Is Linux Mint Better Then Windows 7 I think so do you agree ?

cable842

Im hearing all this hype about windows 7 everyone is talking about it windows 7 windows 7 this windows 7 that.

I used it for a few months I liked it was good not amazin but much better then xp and 2000. a breath of fresh air with no problems while I used it.

Ive been using LInux Mint for two months and I would never go back to Windows at all.

LInux Mint has everything I could ever want and ever need.

Hears My Question ?

Is LInux MInt Better then Windows 7 ?

would like to all to have your say people

Naikon

cable842 wrote: »

Im hearing all this hype about windows 7 everyone is talking about it windows 7 windows 7 this windows 7 that.

I used it for a few months I liked it was good not amazin but much better then xp and 2000. a breath of fresh air with no problems while I used it.

Ive been using LInux Mint for two months and I would never go back to Windows at all.

LInux Mint has everything I could ever want and ever need.

Hears My Question ?

Is LInux MInt Better then Windows 7 ?

would like to all to have your say people

Even if it is better, most windows users would not really care unless they
at least tried Mint. Mint is a nice distro, but sadly, I don't see the masses flocking to it.

Shame, because an army of scummy marketing people, along with the insightful slogon 'your pc, simplified'
really does trick unsuspecting users. Better to spread FUD then give an objective, non bull$hit comparison
of the merits and faults of both Win7 and Mint. Mint isn't shrink wrapped in a box. People don't like this.

Anytime I hear people talking about Linux and the like, I always hear 'oh that
command line os, too poxy for me'. A distro like Mint would flourish even more
if the windows users weren't so stubborn. Shame really.

[/rant]

Tom Dunne

cable842 wrote: »

Is LInux MInt Better then Windows 7 ?

Define better.

Also, how much experience do you have with Windows 7? If you have none, how can you say which is better?

Khannie

Haven't tried windows 7. My general windows v's linux experience is this:

In windows, stuff generally just works. It's a decent OS.
In Linux, once you've overcome the learning hump, there's nothing you can't achieve.

ravydavygravy

As a linux lover, I was pleasantly suprised to see how much improved windows 7 was over older os'. It was a quick install (for windows), with very little data entry, runs quick, looks good, and performs well on mediocre hardware (my test machine was zipping along running business edition on 1GB ram and a 2 year old CPU). I think its a good OS, but we'll see how it performs after a few months - that has always been one of the big problems with windows for me.

But then, my opinion has always been each to his own - I like linux because I use it for a living, and enjoy coding/web stuff. I probably wouldn't be such a fan if I liked high-end PC gaming or some other specialist area. So these "Is X better than Y" threads are a bit pointless - its all subjective.

BopNiblets

Dual booting RC W7 and Mint 7, I'd say I use them 50/50, but only because I'm a gamer (TF2 doesn't look great under Wine).
Once the Source engine gets onto Linux, Windows usage will drop like it's hot.

Naikon

BopNiblets wrote: »

Dual booting RC W7 and Mint 7, I'd say I use them 50/50, but only because I'm a gamer (TF2 doesn't look great under Wine).
Once the Source engine gets onto Linux, Windows usage will drop like it's hot.

Call me a pessimist, but Newell would rather eat his left knut
than give to the go ahead to Linux as a platform. Too much of their
codebase(steam) and the games are tied to windows.

They should have ported to the Mac by this stage. It WON'T happen.
I suspect there are plenty of OS specific hacks used in the source engine.
Can't be sure about that, but it would make sense considering other game
developers supporting Linux keep the code mostly platform agnostic.

Even if there were no games for linux(which is not the case) I would still use it
over windows. Not because it's "More secure" "free" ect. It's technically superior
in many ways where windows has yet to catch up.

I am in the minority here, but I am certain that the only way to get Linux
up to speed in gaming is to simply show support for native games.
WINE has always been and will always be a crutch/hack. Not a solution.

Woahh, went a bit crazy there...

BopNiblets

They already found linux mentioned in the Steam libraries as I understand it, but that was last year.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=steam_confirmation&num=1

If it weren't for games I'd have no reason, my mam for example uses Mint just as well as Windows (still have to show her how to so stuff but no more than WIndows! )

cable842

i have two months experience using linux mint. I like it you can try it out for 3 weeks you just pop in the cd and it loads up from there if you really like it just click install and then your using linux.

