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Desktop Linux distros similar to Steam OS? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
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To be clear, this question is for general PC use, and not only gaming.

Desktop mode on my Deck has easily become my favorite PC experience in a very long long time, and I use it more docked as a PC than for gaming. I've used Windows and Apple my entire life before now, so I have zero experience with Linux, other than the Steam Deck, but the OS is incrediby friendly to newcomers, and I'd say it's essentially a modern and polished version of Windows 95.

So what would you recommend as a similar experience for desktop?

Edit: I should probably add that I'm an artist and designer, and play around with Blender and 3D modeling stuff, and maybe even some game dev at some point. So Adobe support, and GPU Blender support would be superfantastic.

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[–] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I did find this

I would definitely recommend trying WinApps first, which that guide seems to be for. Never tried to get it running on Bazzite/SilverBlue/Universal Blue though, so can't help you there.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    Is this an alternative to Wine?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    No. If something runs in Wine, still use that. WinApp is basically a Windows VM combined with some other tools to allow Windows apps on the VM to run more seamlessly and native feeling. It makes picky apps like the Adobe and Microsoft suites happy since it's using full Windows to run them, but this means there's more overhead than running an app through Wine or natively.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)

    Man, this has been the most helpful and informative internet post I've ever made in my entire life, lol. Thank you.

    So it is an alternative in that it's a different way towards the same goal, but it's not a replacement, right?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Correct, it's less efficient than Wine, but more compatible. Adobe and Microsoft software still has issues in Wine, so a VM is the best option for them.

    To explain some terms in over simplified ways:

    VM = Virtual Machine = Making a virtual sandboxed computer that runs full Windows inside it.

    Wine = Wine Is Not an Emulator = A translation layer that converts Windows Program Commands into Linux Program Commands.

    Wine has to be crafted for every needed Windows command, in order to translate the command into something Linux can understand. So if a program is using a Windows command Wine hasn't seen before, it'll fail.

    VMs instead run an entire OS, in this case Windows, so that we don't have to craft every command, as Windows handles the program like normal, and then the VM provides Windows with virtual hardware to work with instead. Naturally, making pretend hardware and running an entire OS inside another OS eats up more resources, so VMs are worse than Wine in that regard.

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