So I have a situation. I really want to switch to Linux as my main gaming/production OS but need the Adobe suite as I am a graphic designer. Adobe is the golden standard for this industry (and likely to always be) so while Gimp and Inkscape might work, they are not feasible for my career. I also know that there will be situations where games just don't run well or at all on Linux.
Dualbooting works but is not really worth it for me as I would have to stop what I'm doing and restart my PC. I heard that you can set up a single GPU passthrough for games and software but it seems complicated. How difficult would that be to set up for a new user to Linux? I would consider myself a tech savvy person but I know very little about the ins and outs of Linux. I have a massive GPU (XFX RX 6900 XT) with a big support bracket that covers the second PCIE slot so buying another GPU isn't really feasible either.
I do have an Unraid server with decent specs that I use for a hosting Minecraft servers and Jellyfin so setting up a VM on that might be a good option.
What would you guys recommend me to do?
If you need Adobe, just don't bother with linux on your primary work / study machine. Save linux for another system.
Yeah, you are right. I am thinking about maybe buying a MacBook since my school I'm transferring to will require one anyway. Having that be my school and work laptop only will probably help with productivity too.
I went Mac. it’s UNIX, and far better than suck-ass windows… but there’s a real limitation when it comes to gaming… Linux is supporting more and more games and macOS isn’t so much… that might change soon, it might not.
Personally, I’m not so much of a gamer, and I really like the Apple ecosystem. I run linux on my server and love it, too, and macOS plays really nice with linux. But if gaming is big for you AND you need Adobe apps like I do, then you’ll have to dual-boot if you want your main OS to be linux.
As for learning the ins-and-outs: there’s a leaning curve we ALL go through, and you’ll always be learning more as you go. But there’s never been a better time to learn as there’s never been more resources to help nor more community to support you with any and every problem you could ever have. Now is a very exciting time for linux. it’s super.
So, if I were you, I’d consider the switch away from Windows. You can dual-boot (or run a VM) or find a way to run Adobe Apps via Wine (not sure how that works). Personally, I couldn’t live without them and am very happy with macOS, but it’s not for everyone. Maybe you’ll be able to live with dual-booting into windows for wen you need to work and living the rest of the time in linux. it’s a journey you’re just going to have to take.
best of luck to you!
True! I am still going to college and the school I will be transferring to requires a MacBook so I have to get one anyway.
Does Mac OS have the same issues as Windows where settings change each update? That is my major annoyance with Windows.
True! I am still going to college and the school I will be transferring to requires a MacBook so I have to get one anyway.
I’m pretty sure you’ll like it, a hell of a lot more that Winblows anyway. like I said, macOS is UNIX (which linux was made to emulate), so they’re interoperable and have very similar architectures under the hood. macOS is defiantly different in its Apple-y ways, but still plays very nice with linux systems and also supports many linux software ports. There’s also a macOS command-line package manager called Homebrew that’s used to distribute many of these crossover software packages.
Does Mac OS have the same issues as Windows where settings change each update?
NO! macOS updates very rarely (if ever) break things, even with the legendarily persnickety Adobe apps, mostly because Adobe apps don’t have to hack shit in order to run on macOS, because macOS isn’t a dumpster fire of an OS like windows is.
macOS is actually pretty awesome. lots of FOSS people don’t like it simply because of Apple and because of how Apple tends to be a bit overbearing when hit comes to how it likes to do things. macOS has limited customizability, for example, which is something linux users like to go bonkers with. I get it. but there are still ways to do what you want regardless. lots of hacks and stuff.
But it’s the most widely-used and most commercially-successful distribution of UNIX in the consumer space, and the only one still around in any meaningful way. Apple managed to bring UNIX to the masses and to scale it from smartwatches to servers where others failed for decades, all in one, unified ecosystem of software and hardware products. Yes, Apple’s control over that ecosystem is too much for some to bear on philosophical grounds, but those objections usually turn out to be mostly symbolic when put to practical tests.
The other main objection is that Apple products tend to be in the “premium” range of pricing and are “anti-consumer” in that they’re difficult or impossible to repair or upgrade. Those are valid criticisms, however they affect a very tiny sector of users, so make what you will of that.
