The boring, and heretic I guess, reason I started with Linux is because I wanted to learn something new. Been a Windows admin and / or support technician since NT 3.51 off and on and well…
My point is that I am not really caring if anything is Open Source or not, tho I find it a good idea.
I do think that it is, on the whole, a better system than Windows with some severe drawbacks.
The update system (in general but especially on Rolling distros) is far superior while maintaining basically the same level of stability as a (correctly maintained) Windows 10 install.
It’s rigid file structure is both good and bad (and quite frankly one of the hardest things to get used to as a new user, I think).
The Repo system is good until something you want isn’t in it. The new ideas with complete packages (snap / flat etc) is… kind of invalidating the idea of repos IMHO. And certain distro’s update systems are also becoming very Windows like, for example Fedora’s leap updates which literally look like Windows (“Unmaintained update in progress: Do not turn off your computer” on a black screen and you can’t work in the meantime).
The hardware support is MILES AND MILES better than even two years ago, but still something you have to pay attention to when buying a new computer / upgrade hardware.
Games (If they work) in Linux often run better and more efficient… BUT the core system, although smaller than Windows, cannot hide itself as good.
Let me explain: If you have a W10 system with 8 Gb of RAM, Windows can, by itself in the background go from using 3-4Gb to… Virtually nothing. It turns off services, give the game services virtually all resources (so telling Chrome to stuff it and puts it in the swap file, basically), fills it’s temp (swap) file with itself and let the game have all the power. And this happens automatically.
In Linux, although the system usually use far less… If you hit a point in memory consumtion where the system itself is in the way, Linux cannot disappear. So if you run a “heavy” DE and a limited RAM, you have to pay attention: It might be impossible to run a game that requires 6Gb of RAM on an 8Gb system because whatever else your computer is doing can’t be moved out of the way unless you do it manually.
That said on the whole the Linux way of doing things is just better. And also I just enjoy tinkering. And I find Arch based distros is the best combination of that; almost unlimited customization should I want to, yet far far more stable than many users of “stable” distros believe. Both Fedora, Suse and MX has worked worse on my machines than Arch-based distros to be honest.
I always like trying new things. I was casually playing around with a few Linux distros a couple of years ago when I started getting really annoyed with Windows repeatedly forcing an update that kept breaking the scrolling on my system. Also Windows ran tremendously hot on my laptop and fried my HDD
I still had a Linux distro on my USB (KDE Neon), so I went and bought a little SSD and didn’t even bother installing Windows again. I quickly learned how to do basic configuration and troubleshooting on Linux and realized I liked it much more than Windows or Mac
I especially like all the different distros available and the ability to control every aspect of your OS
Linux also runs much more efficiently and is more secure. I actually feel annoyed now when I have to use Windows or Mac for something
I worked for AT&T for 34 years. Started using UNIX about 1974 or 75.
So Linux was a natural transition and I have always felt more comfortable in Linux as opposed to Windows.
Other than that, most of the things mentioned above apply to me also. No need to repeat them.
Apart from the typical criticisms with Windows, like ads on the OS, inconsistent design, etc. I’ve actually never had any actual issues with Windows 10 functionally that wasn’t related to a hardware defect. I never had any forced updates, no files deleted from those recent 1809 version, it worked fine. That was my experience and I do know others’ mileages have varied. I also didn’t care that much about Window’s privacy concerns because honestly any privacy limitation I did set became negligible because of the phone in my pocket.
I decided to get into the Linux experiment because I wanted a new learning experience. I wanted to learn how to actually use a terminal, I wanted to learn how the inner workings of an operating system and software is used and manipulated. Basically I want to know the OS not just use it. I was also told by many that Linux is great for programmers and I have started learning web development so if that helps that’s great. I also love the customization that Linux offers too. And also, no Candy Crush . Also before I built my current PC two years ago I was using a mac mini and I prefer using macOS over Windows (no I don’t have a KDE Big Sur copy desktop hahaha) so Linux being sortaaa similar is a plus too.
