Why oh why can't I switch?.....

[Nero.Jacinth]

I'll start off by saying that I am sick and tired of Windows. I want to switch to any flavor of Linux, completely. No dual booting or such, a straight switch. Every time I try to dual boot I end up using my Windows partition 100% of the time. I love Ubuntu, I love the menu and the speed, the cost is great too :)
The problem that I'm having is that I can't seem to switch over. Every time I try Linux I come across some major obstacle that I just can't figure out how to get past; gaming. I play WoW, Age of Empires, Dungeon Keeper 2, along with a few others, and I just can't get any of these to work correctly in Linux. Maybe I should just shell out the dough for Cedega, but frankly, I'm a cheap SOB. Ok, so that's enough ranting for now, I'll go into where exactly I get hung up on switching.

1. Frickin .exe's, I am so used to using them on Windows, they are easy, they work. But Linux doesn't use them, I either have to use Synaptic/Apt or do some long and confusing codes through the terminal. That is, if I've added the right repositories, which I usually haven't because I have no clue which ones to add and how.

2. File management. Windows explorer is usable, not great but usable. Whatever file manager Linux uses is horrible, plain and simple, it blows. Where's my side tree? Details view? Grouping by type?

3. Gaming. Ok, so I already mentioned this but I'll add it to the list anyway. WoW on Windows nets me between 30 and 60 FPS, on Linux, no matter what settings I've tried, I get less than 20. Age of Empires doesn't work, period. Dungeon Keeper 2? No-can-do.


Now before someone flames me for raggin on Linux, I just want to say: I love Linux, I would absolutely love to switch over for the rest of my life. This post was not about me making fun of Linux, or ranting about it's failings, it's about me calling out for help. I want someone to tell me that everything will be ok, that Linux can work with me. I'm fairly certain that most of the things I hate about Linux are brought about by my own ignorance. If anyone has any suggestions or if you just want to yell at me for being a moron, go right ahead and post, please.

For now, I will continue Googling my problems with Linux to try and find solutions.

Thank you in advance to anyone with advice,
Nero

[blueturtl]

Sounds like you need to write an angry email to the game companies. There's not much that Linux developers can do about software for Windows. I mean, it's a miracle that you can run software intended for another operating system at all!

I've used Cedega and it runs some games, but not all of them (and yes you do still occationally have to tinker). Giving it a try is not a bad idea. It's a lot cheaper than a Windows license.

Those friggin .exe files are why Windows is so insecure. You google the web for some uncertified exe files and soon you end up with viruses. Downloading software from a repository like Ubuntu does is really easy. I know it's intimidating at first, mostly because you don't know what you're looking for. I had the same issue with it first. Once time passes you remember the names of all you favorite packages and most guides list packages necessary anyway.

Are you using Ubuntu? Because Nautilus (which is the file browser) does have directory tree and sorting by file type. All you need to do is enable list view. It's in *gasp* View->View as list. If Nautilus doesn't satisfy, there are plenty of other file managers to choose from.

Finally, what's so wrong with Windows to begin with? I mean it plays your games and delivers your exe files.

[Nero.Jacinth]

The problem I have with Windows is that it gets slow and cluttered after a month, forcing me to re-install Windows from image. Your point about uncertified exe's is valid, if a person didn't have an anti-virus program running. But that usually costs extra money, which is another problem with Windows.
Ok, maybe my problem with Nautilus was a bit exaggerated, but I would still love to have a "Group by type" option. Sorting is fine, but grouping makes it so much easier to find. If you know of any file managers that allow please let me know and I will try and figure out how to replace Nautilus with it.

Thank you for the quick response Blue. :)

[blueturtl]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean with 'group by type' option. Isn't it what happens when you click the part of the panel where it says 'type' when in list view. Then it sorts files based on their types and extensions.

