Windows 11 might be usable if it gets a wine port so it can run windows apps.
I need a modern version of office working well.
Copilot for Copilot you mean? Now with extra Copilot.
Could be one without copilot ;-). By modern I mean something in the last 5 years. Maybe even I could go 10. I mean I need something that my IT department will let me into my email with at a minimum.
2007?
Wake me up when it can run Adobe Lightroom.
What about software outside of browsers of gaming? Lemmy talks about gaming a lot but it remains to be seen if working professionals are able to leave W11 behind
Professionals will be trapped forever in windows because of custom banking software.
For software developers Linux was and is the superior choice. For media based professions (video editing, digital art etc.) there’s still a long way to go. There’s way more choice on Windows and not everything works smoothly through Wine
This is a funny take given that for most of Linux history, the majority of Linux desktop user have been “working professionals”, largely IT workers and developers to be fair.
At this point, you cannot really make a blanket statement about who Linux is appropriate for. It is down to individual use cases and preferences.
I have been using Linux for decades and, while I have also used Windows and macOS, other operating systems are frustrating to use due to the many limitations. And I have been several kinds of “working professional” over that time at many different levels of seniority. But I recognize that this is because all my workflows and expectations evolved on Linux.
The “working professionals” you imagine likely have the same issue. It is not that Linux could not work, or even that it is not a better place to start. It is document compatibility and familiarity.
At this point, Linux “being ready” comes down almost completely to a tolerance for learning and change. Nobody says you have to change of course. But working differently does not mean that something else does not work.
There are of course still some software gaps. CAD is not great on Linux (getting there). Print graphics professionals (people with CMYK workflows) will hit real roadblocks. Some debugging tools available on Windows are worth the productivity for certain workflows. Pro audio too I guess though this not my area. And “office document” users may encounter display inconsistencies when sharing documents depending on which features they rely on. Perhaps the latter is what you mean.
As for gaming, it depends on what titles you favour. Some Windows games play better on Linux. Some worse. And of course some not at all.
When choosing software for a company, I consider something that cannot work on the Linux desktop or through the cloud disqualifying. I can think of few cases where that has been the wrong decision.
Professionals left Windows decades ago
I’m a profesional software developer and my employer doesn’t let me use Linux.
White collar professionals who spend their days developing and deploying software or working on compute infrastructure? Sure, some of them have been on Linux for decades. Although many big corpos love Windows and Microsoft products, so at best you’re going to have a foot in both worlds if you work at one of these companies.
Some admin jobs that don’t require bespoke software (ie very little beyond say an office suite) have started making the jump recently to save $$.
Basically every other white professional that needs to work on a computer with industry specific software like people in medical, engineers, business? Odds are they use windows since the software they use for their job is probably only built for Windows and maybe Mac if they’re lucky. Very few employers are going to mass deploy Linux to run applications via Wine. These employers have support contracts for the major software products their employees use and they won’t get support if they’re not running software on its native OS.
Davinci works better in Linux. Vapoursynth mostly works better in Linux.
RAW photo editing is already horrible in Windows if you’re trying to do HDR. To be fair, it’s horrible in Linux too. As much as I hate it, they can’t touch Apple there.
See this post I just made: https://lemmy.world/post/41751454/21613633
iOS will render HDR JPEG-XL, AVIF and tiled HEIFs straight out of a camera; no problem. Heck, it will even display RAWs in the photo app. But it’s a struggle on Windows and Linux.
And if by “professional use” you mean “Adobe,” I view that in the same way as still being on Twitter. At this point, subjecting yourself to Adobe on Windows is something you should do through gritted teeth.
I can’t speak for other programs, but for example, Photoshop runs under wine mostly. The issue is certain features like the content aware tool are locked behind the stupid Adobe Creative Cloud BS and is reported to have issues depending on which version you’re using and what tools you care about. IIRC, it’s mostly the newer AI tools that are affected so maybe linux users won’t care as much, but its still a downside worth noting nonetheless.
