holycow wrote:dunkang wrote:
And the problem associated with the non-Microsoft OS is compatibility with the major professional softwares, in my case, Autodesk engineering softwares.
The day this happens, i'll move to Linux for good. There is always talk of using Virtual machines and emulators (whatever those are)!
Virtual Machines / Emulators run another operating system inside an application. I have seen VMs for Windows and Macs that allow you to run Linux flavours (meaning you get to run Linux inside Windows). There are VMs for Linux that allow you to run Windows and other OSes but they target mainly Enterprise / Server side Linux OSes like Oracle Linux and Redhat.
A stable VM is not an easy thing to make and maintain. There is no financial upside to make a VM for Linux desktop enthusiasts. It is the same for some professional software, they do not have the money and manpower to create an edition for every Linux flavor out there.
If you do serious, very narrow and domain specific work you might never be able to divorce yourself from Windows or Mac. It is also pointless to run Windows in a VM as opposed to natively because it is inefficient (computer resource wise) and Windows, by having more software support, will be more productive. Better to reverse the setup run the Linux in a VM instead. Which brings to me to my final argument: What's the point?
If you are not an IT techie or a technology enthusiast/hobbyist, the Linux desktop road is a flashy, ephemeral thing that in the end will cost you in lost productivity. Accept it, mainstream software is something sometimes you have to pay for, like rent, taxes, fuel etc. The cost is usually less than time wasted going down other technology paths that are not related to what you want your computer to do for you.