Actually, Linux might not suit your tastes…

Since this blog has been screaming Linux and all its good for days, I guess readers might have been tempted to try it out. So I decided to write about some of the challenges – yes challenges and not problems – I face using it.

So why might Linux not be such a good choice?

1. Support might not be available

   I had this problem with my WiFi driver. Ubuntu didn’t come with the driver and I had no way of figuring out how to get one. Well, since I didn’t need wireless that much, it wasn’t much of a problem. I later got to fix it using a Kubuntu CD. My bluetooth doesn’t still work though and not all printers are recognised … :(

   Windows usually come with all drivers and you can easily download new drivers if you want though. On the bright side much support is available from the community; there are articles, guides and manuals as well as users on various internet forums who are willing to help out beginners.

2. Many Windows Applications won’t work

   Although there are lots of alternative software on Linux for carrying out tasks, many professional applications (e.g. Adobe Creative Suite) are not developed to work on Linux. So if your work depends on commercial software that is incompatible with Linux, then you just have to work with Windows…

3. Gamers, not quite

   Are you a compulsive gamer? Do you take delight in spending endless hours hunting down villains on your computer? Then Linux might not be the way out. Since the Linux user population is not large, most game developers won’t allocate resources or dedicate efforts towards making their games compatible with it. Maybe when Linux has more market share, developers will become interested in it. For now, nothing yet.

   Some interesting games exist on Linux though and you can try them out.

The fact still remains that Linux is lovely – yes it is. But it might not just be for you yet, way out? You can try installing it in Window using wubi or try dualbooting.

Have fun.

:D