The Ultimate Gaming Shell for Linux Mint and Ubuntu!

Flickr API shell script

My Gaming Shell script!

I created this a few years ago because of my son who at the time wanted a system but we couldn’t’ afford Windows 10. So I installed Linux Mint.  I’ve found that this script should allow you to play almost any game that doesn’t require anti-cheat or the new DRM games.   Anything would run without much of a problem at least with stuff like Call of Duty and other games like that, I didn’t have much problem running them with this little shell script.   I am sure you’ve seen my Notepad++ shell script to install on your Linux system.  This is something similar and I thought it was high time to share with my readers.  If you haven’t already, you should go over and find out about shell scripting and learn some cool shell scripts yourself.   This however isn’t going to be very educational for some because it isn’t very complicated.

echo "Installing Wine"
echo y|sudo apt-get install wine-stable
echo y|sudo apt-get install winehq-stable

echo "Installing Playonlinux"
echo y|sudo apt-get install playonlinux

echo "Installing steam"
echo y|sudo apt-get install steam

echo "Installing Minecraft"
echo y|sudo apt-get install minecraft-launcher

echo "Installing Lutris"
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:lutris-team/lutris
sudo apt update
echo y|sudo apt install lutris

read -p "Do you want to uninstall Firefox? (y/n)? " answer
case ${answer:0:1} in
y|Y )
echo y|sudo apt-get uninstall firefox
;;
* )
echo No
;;
esac
read -p "Do you want to install Chrome? (y/n)? " answer
case ${answer:0:1} in
y|Y )
wget -q -O - https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list
sudo apt update
echo y|sudo apt install -y google-chrome-stable
;;
* )
echo No
;;
esac
done

You can download it here along with the Notepad++ Script!

Explaining the script

So let’s first explain the top of the script and work our way down.   As you can see these are just installing the Wine and other utilities around on the internet to be able to play the games or maybe install the stuff you are wanting to install.  It doesn’t have to be games but I am sure it can be almost anything.   My son was always playing Minecraft on his Linux machine.  That game is so easy to install on Linux and runs without much o a problem, so that is why I included it here.  The Next one is obviously Lutris which can be installed on any Ubuntu and Linux Mint system without much problems and allows you to play all sorts of games that might be online games.   I’ve not tried it lately but I am sure these will work just as well as the next.

Finally the last part, I really like Chrome and I hate it that Firefox get’s installed most of the time.   So I put in a script to remove Firefox and install Chrome.   As you can see this one asks you the questions so if you like Firefox, then you need not worry and if you like Chrome you can install that and keep Firefox or remove it.   To each there own.

As you can see this isn’t going to be a big post but I did want to share with you my ultimate gaming script for Linux and even Windows 11 can’t hold me back if I ever do decide to do that.  After all, I did get Microsoft Flight Simulator to run on Linux Mint!  Are you going to use Linux more to play games on or are you going to stay with Windows?  Why not let me know and thank me for an awesome script that you can use anytime with your Linux system.

A few facts about scripting language and Why you need to know about Scripting

coding, computer, hacker, hacking, html, programmer, programming, script, scripting, source code, Free Images In PxHere

Is scripting being used in automation?

Scripting can be a powerful tool for anything in the industry from building cars to even creating orders to ship.   Each one has a specific reason to be there,  in all there are many reason why it makes it easier for the user to have scripting.   I know in my life, scripting can be used in many different reason.   For one you could have a PowerShell script to automate a process to wake the daemon or make a service synchronize a service.  In all even in the Microsoft world there are services that need to be restarted or maybe just synched due to the daemon not keeping up.   Having seen this and having to do it from time to time or even create a script to run every hour to keep the what ever might need to be synchronized up to date.   Is that something hard to do or easy, the real questions you should be asking yourself is can you really do it and not make any mistakes?   After all, we are human and bound to make a mistake or two.   So we have to at least consider how any script will affect us in the long run.    Scripting can definitely make certain tasks so much easier when something arises that needs to be done to a server or even process.

What are the options for a script?

Before we begin the options we have to at least consider why scripts are so vastly different from applications.   The short answer is that they can’t do nearly the things applications can because they aren’t integrated into the kernel or there might be processes that the script can’t do without SU permissions and programs can have SU permissions and run in the background without any need for verification from the user.  Now let’s at least talk about the options for what a script  be used for or how we should at least consider it to be used.   First and foremost is to restart a process, and this one is the most common I have seen in the past.   I used to have to restart the Xorg services or drivers due to how the applications caused it to crash for one reason or another in Linux.   This was definitely when the drivers for Nvidia and AMD were still relatively new to the Linux environment.   It would on occasion need to be restarted and people started to have script to use to do that so they didn’t have to write the same codes down each time to restart the service.  This was truly cutting edge for Linux to be able to use a script to restart the graphics drivers and allow the user to continue to use their computer.   Another good option for tasks that can be scripted is downloading files that you might use for Windows and have them update with newest version as they are coming.  You could even create a script to download all the Windows Updates on Linux just like you can on Windows to be able to install them offline if the need arises.

Scripts are just Amazing!

