this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2025
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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I'm a hobby photographer. I have to keep a windows machine in my house just so I can run some of the software I need for my photography.
I've transitioned what I can to linux equivalents, and digiKam and Darktable are my daily drivers now, but Darktable is a HUGE learning curve for someone who hasn't used it before. You are literally starting again with learning how to edit your images. It's not simply a case of learning "how to do the same things in a new environment" but "learning a new paradigm, almost from the ground up". I love Darktable, but it took a dedicated desire not to run windows software and then months of practice before I could start to reproduce things that I could do in Lightroom in minutes with little experience.
And on top of that, dedicated noise reduction software (which requires a good GPU) basically doesn't exist on linux, and is next to impossible to run with wine or even VMs, because of the reliance on a GPU. And that means I have to keep a windows machine around to run my noise reduction. Dual booting doesn't even work, because that means my photo workflow suddenly needs a reboot. So, a second machine, which is not ideal...
Which is a lot of words to say that it's not always about being resistant to change or accepting alternatives. Sometimes there are no alternatives, and sometimes the "change" is a HUGE change. Unless a photographer is driven by ideological reasons to move off Windows like I was, it's not going to be worth the hit for most people. And even then, I still have to run a windows box too...