Most of the time when Adobe products are mentioned in this context, people will instead offer alternatives rather than telling you to run it under wine. It really depends on what programs professionals are using at their jobs though, and I imagine most will just use Windows on a separate work computer and not deal with the random issues with compatibility and troubleshooting. I think most wouldn’t want to risk losing important work related projects either. If its something more simple like Microsoft Word then you could probably get away with using it on linux though.
Photoshop is perhaps the canonical example of software that does not run on Linux and is actually needed by “professionals”.
Photoshop does not run well enough on Wine that I would expect a pro to run it this way. And, if you are a print professional, there really are no Open Source tools that do what you need yet.
But outside of print, I think it is more about familiarity than capability even with regards to Adobe alternatives. And there are alternatives UI options for things like GIMP if the Adobe metaphor works better for you.
Inkscape seems to be attracting some actual professional use. Scribus seems close to getting there too. The furthest behind is GiMP.
That said, I am impressed with the development pace of GIMP now that version 3 has finally shipped. And it seems that proper CMYK support is on their near-term roadmap. I could see them shipping something functional next year. I would say similar things about non-destructive editing.
It will be interesting to see if attitudes change towards GIMP after these issues are addressed. The UI also takes a lot of heat. Now that there is a consistent cadence of releases (it seems), perhaps that will see steady evolution as well.
It really depends on what programs professionals are using at their jobs though, and I imagine most will just use Windows on a separate work computer and not deal with the random issues with compatibility and troubleshooting
If you’re talking about professional VFX tools, then they all have 1st party Linux support. And no, Adobe Premiere and After Effects don’t fall into that category.
If its something more simple like Microsoft Word then you could probably get away with using it on linux though.
You can just use the PWA versions of Microsoft 365 Copilot App (formally known as Microsoft 365, formerly known as Office 365, formerly known as Microsoft Office). And better yet, LibreOffice is fully supported on Linux and arguably better than Microsoft 365 Copilot App.
Ya. I feel like professional VFX has largely migrated off Windows already.
Yes, I am a design professional. Although I use Affinity rather than Adobe wherever I can, since i own the licence in perpetuity; but that isn’t Linux compatible either. The only AI tool I use is content-aware selection for masking. I don’t use genAI at all.
Since design software can include metadata in exported files, it’s also wise to use legally registered software so that my clients aren’t exposed to legal issues.
I’ve been looking at Linux for several years now, and this is the sole reason why I can’t leave Windows behind yet, because as you say: random issues with compatibility and troubleshooting.
So it bothers me whenever I investigate this and people suggest clearly inadequate ‘alternatives’ like GIMP or tell me I should just switch anyway. Anybody that implies I could do my job with GIMP clearly isn’t informed enough to actually answer my question.
Thank you very much for the nuanced and good faith explanation.
I have been a bit cautious because of the merge with Canva, but Affinity v3 works under Linux. There is a non-official project for helping with installation
https://github.com/ryzendew/Linux-Affinity-Installer
It is supposed to work with v2 also, but I couldn’t test it because the distro I use is not compatible (yet)
Very promising! Thank you, I’ll look into this. Hopefully it’s what I need!
Software outside of gaming usually has native alternatives, so unless you are forced by your employer to use a specific program it is less of an issue (since you are probably also forced to use Windows)
Sadly I had to abandon Linux as I had no way of getting the pen pressure for a tablet to work for Zbrush 2022. It’s an essential part of my workflow and there’s no Linux native version. Tried Wine and virtually every method possible but still couldn’t get it to work. Dual booting for one piece of software seemed silly. Really unfortunate that this was my deal breaker as I was really enjoying the experience.
For music production you sadly only got Ardour and Reaper and I consider neither of them good enough to work professionally and fast workflow in writing sessions, else I’d be over to Linux already
Good stuff Wine.
Windows aged like milk while wine is wine.
Is it because Wine has improved, or because Windows has not?
