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I bought a Linux laptop (Mint/Cinnamon) last year.

I have yet to find any Windows program that will run through Wine. Most I tried would not run at all or would only load a portion of the GUI.

I also have tried EVERY browser that will work in Linux to try to run FoxSports, ESPN, cable TV, etc. Some will partially load the graphics, but none will actually play events. My cable company provides TV viewing for subscribers through browsers, but the feature does not work with Linux/Mint.

Since the web is becoming more, not less, visual with graphics and videos, Linux needs to step up its capabilities. Just saying ‘Linux does not support Adobe Flash’ is not a great selling point, since many websites still use Adobe Flash.

In several areas, Linux still is not ready to be a viable competitor to Windows [7, even].

As long as my Win 7 laptop and desktop hold up, they are still my preferred. I do remember with Win XP that it could not handle the intense graphics/videos on the web. That was the only reason I changed to Win 7.

Since ‘mobile friendly’ has taken over much of the web, that has ruined a lot of websites with over-sized print and graphics and irregular/jumpy scrolling, etc. Newer is not always better.

Linux actually does support Flash (which the web in general is finally starting to move away from) and it works fine. The issue with the cable providers is their antiquated digital rights management systems that they only make to work on Mac and Windows. I feel your pain though. You want to watch your cable subscription and can’t, regardless of why.

I keep a Roku around for my cable subscription viewing. YMMV, but IMHO, Linux is so superior in so many ways to running Windows on my PCs that I’m willing to shell out the extra small amount of money for things like that. I feel that my sanity is worth it, as is the time that I can spend on better things than waiting for slow-as-molasses Windows to find some way to get itself infected with more viruses and spyware.

With the exception of Photoshop and 3ds Max, I don’t ever boot into Windows for anything anymore. Even then, my desktop is beefy enough to run Photoshop in Virtualbox and have a good enough experience with it for most of the work I have to do.

Linux actually does support Flash (which the web in general is finally starting to move away from) and it works fine. The issue with the cable providers is their antiquated digital rights management systems that they only make to work on Mac and Windows. I feel your pain though. You want to watch your cable subscription and can’t, regardless of why.

I keep a Roku around for my cable subscription viewing. YMMV, but IMHO, Linux is so superior in so many ways to running Windows on my PCs that I’m willing to shell out the extra small amount of money for things like that. I feel that my sanity is worth it, as is the time that I can spend on better things than waiting for slow-as-molasses Windows to find some way to get itself infected with more viruses and spyware.

With the exception of Photoshop and 3ds Max, I don’t ever boot into Windows for anything anymore. Even then, my desktop is beefy enough to run Photoshop in Virtualbox and have a good enough experience with it for most of the work I have to do.

Windows is moving away from Adobe Flash so it’s a rather moot point.

I bought a Linux laptop (Mint/Cinnamon) last year.

…

I also have tried EVERY browser that will work in Linux to try to run FoxSports, ESPN, cable TV, etc. Some will partially load the graphics, but none will actually play events. My cable company provides TV viewing for subscribers through browsers, but the feature does not work with Linux/Mint.

I don't particularly understand the problem.

I'm running Linux Mint 17.2 MATE.

Follows are screenshots from Chrome Browser (taken just now):

Fox News (Verizon Fios):

Netflix:

Hulu:

Amazon Video:

As to Flash, browsers are transitioning to HTML5. Admittedly, if you want to watch DRM content, you have to use Chrome versus Chromium.

But if you really need Flash content, you need to install the Flash installer plugin (via Synaptic Package Manager) and then use Firefox.

I agree that Wine leaves a lot to be desired; however, I've had success installing both Office 2007 and 2010 with Wine in the past.

(In all candor, I have a Windows 7 VM that I run via Oracle VirtualBox when I have to run Windows software).

I used to have a dual boot system, but when I built my current computer, I didn't bother. I run a VM when I really need to use Windows (which isn't often).