectly on dolphin and even steam across the various distros I’ve used over the years.
I moved from Kubuntu to Endeavor (Arch-based) and was also afraid of bleeding edge stuff breaking all the time. I gotta say I was pleasantly surprised by how stable it is. The only couple issues I had was 1 bad kernel version and vmware update. I learned how to roll back and avoid upgrading these 2 packages for a couple weeks until the new versions of both fixed everything. I was also reluctant to learn a new package manager since I already know apt, but yay is arguably easier to use than apt. My gaming has been great, no issues.
There are a few good answers here already, so instead I’ll go ahead and ask: Why a GC controller in the first place?
This is just my opinion, but unless you’re going for absolute authenticity over any kind of comfort, I’d just use any modern controller instead. Unlike the Wii Nunchuks, the layout maps to modern controllers pretty well, particularly to Xbox-style controllers. The GC doesn’t have that many exclusives either that would make a purchase worthwhile, since many of them got ports/remasters/remakes over the years.
So my advice would be to start emulating using a regular controller first, and only grab a GC controller after a while, if you still feel the need to get one at that point.
PowerA made a wireless GC controller for Switch. I got one and paired it with my Steamdeck. Works fine.
Also, for the Metroid Prime’s, if you’re not too hung up on playing it the original way, look into Primehack. It’s a modded Dolphin emulator with specific FPS controls for Metroid Prime. There are packages for Linux available. I think the one that worked best for me was the flatpak version.
I’ve got two that are pretty much clones of the GC controllers, but with USB plugs. They work find on a retropie system. I can check the brand once I’m home from work.
NVM: I was mixing up GameCube and N64 controllers. I’ve got the latter
I use the 8bitdo ultimate controller. It is super programmable, the analogue triggers work with dolphin, and it has a nice dock. It has Bluetooth and a 2.4 GHz dongle. 8bitdo also makes a wireless gamecube adapter that connects to an original GC controller. Although I haven’t tested it and it doesn’t mention Linux compatibility
Not always. It’s largely going to depend on the game. GE is a tweaked version fork. I’ve had some games run fine with either version. But I’ve also had a mix of some running better with GE, some without.
I forget the name, but there’s a GUI tool now (check your package manger) that makes the setup really easy. Though the manual setup is about as complicated as creating a folder and pasting the GE file in it and restart steam.
An easy way to download and maintain them is by using the ProtonUp app. I personally keep Experimental by default in Steam and switch to GE for specific titles when necessary, as Experimental hotfixes can roll out quicker than GE updates. Some people argue that it is better to use GE because he updates DXVK etc. to the latest versions but you can also opt into the bleeding edge branch of Experimental in Steam by searching for Proton in your library, right click and go into its properties and then to Betas.
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