21 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xIlmari 7 Jun \ on: Linux for a beginner? tech
You should absolutely make, or start planning for, the switch for several reasons:
- Windows does not respect your privacy (highlighted by recent AI screenshotting scandal).
- Windows is riddled with malware, not just because of its popularity, it's just trash at security.
- Your ability to customise your desktop is only a fraction of what you can do with most Linux desktop environments.
- When the soydev geniuses at Microsoft decide it's time for a "UI refresh", they will shove it down your throat with the next update.
- Knowing "ins and outs" of Windows is not a marketable IT skill, if that's important to your career. By using Linux, you'll learn so much more.
To get your feet wet, you don't even have to leave the familiar ground of Windows. Just install WSL and get yourself familiar with the command line (you tend to use it a lot on Linux not because it's cool but because it's efficient), structure of the filesystem etc.
Next up, find a "Live CD" version of a popular distro, like Ubuntu, burn it to a USB stick and give it a spin. Try executing your most common workflows in that environment. You can even configure this stick such that changes you make (customisations, installed apps, personal documents) are persistent between boots.
Final step would be to actually install a distro on your hardware, either alongside Windows or on separate hardware, and start your migration.
You did not specify what your profile as a computer user is, so I can't alleviate any specific reservations you might have. But I can tell you that I am a hardcore gamer, and that reason kept me on Windows for a long time. However, for over two years now, I am Windows-free, I game on my Manjaro desktop as well as a Steam Deck. Pretty much my entire Steam library is playable on Linux (what won't work is some competitive multiplayer games with shitty rootkit-type anticheats, but do you really want to play games that install malware on your computer?). For all the programs I used to need for my work flow, I found suitable replacements.
With Linux, you really feel like you own your computer.