I haven't actually tried other file managers since Nautilus suffices for me, but I know Thunar by name and I'm sure others will gladly list their favorite ones in this thread if you just ask them. :)

[tom66]

Nautilus does have some interesting views for the sidebar. Click on the down-pointing arrow to access some of them. (Next to 'Places') Don't know if this will help though.

[Nero.Jacinth]

Grouping by type:
http://weblog.techdad.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/view_by_type.gif

And honestly, I had no idea that you could use different file managers other than Nautilus. I'm going to look into it more now and see if their aren't any that have what I want.

[frup]

Different strokes for different folks. Nothing can please everybody.

I prefer Ubuntu to windows, and I love Ubuntu. Sure there are many things that annoy me, but less things annoy me than in Windows.

You may prefer KDE 4.1. It is still very buggy but you might like Dolphin as a file manager better. Both Nautilus and Dolphin can sort by Type, Personally I prefer that they don't have those stupid and pointless headers.


As for .exe files, there is Wine, Cross Over (office and games) and the many virtualisation options (which one day may have 3d graphics support)... Apart from that the Linux way, with .debs, apt-get, repositories etc. Is so much easier and better it just isn't funny, why take steps backwards just for the sake of being comfortable? Man is designed to progress not mould in to a couch potato.

[th3james]

Seriously, your point about exe will soon become redundant. Ubuntu's equivalent of exe is .deb, which works in much the same way. However, it is backed up by the apt-get security system which means:

1. You can find apps and download them by searching in add and remove, rather than trawling the web for exe

2. coming from a trusted repo means no security issues

3. Install debs can be batched together, meaning system setup is much faster than visiting different software manufacturers sites.

4. Because all software is downloaded from repos, ALL of your software can be updated from the ubuntu update manager, rather than separate update managers for different programs (adobe, sun, OO.org), or trawling the web for the newest versions

Plus, the need for extra repos is pretty minimal, the only 1 I need is medibuntu (and maybe the wine 1 if i need the newest updates)

Trust me, in time, you'll wonder how you lived with exe.

As for your file manager, i think konqueror might do what you're after (although it's KDE based, so it'll b a tad slower in ubuntu(gnome))

[BigSilly]

I think anyone for whom PC gaming is a big deal is going to find it hard to switch to Linux completely. I myself gave up PC gaming in order to go 100% Linux, and now dual boot both Ubuntu and Mandriva. It's not so easy for everyone to do, I understand that, but for me the gains to be made by using Linux solely against playing a few games...well, there was no question for me. I've been giving up gaming for years anyway, so I was glad of finally having a decent reason to do so. Not missed it either.

Dunno if you've mentioned this already, but I say dual boot with your Windows, and be happy. When I first started out with Linux a friend of mine suggested just having a small XP install for the gaming, which I did for a while. Maybe you'll do the same as me in the long run and just eliminate the Windows altogether. Who knows.

[RuleMaker]

In the beginning it can be a bit confusing, you open that terminal and have absolutely no clue what you should do.
But believe me it's simpler than you can imagine, even if almost everything can be done trough GUI i prefer to use terminal because it's more fun and can be faster than trough GUI.
Ubuntu community is huge, you can get support in a few minutes, just ask on forum and somebody will help.
The thing is that in windows you spend half of your day just by searching for new apps (usually antiviruses :) ) and by finding tutorials how to solve some error and similar, on ubuntu I have a strange feeling, sometimes I have nothing to do on it, everything I want it's here.
I find nautilus way better than explorer, if you don't like nautilus you can replace it with other FM. You are free to modify your ubuntu as you like it, that's the freedom.

[billgoldberg]

Grouping by type:
http://weblog.techdad.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/view_by_type.gif

And honestly, I had no idea that you could use different file managers other than Nautilus. I'm going to look into it more now and see if their aren't any that have what I want.

You're harddrives and other mounted drives are listed in the side plane of nautilus.

Nautilus is pretty good.

I'm using pcmanfm, but that's more lightweight and doesn't have that many option. Although its a tabbed file manager.