Yes
i would hope every new version of wine runs windows apps in linux and mac better than ever.
It still probably doesn’t run two applications that I like to use, that is paint.net and the latest free version of SketchUp (unavailable for download officially).
Patch notes: “Made the app a little worse just to keep things interesting.”
That’s the Microsoft strategy, but they forgot to make it better sometimes too
The Microsoft strategy often seems to be “It worked well, but we completely redid it because we need to justify out existence. Now it barely works with new bugs”
That’s more Google’s strategy. Microsoft is more “we updated a bunch of stuff so that we could push our products and services even harder and closed workarounds people are using to avoid them, and if you don’t like it, fuck you, what’re you gonna do?”
It’s been Android too at least since they stopped naming versions after sweets
Kit Kat was the last great android version for me
I wish everyone would follow Apple’s lead (literally exclusively just this one time) and rename their software versions to their associated year.
That would make too much sense
jellybean and gingerbread for me
Rule #76: Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies.
Wine 1.1, now with AI integration
The trick is that isn’t a capital i, it is a lowercase L. Now with AL integration. Every program you run just has a picture of Weird Al and a snippet of a random song from his greatest hits album as a splash screen.
You son of a bitch. I’m in.
I’d run it.
We’re close to the Microsoft ecosystem here; newer version being better is not a given.
At this point, and given the current state of Proton (👍) and the current state of Windows (👎), the question should be, “Does the new version of Wine run Windows apps better than Windows?”
There used to be a Wine on Windows project because Wine was so much better at backwards compatibility.
With some apps/games it definitely feels like it does. Would love to see someone dedicated do proper Wine vs windows benchmarks!
There are plenty of old applications that just do not run on windows 10/11 anymore at all. Wine and emulation is the only choice left for those.
There were some last year specifically for games on SteamOS vs Windows, like this: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/06/games-run-faster-on-steamos-than-windows-11-ars-testing-finds/
I’ve managed to run some old games on Linux with Bottles/Wine that didn’t work on Windows anymore.
Yes. It can run classic gaming that windows outright refuses to run. Wild
Yes. Especially if said application was developed before 2010.
I misread the title at first and I genuinely thought that’s what this article was about.
Proton works nicely in steam
Non steam games is an entirely different complicated issue (for some games)
Heroic works great for pirated hentai games and GOG games.
What kind of complicated issue? Simply adding them as non-steam games seems to work fine. I’ve managed to get jank ass pirated 90s visual novels running, fan-patched, on a steam deck lmao
Epic and GOG work on Heroic just fine and I’ve run two standalone games (Elite Dangerous and ESO) using Lutris with no problems.
You can download Proton for use outside of Steam, I use it in Lutris and Bottles pretty regularly. Also, you should be able to get just about anything to run just as well in Bottles or Lutris as it will in steam, but I will admit it can take some tinkering with some games or software and there is a much easier option: Add “non-steam game” in Steam library and run whatever program you need through Steam anyway.
“Fastest iphone ever!” Yea I’d sure hope so being that it’s new and all
on average that’s the expected outcome, but sometimes there’s a regression here and there for specific apps
The next headline is going to be that they run better in wine than in windows.
Yeah, I think that’s the entire point of having a new version lol
Not sure how serious your comment is, but I could certainly imagine Microsoft introducing new dependencies/hooks/all-executables-must-support-copilot, etc., that break compatibility faster than Wine can keep up. Glad to hear that’s not the case!
For old stuff though…yeah, I’d hope it’s not moving backwards :)
Bugs and forced regressions?
I am just hoping the Steam Frame provides the foundation so that in the years to come I can get off Windows for VR development. Feel trapped right now.
All I want is to be able to run Adobe software on Linux properly. My work requires me to work with premiere and after effects all the time so the moment they run ok on linux I’ll be the happiest person!
All I want is to be able to run Adobe software on Linux properly.
