How likely is it that Proton can be used to make native Windows applications (especially CAD-Software) run on Linux? Beside my own desperate desire to do that I guess there are others out there to eagerly switch OS. For the software providers it seems to be a great opportunity to acquired new customers (at first glance).

Source?

I so very much hope that the Linux gaming effect increases. Not only for gaming, but for the productivity world. If development of these ‘compatibility layers’ (Wikipedia) like Proton, Wine improves and maybe win-native software (thinking of CAD in particular) can be made working reliably on Linux using these packages, one or the other big player might adapt. That would be a much cheaper way of expanding the software’s range than developing and maintaining a native Linux port…

… and maybe I am too naive.

Let me help you with the correct wording: ‘Power to noise’-converters. You’re welcome.

I’ve spent half a day yesterday to set up a VM running Debian on my office’s Win PC. Since I’m tied to Windows because of my proprietary CAD, my plan is to limit my interaction to a minimum and instead do everything else in the Linux-VM. With shared drives and drag’n’drop I hope it will work out. It comes in also very handy that I started years ago to strictly choose open source software that’s available for both platforms - so no learning curve. Since MS won’t listen - we all need to laudly complain about the lack of linux support towards our software providers. And yes, maybe too naïve, it will change something in the long run.

I’ve certainly considered that, but have a hard time imagining a comparable performance with large assemblies. Any hands-on experiences?

FreeCAD is of course the tool of choice for my hobby projects. All of our workgroup’s students get an introduction. But while its a great tool, you’ll notice the lack of … management (?) in the background. I’m not bashing or even judging. I very much appreciate all the work put into it. But it’s simply … not there yet to be considered a serious alternative to one of the big players.

Autodesk! All the others! Can you now, goddammit, for the sake of the mental health of your customers, start building your tools on platforms other than this crap? PLEASE? I mean I’m seriously considering building a parallel system running Linux for all my other office needs and just touch my Win-pc to run my CAD. I hope MS will continue in this way and ai-mercialize their OS more and more so hopefully the software providers will have enough at one point.

I guess it will be even worse. Instead of taking good money for hiring good people (I know this strategy is over simplified, as there are mandatory regulations for gv not being allowed to compete with the private sector. But if there would be the political will to find a way, there would be a way), gv will take even more money and found a consortium of ‘experts’ who will spend most of the funding to invent an exceptionally complex new wheel that none has ever seen before and take years in development… And the next gv will roll back. And that’s that. Thinking about it I notice how desillusionated I became over the years…

Hopefully I will be wrong. This time. At least once.

Well, guy who actually lives there (Schleswig-Holstein) here. Be precise in what’s written in tfa. What it laments about is that one (single) work place is about to be installed and that subsequent steps are about to follow.

I don’t want to sound too pessimistic here. The fact, that this topic is on the high level agenda shows that it has strong supporters - for the moment.

But weighing in past decades’ province goverment’s spendings in large scale software projects and peoples’ fear of everything even marginally IT, I’m very reluctant to see the big move here. Opposition against changes to my windows is simply unfathomable strong.

Nevertheless - and I mean that - it’s a good development.

This. Always be kind to your future self.

Blocked by an ad-blocker…

“Erfahrung heißt gar nichts. Man kann seine Sache auch 35 Jahre lang schlecht machen.” - Kurt Tucholsky

Which DeepL translates to

“Experience means nothing. You can do a bad job for 35 years.”

Not strictly life changing, but a very valuable reminder, if you need to deal with ‘that’ kind of person.

Unfortunetely one can just upvote once. Two absolutely fascinating episodes!

Having tested OnShape years ago, where it already appeared very feature rich and smooth, I have no doupt one can for sure realize complex multi-part assemblies with it. For me the interesting part, in a professional environment, would be the software’s capabilities of its drawing module. Full digital workflows seem to gain track, but for me detailed technical drawings are still the bread and butter application of a CAD.

For private use strictly FreeCAD, at the job Inventor Professional. While FreeCAD is ‘not there yet’ in many regards, it’s a great piece of software -if- you accept the flat learning curve and invest time. But I understand what you’re saying. If you already have a solid understanding of CAD-basics, you rapidly understand what the programmers want to achieve and get there relatively fast. If you expect tabet-esque convenience (which I think from a professional standpoint should not be the goal for a parametric modeler) I get that people get frustrated.

I went to Linux for all private use years ago. And man - I wish so very hard I could simply switch to a non win-native CAD at the job.

Am I the only one who’s reminded of The Three Body Problem?

Mild spoiler alert:

Unlike humans, they have evolved the special ability to ‘dehydrate’, turning themselves into a roll of canvas.

German movie ‘Der goldene Handschuh’ which tells the true story of 70’s serial killer Fritz Honka. When a friend proposed to watch it, I seriously thought it to be a sports movie (the german ‘Handschuh’ translates to glove and my association instantly was a goal keeper’s glove…). Well, I was wrong. The dense and depressing atmosphere of Honka’s childhood and life, together with the derogatory, very hard and profane language and of course depiction of sexuality and violence towards women was simply too much for me. It sucked away all positivity at that moment. I finished it later and the director hit me once more, because in the end credits real pictures of the true locations where shown, proving the film’s sets where simply identical. That ripped away the last imagination that what I’ve just seen was just a very dark fantasy and too bad to be real. Brilliant movie and actors (the main actor in his role is simply not recognizable any more from his real life appearance, just like Charlize Theron in ‘Monster’), but too hard to for me to take.

In German we use the English term ‘understatement’ in some occasions, e.g. ‘his dressing style is a clear understatement…’. My brain somehow tied the meaning to something like ‘understanding’, maybe due to the similarities of both words. For decades it was clear to me that someone dressing like that were dressed to the point and ‘making a clear statement’. Now that I’ve checked the real meaning, I’m completely puzzled when and how to use the term and what I’ve misinterpreted all the years…