With support ending for Windows 10, the most popular desktop operating system in the world currently, possibly 240 million pcs may be sent to the landfill. This is mostly due to Windows 11’s exorbitant requirements. This will most likely result in many pcs being immediately outdated, and prone to viruses. GNU/Linux may be these computers’ only secure hope, what do you think?

  • indigomirage@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    For me, it’s not the DAW (Reaper works fine), but this is not the case for every DAW and it must be recognized that switching DAWs is non-trivial (nor should it be expected). In my case, it’s the HW. I can likely get my interface to run (unsupported) but my Maschine is a non-starter. Yes - I know there are a few drivers for similar HW around written by clever folk who’ve done reverse engineering, but it only covers a few minor use cases and is, at best a science experiment and not something one should ever depend on even if it did work.

    SW is a problem too - yes most plugins can be coaxed into working, but certainly not all. Add to that the underlying tech is usually wine, and it’s a perpetual game of whackamole to maybe get the stuff you paid for to run.

    The folks writing these bridging tools are not too blame - it’s brilliant, wonderful work. Fundamentally, it’s an act of good will that one can’t rely afford to fully depend on if it even does work. I love FOSS, but it’s not everything - I certainly don’t expect a free ride, but I do want the option to pay to run what I want.

    The issue is the HW and SW manufacturers - they need a critical mass of potential users to be bothered to commit to developing for Linux. My hope is that as user bases grow (in places like India) the cost/benefit analysis shifts.

    • Bleeping Lobster@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      This is interesting and concerning… I don’t need a lot of plugins for live stuff, but I was definitely planning to use my Maschine!

      So is that confirmed completely inoperable in Linux? No idea how I’d trigger parts without it.

      • indigomirage@lemmy.ca
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        6 months ago

        At most, you might be able to get midi mode to work (if you scrounge the internet for experimental and old reverse engineered scripts.) But almost certainly not the core Maschine functionality (ie - the main reason for buying maschine in the first place).

        Even if you can get it to work none of it will be supported and you’re always at risk of an update rendering things inoperable.

        It’s worth noting that only the old Native Access installer runs in wine (with coaxing). The newer one does not, and from what I’ve read, the break points are features that will never be supported in wine.

        Wine is clever, but it’s always an incomplete game of whackamole. A workaround at best.

        The whole thing is truly frustrating.

        (your luck may be better than mine of course!)

        • Bleeping Lobster@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Well this doesn’t sound appealing! And this just speaks to what I was trying to explain to the person at the start of this thread… Linux may be growing rapidly but there’s still giant holes in the driverset etc for many tasks.

          I think prob the best solution will be to perform a hard reset / clean on the laptop, remove any bloatware, keep it offline once I’ve installed necessary updates / plugins, and only have live PA software installed.