Should I switch to linux?

For a few days, I’ve been thinking about dual-booting Linux. Honestly, part of the reason is that it just looks interesting, and I’m curious to try something different. While Windows 11’s forced updates and other quirks are a minor factor, they’re not the main reason.

I’m hoping to use Linux for a smoother experience with creative work like writing, 3D animation, and possibly video editing, as well as some casual gaming but I do play CS2 from time to time. Another reason I’m curious about Linux is the growing popularity of Linux gaming, especially with SteamOS and the Steam Deck making it more accessible.

The main thing drawing me to Linux is the customizability. I’ve seen videos of people heavily customizing their desktops, and I’d love to have a setup tailored to my liking.

Just to clarify, I’m not a programmer and don’t plan on doing any coding because I’ve seen people coding on Linux, but that’s not what I’m interested in.

https://redd.it/1ppltuu
@r_linux

Most unusual Linux Distros

My class is having a fun little ground assignment at the moment where each group will find and present the most unusual, obscure, and exotic Linux distro they can find.

Since I'm still new to Linux I thought it would be good to ask a community of Linux enthusiasts.

If you would be willing to share a Distro you know that would fit this category I would be very grateful.

https://redd.it/1ppo24v
@r_linux

systemd v259 Release (last major version to support System V service noscripts)
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/releases/tag/v259

https://redd.it/1pput47
@r_linux

Servo version 0.0.3 released
https://github.com/servo/servo/releases/tag/v0.0.3

https://redd.it/1pq0rd2
@r_linux

AI’s Unpaid Debt: How LLM Scrapers Destroy the Social Contract of Open Source
https://www.quippd.com/writing/2025/12/17/AIs-unpaid-debt-how-llm-scrapers-destroy-the-social-contract-of-open-source.html

https://redd.it/1pq2fcj
@r_linux

Kdenlive 25.12 is out with focus on user experience improvements, interface polish, and lot's of bug fixes.
https://kdenlive.org/news/releases/25.12.0/

https://redd.it/1pq32gw
@r_linux

Pop!_OS 24.04’s New Scratch-Built Cosmic: Hands-On, With Screenshots
https://fossforce.com/2025/12/pop_os-24-04s-new-scratch-built-cosmic-hands-on-with-screenshots/

https://redd.it/1pq1anm
@r_linux

If you can't code, a great way to contribute to your desktop environment is telemetry

"But I'm on linux to escape that stuff!" Then why are you reading this? Respectfully, what are you doing here?

Gnome and KDE Plasma have optional telemetry. As much as people in this sub dispise the very idea of it, projects done by volunteers can benefit MASSIVELY from it since it lets them know what to prioritize and what breaks when and how. I just turned on the full extent it would allow, which allows me to do my part to help make this ecosystem a better one for everyone.

In KDE this is in the settings under feedback. On gnome, you need to download Gnome-info-collect if it isn't already in your distro (not sure if any distros come with it preinstalled but disabled.)

Cosmic doesn't seem to have this as an option yet, but they should really get on that since it's such a new project.

For those that don't hate telemetry, this is a great way to contribute to the greater linux ecosystem. If you want to help but can't code (or come across any bugs to report, since those are always good to but most of us don't encounter bugs) this is a nice way to help.

https://redd.it/1pq5zzv
@r_linux

Newer RISC-V CPUs Vulnerable To Spectre V1 - Linux Mitigation Patches Posted
https://www.phoronix.com/news/Spectre-V1-RISC-V-Patches

https://redd.it/1pq68st
@r_linux

AMD Radeon RX 9000 Series vs. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Open-Source Linux Performance For 2025
https://www.phoronix.com/review/nvk-nvidia-radeon-eoy2025

https://redd.it/1pqbr2p
@r_linux

Linux Desktop: Do we need better Workspace Management?
https://linuxblog.io/linux-desktop-workspace-management/

https://redd.it/1pqa4xp
@r_linux

Have `sudo` insult you upon incorrect password
https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/sudoers.5.html#:~:text=insults%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20If%20set%2C%20sudo%20will%20insult%20users

https://redd.it/1pqhakn
@r_linux

I gave a talk about Linux: You Might Not Need NixOS
https://youtu.be/46jtIh1Zs-Y

https://redd.it/1pqngrm
@r_linux

What would it really take for EU governments and companies to migrate from Microsoft to Linux?

There’s increasing discussion in the EU about reducing dependency on US tech vendors, especially Microsoft. I was reading related posts and started wondering what the *real* blockers are when moving from a Microsoft-centric on-premise infrastructure to Linux, especially at medium/large company or government scale.

A few challenges that immediately come to mind:

**Identity and Access Management**

Microsoft Active Directory is the backbone of most enterprises. Replacing it is possible (Samba AD, FreeIPA, LDAP), but it’s not a drop-in replacement:

* No full GPO equivalent
* Different management models
* Limited Windows client integration
* Higher operational complexity



**Group Policy Objects**

On Linux this becomes a mix of configuration management tools, noscripts, and local policies, powerful, but fragmented and harder to audit. -> Probably immutable systems like NixOS could be more effective for deploy configuration in a less complex manner?


**Productivity & collaboration**

Replacing Microsoft 365 is not just swapping Word with LibreOffice:

* Excel macros (VBA) break
* Outlook/Exchange workflows are deeply embedded
* Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Power Automate could be integrated with LibreOffice/OpenOffice work, but not always *equivalently*, especially for power users.