As you can see, I really do love to use scripts and have in the past come up with scripts that can be used for the people who use Linux or might need a script for a certain situation.   Each person can come up with some truly amazing scripts to share with others to help make working in the Linux environment even more better for everyone.  Do you agree or disagree?  Do you have a favorite script you want to share with others?  why not leave a comment and let people know your script and tell them what OS it can be used on.   I am going to link a few good useful bash scripts to let you explore even more.

 

Understanding Shell Script in Linux Mint and how to use it properly

 

Shell script

Shell scripts are powerful!

Any Admin who has used shell scripts to complete a bunch of tasks on Linux will tell that you should already be using it.  It’s something that even I can’t really understand but know a lot about since I have to install Linux a lot.   Sometimes it can go weeks before I have to use my shell script again or the next day.  It varies from time to time when I will need to use it but it is an admins best friend.   Is shell scripts like python, absolutely but there is something that we should at least explore and understand.   I am going to talk about this and give examples for those who might want to follow along with me as we talk about “What is shell scripts and how can I use them?”.  I am sure this will be a long series maybe a few post here and there but it will be really good for those who might want to learn even more about the world of Linux.

Shell scripts vs python

Let’s at least get this one out of the way, because someone is bound to ask this question.  What’s the difference in shell scripts verses python?  In the short answer not much, but in the long answer the python language is more complex and you can do a lot more with the python did you can do with shell but only to a point.  Each one has it’s own unique qualities and can be used on Linux and Windows.   Although shell scripts can’t be run on exactly, they can be renamed to be batch files (.bat) which is DOS(Directory of System) old system.  Way before Windows we had DOS and way before any GUI interfaces we had to create batch files to load up the system.  If you’re old enough you probably remember autoexec.bat or even the config.sys files that you occasionally had to edit to get to the command prompt.

Shell scripts in Linux

What’s the use of using shell scripts in Linux you might be asking yourself?  It’s very useful to use when there is a problem or need to install a bunch of things that would take longer to install individually.  Shell script basics are really just that like a batch file in DOS and it can do a lot of things from asking a question to installing many different files.   It can rename or remove files, it is also good for cleaning up a directory that might be full of junk files or maybe you want to have a shell script to backup your /home directory.  This is the power of shell scripting in Linux.  Shell script basics can make your life so much easier and better in the long when you finally decide to delve into the Linux system.

Shell scripts If and then

Just like batch files, you can use this in Shell scripting.  If something happens then do this or you can even go farther that by using Else statements also.  You can ask something from the admin like where the file location of a file you want to use.  It can make your life so much simpler and can help keep the Linux system running smoothly.

if [ expression ]
then
statement
fi

You can do so much more with the shell script when you personalize it to what ever you might need.

echo What is the shell script you want to run?
read $FILE
if ! [ +r $FILE ]; then
Echo "Admin permissions are required to run this shell script"
then exit 0

As you can see this can be very useful when you want to get around certain installation situations and needing to install files without prompting.

Here’s a good one for those who might need to do just that:

echo y|sudo apt-get install [apt program]

This will allow you to bypass the yes question when it is asked and you can just create a basic shell script to install the files that you wanting to do like I have from time to time with gaming systems.   If you don’t want to wait around and install them manually this is the best approach for people who might want to multiple programs at once.

Executing the shell script

if you can’t execute the shell script than you haven’t given permissions to execute it in Linux.  You either have edit the properties in Linux, by right clicking on the shell script and clicking on the properties tab.   Then check “Allow executing file as a program” or you can do a command line

chmod 0700 script.sh (only allow owner to run script)
chmod 0755 script.sh (Allow owner users, and groups to run script)

As you can see the chmod command can be very useful in Linux, so take care to use it wisely.   I will talk about even more about shell scripting in the coming days and hopefully provide you with a very powerful script for installing all the gaming and even the drivers that you might need to for your new Linux gaming system.

How to play Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Steam version on Linux Mint 20.1

MSFS2020 on Linux Mint 20.1

Run Microsoft Flight Simulator

I’ve been trying to get this to work the last few days on Linux because of Windows 11 set to come out in the follow months.   However, I was also wondering if this would work on Linux as it should be able to to do.   As you know steam has some great ways to run windows games on it.   The problem that most people have is just to figure out the right way to run it.   I am here to help those who might still be having difficulty in running Msfs2020(Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020) on Linux because it seems to have so many people having issues with running it.   According to ProtonDB, This game should be playable with Gold standards which means it should run perfectly after some tweaks.   I don’t know about the rest of you but It’s more than some tweaks but I digress.

Install wine

The First step you will need to do is check out my other post about installing Wine on Linux Mint.  If you followed those instructions you are half way to getting it to run on Linux.   You’ll however want to install all the Wine DB and API’s that are associated with Wine to get it to work.  That includes but not limited to Q4wine, Playonlinux, Winetricks, All Wine Compatibility layers(Windows-Desktop-files also), Wine-binfmt  and the API layers that is associated with Wine.  I found sometimes they don’t automatically install these but they are necessary for several other games.

