1. Recommendations for Notepad++ replacement. Desired features:
- Tabbed with ability to have multiple files open via tabs at the top
- find and replace with regex ability, find and replace over multiple files in folder, find pop-out that shows all the lines with the desired text and allows clicking to jump to them. 
- Ability to jump to line via inputting number
- basic tools for conversion like URL decoding/encoding and base64 decoding/encoding (or addons for such, no I don’t like pasting potentially sensitive info in random converter websites), 
- column select mode (alt on notepad++), 
- encoding settings switch
- code language highlighting, 
- dark mode (dark background option)
- line operations like trim trailing space (or all excess space), ability to view and manipulate (find/replace) symbols like end of line, whitespace, carriage return, etc.
- Not driven entirely by three dozen memorized keyboard shortcuts 
- I am NOT coding in this, I am at most editing some markup files (xml, lua) or doing some find and replace for updated functions, doing text manipulation, using as an intermediary step in managing large sets of data.
- Ability to open fairly large files without freezing up (e.g. 400mb text file opens instantly in NPP but locks up windows default notepad)

  1. I have an iPhone, I like to back it up and sync music via a cable to it using iTunes. Would it work fine to have a persistent Windows VM on Linux with iTunes installed? Any issues?

  2. I do some gaming. I own several games exclusively on the EA App (they’ve rebranded it from origin), the Command and Conquer series and Dragon Age at this point I think are the ones I don’t have elsewhere and care about. Anyone have any thoughts to share on that and how well it works? I know several of the C&C games are rated as “garbage” on WineHQ so that worries me. I have no worries about my Steam games given the work they’ve done and the fact they have a Linux client though I do worry about my GoG games a little. I suppose I could run these in a Windows virtual machine but I worry how well that will work, I’m not sure older games will necessarily take well to being run in a VM of a modern OS like Win10. I also off and on play WoW though I gather from WineHQ that it works well. I don’t do any competitive online stuff other than that though.

  3. How do Xbox One controllers work wired with Linux? Is there something I can install where it just works with supported games as it does on Windows or is it likely I’ll need to mess with things each time?

  4. Recommendations for GUI mpv frontend?

  5. Suggestions for an FFmpeg GUI wrapper? >> NOT handbrake <<. I already use that, it’s not useful when I don’t want to operate on video but only audio or only extract subtitles, etc. Preferably something easy to use but hard to master in that it works without too much tinkering as expected but it has a lot of depth and options? I’m looking for something that I can drag say an mkv file to with video and audio and subtitle tracks and I can choose to convert ONLY the audio which is say DTS-HD MA to FLAC or Opus and set the quality level, channels, etc. (I previously used a Windows software called xmediarecode)

  6. I use software called AdvancedRenamer. I’m looking for software on Linux that >> via GUI << allows mass renaming using things like replace <stringa> with <stringb> or adding text at the beginning or end of file names by pattern, regex, removing things by pattern or by count from the start end of a filename, incrementing/decreasing numbers in names by a set amount, that kind of thing. I like a preview window of the results before I click commit.

  7. Keyboard shortcuts. Control+C and V I believe work the same but is there a way to get common windows key shortcuts working in a similar-ish fashion on Linux? For example winkey+L locks the session without logging out but requires a password and I tend to do this all the time, multiple times a day, is there a way to get Linux to respond to those key-presses and do the same thing? Other key combos I like would be win+d for hiding windows and showing the desktop. Others I can probably deal with learning new combos but those two are pure muscle memory.

  8. I don’t understand Linux distro segmentation especially when it comes to software availability. On Windows it’s simple, there’s either a download for Windows or there isn’t and short of it being for something ancient like Win98 it’ll tend to just work with Win10 with compatibility enabled. But with Linux often there are multiple files for different flavors, one for Ubuntu, one for Debian, one for Mint, one for Arch, one for CentOS, etc. Sometimes there’s just one option for Linux but it specifies it’s for something like Arch. If I run into a software I need and it specifically indicates it’s for another flavor of Linux than the one I run, how likely is it that I can get it to work on another distro without any real trouble? (Real trouble meaning I need to do web searches and edit config files or add flags that vary by software to the executable launch)

  9. Last but not least. I’m looking for suggestions for a Linux distro to use that fits my needs.

I tried Ubuntu a couple of years ago and I hated it. Among other things the settings app was too simple and didn’t have 1/10th of the kind of options I am familiar with on Windows, it looked like the settings for a phone or smart system like a streaming device. I know GUI settings are not a strong suite of Linux but I have to admit I hate, hate, hate the idea of too much stuff via command line/shell or editing config files. That said if that’s how it’s going to be I think I might be able to deal with it.

