Tired of Windows tracking and invasive ads? Here's how to game on Linux

[Redaktion]

Microsoft has historically monopolised the PC gaming space with Windows, but with increasingly invasive ads, bloat and data collection, many Windows users are looking for an alternative. Thanks to the Steam Deck, Valve and community projects like Proton GE, Linux is becoming a more viable option for gaming.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Tired-of-Windows-tracking-and-invasive-ads-Here-s-how-to-game-on-Linux.809478.0.html

[A]

Generally, you should use the latest driver version. The #1 reason why one may have issues with the latest driver version is because you are using an LTS distros which has an LTS kernel. The drivers are usually optimized with the latest kernels in mind

Some distros like Mint let you install a 6.X kernel from the kernel manager GUI or if you opt for the Edge version it comes already with latest non-LTS kernel. Others may offer it via backports. Debian/Ubuntu systems can use a tool called Mainline Kernels for easy installation and management of latest kernels

[Jimmy]

I've been using ArchLinux with the Linux-Zen kernel for gaming purposes with Lutris and Steam with ProtonGE and WineGE, and honestly, I do NOT miss Windows.

Unless you play a game with some useless anticheat software that really never works, most games work fine under Wine/Proton with very few caveats (usually some visual glitches).

[Dan6]

Biggest downside of Linux for me is that if you buy some recently release hardware - you're going to have different issues - it will not be supported at all or have some performance problems. Wanna play in HDR? It wasn't supported.. Also linux is not quite reliable - sometimes it doesn't wake up from sleep. Then it starts but without detecting WiFi card. Also if you'll need to update firmware on motherboard - you can do it only on windows. And other childish issues happening there and there.. Windows is not great agree and I really want linux to catch up, but still for now windows does the job more reliably.

[Logoffon]

I stopped reading right when I saw the words "bloat", "tracking" and "data collection".

[A]

Biggest downside of Linux for me is that if you buy some recently release hardware - you're going to have different issues - it will not be supported at all or have some performance problems. Wanna play in HDR? It wasn't supported.. Also linux is not quite reliable - sometimes it doesn't wake up from sleep. Then it starts but without detecting WiFi card. Also if you'll need to update firmware on motherboard - you can do it only on windows. And other childish issues happening there and there.. Windows is not great agree and I really want linux to catch up, but still for now windows does the job more reliably.

Newest hardware needs newest drivers and kernel, what you are describing is you using an LTS Linux. If you opt for a rolling release, non-LTS or install latest kernel it will work on new hardware no problem.

If you've ever installed windows from scratch on a laptop to get rid of oem bloat, half the time the wifi card doesn't work out of box. This is why it is suggested to download drivers to a flash drive before doing a clean install of windows

If you want HDR gaming, opt for SteamOS Linux. Or get a kernel that has the steamos changes in it

You can update firmware of motherboard from linux on most, it is called LVFS. Otherwise, Hirensbootcd

Not waking up from sleep also happens to some windows computers. I personally had no issues sleeping the last few linux computers

Of course easiest thing is just buy a laptop with linux preinstalled on it. Then it just works out of box without you doing any thinking

Linux tends to actually be more reliable and uses less battery than windows, runs smoother too.

[YUKI93]

Biggest downside of Linux for me is that if you buy some recently release hardware - you're going to have different issues - it will not be supported at all or have some performance problems. Wanna play in HDR? It wasn't supported.. Also linux is not quite reliable - sometimes it doesn't wake up from sleep. Then it starts but without detecting WiFi card. Also if you'll need to update firmware on motherboard - you can do it only on windows. And other childish issues happening there and there.. Windows is not great agree and I really want linux to catch up, but still for now windows does the job more reliably.

Been the before, never regretted my decision to leave Linux for Windows. Also, it's not like Linux is any more secure than Windows. All the data tracking can also be done in Linux if one's so wish.

[Myles]

I tried to switch to linux but was overwhelmed with the many linuxes, and all of them having their own irks and quirks. Unless this madness is solved by concentrating the efforts on a publicly declared main linux, talking about any further steps (like gaming) is pointless, as the common people will never reach this step.

[A]

Been the before, never regretted my decision to leave Linux for Windows. Also, it's not like Linux is any more secure than Windows. All the data tracking can also be done in Linux if one's so wish.

