So... Live on Linux?

[smccarthy945]

Bitwig which is primarily built on the same platform and tools Ableton uses (Bitwig are former Ableton developers) have successfully created a Linux version which works amazingly well. Bitwig uses the same GUI model and controls as Ableton with a different look and the backend code is very similar. So if a smaller company such as Bitwig can successfully build a Linux version that runs amazingly well, Ableton with its resources should have no problems doing the same. Ableton's code base is built on C++ which is very easy to port to other OS platforms. The front end is built using Python which again, is very easy to port to Linux. It's not a massive undertaking to take the C++ and Python components and get them to run on Linux because C++ runs across all platforms and just needs to be compiled and Python is native to Linux by default.

Reaper has also successfully built a Linux version that runs incredibly well. I use the Reaper Linux version often and it's rock solid. I am toying with the idea of just going all in on Reaper and moving away from Ableton if a Linux version is never released. I don't like the way Bigwig handles beat mapping and stretching or I would probably go that route. Overall, I think Ableton is an amazing DAW and I love it and that's why I am holding out hope they will eventually release a Linux version.

Linux holds close to the same market share as Mac OS at this point and is rapidly increasing with thousands of people abandoning Windows 11 due to all the security issues, ads and AI integration no one wants. The Windows 11 code base and updates are a complete disaster at this point. I have had to re-install Windows 11 twice now because updates locked me out of the OS from my PIN and secure boot the second time. If you haven't been closely watching OS market share lately but Windows 7 - YES Windows 7 - just went from 0% market share to 5% market share because people are so tired of the issues with Windows 11 people are actually installing Windows 7 to get a more reliable OS without all the AI, ads and bloat. Yes, you heard me right - Windows 7.

The rest of the user base is moving over to Linux (IE. Bazzite, Steam, Catchy OS, Pop OS) because Linux can now run almost all Windows games via Steam reliably. Steam basically kicked open the door for people to move to Linux which in turn has had many other large companies to follow suit. It's just a matter of time until most all other large software companies offer Linux versions due to market demand.

I have used Windows as my primary OS for over 25 years now. It's a great OS. I tried switching to Linux about 6 years ago when the stability issues along with the forced updates started affecting my work and it failed spectacularly because there was little to no game support, most Microsoft apps didn't work and driver support was spotty at best. I gave up and went back to Windows. About 3 months ago, I tried again and loaded Bazzite. The install was dam near perfect, all hardware works flawlessly and all my core programs work. The ONLY - and I truly mean ONLY - program I cannot run under Linux is Ableton. I am dual booting to Windows simply to run Ableton.

To give you a further example, with my Windows 11 install, I usually have at least 1 crash per day (often more) of either the system kernel crashing or browser sessions crashing related to kernel errors. I have re-installed the OS, fixed system files, etc and the crashes persist. When I dual boot to Bazzite Linux, the OS never crashes or has any issues. Granted this is on the exact same laptop with the same hardware. Bazzite has not crashed one time - not had a single system fault nor repeated application issues. Bazzite has been rock solid. In comparison to Windows 11, I have repeated kernel and system crashes regardless of what I do. Same laptop - same hardware.

Before I installed Bazzite, I thought my laptop had defective hardware and was going to open a ticket and have Lenovo fix the issues. I really thought the hardware had issues due to all the crashing and issues within Windows. After I installed Bazzite and everything ran perfectly, I realized it had nothing to do with the hardware and was issues with Windows 11. I have updated the BIOS on my laptop, all drivers, etc. It's not the hardware - it's due to long standing internal code issues in WIndows 11 specifically related to the patches and updates.

So I hold out hope that Ableton will one day release a Linux version because the user base moving from Windows to Linux is rapidly increasing. If you don't believe me, check the numbers on distrowatch or whatever stats site you would like to use. There is no denying there is a mass exodus of people moving from Windows to Linux right now and most of those people are not coming back.

The question is whether Ableton is going to stay with Windows and Mac and leave the Linux market to Bitwig and Reaper or it's going to get in the game and service that market as well.