1y ago

I want to move to Linux but I need to be able to access my apps that are not supported

Hey, I use the Adobe Suite for daily use to build and develop posts and videos for multiple people and can't have my workflow slow down by learning a new application, I've looked into Linux a few times and want to really move over in the future but due to it not having support for Adobe, I'm not sure what to do.

One of the other applications I use is Sync (sync.com), It's an application to sync your files from a folder to the cloud allowing me to switch from my to laptop (what I can't run most things on) and then I can still access the files on the go if I need to send them to someone.

I also play plenty of games on Steam but not all of them have native Linux Instances. I believe Proton is actually helping bring non-native games to Linux which is a plus as really wouldn't want to lose access to playing them.

Any advice on how I can get using Linux without losing these sorts of functions or do I have to wait till Windows annoys enough people making them all move to Linux first?

59 comments

One solution that has long existed is to have a dual boot system... you can choose which OS you want to load each time you start the system.
Another option is to run a Window VM in Linux.
- @Zeppo Yeah I might try the Dual Boot system to begin with to save me time working out VMs but I think the long goal would be running a windows VM on Linux tbh.
- If you must dual boot, have totally separate hard drives, and the choosing between Linux and Windows should be done in the UEFI boot menu, not GRUB menu. Windows can render Linux unbootable otherwise, requiring a rather complicated rescue. Windows would ideally not have any chance to see the Linux hard drive while booted.
  An external SATA SSD in a USB enclosure is cheap these days.
  
  Yeah, Windows likes to overwrite the MBR with no warning as if that's perfectly fine. I've always wondered what combination of carelessness, incompetence, interface streamlining and competitive malice is responsible for that. It's also ridiculous how in 2023 there's still no native way to read Linux filesystems from Windows.
  
  I've got Windows and Mint dual booting from the same drive, using grub. All seems to work fine for me...
  
  I do the external usb ssd for my windows drive and recommend it endlessly. I use the windows drive for music production and the maybe 2 games in my several hundred game library that don't work in linux. 100 bucks for a 1tb samsung external ssd, and wintousb to make it functional.

For your steam games you can check compatibility at https://www.protondb.com/
- @nlm Thank you will check it out, didn't know we actually had a database for it.
  
  There's also https://lutris.net/ and https://usebottles.com/
  A lot of games work really well these days but you'll probably notice a 10-20% fps drop. That's at least what I've found.

Since people have suggested virtual machines, I wanted to mention that most of them will not be using your GPU (and GPU passthrough is tricky), so they won't be helpful if you are using GPU-intensive apps.
On the other hand, moving form Adobe Illustrator to Inkscape was a pretty smooth transition for me, and I can't say I miss any of Adobe's features (except the Shape builder, which is also coming to Inkscape). However, I'm not a professional illustrator - it's mostly a hobby for me and I only use it for creating icons, simple illustrations and infographics
Gaming experience has been really good, though! (Steam/Proton and yuzu for emulating some Switch games)
- @CorInABox Thank you for this input, sadly I would be using GPU intensive apps with things such as Premiere Pro, So I might have to re-look into this at a later date or even decide to look into how I can use GPU Passthrough
  
  GPU passthrough is not easy, thankfully there are guides online, but I did have to do a bit more digging after an issue I had.
  You do need 2 GPUs, on a laptop it's not an issue as most of them use an intel or amd gpu to render the desktop and only use dedicated graphics for intensive tasks, but on a desktops, you don't have that option and you'll need to turn off the graphical portion of linux, making it accessible only through something like ssh

I'd just use WSL. Yeah, it has problems but it's the simplest solution for me.
- @bedrooms That's fair enough, from what everyone else has said, I will probably try emulating Windows through a VM on Windows first then try Dual-booting Linux on my PC before deciding to ditch windows for a all Linux set-up where I can then just use a VM for Windows.
  
  I think Premiere is gonna be a problem on a VM. Haven't touched that software for a decade, but that ass was unresponsive already on a native Win. You should test it on the VM first. And other Adobe apps, too.

