I'm planning to build a modern desktop PC as a more serious attempt at switching from macOS to Linux. I've used Fedora and Arch before, but mostly on older computers or Macs where hardware quirks eventually caused enough problems that I returned to my MacBook for work. I'm comfortable with Linux, but I'd like this system to be dependable for everyday use.
I'm a teacher and work from home roughly half the time. I'll also use the PC for gaming, probably starting with Bazzite since I already have experience with a Steam Deck. Music production is another possibility; Ableton Live is the main reason I still rely on macOS, although I may experiment with Bitwig on Linux and see how well my plugins work.
My biggest concern is work software. I'm required to use Outlook email and Zoom, but I'd prefer not to install much Microsoft software. In the past, the Outlook web app felt extremely slow on older Linux hardware, and Zoom was unreliable or occasionally crashed. Those tests were done on used ThinkPads from around 2014 or earlier, so I'm wondering how much of that was simply limited hardware.
Would Outlook in a modern browser and Zoom work reliably on a current, well-powered Linux desktop? I only occasionally need Microsoft Office in the browser, since I normally use LibreOffice and Emacs. Is there anything else—hardware compatibility, peripherals, software, or workflow issues—that I should consider before spending a significant amount on this PC?
2 Answers
I’ve used Zoom successfully on Linux Mint, and it was surprisingly uneventful. Outlook in Chrome also runs acceptably on a roughly five-year-old Ryzen laptop, at least for email, so a modern desktop should have no trouble with the web version. The browser-based Microsoft Office apps should be usable for occasional work, although exact compatibility can still depend on your organization’s setup.
Zoom generally works well on a modern Linux system. The desktop client and browser option are both worth testing, but current hardware should avoid the performance problems you experienced on those older machines. I haven’t personally used Outlook much, though.
That’s helpful. I only need Outlook mainly for email, so it sounds like the web version is worth trying again. Did you use the Zoom application or the browser version?