{"id":134,"date":"2017-04-05T23:40:03","date_gmt":"2017-04-06T02:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/2017\/04\/motivos-que-levam-usuarios-a-se-decepcionar-com-linux\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T10:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:23:08","slug":"motivos-que-levam-usuarios-a-se-decepcionar-com-linux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.linuxpro.com.br\/en\/2017\/04\/motivos-que-levam-usuarios-a-se-decepcionar-com-linux\/","title":{"rendered":"Reasons users become disappointed with Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mascote<\/p>\n

Note (2026):<\/strong> Original text from April 2017, from the Oficina do Tux Blog, preserved as a signed opinion from that time. Almost everything here changed in nine years \u2014 Proton became the gaming standard, AMD became Linux's most trouble-free GPU and Unity died. The section Nine years later<\/em>, at the end, corrects what aged point by point and lists the problems that really trip up new users today.<\/div>\n

In this post I'll try to cover the main reasons I see and believe lead new users to become disappointed with the penguin.
\nArticle originally<\/a> taken from the Oficina do Tux Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Performance and compatibility<\/h2>\n

This point mainly concerns AMD graphics card users and those unlucky (or uninformed) people with a WiFi card whose manufacturer doesn't provide decent Linux support. Rare as it may be, I often see people having trouble with certain WiFi cards: sometimes they're recognized but don't work correctly. However cheap a WiFi card may be today, the user finds it easier to return to Windows than to buy a Linux-compatible card.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As for AMD users, what I notice is \u201cfanboyism\u201d on their part (not all of them, of course), refusing to accept that AMD doesn't provide Linux driver support as good as Nvidia's (I mean proprietary drivers). Because they like AMD so much, they return to Windows. I won't say everything is wonderful with Nvidia: people with old cards have problems even on Windows because they're no longer compatible with new drivers, and with hybrid cards (laptops), the manufacturer itself says they \u201cmay not work properly on Linux\u201d.
\nBut unfortunately, anyone wanting to play games on Linux needs an Nvidia card in their desktop for a good experience with quality major titles, as I show in gameplay and benchmarks on my FastOS channel.<\/p>\n

False expectations<\/h2>\n

Here there are 2 types of users. One has very old hardware and heard that Linux \u201crevives\u201d any weak hardware. Well, it can revive it, but that takes some research, because the most popular distributions don't focus on this, so they won't run well on old hardware \u2014 Ubuntu with Unity, Fedora with Gnome, etc.
\nAnd even when users recognize they'll need an interface with older, simpler characteristics, they're disappointed that they can't use the most popular modern interfaces.<\/p>\n

The second is the user who believes in \u201cfairy tales\u201d: someone who thinks they won't have any problems with Linux and will never need to search Google to do something, usually someone who had many problems using Windows.<\/p>\n

Poorly informed about diversity<\/h2>\n

I see this one most often: the user who thinks Linux = Ubuntu(with unity), doesn't know versions with different interfaces exist, or even that there are other distributions!<\/p>\n

\u201c_I went back to windows because I thought Linux looked ugly\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c_which systems did you try?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c_well, I tried linux ubuntu!\u201d<\/p>\n

Some discover other distributions but still think each distro has 1 interface. I've seen users try Fedora because they \u201cliked the interface\u201d, as though they couldn't use the same one on Ubuntu.
\nLittle do they know there are Ubuntu \u201cflavors\u201d like Xubuntu, kubuntu, Ubuntu Gnome, Mate\u2026 and Fedora spins with kde,mate,cinnamon and others.<\/p>\n

That's why I support showing people some interfaces\/distributions. I said \u201csome\u201d because I don't think there's any need to show beginners all of them, like Gentoo or Funtoo, or very different interfaces like openbox, i3wm and similar ones.<\/p>\n

Wine: you leave Windows, but Windows doesn't leave you<\/h2>\n

This is the classic user who tries to execute .exe files and run every program and game through wine\/playonlinux.<\/p>\n

\"Diagrama:<\/p>\n

This option can help in a pinch and work satisfactorily. What people forget to mention is how much work installing a game or a more complex program can take, how common errors are, and especially how performance is much worse than the native option. For these and other reasons, it's a tool for more experienced users.<\/p>\n

