When Windows 10 support ends I was planning on transitioning to Linux on my desktop. I just tried CachyOS KDE Plasma and immediately ran into two serious issues:

  1. I could not figure out how to get audio to come out of my headphones. Everything is connected, and sound totally works on Windows 10 with my Audioengine D3 USB DAC, but not in CachyOS. I messed with all the system audio settings, profiles, and mute control, and nothing worked. No audio at all, not from test sound, not from browser.

  2. Apparently Wayland is the name of the default/best video compositor for Linux, but it doesn’t seem to support ycbcr subsampling modes. In Windows 10, I use the Nvidia-provided 4:2:0 subsampling mode with my RTX 2060 Super to get 4K120 support over HDMI to my LG C1 (genuinely hard to see the difference unless you’re running a test pattern). It seems you have to use the X11 compositor in Linux to get that feature, but I’ve read that X11 provides a poor experience compared to Wayland.

Not to mention, my first CachyOS install attempt bugged midway through (installing from DVD disc) and I spent a lot of time unsuccessfully trying to restart the install process not realizing something was borked in that session that was preventing partitions from being formatted for the installer. So I rebooted and manually set to load the installer into RAM, and finally was able to get it to install.

Seeing my experience hasn’t improved since the last time I tried Linux (Mint, a few years ago - really bad audio stuttering), now the plan has switched to sticking to W10 until software inevitably stops supporting it (Nvidia is already ending W10 game ready support this year), and then switching to W11. I’ll just have to use mods to improve the usability, specifically for start menu and right click menu.

I would like to use Linux but it really disappointed me seeing all the hype on LTT’s channel, only to see that it’s still user experience hell. It’s either “works but evil” (Windows) or “doesn’t work but not evil” (Linux) and that’s unfortunate.

  • TheTechnician27@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    13 hours ago

    X11 doesn’t provide a poor experience compared to Wayland. If anything, its the other way around, because Wayland has still some missing features and support from all applications that are established standards on X11.

    Hard disagree in 2026. On KDE, Wayland is now perfectly stable on my old-ass Nvidia GPU (noting that because it wasn’t nearly stable a few years ago). Wayland to me feels smoother and faster (144 Hz display), fractional scaling exists for high-DPI displays, there’s no screen tearing, and there’s HDR support.

    I’ve recently had no problem with things like screen recording, although I can’t speak to screen sharing/remote desktop or accessibility. KDE maintains a list of significant issues.

    The only issues I actually have that are regressions from X11 are that 1) picture-in-picture in Firefox doesn’t automatically stay above other windows and 2) session restore doesn’t keep my windows where they were. Given there’s a quick, just slightly annoying, workaround for PiP and given I’m not restoring my session that often (one to maybe a few times per day), these hardly outweigh how much worse X11 feels constantly due to its poor frame presentation.

    To that end, I think you’re wrong on “if anything”, because for most typical users, Wayland is going to feel better to use.

    Moreover, I imagine finally dropping X11 support will allow KDE more room to improve the Wayland experience.

    Otherwise, though, I agree about not downvoting poor Linux experiences.

    • thingsiplay@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      13 hours ago

      It depends what you do. I’m on KDE too with Wayland, and one can experience a lot of issues. In example global shortcuts are not figured out in Wayland. KDE has some hacks that are specific to KDE, not a Wayland solution. Window position are also not remembered or cannot be forced, unless off course you use KDE, and use specific window recognition and saving their position as special settings and so on. But those solutions are specific to KDE and not a global solution for every user and environment.

      For the PiP (picture in picture) mode in Firefox, it does stay above other windows for me. But that is probably because I use an extension on KDE that manages the windows (name Krohnkite).

      I also love it to be on Wayland for multi monitor support. Mixing up 120 Hz (or 144) with 60 Hz monitors is great, and this even works if individual monitors have some sort of VRR that does not affect the other. Overall I was not saying that Wayland sucks, otherwise I wouldn’t stay on it. But I was saying that Wayland sucks in some points, and some of those are solved with workarounds in KDE specifically. So that’s why I can’t say its okay in Wayland, its just okay in KDE (sorry I repeat myself).