A lot of Windows programs (and games) run on Linux as if completely native (with the speed that somes with that) via WINE but that isn't the case with certain programs.

WinApps

Lets you run Windows apps such as Microsoft Office/Adobe in Linux as if they were a part of the native OS.

  • Supports any Windows program

Office 365

You can use the web version of Micro$oft Office

Loffice 365

Run web-based Office 365 in Linux as if it was a part of the native OS

Remember you can use WinApps to run Microsoft Office

ADOBE

Run them via WinApps

Adobe Photoshop through WINE

Runs decently, not as stable naturally so if you don't need production grade tools I heavily reccomend running krita or GIMP instead.

Adobe illustrator through WINE

Simple script that helps you easily install Adobe Illustrator CC on Linux

Alternatives:

LibreOffice

  • Best free office suite and a great alternative to Microsoft Office

  • Compatible with a wide range of formats such as Microsoft

  • Supports extensions

GIMP

  • Photoshop alternative
  • Those used to Photoshop’s interface should check PhotoGIMP out. It’s a patch that makes GIMP look like Photoshop

Krita

  • Photoship/Illustrator alternative
  • Looks similar to photoshop out of the box
  • You can install addons to add more features

KDENLive

  • Premier Pro alternative
  • Feature rich
  • Very customizable interface thanks to it being KDE software

Inkscape

  • Alternative to Adobe Illustrator

Scribus

  • Alternative to Adobe Indesign

Ardour

  • Alternative to Adobe Audition

Darktable

  • Alternative to Adobe Lightroom

Synfig

  • Alternative to Adobe Animate

Natron

  • Alternative to Adobe Aftereffects

Most of these libre alternatives support Windows too so you can try them out on Windows

Written by @Pirate @Windows97

  • PorkrollPosadist [he/him, they/them]3•3 years ago

    Question though will my data be switched over or will it be a case by case basis?

    No. Windows uses the NTFS filesystem which doesn't support the type of file permissions (among other features) that are required by Linux. Linux typically uses the EXT4 filesystem (though there are other options). Also, the filesystem hierarchy is organized quite differently so it wouldn't be straightforward to just graft one onto the other.

    IMO, the easiest and safest way to go is get a new drive and install it on that, so you can copy things over from the old drive at your leisure. If it's a laptop and there's no physical space for a second drive, you can get a bigger drive instead, image it from the old one, and use the leftover space - but you might need an adapter or a second computer to do it.

    Sometimes I've gotten a little hasty about wiping and reinstalling my OS and forgotten about precious photos and things which have been lost forever to the ether. Don't do this.

    It’s something small but been emulating games on it and wondering if I could save savefiles.

    This depends on the emulator. Many emulators are free software and cross-platform, so there's a good chance the emulator will be available. In that case, the saves are likely compatible, but you'll need to find out the right location to put them in so they're detected by the emulator.