How many of you completely switched to Linux?

[agklimit]

I use multiple computers at home. One is kubuntu, this one I'm typing on is Mint, and I have 2 Windows machines. Can't entirely drop M$ products, as I work in IT support field and must keep up to date with what most clients will have. Eventually, I will probably use only one physical PC, but will run a mix of VMs on it (for that reason it'll have to be a pretty powerful machine). I plan to use Mint as my host OS on that future PC.

[Tristan Tonks]

I'm not a gamer, my gut instinct is that Linux would/could run your gaming better - BUT (and it's a big BUT; Linux still has to emulate so many drivers that key faming tech (like my Razer keyboards, Nostramo, etc, as well as the high end graphics chipsets will take a lot of setting up. I know this would be outside my ability to do quickly. I suspect that if you built a machine specifically for Linux and got it running a bisc config withnetowrking (so a standard install) - you could then get someone who knows what they are doing with it to set you up over the web by giving them access for a couple of weeks and paying them a few quid. That done I think you would be flying - but it will be challenge.

As I said I am not gamer and while I am currently aiming to build a new machine for my Ubuntu over Christmas and the new year I have decided to just leave gaming out of the machine ( I will just stick withthe PS3 etc).

I will still have to use a high end chipset and graohics becuase I am working with Blender all the time - whic is interesting because a lot of games are developed with Blender...

I think the answer depends on how serious you are about your gaming.
Can Linux run faster and more reliably - yes!
Will it take more setting up than a windows machine - YES!
Will it cost more in time and effort - yes!

Should you do it? ... for me , no , for a high end gamer - I think so yes.

[yonnie]

Switched to Linux 5 years ago, no regrets! Have 7 or 8 Linux machines for various business purposes here. Windbows is not allowed for business use on our network, linux only. Of course I repair them and usually talk the customers into trying linux.

[TOMBSTONEV2]

I completely switched to ubuntu about 2 months ago. I switched from windows 7, previously I used windows xp for many years. I find windows to be a stifling series of os's. Windows tells you what you can do with a program, whereas with ubuntu you tell ubuntu what to do with a program.

I have a dual boot system with ubuntu 12.04 LTS, and Back Track 5 R3. I will never go back to windows.

[Gaygerbil]

I've completely switched to Linux on all the machines I use/used. On my old netbooks I only had Ubuntu 9.10 and Xubuntu 12.04 on the more recent one. On my very old laptop I only had Ubuntu 8.10, on my desktop I only have Lubuntu 12.10.

I could care less for what Windows has to offer I have an Xbox and my desktop while it can handle gaming I'd rather wait until Steam becomes a bigger success on Linux. Of course for someone like my Gf who has school she simply can't switch off from Windows lol.

[pierceTN]

for 2 1/2 years

5 Ubuntu computers in the house, also 2 Ubuntu severs

[QDR06VV9]

I've been running Ubuntu full time since 2008, works great for me and my family.

Same Here.. Work Still has windows but that will change after January, I get to bring in 3 machines with linux installed for training,(Android Helped to soften any resistence)

[khometmibro]

I used to use ubuntu 2.5 years ago, and I would not have been able to completely switch to ubuntu back then.

I installed 12.10 a week ago and was pleasantly surprised. This OS is a lot more user friendly now, and more fun to use. All the windows only applications I really need work well on wine (some old games work much better on wine than on windows), and thanks to the unity engine some really awesome game titles are coming to linux very soon (e.g. War for the overworld, etc).

I don't think I'll ever need to switch back... windows is just too sluggish for me.

As long as you know a few basic terminal commands, I think this OS can easily replace Windows for the average user's needs

[bhkino]

I am more or less new to ubuntu. In most things I don't want to use windows any more but with MS office I could write VB code but how to do that with LibreOffice I just cant do it. I have taken 2 quarters of Java, and VB but how to do this?????

[Kirk Schnable]

I theoretically have Windows 7 dual booting on my laptop, but I don't think I've booted into it in ~6 months. (It's on there exclusively for gaming, but most of the games I really enjoy either work well enough in WINE or have a Linux version). I've gotten very far away from Windows in my personal life, and as most of my work computers are going Linux, I'm getting pretty far away from Windows in my professional life as well.

There was a time when I, like many other people on this forum, was just starting out with Linux. I found myself using WINE almost exclusively, to run things like Microsoft Office, Trillian Instant Messenger, etc.

Then, I realized one day that I was just using Linux to run Windows programs, and this wasn't doing me any good. So, I went back to Windows.

Eventually, I came up with a reasonably good solution. I really wanted to like Linux, but I was too attached to my traditions in Windows. There were some things in Linux that I really liked, for example as a web developing hobbyist, I enjoyed the ability to mount SFTP locations and edit my files in Gedit with awesome syntax highlighting.

So I found an application called Syngery, (keyboard and mouse sharing across multiple computers) and I set up a 3 monitor desk. 2 monitors for Windows 7, 1 for my new Linux box, and I used Synergy to enable me to have 1 keyboard and mouse for both.

Eventually, what I found was I was doing more and more things over on my Linux screen... so I made 2 screens for the Linux computer, and 1 for the Windows computer.

After a few more months of this, I found I was hardly ever using Windows for anything and that screen would be better suited to running Linux..... so I unplugged my Windows box completely, and upgraded my graphics on the Linux machine to support 3 monitors.

I haven't really looked back. I am still dual booting Windows 7 on my ThinkPad, but I never use it anymore as I said earlier. I am about as converted as I'll ever be. I have no regrets.

Looking back on the experience, I feel like I quite literally freed myself from the shackles of Windows, and I think my life is better as a result. I enjoy helping newcomers on the Ubuntu Forums solve their problems, because if I can help them keep their minds open to Linux, maybe they'll eventually be able to see things the way I do, and will keep using Linux.