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Just had one of those awesome 'Linux is better' moments.
slaapliedje Mar 20, 2018
So, I bought a new Webcam (Logitech C920). I was already in Windows 10 from last night, so I plug it in and expected it to either tell me hardware wasn't found, downloading drivers, or that it'd just work. Nope, said there was a problem with the USB device.

Go to Logitech's website... they didn't show just drivers that I could see (Wow, been a LONG time since I had to hunt for drivers...) installed some webcam software and... nothing, same issue. So decided to reboot to see if that fixed it... because Windows..

But instead of going into Windows, I booted into my Debian Sid drive. Webcam works right away and looks brilliant!
Ehvis Mar 20, 2018
Had one of those a couple of year ago when my internet hadn't been connected to the new house I moved into. Had a borrowed Windows laptop and tried to tether my phone. But obviously, Windows needed to "download" something before it could tether. Set up my Linux desktop instead. Plugged in the phone and I had internet. Nothing needed to be done.
slaapliedje Mar 20, 2018
Ha ha! That's great. "You have no internet, please download the driver for the internet."
damarrin Mar 21, 2018
Yeah, I had a few of these as well. When Linux works, it's brilliant, because it works so much better. When it doesn't... well.
slaapliedje Mar 21, 2018
Quoting: damarrinYeah, I had a few of these as well. When Linux works, it's brilliant, because it works so much better. When it doesn't... well.

Even when it doesn't it is far easier to find the solution, and the solution is usually 'add this to config <blah> and restart service' vs 'Dig into the registry and see if you can find this key...'

I had an issue with my bluray drive not reading anything in Windows, rebooted to Linux, it was working fine, go back into Windows and looked up how to fix it, since it was giving me an error in device manager, some page said to start digging in the registry...

Turned out it was a program I used to decrypt the disc so I could watch blurays in my Vive (In 3D. Thor: Ragnarok is amazing!)

But it's definitely been my experience within the last 5-10 years that the majority of hardware just works. Now there is the occasionally weird thing like trying to get my Intel Wireless 7260 to work in 'ac' mode for my AP....
Hamish Mar 21, 2018
I have an old HP scanner where the drivers make it unworkable on Windows, but it is functional on Linux. It is still a piece of crap though.
whizse Mar 21, 2018
Tried setting up a printer on a borrowed Windows 10 system. First, no automatic detection. I had to type in the URL for the network printer in manually. Choosing the driver involved scrolling through hundreds of models in a list that couldn't be searched, and a tiny window that couldn't be resized.

The next day when I booted the system, all traces of the printer was gone...


My Debian system on the other hand detects the printer automagically with Avahi and suggests the correct driver.

I'm sure there's plenty of things Windows 10 does better, and maybe the problem was on my end (the last version of Windows I used with any regularity was 2000) but it was one of those little moments.
Julius Mar 21, 2018
Dunno... I have to sit in from of this Windows PC at work, and almost every second of it is a "Linux is better" moment for me :(
The only thing about Windows that is "better" is that I can take all the time I want in the morning to get a coffee as most of the time it is *still* booting by the time I return a few minutes later...

I am really not exaggerating here, and no it is not WindowsXP or below, but a fully up to date and not that old PC running Window7 :(
tonR Mar 21, 2018
Quoting: EhvisHad one of those a couple of year ago when my internet hadn't been connected to the new house I moved into. Had a borrowed Windows laptop and tried to tether my phone. But obviously, Windows needed to "download" something before it could tether. Set up my Linux desktop instead. Plugged in the phone and I had internet. Nothing needed to be done.
Yes, can confirm based on my experience. Here's my story:

Somewhere in 2010 - 11 (totally forgot when exactly), I'm downloaded the Ubuntu 10.04 to try it as it proclaimed as the easiest Linux distros ever (at that time) by my local computer magazine (don't want to say that magazine's name). I'm was using "unofficial" ;) Windows XP as my main OS and Sony Ericsson W995 as my mobile phone + modem because my family not afford to have ADSL line because the price is (yes, still is) too expensive.

On Windows XP, I'll need an app named SE PC Suite 6.0 to sync, manage files, telephone no. and internet tethering my phone. Even do it has HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s network supported, for some unknown reasons it only can run max dial-up speed at 921.6kbit/s on XP.

On Ubuntu 10.04 in another hand (burn it on disk, installed and boot on USB drive); when I popped in cable, the phone ask to choose either mass storage or "PC mode" (or something I forgot already). Choosing "PC mode" it automatically tethering to internet at 10 Mbit/s! For someone using less than 1 Mbit/s, everything seem soo fast. Even Youtube 480p mode doesn't need wait to load.

I'm very convinced to use Linux in that time. But, my yearly Antivirus subscription, Windows XP still supported by MS and developers and anxious about alternative (or lack of) apps on Linux; restrained me to adopting Linux fully.

After Windows XP EOL, here I am now. And that SE W995 phone, I don't know where I keep it. :P
Avehicle7887 Mar 21, 2018
Quoting: JuliusDunno... I have to sit in from of this Windows PC at work, and almost every second of it is a "Linux is better" moment for me :(

I feel you, full time Linux at home and have to sit in front of Win8 at work, just today I was looking for a way to have the "Always on top" window feature, had to download a 3rd party program to do what Linux does out of the box for years.

I keep 3 usb's with a bootable Parted Magic at work, it does away with all the crap Windows makes you go through.
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