Ive been running it two months i really like it it does everything for me that i want media Internet you name it.

I say download it try it out and see what you think.

Ive install it on two mates laptops and they love it there computers are running way faster they when windows were on it.

after you do the install you can install a program that lets you install windows and you can dual boot them. So when it starts up pick one.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Define better.

Also, how much experience do you have with Windows 7? If you have none, how can you say which is better?

stereo_steve

I regard myself as a pretty techie person, wanting the latest and greatest.

To be honest I have no desire to check out Windows 7. It doesn't even peak my interest a little. I'm going to stick with Ubuntu 9.10

/Steve

Eliot Rosewater

Get a load of the great praise Windows 7's getting. "Theres no problems with it," "its way faster than Vista," "more reliable" etc. You see if your a Windows user having a OS that is fast, reliable and does what you want is a novelty. They have come to expect such crap that anything remotely good is seen a a gift from the messiah.

As a desktop user who mostly uses Ubuntu for Internet browsing, typing and a little splash of web development, Windows just doesnt compare. When I click the Firefox logo in Ubuntu it comes up straight away. When I click it in Windows it can take up to 90 seconds. When I put a corrupt SD card into Ubuntu Nautilus stops responding and closes discreetly within seconds. When I put it into Windows the whole thing crashes and I have to wait minutes while Explorer and the start bar reload.

Stark

I abandoned XP for Ubuntu over 2 years ago. Recently though I've been using both Windows 7 and Ubuntu and I think Windows is back on par. I find the new taskbar more comfortable than the traditional taskbar in GNOME and KDE and the dock in Mac OS X for one thing.

Naikon

Stark wrote: »

I abandoned XP for Ubuntu over 2 years ago. Recently though I've been using both Windows 7 and Ubuntu and I think Windows is back on par. I find the new taskbar more comfortable than the traditional taskbar in GNOME and KDE and the dock in Mac OS X for one thing.

I don't want to start a flamefest, but is this the only reason you
feel will send you back to windowsland? Just curious about Linux
flaws/complaints.

Naikon

BopNiblets wrote: »

They already found linux mentioned in the Steam libraries as I understand it, but that was last year.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=steam_confirmation&num=1

If it weren't for games I'd have no reason, my mam for example uses Mint just as well as Windows (still have to show her how to so stuff but no more than WIndows! )

I remeber that, but sadly I don't think Valve really give a s$it.
You would be wiser to invest in native Linux ports that already exist.

WINE is a hack, we need more native support. It's the likes of id software
and indies like 2D Boy(World of Goo) who deserve money. Not Valve.

Seems like Linux users aren't scabby freeloaders after all:
Link

Stark

Naikon wrote: »

I don't want to start a flamefest, but is this the only reason you
feel will send you back to windowsland? Just curious about Linux
flaws/complaints.

The start menu they introduced in Vista is nice too. Much nicer than KDE 4's menu which feels very flimsy to use. GNOME on the other hand is boring but robust (I keep trying KDE under Linux but always end up going back to GNOME).

Overall responsiveness is back on a par with Linux as well now which makes it a toss-up between using Windows 7 and using Ubuntu. I wouldn't ditch Linux but I wouldn't discount Windows 7's ability to compete.

Lu Tze

I remember trying Gentoox on the xbox, and it ran smooth and all, but couldn't figure out how to install software on it.

Perhaps a bad example, but i presume there is a lot of software is not available on the platform. I use autocad, don't know if they produce a linux version. If they don't i will never swap over (free alternative draughting tools cannot compete as far as i am concerned)

cable842

your mother uses linux. that is so cool Im putting mint on a laptop and giving my mam one so she can look up her family tree

BopNiblets wrote: »

They already found linux mentioned in the Steam libraries as I understand it, but that was last year.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=steam_confirmation&num=1

If it weren't for games I'd have no reason, my mam for example uses Mint just as well as Windows (still have to show her how to so stuff but no more than WIndows! )

cable842

yea there is a free auto cad program with linux mint. never delved into auto cad maybe cause its free with linux it will give me a chance to give it a go

Lu Tze wrote: »

I remember trying Gentoox on the xbox, and it ran smooth and all, but couldn't figure out how to install software on it.