The biggest issue with switching is your "must have" applications.
A lot of people spend time trying to make them work, it often doesn't work well and so they go back.
Take Sync, Linux has similar solutions (insync is a popular one), but there alternative solutions. Perhaps the server could run syncthing or your tooling supports ftp, etc..
The key thing is not to ask for the equivalent of X, but think what you actually use X for.
So if you use Sync to share video on Slack, you don't need a Sync replacement you need a way to share video on slack.
Alas I think Photoshop is the one killer application
- @stevecrox Yeah I will have to see what I can find without moving to Linux and see what I can find. Sync sadly isn't a bypass for me it's more of a destination for my files to store (Instead of using Google Drive or any other system). The Adobe suite I've kind of got to keep on using especially with how much work I would loose if I did move across, So I'll have to re-evaluate what I can do from what someone mentioned, I need to learn how to GPU Passthrough for the VM if I where to go that root.
  
  You miss the point about Sync.
  You don't need sync, you need a cloud storage solution that works with linux.
  Its being willing to step back in that way which will help you transition.

Have a dual boot: gaming and personal stuff on Linux (using Proton for games), and pro on Windows.
But if you really need Adobe at any moment, well you either need to stay on Windows or switch to another app suite. That's the unfortunate truth given Apple' unwillingness to support Linux.
- @TheFork Yeah I would tbh look into Apple if they actually supported my games at this point but I was told to look into VMing my Professional setup what is a good idea allowing me to use Linux for my own personal stuff but still be able to switch between the two quickly. I'll have to look further into VMs as haven't really touched them before.
  
  VM are good but to get good performances, you need to do some setup so they directly use the hardware and don't use abstractions.

@SamXavia Are there cloud versions available? Or, perhaps, run those apps in a windows VM?
- @readbeanicecream I was suggested to use a Windows VM earlier on another post I made, I think that's probably the best way to go but will have to work out how they work as I've never been able to successfully launch a VM yet.
  Also, cloud versions are out of the question sadly.
  
  @SamXavia On Linux, I have had the best luck with virtualbox.

Unfortunately if you can't afford to take time to learn new programs you're most likely going to have to dual boot. As someone who also does creative work, and had been pretty dependent on Adobe prior to moving to Linux, I can tell you that trying to run any of the Adobe programs on Linux is a fool's errand. Photoshop kind of works in Wine, but the rest are just plain unusable.
There's also winapps, which essentially uses a VM to run Windows programs while integrating them into your regular Desktop in a seamless manner. I've never tried it and it hasn't been updated in 2 years, but you could give it a shot.
If you do decide to try out alternatives though, DaVinci Resolve is good for video editing, Photopea (which is a web app) is pretty goddamn similar to Photoshop, Inkscape is pretty good for vector graphics, and Ardour, Audacity, and Reaper are all good in different ways for audio work.
- That appears to be an old repo. https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps they moved here.
- @carlytm Cool, I think I will try to run Windows through a VM other than learning 50 other software to do my functions atm. Especially as it would allow me to Sandbox any setup I know is slightly more risky in the future. But thanks for the suggestions.

Moving to Linux is probably not going to be a good idea on your work computer. Just grab Virtual Box and install Linux there and learn Linux.
- @art I think that might be a good idea, I was originally going to test running Windows in a VM on Windows and then think about Running Linux with a Windows VM on that. But I feel as if I might just need to VM my Linux as it would be easier due to my dependencies with my apps at the moment, I will be looking into changing or even removing the function of the apps I don't need as much as possible.
  
  I might catch flak for this, but WSL would also be a good option. At least it was for me. It’s basically a Linux container that runs in Windows and is developed/supported by Microsoft. Some limitations so YMMV.
  Quick way to install Ubuntu WSL in PowerShell:
  wsl --install
  I also recommend the Windows Terminal app to compliment a WSL install. Download it in the Microsoft Store.

you can check how well the games run with ProtonDB, as for adobe suite i might be in the minority but if your workflow absolutely depends on it i wouldn't recommend switching to linux
- @Monologue Yeah I didn't know if it's the same as it was a few years back as people said I shouldn't switch because of me having to use Adobe. I will try to see if a VM would work for me (just have to work out how to use them) and then I might be able to move across and just use a VM for my workspace when need be, what to fair would make it easier to work.

