That you can “do everything that windows does”. You can’t. Yoy can do similar things, you can do different things, you can do basic things, yes, but Linux can’t do everything that windows does.
So far, I have spent about 6 hours (sporadically over the past 3 years) trying to set up a way to do this, yet ultimately it didn’t ever work at all. And every time I end up using some online third party service just to get it over with.
I did it on Windows once and the setup was a simple 5 step wizard. After which digitally signing a document just works with a couple of clicks.
Bonus round:
on Linux there is only one PDF viewer that implements tripple click for selecting a whole word AND can invert the colors of the document (which helps some partially blind users). That viewer is Atril and it has no way of even attempting to digitally sign a PDF. As soon as you want to di the signing, you lose those two features and people with impairments can’t do their work.
the screen readers have voices from the 90s and setting up anything modern with them is above my skill grade - as again, I fucked with it for days and didn’t manage to get a natural sounding voice to work. On Windows it is way simpler.
PDF was a proprietary format controlled by Adobe until it was released as an open standard on July 1, 2008, and published by the International Organization for Standardization as ISO 32000-1:2008, at which time control of the specification passed to an ISO Committee of volunteer industry experts.
Yes, but still, it’ something that may be commonly required, and Linux can’t do it >!(according to the comment above, I never tried to do it so can’t comment on how hard or easy it is)!<
I’ve setup okular signing and it worked, but I believe it was with a mime certificate tied to my email (and not pgp keys). If you want I can try to figure out exactly what I did to make it work.
Briefly off the top of my head, I believe it was
Getting a mime certificate for my email from an authority that provides them. There’s one Italian company that will do this for any email for free.
Converting the mime certificate to some other format
Importing the certificate to Thunderbird’s (or maybe it was Firefox’s) certificate store (and as a sidequest setting up Thunderbird to sign email with that certificate
Telling Okular to use the Thunderbird/Firefox certificate store as the place to find certificates
I can’t remember if there was a way to do this with pgp certificates easily
Then again, it’s not about Linux, it’s just about your-favorite-few-click-program not being available for Linux.
There’s nothing technically preventing Adobe from making Reader & Acrobat for Linux (they actually used to, around 2007 I even worked in a L10N company and we tested it.) It’s just a business decision.
Once you start asking questions of why eg. Photoshop is not on Linux while eg. Firefox, VLC or GIMP are on all platforms, you will learn stuff about the world, which has little to do with Linux per se.
No one in the Linux community wants to force users onto Linux. If they do that, then they are morons and should not be listened to.
Windows is blatantly forced on users through monopolistic practices and underhanded dealings going back decades.
I know what I actively will choose. Also it is my choice. It doesnt have to be your choice or even the right choice. Choose what you want and what you need. No one in the Linux community can or will force you to switch to Linux.
I think your heart’s in the right place here, but it comes across as an over-generalization to say that no one in the Linux community will try to convert you. Whether they have any valid points or will be successful in doing so is a very different matter. I’d argue that much of the FSF’s official website is dedicated to exactly this, and even they can often come across as endorsing the attitude of moral superiority that Linux users are often mocked for IMO. (I’m a Linux user, but I believe this is a serious issue in our community that we need to take seriously.)
Linux can’t prevent you from permanently removing files. It’s a super time intensive task to remove a number of Windows files/bloat, which are most often back after system updates.
I would also guess that probably a lot of Microsoft enterprise stuff like active directory group policies likely aren’t supported well, but I don’t have enough knowledge to back that up.
I built an entire theatre using Linux. Architect was on autocad, that was alright, but engineering was on vectorworks & there I had to ask for .dxf exports.
Qlab (macos) is 100% a no-go, I actually own a macbook just for this piece of software.
Isadora runs on wine, but video play is problematic. Isadora is a video mapper/VJ/mixing software.
Of the big three of lighting console software, only Chamsys’ MagicQ runs on Linux. Infuriating when you know Grand MA consoles are linux-based. ETC? Don’t ask.
It’s niche (how about Enttec or DMXKing interfaces configurator?) but it’s my niche. I survive doing things differently, and, yes, owning a dual-boot AsahiLinux/MacOS device.