Perhaps a bad example, but i presume there is a lot of software is not available on the platform. I use autocad, don't know if they produce a linux version. If they don't i will never swap over (free alternative draughting tools cannot compete as far as i am concerned)

Lu Tze

cable842 wrote: »

yea there is a free auto cad program with linux mint. never delved into auto cad maybe cause its free with linux it will give me a chance to give it a go

The free tools are nowhere near as good. That is why most people will never switch. You may think AutoCAD, and indeed all AutoDESK products are a niche market, but most people use more there computers for word processing and browsing the internet.

Add up all those niche markets, like mine, graphic designers, musci and video production/editing (i am hazarding guessing here) and you will have a sizeable chunk of windows users, who simply will never switch until linux is supported, as a free tool will never have a comparable level of features, and more importantly for some, technical support.

That said i might try out mint, just to see if it is as good as implied by most posters here.

RoadKillTs

I see the open source brigade are out in full force
I think Linux is a great OS but it has a long way to go.

I've played around with a lot of distros everything from Mandrake (now Mandriva ) to Debian and I always go back to Windows.
It's either because of a game I can't install, some hardware that won't work or because of a program compatibility issue.

If someone uses Photoshop or Dreamweaver it's a joke to and tell them to use The Gimp and Nvu.
It's just not on the same par.

At the end of the day when I turn on my laptop I want it to work, I don't want to be trying to hack drivers, or looking for alternatives to programs that I have been using for years I just want it to work and until that changes I'll stick with Windows.

Eliot Rosewater

Lu Tze wrote: »

Add up all those niche markets, like mine, graphic designers, musci and video production/editing (i am hazarding guessing here) and you will have a sizeable chunk of windows users, who simply will never switch until linux is supported, as a free tool will never have a comparable level of features, and more importantly for some, technical support.

Theres a Linux slogan that goes: "if theres no such thing as fences and walls, you've no need for Gates and Windows." Even though it was probably an offhand joke its actually very true: the only reason I would ever use Windows is if there was a constraint on me, a metaphorical wall as such.

Trying to get my camcorder hooked up to Ubuntu was nothing less than a nightmare. Manually editing config files: first it worked then it didnt. Just gave up. Theres simply no comparison to the plug and play in Windows. So if I have to edit videos I use XP, otherwise its Ubuntu all the way.

The Autocad discussion is interesting (as someone who studied it in college I can see why it cant be replaced) because Mathematica a gigantic program used for Mathematics that can even whip up programs can by run on Windows, Mac OS and Linux. I am led to believe though that it was first written for Mac OS so maybe having it for Linux was easier?

RoadKillTs wrote: »

I think Linux is a great OS but it has a long way to go.

Depends on your definition of where the OS should go. At the moment its perfect from me for web browsing and development and office stuff and a bit of programming. My camcorders the only caveat.

For a gamer its obviously unsuitable.

cable842

linux mint is amazin its so good. I love it. runs fast easy to use. very multi media have every program you could ever want. easy to install and you can dual boot linux mint and windows together if you want and no viruses to worry about.

Lu Tze wrote: »

The free tools are nowhere near as good. That is why most people will never switch. You may think AutoCAD, and indeed all AutoDESK products are a niche market, but most people use more there computers for word processing and browsing the internet.

Add up all those niche markets, like mine, graphic designers, musci and video production/editing (i am hazarding guessing here) and you will have a sizeable chunk of windows users, who simply will never switch until linux is supported, as a free tool will never have a comparable level of features, and more importantly for some, technical support.

That said i might try out mint, just to see if it is as good as implied by most posters here.

PogMoThoin

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

Trying to get my camcorder hooked up to Ubuntu was nothing less than a nightmare. Manually editing config files: first it worked then it didnt. Just gave up. Theres simply no comparison to the plug and play in Windows. So if I have to edit videos I use XP, otherwise its Ubuntu all the way.

You bought the wrong camcorder, just like I bought the wrong webcam which Creative won't release the source code for, I can get it working but its loads of hassle. Its down to the manufacturer to support linux, pick wisely and You'll have no bother at all

docentore

The whole discussion is worthless. If you want and if you can use Linux or Win, it is completely up to you.
I'm using mint myself, but have to use Win in my job (printing and stuff - mostly for testing drivers etc).

