Linux is fine for a personal computer. I've been running some variant of Ubuntu for 20 years and I do more than most people on their PC. Currently running dual boot to Kubuntu or Win7 Pro and haven't booted up to the Windows side in months. About the only Win program I use is TurboCAD because it's something I learned before I started using Linux. I also have Adobe Acrobat Pro on the Win side but rarely use it.
I just did a PC update while typing this and I don't have to worry about restarting the system even if it's a major update. I can close down three browsers, Evolution email client, Inkscape and/or GIMP(graphics programs), Sublime and immediately shut down the PC and still have a 5 second shut down time. Startup time is about 15 seconds. Kubuntu runs the Plasma desktop which has as many goodies as Windows.
Libre Office is fully compatible with MS Office. OpenOffice also. I run AbiWord and Caligra Sheets and can save or open files in the same file format as MS Word, doc/docx or Excel xls/xlsx.
I agree Linux is not much good for gaming.
Plenty of IDEs but maybe not "the one that everyone uses" for a given language. I use Sublime as a text/code editor for web dev stuff. Html/CSS/php, no compiling.
For 2D graphics, there's GIMP, Krita and InkScape. InkScape's native format is svg and it will export high res png files with a very small file size so InkScape is perfect for the web. SVG is the up and coming web standard for vector graphics on the web. Right now it's png and jpg. I use GIMP for editing jpg images and ImageMagik for optimizing jpg files. GIMP will do pretty much anything Photoshop will. ImageMagik is a command line program for working with image files. It will reduce the file size of a folder full of jpg files in a matter of seconds. It's usually pre-installed on most Linux servers as well. When you upload images to facebook, twitter, imgur etc, it's usually using ImageMagik behind the scenes to optimize the image file size.
Blender has been used for 3D modeling by NASA and has been used for Spiderman 2, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and other projects. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blender_(software)#Use_in_the_media_industry It's mostly used in the early stages of large projects like that. They follow up with 3D Studio Max(think Transformers movies) and others.
Here's a French artist that uses nothing but open source software running on Kubuntu, https://www.davidrevoy.com/article783/kubuntu-linux-20-04-for-a-digital-painting-workstation-reasons-and-install-guide This is his webcomic, https://www.peppercarrot.com/en He makes his living as a graphic artist and creates the Pepper & Carrot webcomic to push for open source. He does tutorials showing how he creates the webcomic as a contribution to the open source software community.
I haven't enjoyed paying money to see the blue screen of death in 2 decades. Windows has also become yet another personal data collection machine like google, Android etc. Every PC(laptops) in the house runs dual boot Win/Ubuntu. The kids use Windows mostly because it's more compatible with web based games they play and it's what everyone else that they interact with online uses. Peer pressure. My wife usually uses Ubuntu because it's faster and more stable. She watches streaming and is on facebook for their games. Everyone where she works is on facebook and they use it for work related comms.
The biggest reason everyone uses windows is because everyone else they know uses windows, unless they're Mac users. Then they use Mac because everyone else in their field does. It's similar to how difficult it is for conservatives to start up a new social media website when everyone uses facebook or twitter. People are comfortable with what they know and want to fit in with the crowd, even if it sucks.
Well said, thank you. :)
LibreOffice (OpenOffice before that) is pure unadulterated garbage. It’s not fully comparable, where are the VBA extensions or VB programming? And where is Access, Visio or Project?
The rest are pure unadulterated open source garbage. When the real working industry uses GIMP over Photoshop or even PaintShop Pro or the old Fireworks, ping me.
When Blender can export FBX files properly - game industry standard (it can’t - Normals get borked and orientation gets borked (it’s RHS and the rest of the industry standard apps (Maya, Max, midi, Houdini) for content development are LHS) and can’t do import MAYA or MAX scenes
Sublime is absolute garbage and does not interfere with Unity3D or Unreal or Lumberyard, or compile game engine code.
Stay using your broken open source apps, only good for light casual work. I’ll stick with known industry standards.