Interesting point, but when people want to switch, and they hear Linux can do everything that windows can, they will think that everything they can do on windows can be done on Linux. To make everyone happy, Linux must be a superset. That’s a tough ask.
Another thing Linux can’t do:
Run all hardware on many new computers.
Not that much of a problem, just buy different hardware or wait - they’ll address the works. But if someone just bought fancy new hardware, and wants to put Linux on it, there is a decent chance of running into sore spots, or of Linux not booting at all.
That said, it would be pretty clear to say “Linux can’t do everything windows can, and windows can’t do everything Linux can. But for most cases, there’s enough overlap that you’ll be happy on Linux.”
Windows doesn’t support running on a Raspberry Pi Zero or an M3 mac. And can’t run a lot of the software that Linux runs. If you want to run Windows you just have to buy different hardware…
Usually the phrasing is something like “you can accomplish the same things on Linux that you can on Windows.” Meaning “yes, you can use a web browser, edit photos, use email, etc.” Many people have no idea what an operating system is and what it means to use a different one.
Not sure if when people say you can “do everything that windows does”, they should be interpreted to mean “every single piece of software/drivers ever written for windows was also written for linux”.
By that argument not even windows can do everything windows can do, as there’s plenty of cases of software/drivers no longer being supported.
When you work in an industry where the entire collaborative workflow of everyone is based on software that doesn’t run on Linux, then not running that software is equal to not being able to work in that industry.
Yes, you can mix music on Linux PC’s. No, you can’t run a concert venue on Linux PC’s.
Believe me, my team and I have tried. And we yell “fuck this proprietary shit” on a regular basis. But we’re still forced to use it.
Our media servers are W7 (!) but I access them with VNC. And lots of screens/beamers here are on PI computers.
…then of course we need a windows laptop for the wireless mics, for the FoH configuration, the videowall, stuff like that. Mails and docs are google anyway, remote access is teamviewer.
I can’t run it all on linux, even if I sit at a linux computer the most.
When you work in an industry where the entire collaborative workflow of everyone is based on software that doesn’t run on Linux, then not running that software is equal to not being able to work in that industry.
there’s no denying that’s true, though ofc it has alot to do with microsofts very agreessive and anti-competitive practices.
though its all a bit tangential, the main issue i think comes down to what someone means when they say “everything”. certainly if someone said “you can do everything”, i’d expect them to qualify what is (should be) obviously a slight exaggeration as parlance. they don’t literally mean “everything” they just mean most everyday things. i think its fairly common in everyday speech for someone to be able to work out thats what they meant.
in the few rare cases when someone literally means absolutely everything, then yes that silly statement would be incorrect. and if strictly intended with that meaning would certainly qualify as misinformation.
Currently there are three things that stop me from going Linux and two of those are purely software related (the third is that I don’t want to hate my work software anymore than I currently do).
Is it vital software in the sense of it allowing me to work or bring me income? No. Is it something I wish to just use without fiddling after every update because I use them for fun? Absolutely yes.
For me, it’s hardware support, i.e my laptops fingerprint sensor just isn’t supported, for the speakers to work I had to find a script that remapped the speakers, multiple desktops (especially with different resolutions) are a pain.
But the killer at the moment is a good solution to manage and post process my raw photos. Went from Lightroom to On1 Photo RAW…unfortunately DarkTable is still not there yet. Also still missing the affinity suite on Linux :-(
Also, sadly these tools also don’t run well in a VM
That you can “do everything that windows does”. You can’t. Yoy can do similar things, you can do different things, you can do basic things, yes, but Linux can’t do everything that windows does.
disclaimer: on linux since 2006
This is correct. Linux doesn’t suck and Windows most definitely does that very well. I’d also add you can do quite advanced things on Linux, as well.
Also disclaiming: Using Linux since 1999
Could you give an example of something linux can’t do?
Or are you alluding to windows software not running on linux even with wine etc?
Digitally sign a PDF with a couple of clicks.
So far, I have spent about 6 hours (sporadically over the past 3 years) trying to set up a way to do this, yet ultimately it didn’t ever work at all. And every time I end up using some online third party service just to get it over with.
