Computer Crisis!
- Thread starter FalconClash
- Start date
gambitak
Member
You might give Zorin OS a try (it's Linux based). My girlfriend is about as un-technologically savvy as you can get and she has been using Zorin OS, without hiccups, for 4 years now. She plays EQ2 way more than I do (by a ridiculous amount). This will allow you to keep your current laptop and, more than likely, increase in-game performance.
If you need help deciding, I can help and I know Sturmlocke has a lot of knowledge, as well.
If you need help deciding, I can help and I know Sturmlocke has a lot of knowledge, as well.
Sturmlocke
Linux enthusiast playing EQ2 via Proton.
I haven't read through all of the responses just yet, but instead of giving up on a perfectly capable machine just to throw more money at an industry that is heading into a very questionable direction, I recommend giving Linux a try before giving up on it: https://forums.everquest2.com/index.php?threads/eq2-linux-mac-guide-reloaded.303/
If it works it could save you the 400 bucks that you mentioned earlier. Time is a bit short rn, but I can try to help if you're willing to give Linux a shot. We do have a healthy number of other Linux users around here with a ton of knowledge. Not sure if all of them have migrated to the new forums yet, will have to check. Feel free to post some system specs and I'll have a look. CPU, RAM and GPU are the most important parts of info that you can provide, because that will let us know if a switch to Linux is possible or viable or not. Linux has a huge number of benefits and can actually make your computer faster and more secure than before, and in a lot of cases EQ2 performs better on Linux than on Windows.
FalconClash
Member
I have never used any OS other than Windows. My chief concern would be Compatibility. Would all the games I play, aside from EQ2, and other stuff I do still work?
Sturmlocke
Linux enthusiast playing EQ2 via Proton.
Depends on the games and other stuff. Can you list some of the things that you want to play and the other stuff you need to work?
Generally speaking, game compatibility has gone up ever since the Steam Deck has hit the market, minus some super invasive and intrusive Anti-Cheat titles with questionable kernel and bios level of access *looking over to Electronic Arts* (I would advise against that stuff anyway).
gambitak
Member
As an IT security expert, I will never own another Windows machine due to their implementation of Microsoft Recall, alone; however, there are many other egregious privacy-invading technologies and/or policies that make me wary of their company. For example, up until the middle of The Pandemic, I was a partner in an organization that assisted people with disabilities to re-enter the workforce. We sub-contracted with the State in which we reside and were required, by both federal and state law, to vet our HIPAA ePHI protocols; in terms of the Operating System, it meant unauthorized access to protected information. Long story short, the only version of Windows that could be certified to be HIPAA-compliant was Windows Enterprise, which we could not afford.
So, I put my girlfriend on Linux, asked the same questions of the GNOME Foundation and was satisfied that I had, to the fullest extent of the law, completed my due diligence in attempting to secure data from unauthorized access. This should absolutely scare the bejeezus out of the average user. The replies I received from the Microsoft Legal team, via email (which I still possess) left little doubt that they not only store the user's documents, photos, saved files, browsing habits, et al., but that they also access it whenever the company wants to, at any time! That's like letting my company access to your private files! And all of this was before the public release of Microsoft Recall.
It's all what you're comfortable doing. If gaming is important, there are steps to protecting your data, as much as possible, on Windows or Mac OS (which isn't much better). I'd be happy to help you there, too. Either way, I'm happy to help.