[Racer X 69]

Spent the day looking at Linux for the OS of a new desktop computer I'm building. A very frustrating day. The latest comprehensive information about the OS and which distro would be best is 4 years old or more.

And the flavors seem endless. Ubuntu. Mint. Cinnamon. Mate.

And it looks like there is little or no support for printers. I have a Canon Pixma Pro 100, and with Linux it appears it is nothing but a dust collector. Did I miss something?

I also have a number of WinBlows programs that I'd like to use, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Mechanical Desktop.

Surely those of you here who are using it can point me in the right direction. The Linux OS looks like the way to go.

Convince me that now is the time to fire Bill Gates.

[markkuk]

And it looks like there is little or no support for printers.

There's good support for laser printers and consumer inkjets. However, "little or no support" applies well to high-end photo inkjets.

I also have a number of WinBlows programs that I'd like to use, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Mechanical Desktop.

If you must use those programs, then you need Windows. If you just need the functionality provided by those programs, then you should look for replacements that run natively on Linux.

[GUB]

I use Ubuntu and while the home site might be outdated (I wouldn't know) the problem solving forums are up to date. Distrowatch is a good site for info on the current builds. To solve the printer issues (I have a canon ip8760) I run a virtual xp via virtualbox and install the printer there and treat the xp as my printing app. It is a workaround I agree but it works fine. As for your programs - you have the choice of running them under Wine or within the virtual xp (or laterOS) but the best option is to try and find equivalent opensource programs. The solutions are out there and it is up to your will to change. Linux is for me a rock solid virus free platform and the windows virtual installation never needs to be online getting infested by its parasites once you have it validated. And should something happen you can always replace it with an ISO image you have saved somewhere.

[Danas_Anis]

Can't comment on photo printers but I used to work in a print house and we were seriuously considering Linux. Our printers were working out of the box with Linux showing estimates in how much toners we have left for printing. But the wall we couldn't break was the lack of software that could replace the likes of corel draw etc.

Currently I am full time Linux user and have no trouble at all. But I print pictures at photo print houses. GIMP is a very fine image editor while Darktable is perfect alternative for Lightroom in my eyes.

[BigMackCam]

And it looks like there is little or no support for printers. I have a Canon Pixma Pro 100, and with Linux it appears it is nothing but a dust collector. Did I miss something?

Not sure if this helps, but have a look here: How to install Canon PIXMA PRO-100 on Ubuntu –

[Racer X 69]

There's good support for laser printers and consumer inkjets. However, "little or no support" applies well to high-end photo inkjets.

So how does one print their photographs after processing?

[Audi 5 cyl]

I've fired bill Gates sometimes around the time Breezy Badger came out. I've been using Ubuntu ever since (tried Mint once in 2013, didn't like it). I can not flip a coin for you as my transition was a matter of principles rather than logic at the time.
Now Ubuntu works for me as I would like it to and I am happy with my GIMP/XnView/RawTherapee/Darktable combo for picture editing. Darktable is the best thing around (that I don't use often)!
AutoCAD will not work in Linux, some alternatives exist, Bricscad notably, Revit will not work but Bricscad will come with a simple BIM in platinum, it will not make you happy I think, for other software, try online for some info.
Your printer will work I think, you might have to pay for a driver but it will work. I've been connecting my laptops to at least a hundred printers during these last years, never had issues.

There is a learning curve in Linux, and it is an intuitive and steep one. If you decide to jump ship, think well about your needs and efficiency, which might be lower in the beginning. I hope this helps.

Regards,
Marko

[Culture]

I dont know how powerful your new computer is going to be. But I have an Intel i5 computer.
I run Windows on VirtualBox in Linux. I am able to run Lightroom on it though I dont use it heavily.
I run Xubuntu and I have done so for a long time.

[Jedipottsy]

Spent the day looking at Linux for the OS of a new desktop computer I'm building. A very frustrating day. The latest comprehensive information about the OS and which distro would be best is 4 years old or more.

And the flavors seem endless. Ubuntu. Mint. Cinnamon. Mate.

And it looks like there is little or no support for printers. I have a Canon Pixma Pro 100, and with Linux it appears it is nothing but a dust collector. Did I miss something?

I also have a number of WinBlows programs that I'd like to use, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Mechanical Desktop.

Surely those of you here who are using it can point me in the right direction. The Linux OS looks like the way to go.