Nautilus in ubuntu 8.10 will also use tabs.

Konquoror and Dolphin are also great file manager, but there used on kde. You can also use them on gnome (ubuntu), but they will look a bit out of place.

[darrelljon]

I'm still a bit of a noob myself but here are my thoughts.
1. If you have dpkg, executable files will be easier to just click on.
2. File management - I hate Nautilus and Dolphin. Try Konqeror, Krusader then emelFM, PCManFM and Worker. See here too (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_managers).
3. Gaming - can't help.

[AndyCooll]

You've got "Windows-as-a-crutch-itis" and it's perfectly understandable, many folk have the same ailment.

In spite of what you may think, you're set in one way of thinking and that way is the Windows way. If that suits you, or dual-booting suits you then that's fine. However as has been mentioned on these forums many times before Linux isn't Windows. If you truly want to switch to Linux you are only going to do so by going cold turkey, and not dropping back to Windows the moment you can't figure something out.

Nautilus (and other file managers) can do just about everything you need them to. The beauty of Linux is that you can even change your file manager if one doesn't suit.
To get to my drives for instance I simply click on the "Places" icon on my toolbar, I don't even need to begin by opening a file manager. However when I do I have the list of my available drives and folders on the left hand side under "tree view".

And your view of merely clicking on an exe is a bit simplistic. You will have needed to find that exe in the first place. With Ubuntu you can do exactly the same with a deb file, and you still have the backup of the repos.

Gaming is the one aspect where Linux struggles to keep up. However going "cold turkey" focuses the mind. You learn quickly howto get the games you really need to work (because you haven't got your Windows crutch available). You get to the stage where you realise that if it doesn't work with Linux it isn't as important as you thought. And you also start to look at alternative games that DO work with Linux.

Otherwise you maintain your status quo. It's your choice.

:cool:

[BigSilly]

You've got "Windows-as-a-crutch-itis" and it's perfectly understandable, many folk have the same ailment.

In spite of what you may think, you're set in one way of thinking and that way is the Windows way. If that suits you, or dual-booting suits you then that's fine. However as has been mentioned on these forums many times before Linux isn't Windows. If you truly want to switch to Linux you are only going to do so by going cold turkey, and not dropping back to Windows the moment you can't figure something out.

You might be right about some things, but I think if I'd gone "cold turkey" on my Windows use when I started out with Linux, then I would have returned sharply to Windows and never looked at Linux again. It was messing about in Linux in a dual boot at my leisure that encouraged me to dump Windows eventually. But that took time. It was a gradual thing. It took a few months of Freespire and Mandriva before I settled on Ubuntu, and was vaguely comfortable that I knew how it worked. Shortly after that, I was confident enough to remove Windows altogether.

It sounds great, but expecting new users to just dump Windows for Linux overnight is unreasonable. Some may be capable of this, but for many of us we need a bit more time to become acquainted. Now, I would never go back.

We shouldn't be so militant. If someone really wants to move to Linux, then they'll find their way. It's up to the community to then be there when they need the assistance with problems.

[the_darkside_986]

It's not that hard to keep Windows XP clean, just stay away from certain computer habits and it will continue to work perfectly. This means _NO_ P2P software, even for legitimate files, such software is just too insecure to be used on the Win32 platform.

Windows Vista on the other hand... I would wipe my complete Windows and recovery partitions if I were forced to use Vista.

[scottuss]

I know this isn't a great option for the type of games you play but I found comfort in having my Xbox 360 (and Halo 3 on Live) close by when I totally switched to Ubuntu.

In fact I prefer gaming on my 360 than on a Windows PC.

I wouldn't give Ubuntu up for any game! :lolflag:

[SomeGuyDude]

That's the first time I've ever heard of anyone saying Synaptic is less convenient than digging around on websites for the .exe...

[Mr. Picklesworth]

In Nautilus: View as List near the top right for a view with more detail per file. You can customize those columns in its preferences (sadly no one-click way to do it yet). I believe a file type column is visible from the start. You can sort any of the columns by clicking on the column title.