As others have said, dual boot or VM works for Adobe Software. If you go with VMs, you should probably research GPU passthrough.
For syncing, I recommend Syncthing (syncthing.net).
You can play a lot of Steam games with Proton (check out protonDB for what works).
Also have you decided on a distro already?
- @backhdlp I haven't quite decided on a Distro as there are so many and I'm not sure if there's one more my style as of yet, I do like the center bar of Windows 11 & MacOS so might see what sort of Interface each one has (I know I could customize it from there what is fine, I can learn that later down the line).
  Sync is more of a CloudStorage for my Video Edits as well as other things I know I need an Archive of but don't have enough physical space on the 15TB+ I have across my devices.
  Steam & gaming is less worrying as I've tried out Linux previously and found most of the games I did play on there where better FPS than on Windows (This was about a year ago, so I am sure this has greatly improved with stuff like the SteamDeck now out).
  Dual Boot won't really help in the long run but might be a good way for me to try out Linux on my PC before 100% committing to it.
  
  You shouldn't base your choice of distro on the desktop configuration you want. Any major distro can give you any of the various desktop layouts. Sure, their defaults may be different, but Linux being so configurable means that any other layout or environment is just a few clicks away.
  Just choose a major distro (so you get regular updates and support when needed), and go with it. Linux Mint is a popular choice for beginners. Debian, OpenSuse, Fedora are all good choices. Then find out how to set your desktop to the configuration you like.

As others have stated, Dual boot but with two HDs one OS per Hard Disk. Otherwise Windows will write over the Linux grub (the equivalent yi windows MBR) one day (been there, several times 😭) and then it's a right pain to get it back to normal. For the sync option, there are several options, Dropbox is available as an app on Linux, Also NextCloud works extremely well
- @Minty95 Thank you, yeah I think I will probably invest in External Hard Drives as I have a lot of data to store with over 5TB worth currently on my Sync Cloud Storage and that's ever-growing. I looked into a 10TB External HDD and it seems they are around £200 which isn't cheap by any means but is cheaper than paying £300 a year (If I only use up 15TB per year).
  
  Maybe a second hand NAS? They can be found dirt cheap, and often you can upgrade the HDs easily, or if your running a desktop PC with room, just add internal HDs as these are cheaper

Daily Linux user for 7 years here. It's pretty easy to load Windows onto a virtual machine, within Linux, for those stubborn programs that won't launch with Wine or Proton.
As for Sync, I'd advise that there are other programs which serve the same purpose. Dropbox supports Linux, and OneDrive has an unofficial Linux client. SyncThing might also serve your purpose - it's not in "the cloud" but instead syncs from all the linked machines to each other when they're online. Warpinator is useful for quick file transfers on the same WiFi network.
- @SteleTrovilo SyncThing is closer to what I have but with a server by the developers that all my files get stored in for safety. The reason I didn't use Dropbox or OpenDrive is cost, as for all my files to be stored on there it will cost more than the £30 a month I spend atm, as well as they don't have an auto-syncing system well I work (or at least what I know of), Luckily I only really use it for my Adobe Files, so maybe just putting it on the VM with the other stuff I can't run would make sense, Thanks for the help.
- Dropbox is not a good solution for content creators as it requires the client receiving a link to a large shared folder to have an expensive paid account to view the contents. They don't tell you about this limitation until you pay for their service. Dropbox lies about this and will not refund your money when you discover they have lied to get your business.
  TLDR: Fuck Dropbox.
  
  @BurnTheRight I agree, I was looking into the possibility of using an 'Unlimited' plan for Business on Dropbox and they were asking over £80 a month just to do that. Sure is easier than using any other system (that is main stream) but when you are working with video and can't cover that cost it's not worth it.
  I hope to eventually have my own home server that I will run but that's something to save up for.

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