I tried to make my gf to use Mint, no joy, she told me that she has to have everything like on her job pc. But when I was building pc for my parents I installed Kubuntu for them, later on I changed that to Mint. I was afraid that my father will be looking for nude pictures and stuff (all know what I mean) and pc will be full of crap in short time. I didn't have to do anything with their pc since installation day, just changed the distros (over 2 years).

But it is up to everyone's taste and will. Even guy on the picture has XP on one of his pc's along with few distros of L.

bSlick

Can someone tell me why windows games and apps like photoshop, autocad, etc.. can't just be compiled for linux too?

duffman85

bSlick wrote: »

Can someone tell me why windows games and apps like photoshop, autocad, etc.. can't just be compiled for linux too?

When they are writing the code they use windows specific application programming interfaces(APIs). These are like toolboxes for making programs and games.

Developer use the DirectX(made by Microsoft) API to create games. The Win32 API is used to create programs that have the look and feel of Windows.

Similarly we can't use the Mac version of Photoshop even though OS X is Unix based as the libraries/APIs it uses like Cocoa,Carbon,etc. are only available on OS X.

At least that's how I understand it. Maybe someone who knows more can explain it better.

EvilMonkey

bSlick wrote: »

Can someone tell me why windows games and apps like photoshop, autocad, etc.. can't just be compiled for linux too?

Because the companies that own the source code don't want to, either because as duffman85 says they use windows specific code or the companies have made a decision not to release Linux versions.

micosavo

I had switched to Fedora 11 whilst waiting to see what all the fuss was about with Windows 7.

It installed like a dream on my Work HP 8510w workstation, no drivers or configuration required for anything. It even found my finger-print reader and added an ICON to the login screen...sweet. I was so delighted, I wiped my Vista box and went with Fedora on that one.

I thought it would be a large headache due to the fact that I have a very high-end machine (Intel Core i7, 12GB DDR3RAM, ATI Radeon 4870x2 x2, 2 Raptors, 2 Caviars, 2 Blu-ray drives).

All was perfect. I had one issue during install where I had to remove one graphics card. It seems the ATI drivers aren't quite up to spec for linux to support CrossFire, but that ain't Linux's fault.

Fedora found my 1TB RAID mirror, saw all my drives, automatically mounted old NTFS drives that were attached. All my daily stuff such as firefox, Skype, Picasa, MSN (Pidgin), VLC, XMMS, PS3 Streaming Server just worked like a dream. I was extremely happy with how much control I could have over the OS as compared to Windows. I work with Solaris10 with my job, and do admire certain aspects of its flexibility such as mounting driver as one folder (I know windows does this also, I can admire it though, can't I?!)

What I wasn't prepared for was Windows 7. It is fast, very fast. I was getting up to 118Mb's transfer between my data drive and boot drive. To sum up windows 7...well, it just works. I don't think about it anymore, it just does what I need it to do.

For an all-in-one OS, neither fits the bill.

I use Fedora 11 now, until i want to do some specific multimedia stuff, or want to play games in which case I switch to windows. There are just some programs that work far better in each OS.

If we could get a hybrid OS, with Winux (Windows/Linux) API's...with the software/driver support of windows and the rock-solid stability, flexibility and security of linux, then that would just take the cake...

For the moment, it looks like dual-boot is the king

alter200

micosavo wrote: »

I use Fedora 11 now, until i want to do some specific multimedia stuff, or want to play games in which case I switch to windows. There are just some programs that work far better in each OS.

If we could get a hybrid OS, with Winux (Windows/Linux) API's...with the software/driver support of windows and the rock-solid stability, flexibility and security of linux, then that would just take the cake...

For the moment, it looks like dual-boot is the king

Have you considered virtualisation rather than dual-booting?

cable842

how come my battery lasts longer with windows 7 and its halfed with LInux Mint ?

Stark

I dunno. Have you tried Linux Mint? It's amazing.

cable842

true I used windows 7 for months until the trial ran out and I liked it have to say.

I like using linux now no worrys no problems.

No worrying about spyware or viruses the feeling lifted off your shoulders is amazing

petes

I couldn't sleep at night with all the worry of viruses and spyware.

jaqian

I think neither is better than the other just different. However Mint will install on a lower spec machine running only 256Mb RAM whereas win7 needs a 1Gb.

cable842

true it will install on a very low spec and it will run really fast depending on the processer.

bman

Stark wrote: »

I dunno. Have you tried Linux Mint? It's amazing.

