Windows 10...worth it?

[mikejmoffitt]

It still seems like Windows is the best platform for nes development. I haven't yet seen an NES emulator that had a complete, fleshed out GUI, AND was able to use vsync properly, on linux. It's always sheary or choppy. Plus, I'm not sure I've been able to use any debugging facilities on any emulator on linux when I've tried. I tried Wine once with a couple (as well as ones built natively for linux), but then I recall horrible sound lag issues. I know some folks here do use linux---so I'm just curious if it is possible to get around all these problems or if people just smugly put up with the problems just so they can be "non windows users." Haha. Then again last time I tried linux for nes dev was in 2012, maybe the situation has improved?

This usually stems from the use of inappropriate drivers, and/or a compositing window manager. The Nouveau package supports Nvidia cards with an open-source implementation. Nouveau's Vsync support is spotty at best, and I don't think anybody should use it on purpose.

FCEUX and Mednafen are both fine on Debian from experience.

I will agree that Wine's sound support is lacking, and often introduces additional delay to the audio that is not desirable. Not unusable, but long enough it makes using Famitracker annoying.

[fys]

An operating's system success shouldn't be dependent on how well it implements another operating system's APIs.

[DragonDePlatino]

When I upgraded from XP to W7, the only new feature I regularly used was Window Snapping. And when I upgraded from W7 to W8, there were no new features I used but I had to get used to the new interface.

W10 doesn't have any features I'd use on a regular basis so the only thing I'd have to gain is an awkward learning period. So really, I don't intend to get W10 until W8 stops getting security updates. (That taskbar icon that keeps begging me to upgrade is annoying as heck, BTW. I removed it via registry edits and uninstalling updates but it popped back up the next day.)

[mikejmoffitt]

When I upgraded from XP to W7, the only new feature I regularly used was Window Snapping. And when I upgraded from W7 to W8, there were no new features I used but I had to get used to the new interface.

W10 doesn't have any features I'd use on a regular basis so the only thing I'd have to gain is an awkward learning period. So really, I don't intend to get W10 until W8 stops getting security updates. (That taskbar icon that keeps begging me to upgrade is annoying as heck, BTW. I removed it via registry edits and uninstalling updates but it popped back up the next day.)

The window snapping is a little better, and the interface is a little less annoying, I suppose.

[rainwarrior]

Myself I never cared about any of the UI differences between versions of windows, or mac or linux, for that matter. I just wanna run my software. As long as the OS gets outta my way and works in a functional way behind the scenes, that's all I want. (I usually run windows because more software that I like is on it.)

As such I have no desire to try Windows 10. There's 0% chance it'll make my life any easier, and 100% chance I'll run into bugs in unfinished parts of it during this "free" beta test.

[tepples]

So once all non-Apple laptops for sale in major stores come with Windows 10, what will you buy instead? A MacBook?

[rainwarrior]

Why would you extrapolate how I feel about the "free upgrade to Windows 10" to buying a new computer in some future time? (Also, why does it have to be bought in a "major store"? Do you buy all your computers that way? I've bought almost all of my computers by mail.)

Ideologically, the OS I want to run is Linux. Pragmatically, the OS I do run is Windows 7. I already told you my criteria for choosing an OS to use (i.e. what software does it run), and that's more than good enough to answer your question.