Switching to Linux as a Game Developer

Like most people, I’ve always used Windows on my computers. Like, what other choice is there? All the software I use day-to-day is made for that operating system first and foremost, and to Microsoft’s credit, it does just work most of the time no matter what your computer specs are. But also, when they add or change stuff in Windows that kinda pisses me off (it’s becoming more and more frequent these days), I start wondering if there will ever be a better alternative.

And yes, I know, Linux has always been right there, free to download, with lots of options tailored for different tastes/workflows, but the fact that almost none of the software I use to actually be productive as a game programmer - on a remote team, at a professional game studio - is available on Linux has made it a non-starter. It’s always been a neat toy with some cool ideas that I simply can’t use as a daily driver.

But also it’s been like 10 years since I last looked at any of this, and I really don’t care for this hard pivot to pushing AI into Windows that Microsoft is rolling out, so I figured it was time to check in on the state of Linux.

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