Install Graphics Drivers

Go to your driver manager app and make sure you have the GPU driver for your system.   I currently have a NVIDIA 1660 Super and an Intel 10-850 Core.   First I’d try the recommended but we’ll discuss this at the end.   Always download the recommended driver on Linux Mint but if you have a different Linux and want to download the NVIDIA drivers, check out the NVIDIA Unix Drivers for them to work with your system.  If you have an AMD GPU, you can visit the AMD website for your Linux Driver.  Once those are installed, you will probably need to reboot your system to make sure your drivers are active when playing on Steam or other games.   Each time there is an update, it will probably be a good idea to reboot just to make sure the drivers you want are being used by the system.

Install Steam

It seems Linux Mint 20.1 or some earlier version installs the Flathub version of Steam when they install Linux Mint.   Uninstall that version first,  I’ve found that it doesn’t do as a good as a job as the one you can get from the package manager.   I also found that it won’t run some games with Proton.   So that is the reason I say, just go ahead and uninstall it and install the real one.  This is the easy part of the installation.   Once done you are more than halfway there to be able to play your games like you want.

Download and Install Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

Example of -FastLaunch

Once you have steam, You can now go ahead and download and install MSFS2020 into steam.   This will be a quick process.   Steam however will not allow you to download the game until you enable proton.  Go over to the Gear icon in steam and left click properties and go to Comparability tab.   I’d recommend trying Proton 5.13-6 first because that is what everyone else used to get it to work on their systems according to the ProtonDB. Once you do that, you’ll be able to download MSFS20 and install it.  Once installed, you’ll also want to add ‘-FastLaunch’ to the Launch options.    Once done with that, hit the little “X” button and try clicking the play button and seeing if it will run.

If it doesn’t work

Sometimes each system is a little bit different.   So I’ll talk about ways you can tweak it to get it to work on your system.    Some things to try:

  • Get a New or Older version of the GPU driver
  • Change the Proton version to a New or Older version or try the experimental version.
  • Check your Wine Settings(Although I didn’t have to do much with mine just install and try to run the q4wine once that was ran.   I didn’t do anything else but quit the program.)
  • Check the ProtoDB to see what everyone else has done to get the game to run.

I suggest making one change at a time and seeing if the game will run after the change.   If it is a GPU driver change, I suggest rebooting to make sure you are using the GPU driver you want to try to run with the program.  Also Don’t expect the game to run as smoothly as it does on Windows so be thoughtful when you are playing the game.   Sometimes there will be crashes and other things going on.  You can however try different configurations to see if you can resolve those issues also.  If you like this post please consider buying something from my affiliate list to support my blog and my time in write.

Webhost Deathmatch: Linux Vs. Windows

When you choose a desktop operating system, there is a pretty significant difference between Windows and Linux. The user interfaces are vastly disparate, many applications are designed for one OS or the other and the underlying kernels are worlds apart. The same concept applies for Linux VPS hosting and Windows hosting. While the differences in user experience tends to be lessened because you’re typically working through control panels, and not the operating system proper, you still have features, scripts and technology that one server OS supports that the other doesn’t. Here’s what you need to know.

Script Support

The script languages supported by Windows and Linux differ greatly. Perl and CGI are both difficult to support on Windows, while Windows technologies aren’t supported on Linux servers at all. While the latest Windows server operating system supports PHP, you aren’t guaranteed to have that version of Windows on specific hosts, so confirm the OS version if you want PHP scripts to work properly on a Windows server. Always keep essential script support in mind when you choose the server operating system. Scripting really is the primary decision maker for choosing Windows or Linux, as the two operating systems don’t share a lot of cross-platform scripting support.

Pricing

Linux distributions are generally free and are all open source operating systems. Some distros do require a paid commercial support package, but the pricing and overhead is less expensive than comparable Windows servers, due to Windows’ licensing costs. Windows also depends upon more hardware resources to run properly, requiring a more powerful server than you would otherwise use. Keep your price point in mind, and be aware of the capabilities you’ll get with Windows compared to Linux.

Microsoft Technologies

If you’re using FrontPage extensions, ASP, ASP.NET or .NET, you are essentially locked into a Windows server. Microsoft doesn’t make it easy to use this technology on Linux, BSD or OS X servers, although some emulation is possible. However, performance is not optimal, and it tends to take a lot more time and energy than just getting a Windows server on hand.

Database Technology

Database-driven scripts are common in web applications, and Linux database support covers MySQL technology. It does not, however, cover Access databases or Microsoft SQL. Enterprise-level applications use extensive database technology, and Access is great at handling high volumes of fields and information. If you need a specific type of database, confirm it is compatible with the server operating system you are choosing.

Security

Linux is widely considered a more secure operating system than Windows, mostly because the Linux architecture is not as easy for virus creators to program for. The lack of executable support in Linux prevents standard viruses from working, and security holes are plugged up by the many programmers looking at the open source code. Windows gets attacked by hackers on a consistent basis, and users have to wait for Microsoft to develop and deploy patches.

Which do you prefer for web hosting: Linux or Windows? Tell us in the comments.

Gregory Adams

Greg is a technology and mobile trend freelance writer with a penchant for rollerblading.