I’d describe myself as a power user. I use arcane and strange programs from time to time to meet odd needs and every 4-6 months I find myself searching up some odd problem or need I have and pouring over old forum posts. I game (mostly older stuff). I use mods with games. I manage a media server among other services in my home so have to work with video files, audio tracks, subtitles, etc. I do not like the command line but I’m not afraid of it. Just because I can problem-solve and troubleshoot does not mean I want to spend my free-time doing so or babysitting an unstable distro.

So I’m caught between not wanting a beginner, simple-use-case (think someone who browses the web, edits some basic text or docx files and almost nothing else) distro AND not wanting one that’s bleeding edge experimental or super strange in execution so it’s breaking all the time or needs troubleshooting so I need to go into the terminal for every single thing I do or so I have to go and make forum posts asking for help every 4 months.

I do want something actively developed with regular and prompt security updates in response to vulnerabilities. So it needs to have a certain size and userbase, not be a bespoke hobby project.

I use an NVIDIA graphics card (1070 because I’m not rich and haven’t needed anything more yet) so I’ll need something that allows installation of the necessary (proprietary) drivers for that and doesn’t cause a big fuss with that if there’s a problem.

I am going to be using firejail and want to be able to use opensnitch firewall. I also need to remote desktop connection to a Windows server (GUI) and have a stable connection to that. I am also likely to have a Windows10 virtual persistent installation via virtualbox (unless someone knows a better option) which I will use for a few things but have no interest in using most of the time for common tasks or heavy programs which need to run native on Linux if I’m switching.

Strong preference all options offered be free as in beer (small 1-time fees are fine, subscriptions are not).

However they may be based on non-free licenses and have proprietary/closed source code if it’s the best option. (Do try and keep suggestions somewhat mainstream, don’t just search for me and suggest the first thing you find on github with all of 2 stars made by a user named notmalware 3 months ago or something else sketchy. I’m looking for personal or heard experience and suggestions. If I don’t get any I’ll search myself.)

  • verdigris@lemmy.ml
    9·
    3 months ago

    Based on this post I’m gonna say take it slow with a dual boot or live installation, if at all. You mention a lot of IMO fairly minor and subjective look and feel type criteria that indicate that you’ll be quite bothered by minor changes. Using Linux is going to involve major changes. If you’re not willing to leave your comfort zone and relearn a few things, might as well stay on Windows.

  • quinkin@lemmy.world
    4·
    3 months ago

    In the time it took you to write that you could have installed Linux and had a better idea than any of this back and forward.

    • 0ops@lemm.ee
      1·
      3 months ago

      They’re asking which distro. They said they already tried Ubuntu and didn’t care for it

  • Ephera@lemmy.mlEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    As others have already said, Kate should work as text editor. I think, the only thing that’s not built-in is base64 en-/decoding, but you can set that up like this:

    That’s for decoding. For encoding, just change the name to “base64 encode” (exact name doesn’t matter) and remove the “–decode” from the Arguments-field.
    This relies on a CLI utility called base64, which is going to be pre-installed on most distros.
    It’s not entirely perfect, because it’ll always insert a newline, as that’s part of the base64 output. If you do want to get rid of that, you could write a tiny script and then call that script instead, but obviously, you don’t have to.

    You can also install Kate on Windows, if you want to give it a test-ride: https://kate-editor.org/
    (The base64 CLI won’t be available on Windows, though.)

  • ma1w4re@lemm.ee
    2·
    3 months ago

    1. Kate, Neovim, Emacs, +lots and lots more, pick your poison.

    2. QEMU/KMV can host windows guests pretty flawlessly, pain to setup though. I use it to work in visual studio for college stuff. USB passthrough should work. No idea about thunderbolt though.

    3. Native games work as expected, not native games only work through a translator either raw Wine or Proton (is better suited for games). They have frontends, such as Steam, Lutris, and other. Not all games work through translators. Consult protondb for games you want to play.

