Gonna switch from MS, skip MacOS, straight to Linux

**emanresu** · 03-14-2025, 07:02 PM

Hm. the ai said that with the full specs of the device, it could provide a working driver code.

**RJVB** · 03-14-2025, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

just install Windows in a virtual machine.

Installing MSWin is a PITA, unless you're starting from scratch.

My own approach is to use VirtualBox, which has the possibility to expose an actual ("raw") disk to the client OS and let it boot from there (I'd expect Qemu to allow that too).

I have a VM set up for a parallel install on my boot drive but also for various harddrives salvaged from previous computers that I can resuscitate like this.

There's also a utility (from MS themselves?) called something like hdisk2vhd that allows you to clone an actual MSWin install to a .vhd disk image that can then be booted inside a VM.

**emanresu** · 03-14-2025, 07:37 PM

So. I could make everything work in this simulation?
What's the catch?

**sgosnell** · 03-14-2025, 09:40 PM

Again, device drivers for almost everything are in the Linux kernel. You do not need to install drivers, unless you have something very out of the ordinary or very, very new. Device drivers just aren't a thing in Linux.

**tbeltrans** · 03-14-2025, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by emanresu

Hm. the ai said that with the full specs of the device, it could provide a working driver code.

Well, that is certainly possible, given that most Linux drivers are Open Source and the typical LLM pulls info from the internet. I would be curious how well that turns out.

I asked ChatGPT to write code to display a guitar fretboard on a terminal display (i.e. text). It did. I compiled and ran it and it worked. Clearly, there would be a lot more code to write to do anything with it, but I didn't ask ChatGPT to do that so I don't know how well that would have worked.

Tony

**tbeltrans** · 03-14-2025, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

Again, device drivers for almost everything are in the Linux kernel. You do not need to install drivers, unless you have something very out of the ordinary or very, very new. Device drivers just aren't a thing in Linux.

Not sure about "almost everything" and there are certainly cases in which one downloads a driver or the code for it to compile and then install it from the command line to test before building it into the kernel. Anyone can download the kernel build environment for that.

However, as I mentioned in an earlier post, do the due diligence for the hardware one is interested in to determine the level of support for it in the Linux environment. All of that information is readily available around the internet.

Tony

**stevo58** · 03-15-2025, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Not sure about "almost everything" and there are certainly cases in which one downloads a driver or the code for it to compile and then install it from the command line to test before building it into the kernel. Anyone can download the kernel build environment for that.

However, as I mentioned in an earlier post, do the due diligence for the hardware one is interested in to determine the level of support for it in the Linux environment. All of that information is readily available around the internet.

Tony

Yes, “almost everything” is naive. For example, you can get an RME to work with Linux, but only with great effort and the performance is not good. So as Tony suggests, before you make any decision find out if your hardware works with Linux and that the software you want to use is available. Or at least acceptable alternatives. And IMO Wine is not an acceptable alternative for any serious work, before anybody mentions it.

**RJVB** · 03-15-2025, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by stevo58

Yes, “almost everything” is naive. [...] an RME

A what now?

I think "almost everything is pretty accurate in fact - if you read the original claim "in the kernel" as "run in the kernel"

And IMO Wine is not an acceptable alternative for any serious work

Depends a little on how you define serious, no? I haven't yet found a decent PDF viewer that also gives the printer/printing control I like, so I use PDF Viewer from Tracker Software via Wine. It's a kludge but it works.

FWIW, I tried to verify the claim that Win11 will soon be requiring "the latest CPUs". I ended up with a list from last February that is too long for Intel CPUs alone to include only models from the past what-I'd-call-few years... But yeah, I didn't see my N3150 on it while it definitely meets the succinct minimum requirements (>= 1Ghz, 2+ cores).

**teeps** · 03-15-2025, 09:46 AM

Originally Posted by emanresu

Hey.

I don't have too much time to spare to mess with computers these days. And am not curious about the inner workings of a kernel.
But MS is trying to nuke old cpus, so, got to switch. Very sad.