Linux is more secure than Windows, and sure if one chooses to be data tracked on Linux they can, but why choose to? In Windows you don't have much choice but to be tracked

Linux DEs also tend to be more feature rich and flexible than windows while many being less resource hungry too

I tried to switch to linux but was overwhelmed with the many linuxes, and all of them having their own irks and quirks. Unless this madness is solved by concentrating the efforts on a publicly declared main linux, talking about any further steps (like gaming) is pointless, as the common people will never reach this step.

You seem to be having a misunderstanding about something. Pretty much most Linux distros are all the same thing. The only difference is the "defaults". You can turn any distro into any other distro given the effort. So your choice of distro is generally just to save you time configuring stuff yourself

Now of course one would generally ask, "well how do I know which defaults I want?", and there are quiz like sites like DistroChooser (not DistroChooser but better, that is a joke site) that help people choose. But generally, the first thing one should do is opt for beginner friendly distros

Like for example, Linux Mint (opt for Linux Mint Edge if you have new hardware for latest kernel that supports the new hardware)

After you use a new user friendly distro like Mint for a year, only then consider distro hopping to one that better meets your needs. Note though, beginner friendly doesn't mean advanced users can't use it. Many continue to use Mint or come back to it. Again, it simply is a matter of preferred defaults


Of course for most people, even installing their own OS is already a big hurdle. It may be okay for a tech site like here, but in general, people are better off just getting a PC with linux preinstalled. You'll even save some money on the windows license cost

[RobertJasiek]

Linux is more secure than Windows

Such a statement makes no sense. It all depends on the user's configuration of either system.

In Windows you don't have much choice but to be tracked

As before.

Pretty much most Linux distros are all the same thing.

No. E.g., software rules are a) not available, b) of kind I or c) of kind II.

[A]

No. E.g., software rules are a) not available, b) of kind I or c) of kind II.

I am not sure what you are trying to say here...

[lmao]

more like not sure what he is trying to say everywhere lol
how can one even compare 'user configuration' of a system where you can only scrape the tip of configuration iceberg (and can barely remove some bloatware/tracking without damaging functionality) vs system that you can audit at sourcecode level yourself and even build your own kernel if required.

guy has probably ran a crappy 'debloater' script on his windows he found online and decided he is some kind of power user and security expert now.

[hubris]

@A:

I'd like to hear your thoughts on:

madaidans-insecurities.github.io/linux.html
madaidans-insecurities.github.io/security-privacy-advice.html#desktop-os

Written by someone who claims they're a security researcher, though it hasn't been updated in 2 years now.

[A]

@A:

I'd like to hear your thoughts on:

1. Sandboxing - This is a given on any platform. If you run something as a certain user, you expect to have access to all files of that user. Unless you want to deal with the inconvenience of not being able to open files you need.

If you want to have your stuff limited, than I suggest using Flatpak and Flatseal(not mentioned in the article) where you can micromanage application permissions

Otherwise, giving access to all files by default is a user convenience feature even if it isn't the most secure.

The difference is, when running open source software. What it does is visible in the source code. With closed source, you have 0 clue what it is doing

There are also locked down Linux where everything is run in its own VM like QubesOS for those paranoid

2. This one is fairly weird one, saying how other operating systems have gone further with memory safe languages like Rust. What is he basing this on? I ask this as someone who programs in Rust myself.

I guess since he sees the source code of Linux he can say, oh look how little Rust there is. But since he can't see the source code of others and they advise going forward to use memory safe languages, he makes blind assumptions

There has been an ongoing effort to port much of linux tools to rust.

Then he goes to say that Linux doesn't have virtualization, which is wrong. KVM is a thing.

3. eBPF has been disabled by default. Just because a feature exists in the kernel for those who need it doesn't mean everyone has to use it.

And he admits its an issue effecting all platforms. It goes without saying that things will interact with the kernel.

4. Well yes, root is root. Obviously if you have administrative privileges you, you can do anything.

The X11 issue is a problem due to X11 being old, but Wayland fixes that problem. And many are already making Wayland the default. Or again you can do QubesOS

A move to immutable is also removing more and more need for root access for stuff to begin with

But again, at end of the day. Access to source code is the biggest defense. Because when code is closed source, nobody know what it is doing behind the scenes. Where as for open source, all the code is visible for 3rd party auditing