Never going to happen. They are a horrible company that actively refuses to port anything to Linux.
There are other far superior options that do run natively on Linux. DaVinci Resolve is one, it works as both a NLE and a compositor and is objectively better than anything Adobe has to offer.
I totally agree with you. The problem is that the companies that I work with have all their pipeline built on Adobe ecosystem. Guess I need to find a new job.
I guess this isn’t really even “news” to Linux gamers now, but once in a while it’s nice to make an article about what constant progress has happened in a certain sphere. Certainly many people staying on Windows out of inertia blinked and missed it.
My fervent hope is that, someday in the future, people can build a gaming PC and just forego Windows to save $100.
My fervent hope is that, someday in the future, people can build a gaming PC and just forego Windows to save $100.
Good news! Your future hope is reality’s past!
Seriously though, who buys a copy of Windows for a custom built PC that they install Linux on? I’ve built a bunch of computers over the past decade or so and I haven’t purchased a copy of Windows since the early 2000s. And technically that was just an OEM licence that came with a laptop.
Who buys? Most of people :)
So you’re telling me that someone who builds a custom PC with the intention of installing Linux will go out and buy a Windows license?
I ment who build a custom PC. That’s reality bro.
My fervent hope is that, someday in the future, people can build a gaming PC and just forego Windows to save $100.
That’s what you said. And I’m not even sure what you mean by “I ment who build a custom PC. That’s reality bro.”
The reality is that a good portion of gamers either build their own systems or buy “custom built” systems from a company that builds them. It’s mainly only OEM manufacturers that include a Windows license, like HP, Lenovo, MSI, and generally laptops.
So ultimately there’s no scenario where your comment makes sense.
Ok maybe we have some misunderstanding here. My friend had internship in one computer store, where you could order custom built computers. The most of them were sold with windows license.
Maybe that changed, idk. But I see that many stores sell computers with Windows installed and they are custom builds.
I keep fingers crossed, because in past 5 years I tried to use Linux many times and it always ended with issue with graphic card drvers
My fervent hope is that, someday in the future, people can build a gaming PC and just forego Windows to save $100.
Who’s building a gaming PC and paying retail price (or any price) for the Windows license anyway? I think anyone who knows anything about technology knows how easy Windows has always been to pirate, and that keys are readily available for cheap
Sometimes I forget macOS exists
I love it because its existence means I get a good chance of having a UNIX-based machine in new corporate dev positions. If a company is giving me a work laptop, I’ll take a MBP over a Windows laptop any day (assuming I can’t install Linux)
I still can’t stand the Apple design philosophy no matter how much exposure. Mostly has to do with their “saving the user from themselves” restrictions in their operating systems. I’d rather defang windows instead, even if it takes much longer per machine.
Have you used a Mac in the last 10 years, beyond just flicking the mouse around at a FutureShop?
I love the duality of saying “in the last 10 years” and “FutureShop” in the same sentence.
I miss FutureShop. Fuck Best Buy for killing them
I forgot how long ago that died… BestBuy?
Yes, last contract IT job (Macbook Pro, approx 10 months ago). I wanted to smash it in half over my knee and grab a random Thinkpad with my ventoy usb in hand.
Why? What was so bad about it?
MacOS repeatedly got in my way when trying to run specialist software needed for my work at [organization], because I had the audacity to use an executable not in line with Apple’s walled garden. Additionally, transferring files was a pain in the nuts - so many “mac moments” of files resulting in 0 bytes after drive ejection and repeated permission error messages despite having the appropriate credentials active.
Throw in some minor annoyances with frankly unintuitive UX for general settings and layout configuration, and I was sick of the damn thing by day 3.
Made me miss my old job where I got to smash a vacated lab’s worth of Macs with a sledgehammer. And where I was allowed to bring my own laptop.
You can disable Gatekeeper entirely using the terminal. They just don’t expose the option in the UI anymore (which I think is fine).
