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?
I second this, I also use arch (btw) on all of my personal computers, gaming rig, media machines; But when it comes to my work machine, it also runs Windows because it needs to.
I love Linux and want it to prosper. Hopefully one day windows specific software like that won’t be such a hurdle, but unfortunately it is; If your livelihood depends on it, you cannot afford to risk hard breaks in compatibility. There will be days where as a less experienced user, issues could take hours to fix.
If you get a secondary computer in the future that you only use for personal activities, that is when I would reconsider installing and learning Linux. It’s rewarding to learn, you have more control over your system and better privacy, but it takes time and effort.
Well, I sort of do work on two devices for work and gaming. I have a decent windows laptop that I use at work and have my main rig for everything else.
As much as I dislike a lot about Windows, I think you are right. If I am in the graphic design industry, I will need to use Windows. Adobe will probably never port to Linux so I will always have to use it in some shape or form.
If you depend on a piece of software for your career, you shouldn’t try to force it to work on another OS or some hardware it doesn’t have support for. Just run Windows.
You could try using a Windows VM, or even doing GPU passthrough. But do you really want to troubleshoot that for 2 days when an update breaks everything?
fwiw, running photoshop through a VM would be pretty easy and pretty quick to setup with very little (if any) troubleshooting required, and it’s unlikely that updates would break stuff. I’ve done it many, many times.
The real problem is getting good performance out of it. Now, I don’t know OP’s specific needs or what specific Adobe apps he’s using. if it’s just Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, he’s gonna be fine. if he’s got enough memory and he’s running the VM by itself, he shouldn’t notice much of any performance degradation until he’s got some gigantic files open in PS and/or he’s juggling a bunch of files between PS and Illustrator.
Now, if he’s trying to run AfterEffects or Premier, he could run into more serious performance issues and would definitely need to dual-boot if he wants to render anything. But he may not be using those apps.
Running those apps through Wine? THAT is the massive PitA that can take days to configure and troubleshoot and where an update can break anything— but it runs at native speed. Using a VM is pretty simple… just slower.
I mainly work with illustrator and Photoshop but I occasionally edit videos on Premier Pro.
Yeah, I heard Wine does not work well with Adobe products. I haven’t tried it though.
Wine will suck ass with Premier, if it works at all. There ARE reasonable alternatives to use in Linux, unlike with PS or Illustrator.
PS in Linux is… ok…. depending on what you’re doing with it. if it’s basic stuff, you’ll get by. start delving into big boy stuff, and it struggles. Illustrator… I doubt it. I’d stick with a VM for both for major workloads until you really need bare-metal performance. This is something you will have to feel out for yourself.
If you need Adobe, just don’t bother with linux on your primary work / study machine. Save linux for another system.
As a primary Linux user, this might be the easiest answer. If there is specific software needed for work, then your work computer should serve that purpose.
Still, if I was freelancing and it’s my computer, I certainly would look at dual-booting or just having more than one computer (could even use a KVM switch to use the same keyboard, monitors and mouse). Also if I’m using software professionally, I would also have a professional interest in open source alternatives.
Still, this is all optional and extra. Just running Adobe is the baseline.
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.
While this won’t work completely, with a Mac you have access to a POSIX-like (zsh) terminal. Doing stuff in terminal will help with learning Linux to the side. As long as you treat the differences as a learning opportunity rather than an irritant, you’ll be better able to switch between them.
I really want to switch to Linux as my main gaming/production OS but need the Adobe suite
That’s not a hurdle… that’s a wall.
If your livelihood depends on running a Windows-only application, run it on a Windows computer.
You are, of course, free to also have a Linux computer for everything else. Use a KVM switch to toggle between them, or something like Synergy or Barrier to pass the mouse/keyboard/clipboard between both PCS. Share the storage between them over your network.
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.
