Applications make the operating system, at least for me. In terms of Linux, I not only need a proper suite of usable tools, but I also need them to be compatible with their Windows counterparts. I love the experience of using Linux when it works, and I'm no stranger to the terminal, so getting up and running with alternatives isn't an issue. In a lot of situations, these alternative apps are great, and in a lot of ways they exceed my expectations, but when push comes to shove, there are some apps that make it impossible for me to fully make the switch to Linux.

Adobe Photoshop

Nothing quite hits the same

When it comes to graphic design, it's really difficult to beat Adobe Photoshop. As someone who really dislikes their business practices of charging for cancellations and using a subscription model for software, I can absolutely sympathize with those who want to get as far away from Adobe as possible. However, so much of the industry revolves around PSD, specific plugins, and other Photoshop-specific features that it's really difficult for me to make the switch.

For GIMP specifically, it couldn't properly handle the grouped layers of some templates I use for work, just bunching them all up and essentially making the file unreadable. Krita had similar issues, and it just drove me straight back to my Windows install every time I needed to do any graphics-related work. If I were only ever working with my own files from scratch and not sharing them between other users who use Photoshop, it wouldn't be an issue, but since I need feature parity, I'm stuck on Windows.

Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects

There's no equivalent at the moment

I work with video editing software semi-often, and while I have no problem working in Kdenlive or figuring out DaVinci Resolve, what I do have a problem with is finding an After Effects equivalent. The actual compatibility and features of Kdenlive and DaVinvi Resolve are generally fine, but I just can't get past the lack of After Effects equivalent.

There just isn't anything for Linux that can match what Premiere Pro and After Effects do together, and unfortunately, that's a dealbreaker for me. The plugin ecosystem is too strong, the integration with my current workflows is too embedded, and even if there was an alternative application duo, the sheer time it would add to each project just isn't worth it.

Game anti-cheat clients

They don't play well with Linux

In an effort to combat cheating in online games, developers have turned to anti-cheat software, both proprietary and third-party clients. Unfortunately, support for Linux is extremely limited, despite some of these solutions being compatible with the platform with a few minor tweaks.

An example of this is BattlEye, which is a kernel level anti-cheat that is used in many online games today. For something like Arma: Reforger, which I dabble in occasionally, it works perfectly fine on Linux when playing online. Escape From Tarkov also uses Battleye, but currently does not have Linux compatibility. Many of these anti-cheat clients will work on a per-case basis, and unfortunately for me, a lot of the games I play require them.

ShareX

The best screenshot tool I've used

The native Linux screenshot tools that come with most user-friendly distros are already pretty good, especially when compared with what comes with stock Windows, but it does lack that little extra bit of control I've come to love. Everyone has their favorite screenshot tool, and mine is ShareX.

The sheer amount of control you get for everything related to screen capture is just unmatched with ShareX, and it's one of the first things I missed once I started using Linux. All of my favorite hotkeys for capturing, quickly annotating, and sharing were gone. The automatic workflows I had come to love were also absent from all potential replacement apps. There are ways to implement some of ShareX's features onto a Linux install, and there are other screenshot tools available that provide some of the same features, but nothing complete like ShareX.

HWMonitor

Ol' reliable

Hardware monitoring isn't impossible on Linux by any stretch of the imagination. You can see everything there is to see just as you can on Windows, but it just takes so many more steps. HWMonitor is everything I could possibly need to see, all in one place. To see all the same info on Linux, I'd have to open up lm-sensors, CoreCtrl, nvtop, smartctl, and the list goes on. To quickly get up and running to make some running logs on Linux would take me so much longer than just a few clicks with HWMonitor on Windows.

There are great apps on Linux, but I'm still not sold

Linux has become increasingly more usable for both productivity and gaming in recent years, and it really does feel like this is the year of the Linux desktop. Unfortunately, a lot of the apps I use often aren't compatible with Linux, and their counterparts just don't cut it. Until those apps have true feature parity, I'll always need a Windows install somewhere.