For me it’s mostly the 3-4 key keyboard shortcuts that need about 1.5 hands to press comfortably. Yes, printscreen, I’m looking at you.
Also, why the fuck is F4 used to open the app drawer thingy? (no idea what it’s called) It’s so far away from where my hands normally rest!
You can disable the FN shortcuts so that they’re just regular F# keys. The print screen thing is fair though admittedly in so used to them that I’ve set them as shortcuts on my main Plasma desktop lol
I’m using a Mac for software development at my current job. I prefer it over windows but I still hate it. Can’t even alt tab through windows on that piece of garbage without extra software.
You can cmd+tab between applications, and cmd+~ between windows of a given application.
I just want a list of all my windows, like pretty much every other window manager does. This just makes finding the correct window take more keypresses.
There’s numerous ways to accomplish this. If you want the windows of your current app, “App Expose” (Ctrl+Down, and then Left/Right/Up/Down to select) is what you want. If it’s all the windows, “Mission Control” (Ctrl+Up, granted you do have to click the window with the mouse) is what you want.
This is what I mean. You can absolutely cycle windows with your keyboard. “Out of the box.”
I just put each different program on a different virtual desktop and swipe through them.
Wow, that sounds awful. If you needed to use a touchpad their UX developers already failed.
Look, I’m not an apple fanboy by any means. I kinda hate their UX. So I’m not defending Apple by putting my suggestions here. I’d prefer a Linux desktop 100% obviously, but most jobs (in my experience) do not offer that unless you work for a company with a dedicated IT department.
First of all, I can cmd+tab to different apps/programs just fine. So I don’t know what feature your missing that you need additional software.
Second of all, you can use ctrl+arrowkeys to cycle between desktops without a touch pad.
Third, I use an Mx Master mouse with gestures mapped to the Gesture button on the mouse. I hold the button and move my mouse left and right, which switches desktops.
Honestly, I prefer virtual desktops to alt tabbing 100%. When I’m developing a web app, for instance, I have a browser desktop in between a front end code desktop and a backend code desktop. Viewing my changes is just holding down a mouse button and a quick flick of my wrist. Its consistent and quick.
You can do the separate desktops without using a touchpad, there are keyboard shortcuts to do that.
I mean, isn’t that kinda the goal…?
Having switched to bazzite because i was used to it from the legion go and it being perfectly fine for my stuff, all i need is for it to be MUCH more noob friendly. Like, i know several people i couldn’t recommend it to yet because it takes some effort on finding out how to do stuff.
This is great, but does it handle GPU acceleration yet? The main thing I still need Windoze for is SketchUp and I have never managed to get it to work because I get a GPU acceleration error. Any hints would be welcome.
In case you didn’t know, there’s a web app version of sketchup
I know, but web app versions of just about everything suck nuts.
Yes, for ages. What a weird question though. How are you set up?
The closest I’ve come to getting it to work was SketchUp Make 2017 (the last of the free versions). I could get it to install using WINE but as soon as I ran it it would crash out saying I was not supporting graphics acceleration. Right now I’m trying to install SketchUp Pro 2021 using Bottles and just keep getting Invalid Handle errors all through the installation, mostly when it seems to be looking for certain KBs for Windows 7 and 8 I think. I have to dig through the Logs to hopefully find I’m missing a dependency somewhere.
To answer your question I’m running Linux Mint and have an AMD Radeon 7970XTX that is more than capable.
Yes, for ages. What a weird question though.
Ok, but my question is does Wine run on Linux?
Yes, it does.
OK, my question is - is wine just a windows emulator
No, Wine Is Not an Emulator.
What does the WINE in WINE Is Not an Emulator stand for
It Not an Emulator all the way down.
It seems like SketchUp uses OpenGL, which should be supported just fine by a linux GPU driver. I haven’t tried it myself, but you could maybe try running it through Proton (idk if there’s a way outside of Steam?)
Thanks, I see Bottles lets you use Proton as a runner so I’ll give that a try.