I did it on Windows once and the setup was a simple 5 step wizard. After which digitally signing a document just works with a couple of clicks.
Bonus round:
on Linux there is only one PDF viewer that implements tripple click for selecting a whole word AND can invert the colors of the document (which helps some partially blind users). That viewer is Atril and it has no way of even attempting to digitally sign a PDF. As soon as you want to di the signing, you lose those two features and people with impairments can’t do their work.
the screen readers have voices from the 90s and setting up anything modern with them is above my skill grade - as again, I fucked with it for days and didn’t manage to get a natural sounding voice to work. On Windows it is way simpler.
TBH the problem is the PDF format. It was created as proprietary trash. It’s just more adobe software so ofc it doesn’t support linux.
PDF was a proprietary format controlled by Adobe until it was released as an open standard on July 1, 2008, and published by the International Organization for Standardization as ISO 32000-1:2008, at which time control of the specification passed to an ISO Committee of volunteer industry experts.
Yes, but still, it’ something that may be commonly required, and Linux can’t do it >!(according to the comment above, I never tried to do it so can’t comment on how hard or easy it is)!<
Okular can digitally sign, invert colors (poorly hidden away so you need to customize the toolbar, but it has multiple ways, which is kinda cool).
TTS yes, but there seems to be progress. There is speech-dispatcher which could be used with piperTTS
Okular has no tripple click for whole line selection. Thats exactly why I put a big fat “AND” in my message.
Other than that, setting up digitally signing with Okular never worked for me. Do you have a guide that worked for you?
I’ve setup okular signing and it worked, but I believe it was with a mime certificate tied to my email (and not pgp keys). If you want I can try to figure out exactly what I did to make it work.
Briefly off the top of my head, I believe it was
I can’t remember if there was a way to do this with pgp certificates easily
Oh, read “select a word”
No idea how to setup digital signing.
Then again, it’s not about Linux, it’s just about your-favorite-few-click-program not being available for Linux.
There’s nothing technically preventing Adobe from making Reader & Acrobat for Linux (they actually used to, around 2007 I even worked in a L10N company and we tested it.) It’s just a business decision.
Once you start asking questions of why eg. Photoshop is not on Linux while eg. Firefox, VLC or GIMP are on all platforms, you will learn stuff about the world, which has little to do with Linux per se.
Technically you are absolutely correct.
Practically, people need to get work done. And if they can’t do it on Linux, they will use another OS. No matter whose fault it actually is.
No one in the Linux community wants to force users onto Linux. If they do that, then they are morons and should not be listened to.
Windows is blatantly forced on users through monopolistic practices and underhanded dealings going back decades.
I know what I actively will choose. Also it is my choice. It doesnt have to be your choice or even the right choice. Choose what you want and what you need. No one in the Linux community can or will force you to switch to Linux.
I think your heart’s in the right place here, but it comes across as an over-generalization to say that no one in the Linux community will try to convert you. Whether they have any valid points or will be successful in doing so is a very different matter. I’d argue that much of the FSF’s official website is dedicated to exactly this, and even they can often come across as endorsing the attitude of moral superiority that Linux users are often mocked for IMO. (I’m a Linux user, but I believe this is a serious issue in our community that we need to take seriously.)
Linux can’t prevent you from permanently removing files. It’s a super time intensive task to remove a number of Windows files/bloat, which are most often back after system updates.
Some see this as a feature.
Why do you think Immutable Distros are all the rage tgese days? Beyond deleting shit, there’s always Fucking Up shit.
Immutable Asahi will be a thing some day ;)
Is there atomic Asahi yet? I know I saw the Fedora release, so an Atomic Desktop probably isn’t that far away. Or build it yourself! :)
There are some people in some stage of progress on a Fedora Atomic Asahi Remix
It’s 100% a feature! Truly a horrendous approach to lock down a device someone purchased to the extent seen on Windows.
Software and hardware support definitely counts.
I would also guess that probably a lot of Microsoft enterprise stuff like active directory group policies likely aren’t supported well, but I don’t have enough knowledge to back that up.
I built an entire theatre using Linux. Architect was on autocad, that was alright, but engineering was on vectorworks & there I had to ask for .dxf exports.