Is this for real? And people thanking it??

He/she was asking a serious question and you start taking the p!ss over their letter case (not even spelling!). I thought the day was gone when people acted so sh!tty to Linux newcomers. Obviously not.

Eliot Rosewater

bman wrote: »

Is this for real? And people thanking it??

I understood it as a bit of sarcastic joke, it helps to be a bit light-hearted.

Stark

It was a sarcastic joke given that the user in question responds to every Windows or Mac technical query on boards with "you should run Linux Mint instead, it's the best thing ever".

thebman

I have both Kubuntu and Windows 7 on this Pc.

Overall I prefer Kubuntu but can't play games on it.

I have not booted into Kubuntu in ages because I'm in Win7 in case I want a game and so use it to browse the web.

bman

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I understood it as a bit of sarcastic joke, it helps to be a bit light-hearted.

Stark wrote: »

It was a sarcastic joke given that the user in question responds to every Windows or Mac technical query on boards with "you should run Linux Mint instead, it's the best thing ever".

Okay. Sorry. I didn't get the sarcastic context.

Eliot Rosewater

Im technically a linux n00b myself too, so I would never intentionally "dis" someone who was having problems. And in fairness, if the major problems with linux based distros - software and hardware incompatibilities - are to be solved, the percentile share of linux has to grow so that manufacturars will take notice and so that it will be worth their while to port to linux.

cable842

hands down linux mint is amazin the runs so fast and is easy to use.

plus its free and easy to use and very user friendly what more can you want.

Herbal Deity

cable842 wrote: »

hands down linux mint is amazin the runs so fast and is easy to use.

plus its free and easy to use and very user friendly what more can you want.

- Games
- Drivers that work and give you the full functionality of your hardware
- Good Audio/Video editing software
- Generally being user friendly and offering a top notch experience for everything else besides web browsing and text editing/programming.

Linux is awesome and it's more fun to play with for a technical minded person like myself. It is not, however, an alternative to Windows for many tasks.

Dual booting is the way to go.

Naikon

Herbal Deity wrote: »

- Games
- Drivers that work and give you the full functionality of your hardware
- Good Audio/Video editing software
- Generally being user friendly and offering a top notch experience for everything else besides web browsing and text editing/programming.

Linux is awesome and it's more fun to play with for a technical minded person like myself. It is not, however, an alternative to Windows for many tasks.

Dual booting is the way to go.

Plenty of games for the system(not counting WINE), but not so many in comparison Windows.
Every system sucks for gaming if it's not windows(not true). Just a more limited selection.

All the id software games bar Wolfenstein(2009) are supported, and alot
of indie stuff/game mods that would put most games to shame.

Linux is the kernel that currently has the largest number of drivers supported
by default. Modules/recompiling are always options if not.

Audio/Video editing software such as Audacity, Cinelerra or Kino should
do the job quite well. You just need to look around.

Ubuntu 9.10 seems to be pretty user friendly these days.
Most people only do basic tasks, so most software needs are met.

I do agree that certain people should stick with windows though, such as
hardcore gamers and people who solely depend on closed apps.

No dual boot for me, at least since, 2006:)
More people will discover Linux in the meantime.

Herbal Deity

Naikon wrote: »

Linux is the kernel that currently has the largest number of drivers supported
by default. Modules/recompiling are always options if not.

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

On Windows, if it's not there by default, you download the driver for your Wireless/Video/Sound card, install it and it works. On Linux, there's a good chance you'll have to blacklist devices and mess around with packages before you get your device to work, and even then, there's no guarantee you'll find a driver that will run your device as well as in Windows.

Naikon wrote: »

Audio/Video editing software such as Audacity, Cinelerra or Kino should
do the job quite well. You just need to look around.

Audacity is utter crap in Linux. Audacity in Windows would be one of the main reasons I dual boot. I don't know about the other two.

Ubuntu, and I presume Mint, when set up (or if you're lucky and everything just happens to work first time), is user friendly for basic web browsing, simple word processing etc. This is what most people, including myself, do most of the time. It's good in that you're not vulnerable to viruses etc. , but if you seriously want to do anything else, Windows or OS X are the way to go.

