Skip Navigation
Linux @lemmy.ml
HaraldvonBlauzahn @feddit.org

Which program is the one that surprised you most that it is available on Linux?

For me, it was perhaps simple-scan, a very simple and efficient GUI to scan documents. I used it with my Brother printer / scanner and it works like a charm. Especially since I do not scan stuff often, so a program with more complex UI would have the effect that I forget how to use it until the next time.

74 comments

  • about 10 years ago, i noticed steam was available for linux. for the longest time i had pretty much written off gaming on linux (apart from like tuxcart, nethack, emulators...). i hadn't considered actually being able to play "real" games.

    that was before proton, so there really wasn't a ton of stuff i could play, but i found some good stuff like hotline miami, papers please, super win the game.

    obviously now we have proton and linux can be argued as a superior gaming platform in many cases.

  • Bitwig and Reaper. Two of the best music DAWs on the market and they each have a Linux native version.

    EDIT: I forgot to include Renoise, the music tracker DAW.

  • LocalSend.

    No more USBs ever (outside of install media). So so simple, fast, and works on all devices and FOSS.

    It is really the best UX of any file sharing app I have experienced (outside of airdrop I guess, but obvious problems there)

    Okular is also a favorite of mine.

    • I really like LocalSend as well, but it’s very inconsistent with me. I think it has to do with one device being on a VPN, but I’m not totally sure. Basically I have some “one way” connections where one device can see and send to the one connected to a VPN but not the other way around. Is there some way I can specify LocalSend connections to ignore the VPN? I’m on NixOS and installed LocalSend in my user package declarations in my Nix config.

      • I had the same thing on Bazzite just with the local network, not a VPN.

        I believe it has to do with the firewall. You have to open the port both incoming and outgoing for 53317.

        But you literally have to be on the same network, so for example if both devices are on the same local network (hence local in the name) and your phone is on a VPN but your computer is not on a VPN, then it won't work.

        It should work if you VPN into your local network remotely so that both devices are on the same LAN, however, then that won't work anyway because you have to have physical access to the device to accept the transfer (you could probably use a remote desktop to do that, but then it is getting complicated)

  • Kdenlive. I used Adobe Premiere professionally and Kdenlive completely replaced it for me.

  • Bash. It has enabled me to automatize a lot of sh*t I wouldn't do just because it would take me a lot of time/efford to do. There's a LOT you can do with a few simple scripts, a few examples:

    • Remove files I don't need (images, rip/conversion logs, empty folders...).
    • Compress and optimize folders of photos recursively.
    • Apply watermarks to photos recursively.
    • Convert filetypes (flac2mp3, pdf2cbr, webm2mp3,web2jpg...).
    • Configure input devices (keyboards, mouse, graphic tablets).
    • Autorename files (spaces to _, . to _, _ to spaces...).
    • Remove audio from videos recursively.
    • Remove audio/subtitle tracks from videos.
    • Download images/videos/audio from websites.
    • Update appimages automatically.
    • Update/cleanup system/repos.
    • Use different theming for different applications.
    • Mount iso/bin... images.
    • Extract zip|rar|tar.gz|.... files automatically.
    • Modify pdfs.
    • Get the weather for my location.
    • Get stats from my PCs to be shown in panel applet.
    • Alias program names to ones of my choosing.
    • Open CUPS config in firefox.
    • Refresh font caches and other management tools I don't care to remember.
    • Fix permissions.
    • Make a backup.
    • Restore a backup.
    • Copy files safely (rsync).
    • Change volume level.
    • Install all the packages and configs I need to make the OS/apps behave/look the way I like.

    ...you name it...

    ...in most cases just by typing one word in the terminal. It was kind of a mindblow coming from the crappy window$ crappysystem eons ago.

  • What surprised me the most, also in part due to me not really being knowledgeable about software solutions in their respective industries, was the Unreal Engine (the editor that is) and Houdini being available on Linux. Tbf, at least in the vfx department it is apparently more common as most of the high profile software in that industry does have a native Linux version available.

    What I appreciated the most though was software like Reaper and Renoise providing a (very good even) Linux-native version when I looked for a new DAW to learn, seeing most software in the audio industry not being very Linux-friendly.

  • I cannot recall any specific programs besides a game called Feudal Tactics, but I swear I've seen software while looking through EasyFlatpak that surprised me.

74 comments