Every year I make a list of ”good” software alternatives for myself based on a few metrics: Open Source and future proof, UX and simplicity, Privacy and Security, and Broad OS Support. This year I took it to the test and even surprised myself with the result. From a Linux perspective most things just work, the only caveat is software by Microsoft which actually runs best in a web browser. Luckily, they manage to do this part really well meaning that electron wrappers such as Teams for Linux and Prospect Mail will offer a near native experience. My only issue is that these two teams should consider coordinating their icon design, but that’s about it.
Then the list kind of stops there for me. I have long since abandoned the Adobe train and found that Gimp works just fine for me. Regarding PDF that stopped being an issue since leaving Windows. We looked at Affinity, which is a decent software which has been observed working in Wine but it lacks real Linux support. Same with LightBurn, it used to have great Linux support but took a different turn and now the latest versions are not working anymore. I hope they will reconsider since their main target group are basically makers and technically skilled people. Finally, reMarkable has a desktop app that actually works quite well with Wine and Bottles based on my initial tests, but it is weird that they don’t have a Linux version since their premier tablets all run Linux. As a bonus I noticed that Claude’s desktop software is not supported yet on Linux but fingers crossed it will soon. Meanwhile Claude Code and Antigravity works like a charm so no rush.
With that out of the hand, there is a ton of good software that really shines through right now. OpenShot just released a new revamped version. VLC is one of the best softwares for showing video hands down. Helium brings browsing with chromium (the basis for Google Chrome) to the next level with annoyance-free browsing. Godot is becoming a Unity contender. OBS Studio is a bliss to work with. Obsidian is growing on me as a kind of LLM wiki repository remembering all the little tweaks I make to my Sway WM and more. Zotero just works of course and so does Zoom. For music, Spotify also supports Linux, which is plain marvellous, since the one weak spot I have identified seems to be music catalogue players similar to MusicBee.
To conclude I have had a similar observation as others embarking on this journey, and with this out of the way I will soon be able to share the real upsides which centers around having full control of what I see and experience with no one to suppress my creativity, or to sift my data unless we are in full agreement. This has everything to do with transparency and fairness – it’s time we take a hard look at what we are being offered, and when necessary take control over the tools we have to use every day that are not up to standard.