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What non-FOSS software are you using that you wish you could replace? (beehaw.org)

submitted 2 years ago by John_Coomsumer@beehaw.org to c/foss@beehaw.org

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For me its honestly a ton of my work software (digital forensics), shit is too niche to be replaced by good FOSS options. Cellebrite, Magnet Axiom, etc. Autopsy is great and free and has a linux version but it simply cannot get the same level of data without a pretty nutty level of custom code.

And the biggest side effect of this is FUCKING WINDOWS. God I would replace this nightmare OS in a heartbeat if the aforementioned work software would make linux compatible versions. We have legitimately wasted 10k hours dealing with windows bullshit that would not be a problem in linux. Though im sure linux would take a different 10k for its own problems.

What about you guys? Doesn't have to be work related, thats just the thorn in my side right now.

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[–] Lettuceeatlettuce@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago

Hmm interesting, I would have thought digital forensics would be a space that lots of FOSS would exist in.

For me, it's Discord and Steam. There are some good alternatives for Steam in the sense of being a game launcher, but not with all the modding and friend join features, which I use quite a lot.

Discord is worse for me though, because Valve is a least a FOSS friendly company, but Discord isn't the same. all my friends and family are on Discord and have no interest in leaving. There aren't any FOSS alternatives that have all the core features that Discord has and work well.

And contrary to a lot of FOSS enthusiasts, I actually really like Discord, it works well most of the time for me.

[–] Thalestr@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Discord and Windows. I have had so many bad experiences whenever I have tried Linux that I am extremely reluctant to give it another go despite all the improvements it has made.

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I love Linux, but it is definitely not for everyone. I'm a software engineer, so debugging weird software issues is just a normal part of my life. Sometimes really weird stuff happens. Recently I had an software update repository that my package manager was pointing to go down, so all software updates were failing. I had to figure out where that repo was being added and remove it. As far as I can tell, it was a default one that was installed with Ubuntu, so not even one that I added. I don't think I can blame myself on this one (usually I can). If the average Windows user had that happen, they would just abandon Linux.

You basically have to have a personality where you don't mind fidgeting with things constantly to get things to work. If that isn't you, then Linux just isn't for you.

[–] leetnewb@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

I would note that ChromeOS is mainstream with normal users and it is effectively a well curated, highly-opinionated Linux distribution. Distros like opensuse Aeon and Kalpa, and Fedora Silverblue, are going from well established platforms into the highly curated, highly-opinionated direction as well. Limited set of options that work well out of the box not prone to breaking, and explicitly not for tinkerers. I tend to think that if Linux is ever going to reach mainstream users (outside of ChromeOS), it will be through these bulletproof, opinionated distros that put bubble wrap around the user.

[–] Thalestr@beehaw.org 2 points 2 years ago (3 children)

That is exactly the sort of problem that made my experiences with Linux so awful. I also had very bad interactions with other Linux users when I asked for assistance with fixing the problems I was encountering.

I consider myself decently tech-savvy and I have been building and running Windows machines my entire life, but Linux just feels impenetrable by comparison.

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 3 points 2 years ago

Yes, Linux user can sometimes not be the most welcoming bunch. There is definitely a large subset of Linux user that are what I would call elitists. These people think they are better than others because they use Linux (think "I use arch btw" people). Answers like, "lmao you should already know the answer to the question you are asking" are just not helpful to anyone or anything other than their own ego.

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[–] OneRedFox@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

Nvidia drivers. Back in 2019, I was looking to replace my Nvidia card with an AMD one, but decided I could put that off for a few months. Then COVID happened along with the cryptocurrency boom and prices skyrocketed to unreasonable levels. Nvidia drivers are honestly the last holdout on my machine barring perhaps some firmware somewhere.

[–] barrybeebenson@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago (5 children)

adobe lightroom and photoshop. no, darktable and gimp are not as good. darktable barely functions with a trackpad and gimp is like photoshop from 2010.

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