Yo linux team, i would love some advice.

I’m pretty mad at windows, 11 keeps getting worse and worse and I pretty done with Bill’s fetishes about bing and ai. Who knows where’s cortana right now…

Anyway, I heard about this new company called Linux and I’m open to try new stuff. I’m a simple guy and just need some basic stuff:

  • graphic stuff: affinity, canva, corel, gimp etc… (no adobe anymore, please don’t ask.)
  • 3d modelling and render: blender, rhino, cinema, keyshot
  • video editing: davinci
  • some little coding in Dart/flutter (i use VS code, I don’t know if this is good or bad)
  • a working file explorer (can’t believe i have to say this)
  • NO FUCKIN ADS
  • NO MF STUPID ASS DISGUSTING ADVERTISING

The tricky part is the laptop, a zenbook duo pro (i9-10/rtx2060), with double touch screens.

I tried ubuntu several years ago but since it wasn’t ready for my use i never went into different distros and their differences. Now unfortunately, ready or not, I need to switch.

Edit: the linux-company thing is just for triggering people, sorry I didn’t know it was this effective.

  • lemmyreader@lemmy.mlEnglish
    30·
    7 months ago

    If you want to test several Linux distributions Ventoy can be useful. You can have 10 or more different Linux distributions on one USB stick depending on the size of the stick. This will also save you time “flashing” an image iso to the stick each time because with Ventoy you’d simply copy the image iso files to the stick, quick and easy.

    https://www.ventoy.net

    • Croquette@sh.itjust.works
      5·
      7 months ago

      Ventoy has changed my life. No more having to find a unused usb key to format then flash.

      Just drop the ISO, boot on the key and choose whatever you want to try/install.

      • cmbabul@lemmy.world
        2·
        7 months ago

        I just discovered it last week and feel frustrated with the time I wasted sleeping on it

  • pelya@lemmy.world
    261·
    7 months ago

    Just grab yourself some Linux Mint, and try to ignore Arch and Gentoo crowd here.

    Half of the apps you mentioned have Linux version right in the system package manager. Davinci has Linux version on their website.

    CorelDraw might be a problem, WineHQ lists it’s compatibility for the latest version as garbage, so you will probably need to switch to Inkscape.

    Anyway, I heard about this new company called Linux

    Pedantic explanation about GNU/Linux is coming in 3… 2… 1…

  • My Password Is 1234@lemmy.worldEnglish
    22·
    7 months ago

    In all honesty, you should decide between Debian and Fedora. If you’re new to this, stay away from Arch Linux, Gentoo, or Manjaro. Simplicity is key. The two systems I mentioned are known for their reliability, so you should be fine with either one.

    • HumanPerson@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      5·
      7 months ago

      If you are made out of matter stay away from manjaro. Other than that I agree, and would recommend debian slightly over fedora but that is just personal preference. Also I feel like opensuse deserves an honorable mention. Maybe not tumbleweed, but leap could be suitable for a new user and yast rocks.

      Edit: Also vscodium can be good alternative to vscode. It is vscode without Microsoft’s tracking, but an exact copy otherwise.

      • My Password Is 1234@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        7 months ago

        Indeed, I use VSCodium on my Fedora system every day, but since the question was about VSCode, I provided information specifically related to VSCode.

        Debian rigorously tests its packages over an extended period before they are released in the official version, ensuring a very stable system. This approach means the software is generally older, but it’s been thoroughly vetted. Fedora, on the other hand, provides newer software while still maintaining a good level of stability.

        On the other hand, Arch Linux — and its sub-distributions like Manjaro and Gentoo — releases software much more quickly, sometimes almost immediately which can kill your system during updates. I’d go so far as to say that Arch Linux is less stable than Windows.

        TL;DR: If you don’t want to find out five minutes before an online meeting that your system won’t boot — avoid Arch Linux.

    • not_amm@lemmy.ml
      11·
      7 months ago

      I use Canva in the browser, but I gotta say that it works better in Microsoft Edge than in Firefox. I think it may be a Chromium thing, but I haven’t tested other browsers.

  • MrPenguinSky@lemmy.world
    12·
    7 months ago

    Fedora will always be my go-to, and the KDE spin should be pretty familiar layout wise for former windows users.

    Since you have an nvidia gpu, Pop OS will probably be your best bet if you need it working immediately.

    I wouldn’t recommend Ubuntu anymore, as it’s been pushing snaps (package manager) MS-style, and it’s gotten some shit from the community for various reasons over the years.

    Linux Mint is also good, too. It’s very easy to just get up and going, perfect for people who aren’t familiar with Linux, too.

    • ghen@sh.itjust.works
      2·
      7 months ago

      The worst part about snaps isn’t the fact that their packaged like Windows files, it’s that it makes updating everything on your computer confusing as fuck when you don’t really want to ever think about it.

  • Para_lyzed@lemmy.world
    11·
    7 months ago

    I generally have 2 recommendations for beginners who don’t want something specific, one of which is a community favorite, the other is my own favorite.

    The community generally recommends Linux Mint for new users. It’s based an Ubuntu, so it had a lot of great support, but it has the enshittification of Ubuntu (snaps, tracking, pro subscription ads, etc.) removed. It’s a great, simple distro for beginners that generally works all around without tweaking. It’s basically the #1 recommendation for new users, and I gladly support that recommendation.

    My personal favorite recommendation is Fedora, through I understand why there may be frustrations for those with Nvidia graphics cards who need to install their drivers. The process to do it on Fedora isn’t very complex, and can be looked up easily, but new users tend to feel intimidated by the command line, and I must admit that the installation of Nvidia drivers and media codec are more difficult than something like Linux Mint (for Fedora, this is a copyright issue, since their main sponsor is Red Hat, a private company). In every other area, I’d say Fedora is great for beginners, and provides a great way for users to get new features quickly without having to worry about any of the instabilities or quirks of something like Arch.