I don't see the point in Linux masochism, nor pontificating one OS over another.

Win 7 is pretty impressive, I have to say.

Naikon

Herbal Deity wrote: »

I'm not sure what you mean by this.

On Windows, if it's not there by default, you download the driver for your Wireless/Video/Sound card, install it and it works. On Linux, there's a good chance you'll have to blacklist devices and mess around with packages before you get your device to work, and even then, there's no guarantee you'll find a driver that will run your device as well as in Windows.

Most natively supported hardware works out of the box.

Just because manufacturers choose not to release source code
for their drivers is not a good enough reason to bitch about hardware support.

I can count multiple times where no drivers for the ethernet card or
even the chipset was installed upon a fresh install of Windows XP or Vista.

Herbal Deity wrote: »

Ubuntu, and I presume Mint, when set up (or if you're lucky and everything just happens to work first time), is user friendly for basic web browsing, simple word processing etc. This is what most people, including myself, do most of the time. It's good in that you're not vulnerable to viruses etc. , but if you seriously want to do anything else, Windows or OS X are the way to go.

I don't see the point in Linux masochism, nor pontificating one OS over another.

Win 7 is pretty impressive, I have to say.

What 'other things' is Linux incapable of handling at the same level as windows?

Herbal Deity

I wasn't bitching, I understand why Linux has issues and I would very much like it if it no longer had these issues and could be as good as Windows. Also, just because Linux issues aren't Linux's fault, doesn't mean they're insignificant.

I just think it's silly to be proclaiming Linux as better than Windows, or just as user friendly etc. when there is just no distro currently out there that this is really true of.

Naikon

Herbal Deity wrote: »

I wasn't bitching, I understand why Linux has issues and I would very much like it if it no longer had these issues and could be as good as Windows. Also, just because Linux issues aren't Linux's fault, doesn't mean they're insignificant.

I just think it's silly to be proclaiming Linux as better than Windows, or just as user friendly etc. when there is just no distro currently out there that this is really true of.

Fair enough, it's just that I wanted to nitpick:pac:

I am aware that Linux is not the be all and end all. Just wanted to challenge some points.
Hell I use OpenBSD for all my routing needs. Every OS has it's strong/weak points.

Linux is a good choice though if you don't require specialist software capable of running
only on Windows machines.

Eliot Rosewater

There is a balance to be had, and I think Herbal Deity pushes a little to the other extreme opposite Linux fanboying.

I get the impression that you think Linux is only good for web browsing and Office documents. Firstly these are, I would hazard, the two most common tasks done on computers. Secondly Linux is a lot broader than that. I do all my graphics work on Inkscape. I do web dev and ftp work too, although I know this isnt uncommon for Linux users. Im also getting set up soon with a *nix version of Mathematica, which is an extremely advanced Maths program. On the whole I think your trying to pigeonhole Linux as much as the fanboys are trying to un-pigeonhole it, if that makes sense.

Finally I dont see how you think Ubuntu is not user friendly? Unless your talking about its installation and configuration, which is an advanced task and is never meant to be user friendly. The only reason Windows is user friendly in this regard, for instance, is because it gobbles all its given. An Ubuntu install generally means partitioning, which is never going to be easy.

Herbal Deity

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I get the impression that you think Linux is only good for web browsing and Office documents. Firstly these are, I would hazard, the two most common tasks done on computers. Secondly Linux is a lot broader than that. I do all my graphics work on Inkscape. I do web dev and ftp work too, although I know this isnt uncommon for Linux users. Im also getting set up soon with a *nix version of Mathematica, which is an extremely advanced Maths program. On the whole I think your trying to pigeonhole Linux as much as the fanboys are trying to un-pigeonhole it, if that makes sense.

Heh, I'm a CS student myself, I use Ubuntu all the time. I don't think I could live without a linux terminal.

I don't mind celebrating it for what it is, but I hate the "Linux is just as good/better than Windows" attitude.

Snowbat

Herbal Deity wrote: »

Audacity is utter crap in Linux. Audacity in Windows would be one of the main reasons I dual boot. I don't know about the other two.

Audacity works fine for me in Mandriva 2009.1 - I use it regularly.

What problem are you seeing and in which distros?