Personally, I’m not brand loyal to any particular OS. There are good things about a lot of different operating systems, and I even have good things to say about ChromeOS. It just depends on what a user needs from an operating system.
Most Windows-only users I am acquainted with seem to want a device that mostly “just works” out of the box, whereas Linux requires a nonzero amount of tinkering for most distributions. I’ve never encountered a machine for sale with Linux pre-installed outside of niche small businesses selling pre-built PCs.
Windows users seem to want to just buy, have, and use a computer, whereas Linux users seem to enjoy problem solving and tinkering for fun. These two groups of people seem as if they’re very fundamentally different in what they want from a machine, so a user who solely uses Windows moving over to Linux never made much sense to me.
Why did you switch, and what was your process like? What made you choose Linux for your primary computing device, rather than macOS for example?
I like solving problems.
I enjoy customization.
I hate Microsoft.
I got tired of having an OS that is working against me. That is not a healthy relationship. With Linux you can really see there is a shift in the mindset. User experience is prioritized and you are allowed to do what you want wherever you want to. This means for example things like running a live iso, installing the OS and surfing the web at the same time is possible. I can remap the super key, and other keys. Oh, tiling Window manager exist like hyperland. Omarchy. And how about tabs in the file explorer. Why did not Microsoft implement it 20 years ago like when it came to Linux.
Final straw was seeing the Starfield lockscreen with a small ad about Gamepass after an update. Still use Windows on a different machine if I need certain software.
I first started running Linux in the early 2000s. I wasn’t solely using Linux, but it was very much a situation where I used it for what it was best at and used Windows for where I needed Windows. Mostly that was for games, but it was early in my IT career and Windows was a skill I needed to build, so I did a lot of dual booting. It really propelled my understanding of computers running and breaking multiple OSes.
I fully made the switch a couple of years ago when I realized I hadn’t booted my Windows install in six months. Linux has come a long way, and has also been helped by so many things being browser-based these days.
Honestly it was the advertising in a product I paid for, that and I still remember the days of borg bill gates on slashdot buying and ruining companies and all the hate we had for them back then.
Avoiding studying for exams in 2007.
😂🤣😂🤣😂
I enjoyed your reason.
I’m tired of shit randomly not working, mainly audio. Most of the stuff I need to do is Linux okay now so I’m moving my laptop to something with kde, probs nobara. Or debian with kde. My desktop will probably dualboot kubuntu (bc unfortunately rocm is the least annoying on that) and windows 11 because I unfortunately like playing r6 siege with my friends.
My backup laptop runs Bunsenlabs os bc windows dies of death.
Edit: 50/50 on kde or openbox. Want to try kde, I’ve been using openbox for ages though.
Not all the way there yet but working on it because the problems I’m having with Windows are reaching a tipping point where they outweigh the problems I’d have with Linux. I would never buy an Apple product. Their bullshit walled garden ecosystem disgusts me and they are leading the charge that’s showing all the other tech companies just how much the average consumer will let them get away with.
Privacy and freedom. Some developer tools are already installed or if not are easy to install. Also I don’t like bloatware, the price is nice and the performance is great.
I tried to break from Windows back in college after Windows 8 was such a disaster. Set up an Arch dual boot over a weekend and tried to use it whenever I could. Unfortunately found myself using the Windows partition far more often mostly because of gaming compatibility. Shelved it and suffered through MS’s bullshit ever since.
10 years later on the dot, I went on a huge degoogling/de-MS push this past winter/spring. Set up GrapheneOS on my phone, moved away from as many big tech services and tools as I could, changed my email, and eventually said fuck it and installed CachyOS on my brand new desktop to give it a go. It’s been my daily driver ever since. The whole degoogling push also got me to set up a home server and go down the entire selfhosting rabbit hole but that’s a discussion for another day.
The Steam Deck is what really reintroduced me to it and showed me how insane Proton is for compatibility, and with all the garbage big tech and fascists want to throw at us, this year was definitely time to make the switch.
Which reminds me, I should probably wipe that Windows partition that still gathers dust.
Windows from 3.1, MS DOS before that
Come W 8 I was getting grumpy, started dual booting Ubuntu.
Not able to overcome my own apathy, dual boot as in 95% of the time Windows
Come the W 11 announcement some time ago I grabbed another NVME, installed Linux Mint and said fisk it and never went back. Only distro hopped to LMDE haha
Fuck Terminal :)
Here are the following reasons why i switched to Linux:
- feels Sluggish to use,especially starting with Windows 10 and it got worse with 11 (And this is on a i3 12100f + 16/8gb ram + gtx 1650 and i only used 7,10 and 11 )
- Shoving AI Slop with copilot.
- Forcing/nagging a Microsoft account (ik I have one but why can’t I sign in later or whenever I want to)
- Little flexibility and portability.(side note: i like how i can use Linux on my RPI5 Backup pc aswell :D)
- Buggy,especially with Vibe coded Windows 11.
- Bloat,especially with preinstalled apps you cannot remove .
And that’s what I can remember
Windows users seem to want to just buy, have, and use a computer, whereas Linux users seem to enjoy problem solving and tinkering for fun
would disagree. there are plenty of casual user friendly distros, like ubuntu or bazzite. there are immutable distros
i personally work on linux and like linux but used windows for gaming at home. switched this year after realising all the games are play run fine on linux
Also, Windows doesn’t “just work.” I’ve yet to encounter anyone who gets a Windows machine and has no problems at all.
My mother-in-law got a new laptop (didn’t consult me first) and it refused to even acknowledge her printer when plugged in. I plugged in my little transformer pad running an old Ubuntu and it printed in literally one second flat. She ended up having to get a new printer. Why? Because the existing one she had, the manufacturer didn’t pay their protectsia to have it in the included drivers base. And no, even a downloaded driver didn’t help.
So Windows has its own shit aplenty. That’s just one example of many. I think the idea that Windows is easier is a myth. Linux just happens to have a lot more to offer that requires a little learning, and most people are just too lazy or scared.
Anyone who takes the plunge and is willing to learn seems to be happy for having done it so… that should be enough testimonial.
These posts are funny, literally everyone has an answer so you get like over a hundred replies.
I didn’t move away from Windows, Windows moved away from me.
I would have been happy to stay on it if it hadn’t continued to get shittier and shittier.