I’m also a hobbyist photographer. I cancelled my Photoshop subscription today and I’m now using Gimp and Darktable. I haven’t used it much because I haven’t been shooting much recently (haven’t been using Photoshop and Lightroom anywhere near enough to keep paying for them) but they’re interesting. Actually this has made me achieve an even greater respect for everyone who put hard work, quality, and dedication into FOSS.
I’ve been on this Linux endeavor (no pun intended) for a week now and of course, as a noob, it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing; my wifi does not work and I haven’t figured that out yet, I haven’t gotten Pop’s tiling WM to work but that’s due to my lack of knowledge, and I haven’t tackled the issue of gaming yet but I think I’ll just leave gaming strictly to Windows with only a few games like Minecraft being installed on Linux. But I knew this wasn’t gonna be easy, hell I chose a 99% pure Arch based distro when I probably should have chosen Ubuntu or Pop!_OS. But every challenge will teach me new things and I see that as a plus.
I don’t even remember to have “switched” to Linux… My memory in this field is limited to the 21th century, and I forgot what I used before , I vaguely remember that part of my daily experience was to contemplate some strange “blue screens”.
We, who know our ways and care about future - should try to lean that direction to learning paradigm with real hardware / software and not to become just a user / tool…
I teach and the teens I teach know very little about how technology really works.
I think it’s because these days UI and systems are so much more polished that they never need to go beyond them. Those of us that grew up before GUIs and watched them evolve seem to benefit when it comes to understanding what’s behind the scenes.
When I was younger I assumed that the next generation would be even more tech savvy than my generation, but that’s not ended up being the case.
I live in a very different culture and the teens I teach tend to be reasonably well educated. ( I work for an expensive English institute providing English classes to upper middle class Thais… kids, teens and adults ).
In general I’m pleasantly surprised by their openness to new ideas and their critical thinking skills when applied to their own culture.
I honestly think this is a very large part of it. Designers have done such an excellent job making software UIs intuitive that young children can figure out how to use it with little to no instruction. Everyday people have in turn become to expect intuitive GUIs from the software they use and unfortunately don’t care what is happening behind the scenes.
This is true because everything will be simplified, but if this continues in the future, who will end it? No need for IT knowledge anymore? Nowadays, I often have the feeling that everything is design and nothing is content.
Their were no computers when I was at school not even a calculator. just slide rules, and a adding machine the size of a dock-martins boot box. Lol we had it easy then.
Good question - made me think - positively - I can think
First I was curious … who isn’t!
I have been making a living as a self employed - self-taught computer guru - no kidding - it spread - this guy can do what we can’t - fix the system.
I have been around almost every aspect of computers and hosting services for a select group of clients.
I have sought the excellency of Microsoft by getting certified and achieved results which made my clients accept my consultancy.
Only when I collapsed - almost died - then through a couple of years regaining parts of my former health - I realized the force and power of Linux.
While Linux has it’s offs and I have been frustrated out of my skull - I have never - never - experienced the same difficulties with my Arch based systems as I have had with Windows.
I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, it just is. Not so different from cars or home improvement, for example. Many people just don’t have the brain space or time to dedicate to understanding the underlying structure of things like tech or cars, etc. The US is a largely service driven economy, and this helps create jobs.
Yes I agree, it’s not a bad thing, no person can be expected to know the ins and outs of every machine they use on a daily basis, especially with the technological advancement that humanity has made within the past few decades. However, it would be nice in an ideal world if more people at least took the time to learn at least the basics of some of these devices. In my opinion, it’s kind of like automobiles. Most people would say that it’s good to learn some basic things about how your vehicle functions, so that you can perform at the very least essential maintenance, or troubleshooting. I would say that perhaps the only devices used by a large portion of the population more so than cars are smart phones and computers. So I’d like to see more people learn at least the basic functionality of those devices. At the very least, I would think we might have less instances of people accidentally downloading malware, or having their security compromised.
. Also before I built my current PC two years ago I was using a mac mini and I prefer using macOS over Windows (no I don’t have a KDE Big Sur copy desktop hahaha) so Linux being sortaaa similar is a plus too.
, I vaguely remember that part of my daily experience was to contemplate some strange “blue screens”.