    4. Natively? No idea, didn’t play a single native game. Through Steam - flawlessly.

    5. Playing video through mpv has GUI. It has GUI. For videos. You might want to consider VLC, if audio GUI is a requirement. Or any other GUI audio player.

    6. Any DAW/video editor. I’ll bet my life on that 90% of them use ffmpeg. Tools like flacon most likely use ffmpeg. It’s everywhere.

    7. rename command. Probably dolphin and nautilus have mass renamers with a GUI, but I only used rename and it gets the job done.

    8. Depends on your desktop environment, kde probably has support for anything shortcut related.

    9. On Linux we usually don’t install random shit we download through browser. That’s what package managers are for, every base distro has its own package manager with its own structure. And if package managers are lacking then we get source code and build it. In very rare cases like Reaper DAW probably only then we download binaries.

    More about fragmentation: Linux uses ELF executables. Amd64 elves will work on every amd64 Linux machine (that has required libs). Some distros package apps into intermediary archives that are prebuilt into a more structure friendly to that distro way. If you install one distros prebuilt archive on another one, it might install files into different dirs and you will not know how to get out of that situation. All Linux software is available under every distro, if you include building from source as an option. If you really must download shit off of web and install it but it doesn’t display your exact distro follow these instructions: 1. child distro usually can install base distro’s intermediary archives and be ok about it, example: ubuntu is child to debian, popos is child to ubuntu. 2. Extract archive and locate the binaries, that’s it. Then put it somewhere in $HOME/.local/opt and ln -s fullpathtoappbin fullpathtolocalbinarydir or just run from $HOME/Downloads.

    1. I stopped reading around here, that’s way too much fucking text for me alone.
      • ma1w4re@lemm.ee
        0·
        3 months ago

        Little addendum to the last part of About Fragmentation section, since I don’t want to leave it unfinished and make people struggle if they follow my advices:

        $HOME/.local/opt is a “usual” (there are few more, I prefer this one) location for pre-built (downloaded) and built-locally apps that you don’t want to install system-wide.

        For example:

        1. I downloaded neovim binaries because I didn’t have time to build em (lazy ass), but at least I did it from their git repository.
        2. I untarred the archive using tar xvf nvim<press TAB>, or right clicked on the archive in a GUI file manager and clicked decompress.
        3. moved nvim-linux-x64 directory into .local/opt, and renamed it to nvim (usually done in one command, if using terminal - mv nvim-linux-x64 $HOME/.local/opt/nvim)
        4. Changed dir into .local/opt/nvim and found the executable, in our case something like ./bin/nvim.
        5. I link that executable into a directory for binary files that lies on the PATH (system checks PATH it to find shit), like this - ln -s /home/<my nickname>/.local/opt/nvim/bin/nvim /home/<my nickname>/.local/bin/nvim this command requires absolute paths and creates a SYMBOLIC link (you can read up on that if you’re interested). GUI file managers usually have functionality for creating symlinks, right click on file to find out.
        6. Some distros include .local/bin to path by default, while others don’t. Simple way to do so is open your .bashrc or .zshrc that’s located in $HOME in a text editor, and somewhere close to the end of file write export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
        7. I close and reopen my terminal. Nvim is now installed, by hand.

        Something like that. It’s all done just for organization and quality of life.

  • Blisterexe@lemmy.zip
    2·
    3 months ago

    People here seem to have not answered all your questions, so ill try to here:

    1. Im not a text editor power user so i dont know about the features meself, but vscode or kate seem like what you want, although you can also simply just run Notepad++ through wine.

    2. Looks like you can run Itunes through wine, but i dont use any apple devices so i would not know.

    3. GOG games work great with heroic games launcher, and you can run EA app through wine with lutris.*

    4. perfect. (on some distros you may need to install a drive, but thats a onetime thing)

    5. i use haruna and celluloid, theyre both great.

    6. no clue

    7. there are several batch renamer tools for linux, Krename looks like what you are looking for.

    8. With kde at least, you can make keyboard shortcuts for most everything.

    9. if its not packaged for your distro, you have to compile it. But most apps nowadays are available in flatpak or appimage, so the package segmentation problem is mostly solved. *

    also, very important!!, you should install apps from the app store, it takes care of selecting the best version and updating it and everything, you should avoid installing apps like on windows.

    1. Given you are a power user i would strongly recommend something kde based, kde has the most complete gui configuration out of the big linux de’s, and offers many advanced options. Good distros that ship kde include fedora and tuxedoOS*

    Also, you shouldnt try to replicate your windows workflow exactly in linux, that’s a recipe for failure, you should try to find better (linux) ways of doing things.