Note: Linux, currently, cannot run on Macs with Apple Silicon processors. great efforts are underway to make linux compatible with the processor, and AFAIK, the linux kernel itself runs on the AS processors, but the project hasn’t gotten much farther than that, being stuck on untangling the display adapter or something. The effort is, however, ongoing and should, hopefully soon, see a fully-compatible AS linux kernel with compatible AS linux builds n the near future.
You don't need to "switch to Linux". It's not a binary decision. Dual booting or dual partitioning is completely fine. Adobe even with wine and GPU pass-through has far worse performance than if you just boot up windows. It is fine to combine any software you want. That's the "free" in "free software."
Adobe suite is one thing that is still an immense pain to get running on Linux, if you can even get it running at all. There aren't a whole lot of good alternatives depending on your workflow, either. GIMP can be a good Photoshop substitute, but there isn't really a good Illustrator substitute (Inkscape doesn't support CMYK, for example), and it gets worse for the other tools in the suite, so your mileage may vary with that approach.
As others have said, a VM is an option. But, how about a KVM? Maybe it sounds old school, but you could have a Linux box for home / fun / gaming that just shares peripherals with a Windows box that is just for work. Then you get a few advantages:
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Linux PC as normal with no fancy setup needed
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Windows work PC has Adobe as usual, and you just do your non-work stuff on the Linux box. Network them together for easy file sharing.
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You don't need to reboot to go between one or the other; simply switch your KVM over. Let Windows do its update nonsense or other data processing while gaming on the Linux box.
Obviously this does mean you need two physical machines, which might be a dealbreaker for you unless you have parts sitting around.
Edit: something else I just thought of: it is also possible to dual boot but get fancy with hibernation (not sleep, but hibernate = write all RAM contents to disk). You hibernate either installation to switch to the other, so while technically a reboot, all of your apps / windows etc come back up as if you hadn't rebooted.
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Steam installs perfectly well on Debian and most games pick up a small performance boost from running on an OS with less overheads.
Unraid servers can be hosted from Debian with few issues .
Looks like someone created an install script for photoshop on Linux. Uses wine to run.
Photoshop is just one of the many apps included in the Adobe suite. So while this is a welcomed repo, I’m afraid it is not feasible for people who design professionally
I agree with the posters who are telling you to stick with Windows if your career depends on software that isn't Linux compatible. If you want to play with Linux you can install WSL on Windows, run Linux in a VM on Windows or buy a cheap used/refurb business laptop and Linux to your heart's content on that.
You can use Windows apps by setting up a KVM(Not a VM, but a KVM for virtual machine manager) and use a utility called Winapps along with it. This will allow you to launch and use Windows applications as if they were native(drag and drop support, clip sharing and whatnot).
As I recall, Adobe products are supported by Winapps and/or Cassowary
Edit: keep in mind, you only do the above if you really want/need it. Since the initial setup is not hassle free at all
buy a used m1 Mac book with 16GB ram or a janky garage sale (x64) laptop and install puppy Linux.
Also, a rasberry pie is like $40; an intel nuc is <$200. Inexpensive ways to learn without killing your breadbasket.
Why run one when you can run two?
I really want to find a decent laptop that I can tinker on. I have a raspberry pi laying around too. I might do that.
Best option: Use Linux and alternatives to Adobe stuff, if possible. These programs continue to evolve, at some point you might not need the Adobe stuff anymore.
Second best option: Use Linux and run the Adobe stuff inside a Windows VM. GPU passthrough is not that difficult to configure if you need it. You can run your Windows games on Linux in many cases, so it's most likely not needed to run a Windows VM with GPU passthrough just for gaming.
Third best option: Use OS X instead of Windows or Linux, and run the Adobe stuff on OS X (it's also natively supported there)
Worst option: Continue to use Windows
Get a Mac for Adobe related stuff, install Linux on your other machine. /thread
I've killed my GPU twice. It's just go too warm due to poor cooling system to be used for gaming.
I have a single passthrough VM that I use for building Windows binaries.
I followed this tutorial:
https://gitlab.com/risingprismtv/single-gpu-passthrough
If you like to switch to linux but use windows software you can dual boot or even better setup an Virtual Machine for windows with second GPU and have two in one pc.
I would basically setup a windows Server with Remoteapp then use freeRDP on linux to run Adobe software. But note that some software need a GPU or it will be slow. Photoshop will be fine. But aftereffect and premiere may need a GPU. Best option would be a separate work and private computer for security this will separate a little work and private stuff.