Convince me that now is the time to fire Bill Gates.

This might help with regards to your canon printer
How to install Canon PIXMA PRO-100 on Ubuntu –

Ubuntu is typically the easiest Distro to get working, but don't overlook openSUSE, Fedora and if your looking for the absolutely most stable OS CentOS. I use Archlinux at home, CentOS at work. I would avoid Mint personally, but it might suit you.

I use Linux as my primary OS for work (work in the VFX industry) and home. I am thankful that majority of the Apps i wish to use have native linux versions (Maya,Nuke,Houdini,Arnold....) The only downside is Photoshop/Image editor. Gimp works well once configured to act similar to Photoshop, but its still not at the level Photoshop is at. You can always dual boot or VM to run specific software. I dual boot for games that aren't Linux native.

The reality is that the difference between Windows and Linux is very small. Windows has too much bloat for me personally, and when i push my system linux performs better, but that is an edge case. Try to find alternative applications that run native for linux, and try using them. At the end of the day if your absolutely require AutoCAD, and no linux app comes close then your better off with windows.

Also Windows isn't a virus ridden parasite. I dual boot windows (and have used windows consistently since i was a kid), along with managing 5-6 Windows machines at work. None of them run Anti-virus, or Anti-malware and haven't ever had an issue. It comes down entirely to the end user. If you get hit with that stuff, your doing things wrong (don't hate, but its true). Don't open email attachments, don't visit dodgy websites, don't install software from non-trusted sources etc.

As far as image editing goes, Darktable is an absolute godsend. It provides excellent results and has a ton of tweaking modules. Lightroom can get me quicker results, but Darktable gives me better results with time. I can't get the results in Lightroom no matter how much time i spend as it just doesn't have the modules/options (such as the equalizer module). I also find Darktable has better colour reproduction on Pentax files. Lightroom doesnt process my k-50 dng out of the box very well. Although my Nikon files don't have this issue.

Currently working on a CentOS 7 powered box, running the i3wm.

[cmar]

Some windows programs you can't do without will run under wine in Linux, for stuff that won't and you can't find a Linux alternative run them on a windows install inside Virtual box. I generally find Canon and HP printers and scanners to be well serviced in Linux. As mentioned above have a look in distrowatch all the information is there and up to date for most of the popular distributions. As a beginner I recommend one of the Ubuntu or Linux Mint flavours, or perhaps PC Linux.

[bafarlow]

I run Linux Mint and Corel Aftershot pro (linux version) for most of my photo work. I also run Windows 7 in Virtualbox for the few windows programs I do need. I make a point of only installing what I really need in windows 7 and that helps keep it running smooth and unclutterd. Make sure you have plenty of ram for when you need to run windows under linux. I find it very smooth to run both of them and go back and forth as needed. The way I run windows keeps it from getting bogged down because the bulk of my work is done in Linux which I find to be a much better system.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

I'm in the structural/civil engineering field myself. Sadly, there is really no substitution for Windows if you're running those programs. Those similar programs arw the only reason i still run Windows.

Outside of that, I go from one extreme to the other. I mainly use the super stable Debian for almost everything, or toy around with the latest version of Fedora. I use the Gnome versions.

[newmikey]

I also have a number of WinBlows programs that I'd like to use, AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, Mechanical Desktop.

Surely those of you here who are using it can point me in the right direction. The Linux OS looks like the way to go.

Convince me that now is the time to fire Bill Gates.

Only you can convince you! I have never had an issue printing but have long ago abandoned inkjet printers in favor of professional printing houses delivering quality results to my doorstep. Best advise I can give you is to fire up in a dual boot configuration with a shared partition accessible to both. You'll find out soon enough if you really still need those programs or if you found alternatives in the Linux world and the Windows-ones start gathering dust.

So even though I cut the umbilical over 14 years ago, I would still advise you to take it step-by-step.

[Leoi]

If you're looking for something that have the lastest software updates and it's easy to install, I recommend trying Antergos or Manjaro flavors.

Also, try the different graphical user interfaces (GUI's, like GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon).

Concerning the Windows programs, If you don't find satisfying alternatives (you could search here Linux Software - AlternativeTo.net), I'd recommend applying a dual-boot with Windows.

[Flipmack]

I've been Windows-free for personal use for a while now...And personally, if I post-process, I'll use RawTherapee specifically for its HaldCLUT support. I love Fuji Velvia and Kodachrome filters.