    *i skimmed over details, ask if you want clarification.

    • data1701d (He/Him)@startrek.websiteEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      iTunes will not work in Wine for the OP’s use. For one, the OP will have to use an old version from 2019. Also, it won’t be able to connect to any iDevices, as the driver support isn’t there.

  • superkret@feddit.org
    2·
    3 months ago

    Way too much text, so I’ll just answer 9.
    If the software is available for Linux, it will be available for Debian-based distros (Debian, Ubuntu, Mint) and Arch (through the AUR).
    As a beginner, I’d go with Linux Mint. You don’t go to a website, download a file and install it, though.
    Again, as a beginner, you search for the software in your distro’s software center.

  • tringle@lemmy.world
    1·
    2 months ago

    i would always reccomend nvchad as a start, then create your own nvim config to suit your needs. all of your text editor features can be achieved through vim/nvim through some setup, tho i reccomend nvim because it uses lua for scripting. 3. reccomend checking out lutris for compatibility 4. the drivers are built in to the kernel, so yes 8. all keyboard shortcuts are customizable, but it depends on the distro, so i cqnt help you on that 9. usually using the package manager will work, but .appimage is mostly universal if you dont use a niche distro, this shouldnt really be a worry. some files are specifically for only some distros, but just use appimage if they dont provide one for yours. 10. because of the config file thing, id just reccomend sticking to linux mint or even plain debian, it sounds like you would want it to work, and thats it. both these distros are stable with the former having great driver support, and the latter having an extensive community. id not reccomend ubuntu bc the company sucks and prokotes nonfree software like flatpack

  • limitedduck@awful.systems
    1·
    3 months ago

    1. You probably want a distro that comes with KDE Plasma. Ubuntu uses GNOME and is not as customizable Plasma ootb. KDE Neon for more stable, Manjaro for more bleeding-edge. Note that you can install Plasma on distros that don’t come with it so you don’t have to get those distros for Plasma.

    2. The reason different distros may be listed for installing software on Linux is purely because of the different package managers that the distros use. You won’t run into any software that works on one distro and won’t work on another. The only difference may be the way to install it. The universal way is to build it from source, but if you’re not up for that then check your distro repo via the distros software store, check Flathub for a flatpak version (software stores are usually already configured to use Flathub as a source), or if you’re on an Arch-based distro like Manjaro, check the AUR.

    3. KDE Plasma has exactly the keyboard shortcut functionality you’re looking for.

  • qocu [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    I feel like you’re destined to use Windows for the rest of your life. You want to replicate your Windows workflow to GNU/Linux, and I think that’s the main problem and the reason why people change their minds and go back to Windows.

    • amazingsparrow@lemm.eeOPEnglish
      1·
      3 months ago

      I have things I need to do. If Linux cannot help me do them then in what way is it a widely suitable mass operating system as proponents are constantly claiming instead of merely a hobby tool that can do a very limited range of things.

      Notice other than games I’m fond of I haven’t demanded compatibility of specifics. I’ve presented problems (ex. I own an iPhone, I’m happy with it, I’m not changing it, I can either work around it with Windows via a VM a few times a year or I can’t).

      For my ask about Notepad++ I’m looking for features I use commonly. If a text editor doesn’t have them all I might be able to get along but this is trimmed down list. Fact is I don’t like the idea of having to have a dozen different pieces of software when I used to be able to use just one. Who would?

      I’ve searched extensively for replacements for many of my programs and these are about the last of the hold-outs. Don’t want to give advice based on personal experience? Then don’t. Want to tell me that Linux can’t do these things for me? Then do so in a straight-forward manner.

      Frankly answers like yours that are just a brush-off don’t help. People say it’s okay to switch to Linux because the community is helpful, that they will help you when you have problems.

      So my problem is whether to switch and people like you think I’m a lost cause. You talk about workflows. I’m talking about tools, software, programs. As in replacements and equivalents. I’m okay with replacing some of my NPP workflow with another program, I’d like if something existed that did it all which is why I ask, to source knowledge from those who have experience and may know off the top of their head an option.