    You couldn’t go wrong with either, but you’re certainly going to see more recommendations for Linux Mint in general (especially on Nvidia hardware).

    Just stay away from Manjaro, Gentoo, and Void (there’s a long list of complex distros, but it really isn’t going to help to list them all). Gentoo and Void have their place, but are not a great place for a beginner to start. Manjaro simply has no place, just avoid it like the plague.

  • elxeno@lemm.ee
    11·
    7 months ago

    For people coming from windows i think linux mint is the best choice.

    Gimp, blender and vscode works well on linux

    U can code dart/flutter with no problems on vscode on linux, android studio also works fine if you need to export to android.

    For file manager i use nemo (default on mint cinnamon).

    Other software mentioned i have no idea.

  • voracitude@lemmy.world
    9·
    7 months ago

    As a fellow Windows user tipping ever further towards finally making the switch, this resonates on a lot of levels. Also I saw what you did with the “company called Linux” thing and thought it was funny 🙌

  • SlowCoder@lemmy.ml
    91·
    7 months ago

    I ran Linux on a Zenbook Pro Duo. Fedora’s KDE distribution was the only release I ever found that worked out of the box with both touchscreens as I’d expect. You’d think a big release like Ubuntu would work, but whatever they have set up for touchscreens is slightly out of whack. For example, touch and drag would select text instead of scrolling the page.

    By default, your laptop might try to stay awake all the time. The second screen is treated as an external monitor, and there’s a setting you can find in the configuration menu that forces the laptop to stay awake when an external device is connected.

    Some other things to note. If you’ve got an older model, you might be able to find a third-party software suite such as this one that will allow you to use your laptop almost normally.

    However, if your laptop is new enough, you might be unable to find any software (third party or otherwise) that supports the built-in features such as quick screen swapping, numpad, or turning off the lower screen. The lower screen is LCD anyways, so you won’t get burn in. If you’re worried about power, I’ve found that despite the lower screen being on full-time, Linux still doubled or tripled my battery life compared to when I ran Windows. I think the biggest immediate drawback is that you may not have any on-board audio due to a lack of drivers, though that might have been fixed in Fedora 40. I know they were working on that in the newer version of upstream Linux (which may not have arrived yet), but I haven’t been following it. And finally, you won’t be able to adjust the brightness of the lower screen without some configuration. Again, some of that might be mitigated if you can find some compatible and reliable 3rd-party software for your laptop.

    I will say that despite all the limitations mentioned above, I still vastly preferred Linux to Windows. The battery life alone was enough to warrant the switch.

    • dan00@lemm.eeOP
      5·
      7 months ago

      Thanks, I was hoping to find someone who did this before. And apparently not the first time I read that fedora is my best/only option for the type of laptop. Great tips!

      • possum@lemmy.world
        4·
        7 months ago

        Hey OP, I just installed Fedora KDE as dual boot on my desktop (slowly transitioning from Windows) and I can vouch for what the person above you is saying. Good luck, and feel free to ask anything. I’m no expert, but I can at least listen.

  • WanderingCat@lemm.ee
    8·
    7 months ago

    I dunno if it’s already been mentioned, but there’s VSCodium, it’s vscode without Microsoft

  • Thann@lemmy.mlEnglish
    91·
    7 months ago

    Linux is not a company! Its a community driven open source project made by people like you who don’t want to be under a corporations thumb!

    There are many such open source programs, and they should be your first choice when looking for alternatives.

    I suggest trying the Fedora OS, and using the site alternativeto.net to find open source alternatives to any programs you need.

    Don’t forget to always use the packge manager to install sotfware!

  • AMDIsOurLord@lemmy.ml
    7·
    7 months ago

    As a Dart developer myself you won’t have any problem with VS code and Dart. Actually, it’s a bit better than on Windows because it was originally not much of a windows centric system anyways

  • octopus_ink@lemmy.mlEnglish
    7·
    7 months ago

    Edit: the linux-company thing is just for triggering people, sorry I didn’t know it was this effective.

    Heh it really was wasn’t it? Been on Linux for near to twenty years now and I’m still surprised to see it. :D

    • seaQueue@lemmy.world
      11·
      7 months ago

      Honestly anything shipping a MATE desktop edition would be good too. MATE is similar enough to windows that most people get it pretty quickly.

  • azvasKvklenko@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    6·
    7 months ago

    The NVIDIA proprietary driver recently got decent update, but not all necessary changes might be in distros just yet. It should be pretty complete ootb experience in a month or two. My advice is to use something recent, like Fedora or Arch{,-based} for the easiest time with NVIDIA.

    Affinity and Corel don’t have Linux ports (like most big commercial productive apps sadly), and running them with Wine might be possible but can bring mixed results, see https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=18332 https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=5321 Canva seem to be available and they distribute it via AppImage. Gimp is native and trivial to install on most distros, or even bundled by default. If you want to try Windows software with Wine, use Bottles.

    Blender is native and available in any Linux repo as it’s FOSS app. Rhino 3D looks like possible to run with Wine…

    Linux version of Davinci Resolve is available, but it’s famous for being a bit of a pain to install and being slightly limited with some codecs/functionality missing.

    You should be fine with coding unless you wanted something like .NET and full blown VisualStudio. VS Code is ok.

    There’s wide range of file explorers on Linux, and since it’s rather good idea to stick to whatever is default for your desktop (For instance Dolphin on KDE) you can even change the default to something else if you don’t like it.

    It would be actually hard to get something with embedded ads on Linux desktop. Canonical tried with their Amazon „integrations” in Ubuntu like 12 years ago, and boy did they regret…