yep, well as I already told here several times and tell again is when someday Linux O.S. have structure and support for games equal or better than Windows I seriously think in move definitely
One big hurdle I have is my present hardware, a Lenovo Laptop and HP desktop PC, both cheap and cheerful, both designed for Windows and nothing else. I will probably have to build a new PC to make the switch, hardware is the new stumbling block. I see Mac desktop PCs are pretty cheap secondhand, what are Mac's like at accepting a Linux installation?
ok well I don't see any issue in your machines but I'm not sure of course maybe require see all specifications for both machines still I think that build a new PC is one good thing also depend of $$ of course; myself nevermore buy some PC from any manufacturer once I buy one Laptop LG C400 in times of Windows 7 is one good machine and worked a lot with Linux without issues so I prefer my own machines and finally for Mac machines I don't know is works with Linux Distros is better search first before buy something right dude
@Kim100: That's because Linux is a community driven support model. That's been a problem for a long time, as not everybody has the desire to support a particular piece of hardware. Couple that with the fact that some hardware is proprietary, and information about the hardware is all but impossible to get. Second hand MAC desktops are cheaper. That's because the hardware lifetime is directly driven by OS support. You see this with IOS as well. I had an older ipad that refused OS upgrades because Apple didn't want to support it anymore.
@ Kim100 then good luck for you in time I forget that Mac's machines works with O.S.based in Unix so I belive no have issues in using Linux O.S.
Linux flies on Apple hardware. It's like Linux on steroids. It is the only true way to enjoy an Apple computer longer than Apple wants to support the hardware. -- That is the 1 thing I dislike about Apple. You pay like $1,500 - $3,000 for a good Apple computer and in no time at all, Apple drops all support for it. Meanwhile, I pay the same price for an AMD or Intel computer and can easily get nearly 10 years out of it with support. My work around with Apple is just slapping Linux on it and suddenly it feels like I have a new computer, again.
Its scandalous how the value of an Apple PC can plummet within such a short time, 2 year old machines are going for a fraction of their original price. Glad to hear that Linux works well on them.
I have linux on my lenovo laptop and two Dell laptops and also my desktops, a custom built and Dell without issues. I have not run into OS specific hardware yet. You can even run a Mac OS on a windows box.
The Dell Inspiron laptops run GNU/Linux pretty well. I have two, the Inspiron 14 5458 (came with Ubuntu) and the Inspiron 11 3162 (came with Windows 10). I'm running Fedora Workstation on the former and KDE neon on the latter. I distro hop with them all the time. I have less problems with Arch Linux and Ubuntu 16.04. I can either go bleeding edge and have some issues fixed, some others rising and falling; or live safe in Ubuntu LTS, where if you find a problem, it's an ugly and persistent one (like 6 years in existence and no fix yet kind of thing)
Dell have always supported Linux, HP have also been pretty good in the past and obviously if you build your own machine you should be OK but times are changing. My HP PC runs Windows 8 OK, it was built for it but it struggles With Windows 10, poor driver support, this problem until now has been laziness on the part of the hardware suppliers but it is being turned into an art form. My Lenovo laptop [few months old] was built for Windows 10, I can install Windows 8 but there are no drivers for this OS. I installed Linux on both machines [tried Zorin and Elementary] and both machines performed terribly. The Bios in both machines have very little scope for adjustment, the Lenovo is a nightmare to carry out any form of upgrade or repair. I am afraid we will have to dig deeper into our pockets and do a lot of research if we want the versatility we have enjoyed up to now.
Not all Linux distros are built equally and in my opinion, both Zorin and Elementary are not well supported. Further, they're a little hackish since what you really have there is an OS built from an OS built from another OS (far too many dependencies of one another). Both Elementary and Zerin are built from Ubuntu which in turn is built from, Debian Linux (which is rock solid). You're 3 builds deep and hoping nothing in between goes wrong. Debian > Ubuntu > Elementary Debian > Ubuntu > Zerin It is the same reason why, although folks like the look of Linux Mint (it does look pretty), you'll find pages upon pages of folks running into issues with it on their support forums (even here on MDL). Debian > Ubuntu > Mint If you are going to use Linux, I would suggest going directly to the source of whatever distro you seem to prefer. In this case, since all your systems are built from Debian, why go through the middle man? Simply install Debian Linux which is rock solid and established as one of the longest running Linux developments (25 years and still releasing updates). Granted, you may have to style it (Debian) to your liking since it will come out of the box pretty basic., however, if you really wish to have something a little more done for you, going down the "food chain" one level to Ubuntu should be a safe bet (usually).
I appreciate what you are saying but my point is that we are being tied down by the industry, most cheap to mid range machines are now built specifically for one operating system and I feel that there is a lot of effort behind the scenes to stop customers deviating from that bundled operating system. I have been critical in the past of the software support that Linux has but I have never had the difficulties I am now experiencing opting for an alternative OS. Why the hell cant I choose to use an older version of Windows that is still well within its life cycle? If there is that much determination to stop me dropping back one generation of Windows [10 back to 8] there must also be moves to prevent alternative OS's like Ubuntu and its derivatives being installed. I have never had any issues with them in the past, I just found them limited, performance was never an issue.
You're not wrong in regards to hardware development working closely with Microsoft to keep their grip on things, but if there is a will there is away and eventually, everything makes its way into Linux. I have not seen a single computer yet to be impossible to use on Linux.