**Line-of-Business software**

Many ERP, HR, accounting, CAD, legal and compliance tools are Windows-only or deeply tied to Microsoft APIs. This often blocks desktop migrations even when servers move to Linux.


**Email & Collaboration**

Replacing Exchange requires rebuilding mail, calendar, contacts, mobile sync, archiving, and compliance tooling, all of which Microsoft delivers as a single ecosystem.


**Endpoint Management & Security**

Microsoft provides Intune, Defender, BitLocker, Conditional Access, and Zero Trust tooling. Linux alternatives exist, but are fragmented and less integrated.


Anything else?

Can this migration be possible by the current available solutions? Or it is needed to create new solutions to fill the possible gaps?

https://redd.it/1pqpdgn
@r_linux

fgshell 0.0.1a released today

fgshell 0.0.1a is alive—and it already regrets it.

This is a Linux shell written mostly in JavaScript, running in places it probably shouldn’t run, existing largely because the universe didn’t stop me. It’s far from feature-complete, missing everything except the parts that work, and probably haunted.

If you want to try it out, break it, fork it, yell at it, or help shape it, you’re welcome here.

GitHub: https://github.com/fearlessgeekmedia/fgshell

https://redd.it/1pqrk7u
@r_linux

Best linux distros for better battery saving?

So I trird Mint cinnamon. Fedora (main & KDE Plasma both) and xubuntu XFCE while dual booting with Win10, but none of them seems to have better screen on time than Win10.
I need for my 2016 laptop with i5 4200M and 6GB RAM. And my usage are not that heavy that's why I am rocking with this old machine, I only use Browser, VS Studio, JAVA jdk and of course some hardware monitoring tools like HWMonitor, CPUz, GPUz, etc...

Here is the detail explanation of my current battery life:
in Windows it can easily run for 3.5Hrs+, but when I tried the lightweight linux distro Xubuntu XFCE it could only run for about 1:20Hr. Man I can play NFS MW 2012 for that same time and still have \~40% battery life left
and yeah I have meaded many setting in WIn10 to maximize the battery life.
I thought linux might not need that much changes and should give at least 2-3Hrs (only expected), but no we have to give some efforts like turning off animations running commands which might not even gonna remember.
Just after installing KDE Plasma the battery health percentage drop significantly like from 84% to 76%.

Also to note that I also prioritize, appearance settings. and don't suggest any XFCE based distro cause the task manager, appearance are stuck at 19's looking interface no detail view. Meanwhile KDE Plasma give extra features for customizability If There is any best battery saving distro but based on XFCE then list it out I will make sure to test in live boot before installation.
\- Thank You

https://redd.it/1pquxa5
@r_linux

Game launchers in PyQt6, Zordeer and Meganimus.
https://redd.it/1pqw2yc
@r_linux

Linux, the OS of the future
https://youtube.com/watch?v=R-NmGuZ8TW0&si=7qYgKfoZSfhl4YVh

https://redd.it/1pqwyhv
@r_linux

ELI5 What Will It Take for the EU to NOT Give Up Their Attempt at Moving Their Public Infrastructure to Linux

We're not arguing whether it is or isn't a good plan. But it surely won't be without its growing pains.


Does the EU genuinely have what it takes to make such transition happen successfully, and be able to manage everything onwards?


And if they manage to fully go opensource, across the board, what benefits – as well as issues – will they be looking at, compared to a "big tech" solution?

https://redd.it/1pqycpl
@r_linux

kew: small static stite generator
https://redd.it/1pr01t9
@r_linux

I built a lock-free audio analysis daemon for Linux that publishes live sound state to shared memory

I’ve been working on a project called **Aether**, and I’m sharing it now that it’s stable and deployed on my daily system.

Aether is **not primarily a visualizer**. It’s a small, real-time **audio analysis daemon** for Linux.

It captures audio via **PipeWire**, performs 7-band FFT analysis, and **publishes the current acoustic state to a lock-free shared memory region** (`/dev/shm`). The daemon never blocks for consumers and has no knowledge of who is listening.

Once the state is published, anything can attach.

The simplest interface looks like this:

$ aether-query --band bass
0.73

That number is continuously updated system state. Because it’s just data, it composes naturally with shell noscripts, status bars, automation, RGB controllers, or anything else that can read stdout.

# Design principles

Broadcast, not push: the daemon publishes state and forgets about it.

Ignorance as resilience: consumers can lag, crash, or disappear without affecting analysis.

Lock-free IPC: optimistic concurrency control (sequence numbers, no mutexes).

Numbers as interface: floats on stdout are maximally interoperable.

# Architecture (high level)

PipeWire → Aether Daemon → shared memory (contract)
↓
any consumer you want

The repository includes reference consumers, not required components:

* a curses-based terminal visualizer (multiple styles)
* an OpenRGB controller for hardware lighting
* a CLI for querying or monitoring the shared state

They exist to demonstrate consumption patterns—the daemon does not depend on them.

# Deployment model

Aether is meant to run as a systemd user service. You start it once per session, and consumers attach or detach independently. If nothing is listening, it still runs. If everything crashes, it keeps listening.

# Motivation

Most audio tools tightly couple capture, processing, and rendering. That works until you want multiple consumers, different update rates, or graceful failure.

I wanted a calm center that only does analysis and publishes its understanding—without opinions about how that information should be used.

# Repository

GitHub: [https://github.com/kareemsasa3/aether](https://github.com/kareemsasa3/aether)

I’m not looking to turn this into a framework or add features at the center. I’m interested in misuse—people doing unexpected things with published audio state.

https://redd.it/1pr5n6d
@r_linux