Vista, that’s what ruined it for me. I had XP Pro, and I loved that it had all the features (IIS, FTP Server, etc.). But when Vista came out, it had so many different versions, each one a gatekeeper for different features. That was just too much. XP was the last one I used for my personal use. I jumped into Linux, head first, and I’ve never looked back.
It wasn't clear that windows 95 would beat OS/2, and OS/2 was clearly the better so I installed that over windows 3.1. Then in college I got introduced to BSD. I still prefer BSD, but sometimes linux has things that BSD doesn't so I use linux in places.
Windows 11 serving me ads in the OS was a step too far. Windows 10 already had them as apps in every update that annoyed me, but 11 took them to a new level that was too far for me.
I was toying around with the idea of doing my classes and early dev work on linux, hearing it’s got a lot less roadblocks and annoyances, and that checked out.
I’ve been running it on all of my systems as main OS since not too long after that, and don’t intend to go back
The final straw for me was Microsoft reinstalling software I had removed with updates, as well as installing crapware like Candy Crush, all in the background and without permission or notifying me. I left Windows back in August 2021 for Arch.
Until recently I had kept a Windows VM with a GPU passthrough set up until I decided I was done with Destiny 2. Now the only remnant of Windows in my life is a simple desktop in my living room that has a game I can only play on Windows, which is currently being ported to PS5. Once that port is released, it’ll be converted to a server running some atomic distro and become a fully dedicated server, and Windows will be fully removed from my life, ignoring PCs outside of my control like embedded systems.
GNOME has an entire extension ecosystem. Look up “gnome extension manager” on flathub.
Yes, Linux can be more problematic on some laptops. Especially ones with realtek wifi/Bluetooth or Nvidia/Intel hybrid graphics.
Yes, try EndeavorOS.
Linux gives you the full power to delete whatever, whenever. You can delete anything and everything you want without needing any workarounds.
No. Linux by default gives you root access. It’s a thing you just get. In fact you need it to update most* distros. You don’t need to “root” Linux. Root privileges are a given on most distros.
Install the other DE’s package from your distro’s repos, logout and the login interface should have an option to change your DE, the next time you login.
It’s… Complicated. TL;DR Wayland is the more modern display server that most distros and desktops are in the process of moving to. I’d suggest using it over X11, wherever possible. As for docker, that doesn’t really matter for desktop use.
I really started to dislike Windows and projects like Bazzite made it incredibly easy to make the jump. The wife is now gaming in Linux for the same reasons.
It was the Windows XP upgrade debacle for me. That was a bridge too far. I lost the ability to use critical hardware with (at the time) no ability to obtain updated drivers. I went to the local big-box computer store to browse the Apple section. When I saw the price tags I thought, “Oh well. Mac ain’t it.” On my way back up to the front of the store I stopped by the operating systems shelf and stumbled upon boxed Red Hat and SUSE Linux distros. I can’t remember which one I purchased first (I believe Red Hat), but I eventually acquired both. Long story short, I spent several years going back and forth between Linux and Windows while hanging on for dear life while riding the learning curve. I eventually decided to go full-time Linux around 15 or so years ago and have not looked back. Over time I also developed other key concerns that kept me away from Windows, a few of which were security/privacy and the open nature of Linux (to do what I wanted to do with my OS and interface). My most recent computer is a gaming laptop that has two hard drive slots, so I dual-boot Linux and Windows. I keep Windows mainly to perform firmware updates that can be touch and go in Linux (and some gaming, but very seldom).
linux
Oldest
This magazine is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.