I have a Roland MIDI keyboard and Focusrite Clarett USB. Also some Millenium el.drums. I am probably gonna go and try to make it all work in some Linux.

But how has you're experience been with trying to get your peripherals work in Linux?

..not just musical devices. Wifi antennas, ID-card readers, and whatnot.

Most basic hardware devices such as net/wifi/sound/bluetooth/camera works well for me on recent distributions. I had to change pc a little while ago as the video driver was supported by and old opengl driver. That was a 20 year old laptop born with XP. Apart fron this GL issue it worked fine. For sound input I use an American Audio usb soundcard that works well. I can also access the usb soundcard of my Tascam recorder.
Some devices requires special drivers not available for linux for full fuctionality. My Yamaha keyboard is such a device, the newest Zoom pedals is another example. So - it all depends ...
If you want to try linux on your hardware pc you can run it from a usb connected hard drive and test functionality before installing on the internal disc.
If you are unwilling to invest a little time and effort, I dont think you will be happy.

**RJVB** · 03-15-2025, 10:50 AM

I can confirm that MIDI devices should work without hassle. I've already tested our "ancient" Clavinova via a self-built MuseScore 3.2x on that "old" Linux notebook with a 4.14.x kernel. Worked fine.

**stevo58** · 03-15-2025, 12:47 PM

RME Fireface 802 in my case. Day and night better than the PreSonus and FocusRite stuff I used before.

“Serious” meaning requiring fast processing. Viewing a PDF is ok. Recording at 192k and processing 32 tracks with heavy plugin usage no. Video editing no.

**RJVB** · 03-15-2025, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by stevo58

“Serious” meaning requiring fast processing.

There are plenty of "serious" applications that don't have this requirement, at least not at any kind of driver level. Or they're written in-house (possibly with ditto RT kernel extensions) as I know they did and probably still do at e.g. Renault's TechnoCentre, the Tübingen Max Planck Institute and similar places.

**sgosnell** · 03-15-2025, 04:44 PM

RME Fireface is a rather niche product. They've probably been sold in the thousands. I'm not surprised that the manufacturer hasn't released Linux drivers for it. The market is probably infinitesimal compared to most products.

**stevo58** · 03-15-2025, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by RJVB

There are plenty of "serious" applications that don't have this requirement, at least not at any kind of driver level. Or they're written in-house (possibly with ditto RT kernel extensions) as I know they did and probably still do at e.g. Renault's TechnoCentre, the Tübingen Max Planck Institute and similar places.

This is a bit of a reach for consumer gear, isn’t it? Do you want me to talk about Rüschlikon?

**Cunamara** · 03-16-2025, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by RJVB

I started my PhD thesis in '90 with a brand spanking new Mac IIx (with a whopping 8Mb or RAM IIRC) and promptly added a 160Mb external disk to it with A/UX2 installed on it.

And it seemed like that much disk space would take years to fill up.

I had a 40 Mb external drive that got me through graduate school and a couple of years of working. I don't think there's an app for my computer that isn't four times as big as my old hard drive was. Which is still sitting out in the garage, but since it has an SCSI port I don't have any computers that will access it.

**supersoul** · 03-17-2025, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by stevo58

RME Fireface 802 in my case. Day and night better than the PreSonus and FocusRite stuff I used before.

“Serious” meaning requiring fast processing. Viewing a PDF is ok. Recording at 192k and processing 32 tracks with heavy plugin usage no. Video editing no.

I use an RME as well. It's a really great interface, much better than my previous MOTU. RME is known for the quality of its drivers, which is how it achieves its low latency and stability.

**RJVB** · 03-17-2025, 08:19 AM

Originally Posted by stevo58

This is a bit of a reach for consumer gear, isn’t it?

Why do you think I triggered on the use of the term serious in a consumer context?

From what I've seen that RME stuff isn't exactly consumer grade either (and must cost enough that you don't wanna skimp on the computer you'll be using with it).