Qlab (macos) is 100% a no-go, I actually own a macbook just for this piece of software.
Isadora runs on wine, but video play is problematic. Isadora is a video mapper/VJ/mixing software.
Of the big three of lighting console software, only Chamsys’ MagicQ runs on Linux. Infuriating when you know Grand MA consoles are linux-based. ETC? Don’t ask.
It’s niche (how about Enttec or DMXKing interfaces configurator?) but it’s my niche. I survive doing things differently, and, yes, owning a dual-boot AsahiLinux/MacOS device.
Using this definition then Windows can’t do everything Linux does either, and MaOS can’t do everything Windows and Linux can do.
I don’t think people use that phrase to mean “all Windows software is compatible with Linux”.
Interesting point, but when people want to switch, and they hear Linux can do everything that windows can, they will think that everything they can do on windows can be done on Linux. To make everyone happy, Linux must be a superset. That’s a tough ask.
Another thing Linux can’t do: Run all hardware on many new computers.
Not that much of a problem, just buy different hardware or wait - they’ll address the works. But if someone just bought fancy new hardware, and wants to put Linux on it, there is a decent chance of running into sore spots, or of Linux not booting at all.
That said, it would be pretty clear to say “Linux can’t do everything windows can, and windows can’t do everything Linux can. But for most cases, there’s enough overlap that you’ll be happy on Linux.”
Edit: wording, additional stuff
Windows doesn’t support running on a Raspberry Pi Zero or an M3 mac. And can’t run a lot of the software that Linux runs. If you want to run Windows you just have to buy different hardware…
Usually the phrasing is something like “you can accomplish the same things on Linux that you can on Windows.” Meaning “yes, you can use a web browser, edit photos, use email, etc.” Many people have no idea what an operating system is and what it means to use a different one.
Not sure if when people say you can “do everything that windows does”, they should be interpreted to mean “every single piece of software/drivers ever written for windows was also written for linux”.
By that argument not even windows can do everything windows can do, as there’s plenty of cases of software/drivers no longer being supported.
When you work in an industry where the entire collaborative workflow of everyone is based on software that doesn’t run on Linux, then not running that software is equal to not being able to work in that industry.
Yes, you can mix music on Linux PC’s. No, you can’t run a concert venue on Linux PC’s.
Believe me, my team and I have tried. And we yell “fuck this proprietary shit” on a regular basis. But we’re still forced to use it.
But I run a summer festival on linux!
Our media servers are W7 (!) but I access them with VNC. And lots of screens/beamers here are on PI computers.
…then of course we need a windows laptop for the wireless mics, for the FoH configuration, the videowall, stuff like that. Mails and docs are google anyway, remote access is teamviewer.
I can’t run it all on linux, even if I sit at a linux computer the most.
yeah same here.
there’s no denying that’s true, though ofc it has alot to do with microsofts very agreessive and anti-competitive practices.
though its all a bit tangential, the main issue i think comes down to what someone means when they say “everything”. certainly if someone said “you can do everything”, i’d expect them to qualify what is (should be) obviously a slight exaggeration as parlance. they don’t literally mean “everything” they just mean most everyday things. i think its fairly common in everyday speech for someone to be able to work out thats what they meant.
in the few rare cases when someone literally means absolutely everything, then yes that silly statement would be incorrect. and if strictly intended with that meaning would certainly qualify as misinformation.
Currently there are three things that stop me from going Linux and two of those are purely software related (the third is that I don’t want to hate my work software anymore than I currently do). Is it vital software in the sense of it allowing me to work or bring me income? No. Is it something I wish to just use without fiddling after every update because I use them for fun? Absolutely yes.
Run 3dsmax.
For instance, Linux hasn’t started putting ads+AI in everything. It is 2024 people get with the program!
For me, it’s hardware support, i.e my laptops fingerprint sensor just isn’t supported, for the speakers to work I had to find a script that remapped the speakers, multiple desktops (especially with different resolutions) are a pain.
But the killer at the moment is a good solution to manage and post process my raw photos. Went from Lightroom to On1 Photo RAW…unfortunately DarkTable is still not there yet. Also still missing the affinity suite on Linux :-(
Also, sadly these tools also don’t run well in a VM