Everything in Nautilus is going to look simpler than you are expecting, because Nautilus does not pound people with unnecessary abstractions. Folks switching from Windows often are confused about 'what happened to their E drive,' for example. Linux just doesn't bother you with that since assigning arbitrary letters to drives is absurdly stupid. Instead, when you put a disk in the drive, the disk is mounted and appears in Nautilus. It's quite nice for those multi card readers which Windows treats as 6 different drive letters. Here, you will only be bothered by things that matter.

Unless you are doing something complex, you usually don't need to use Synaptic. Try gnome-app-install, which you can get to simply by clicking "Add / Remove Applications" in the Applications menu. You also shouldn't need to add any repositories unless you are doing something complex. Just make sure Universe and Multiverse (and maybe Backports) are enabled. In Add / Remove Applications, there is a selector near the top left, I believe defaulting to install software just from officially supported (eg: directly by Ubuntu's core team) sources. Switch that to All Available Sources and you will see a lot of options!

I think what darreljohn means to say is that if you have Wine, executable files will be easier to just click on. Newer versions make it much easier to use by integrating smoothly with the rest of Ubuntu's desktop. You should be able to open any exe file and Wine will try to run it. (Results may vary).

[chucky chuckaluck]

it sounds like your only problem with windows is the slowing down of it over time. do you know how to clean out all the junk? and, of course, do you do it? other than that, it pretty much sounds like you should just stick to windows.

[AndyCooll]

You might be right about some things, but I think if I'd gone "cold turkey" on my Windows use when I started out with Linux, then I would have returned sharply to Windows and never looked at Linux again. It was messing about in Linux in a dual boot at my leisure that encouraged me to dump Windows eventually. But that took time. It was a gradual thing. It took a few months of Freespire and Mandriva before I settled on Ubuntu, and was vaguely comfortable that I knew how it worked. Shortly after that, I was confident enough to remove Windows altogether.

It sounds great, but expecting new users to just dump Windows for Linux overnight is unreasonable. Some may be capable of this, but for many of us we need a bit more time to become acquainted. Now, I would never go back.

We shouldn't be so militant. If someone really wants to move to Linux, then they'll find their way. It's up to the community to then be there when they need the assistance with problems.
Yes, I can see how you could interpret my comments as such, and re-reading them I realise I didn't make myself clear. I wouldn't advocate "cold turkey" for a new user either (unless that's what they wanted to do), and I started off dual-booting too. However, there comes a time when to move on it might be necessay to take a radical step, for instance by taking the plunge. Too often we hold on to the "crutch". The OP for instance has been a member of these forums for over a year. If he's been a regular user of Ubuntu during that time (and I realise I'm making an assumption here), it was on those grounds that I made my comments.

And of course I totally agree that it's up to the community to provide assistance. It's why I regularly visit these boards.

:cool:

[34.50]

Enterprise software that will never be on linux, this is what keeps me from moving to linux. But, I don't want to be a linux only person, I still like Windows.

[Nero.Jacinth]

@SomeGuyDude, You have to look at it from my perspective. I've been using Windows computers for over 10 years so I've collected a neat little folder of all my most important programs, so that when I do have to reinstall Windows its easy to get all of them running again. After I read all these comments I realized that if I had been using Linux for as long as I have Windows, that installing programs would be just as easy, if not easier.

@Andy, you are correct in thinking that I've been using Linux for over a year, but not consistantly. I've had it dual-booted for the past year, but honestly I don't use it very often, maybe once or twice a week a few hours at a time.

@Chucky, I clean up my Windows install weekly with CCleaner and Tune Up Utilities. I defragment weekly also, but it just always seems to get slow after a while. My dislike for Windows is not just about the speed though, it has many other problems which I won't go into because that was not my purpose for this post.

@ everyone, thank you so much for all the responses, you have helped me renew a bit of faith in Linux.