The Community<\/h2>\n

The most controversial point for last: the community is also one factor making users give up Linux, with comments like:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLinux isn't for games, Linux isn't for this or that\u2026 it's only good for servers\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It's true that Linux may not have the best tool for professional video editing or the same number of games as Windows, but that doesn't mean everyone needs Adobe Premiere to edit videos or only plays EA games.<\/p>\n

There are also free software zealots, or purists who think you shouldn't use proprietary software on Linux,<\/p>\n

The other day I saw someone surprised to learn that some people don't use Linux just because it's free software! Such people can discourage users from the platform, making them think they won't be able to use proprietary software they like or won't get the same support because of it.<\/p>\n

When in fact it's the opposite: today many proprietary games and programs run natively on Linux.<\/p>\n

My conclusion is that there will always be some reason that might discourage new users, but the outcome isn't due only to the factors I mentioned. It also depends on users wanting to use the platform, understanding that the community isn't a search engine and doesn't work for them, rather than constantly asking questions whose answers could easily be found with a Google search.<\/p>\n

In short, there may be \u201cN\u201d reasons to become discouraged or frustrated with Linux, but ultimately excuses won't help: you're responsible for your choices, and there will always be an alternative, whether dual boot, replacing hardware or whatever. In the end, it's up to you.<\/p>\n

Nine years later: what changed and what stayed the same<\/h2>\n

The text above is from 2017 and remains online as a record. But leaving it without a counterpoint would be dishonest: most reasons it lists either became the opposite or ceased to exist. Point by point:<\/p>\n

Graphics cards: the situation reversed<\/h3>\n

In 2017 the recommendation was to buy NVIDIA for a good experience. Today the advice is the reverse.<\/strong> The driver amdgpu<\/code> lives inside the Linux kernel, with the open Mesa stack \u2014 you install the distro and the AMD GPU simply works, with Wayland, Vulkan and kernel updates, without a proprietary module to recompile. Intel is in the same situation.<\/p>\n

NVIDIA has improved considerably \u2014 open kernel modules have existed since 2022 and became the default in recent series \u2014 but it still requires a proprietary driver, breaks during kernel updates and takes more work on Wayland. For anyone migrating now who can choose their hardware: AMD is the trouble-free route<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Games: Proton changed everything<\/h3>\n

The original post predates the turning point. In August 2018 Valve launched Proton<\/strong> \u2014 a compatibility layer on top of Wine, integrated into Steam, that runs most Windows games with one click. In February 2022 came the Steam Deck<\/strong>, a handheld running Arch Linux that sold millions and forced the industry to test on Linux.<\/p>\n

The practical result: thousands of titles run without configuration, many with performance equivalent to Windows. ProtonDB<\/a> shows each game's status before you buy.<\/p>\n

What still doesn't run:<\/strong> competitive games with kernel-mode anti-cheat \u2014 Valorant, Fortnite, some Call of Duty and Battlefield titles. It isn't a technical Linux limitation: it's a decision by publishers that opted not to enable the support Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye already offer. If one of these titles is your life, Linux won't solve it, and no tutorial changes that.<\/p>\n

Wine and PlayOnLinux: the problem moved elsewhere<\/h3>\n

The 2017 diagnosis remains valid in spirit \u2014 but the tools are different. PlayOnLinux left the scene; today people use Bottles<\/strong>, Lutris<\/strong> or Proton itself outside Steam. And the right question changed: instead of \u201chow do I run this .exe\u201d, it's \u201cis there a native or web alternative for this?\u201d. In most cases there is, and it works better than emulation.<\/p>\n

Those truly without substitutes: Adobe<\/strong> (Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom) and full Office<\/strong> with heavy VBA macros. If your work depends on one of these, dual boot or a virtual machine is the honest answer \u2014 not a Wine workaround that breaks on the next update.<\/p>\n

Distro diversity: the problem became something else<\/h3>\n

\u201cLinux = Ubuntu with Unity\u201d no longer makes sense: Unity was abandoned in October 2017, and Ubuntu returned to GNOME. But the confusion remains, now with too much choice. For newcomers, the practical 2026 recommendation is short:<\/p>\n