      You are telling me and everyone else watching this post that it’s TOO MUCH for Linux to ask to be able to play a handful of games, to do some simple text manipulation tasks that one program in Windows can handle, to find a GUI wrapper for a freely usable open source mass adopted program like FFmpeg and to find a powerful renamer that’s GUI driven. Because that’s all I’ve really asked. The rest at the end is just opinions and context about my previous experiences and how I use a computer.

      • harsh3466@lemmy.ml
        2·
        3 months ago

        It’s not that Linux can’t do what you specify, but that it may not do it in the way you require, which is based on your windows experience. Lots of what you describe can be done

        For example, using command line tools like sed, rename, ffmpeg, find, etc…, you can do all of the text manipulation you can imagine.

        But you also specify that you want gui wrappers, and in all likelihood, there are gui wrappers for what you want to do, but to meet your exact specifications, maybe not.

        If you’re willing to do some adapting, which it sounds like you are, the. I think you can pretty easily adapt to Linux, as it’s perfectly capable of handling your high level requirements. It’s in the minutiae of how those requirements are met that is in question.

      • flashgnash@lemm.ee
        2·
        3 months ago

        It’s not that it’s not widely usable, it’s just that you should be open to different workflows

        An oven and a toaster can both toast bread, but you wouldn’t expect someone who’s just bought a toaster after using an oven to complain because it doesn’t have a door or shelves

  • mexicancartel@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    I don’t get why you need an mpv frontent because mpv itself is a frontend but controls are keyboard based. If i has to use one without knowing keybindings, i would use VLC, instead of using a player which runs mpv inside it

  • utopiah@lemmy.ml
    0·
    3 months ago

    Tool lazy to read it all with existing comments but still want to help so :

    Recommendations for Notepad++ replacement

    vim/gvim (and derivatives, e.g. neovim) or emacs or derivatives, if you are serious about text editing, being text or otherwise, they are the foundations. They probably include most of what you need out of the box and if not they do and a lot more through their extensions

    I have an iPhone, I like to back it up and sync

    You are swimming upstream there. Apple is doing everything it legally and technically can to lock up its own ecosystem. You might managed few things with e.g libimobiledevice/ifuse or ish or even KDE Connect

    I do some gaming.

    Me too, playing both 2D and XR on a nearly daily basis. It works. Sadly, just like the previous answer some are trying to sabotage anything they can via DRM or “anticheat” and this might screw up your experience entirely. A good heuristic is if works on the SteamDeck (cf ProtonDB) it probably works on Linux.

    How do Xbox One controllers work wired with Linux?

    They work. I don’t have an Xbox controller but SteelSeries ones and I play near daily on them, either with their dongle or via BT, with Steam or anything else.

    Recommendations for GUI mpv frontend?

    VLC

    I use software called AdvancedRenamer.

    As suggested in the first answer, learn Bash or any other CLI environment, it’s made for this kind of tasks and is the de facto standard for literally.

    Keyboard shortcuts.

    They work. If you need more it takes second with your desktop environment, e.g KDE Plasma for me, to add new ones.

    I don’t understand Linux distro segmentation especially when it comes to software availability

    That’s the “cost” of freedom. You do whatever you want with your computer. It sounds trivial but it’s not. We have been trained for years if not decades to see someone else get to decide for us. It’s false. It’s amazing. It is also daunting. Now YOU get to decide. You can use you distribution package manager or a binary or… anything in between (AppImage, AM, dbin, cloning a repository and building from source, etc). It’s crazy… but it works so it’s up to you.

    Last but not least. I’m looking for suggestions for a Linux distro to use that fits my needs.

    Who cares, picks any one BUT keep your data safe! Try it for an hour, a day, a week and try another one if you feel like it. Switch whenever YOU want for whatever reason YOU care. Cf previous answer.

    • winterayars@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      3 months ago

      I believe Xbox One controllers work if wired or fully Bluetooth out of the box, but if you use the dongle you need some software to handle it. I use “zone”, it’s kind of a pain to set up but honestly no more than (say) the Windows software to get PlayStation controllers working.

      Protondb is primarily concerned with Proton, Valve’s customized version of Wine, so by default that means games run through Steam. (Of which there is a native Linux client.) If you want to use other games, ex ones that require EA’s launcher thing, then a tool to help make that happen is Lutris. It will help manage your games and launchers and customized Wine installs, including some automatic tweaks to make things work better (or at all). Steam gets official developer support for Linux so it’s generally the easiest experience.