Breaking Point: Why I've 100% ditched Windows

This is a VERY different video for me. No script, no cliche "tech video" formatting. Instead of listing off a bunch of stuff that "worked" and "didn't work" - I just want to talk about the mindset and philosophy behind WHY I've been moving entirely away from Windows over the past year, and why I think embracing Linux is just one small step in bettering our lives with tech.
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[@EposVox]

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: The state of photo editing on Linux: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3jVmKhuiZpkn5I Stickers are live, too! glitch.mov/products/use-it-scare-them-linux-sticker-3-5-x-2?_pos=1&_sid=5a3026fe8&_ss=r

[@realJohnJohn]

what linux os are you using?

[@DanielTolentino42]

​@@realJohnJohn Bazzite and Endeavour

[@oakfig]

It's almost like Microsoft has a monopoly without having a monopoly.

[@EposVox]

They have the highest market share, for sure. The only way to change that is to reduce its market share.

[@Thexxis]

​@@EposVoxI like Gabe Newell's take on this situation with the steam deck. Instead of trying to take existing market share away from someone else, grow the market in new and interesting directions.

[@EposVox]

Yes!

[@ah-64apache84]

thats because all governments ever always buy their software from microsoft.

[@siz1700]

Windows IS monopoly. Apple is just so isolated

[@lorinkundert]

I dropped Windows the moment they added Copilot, my company is banning Windows as an IP threat

[@vasipro]

Smart people! I am using Dex Mode with S23 Ultra for home computing. GeForce Now for gaming and planning to buy Sony clould service for gaming because is a better deal than GeForce Now + Steam. S25 Ultra has the power of an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, in fact one core is 50% more performant than one core of the Ryzen 5900X. INSANE!

[@vasipro]

PS. There is also way better software on Android than Microsoft, I mean, developers move to Droid. Also there are ways to run Linux on Android thru some apps. If is hardware accelerated 3d and all, boy oh boy, that would be game changer. If only Apple would transform Iphone in desktop replacement and allow sideload (jailbreak), they would also change the world for the better.

[@jordon_]

fun fact: the Copilot button on "Copilot+ PCs" or "AI PCs" or whatever they're called is literally a macro for win+shift+f23, not its own keycode.

[@FoxyAnimater]

Personally, I dropped windows whenever they started to shift windows look and feel to be more like MacOS, cough, cough, when Windows 11 was launched 4 years ago..

[@sloppyfloppy79]

Your company needs to be praised.

[@George.Salayka]

I teach CS at a college level. Students do not know how to use computers. I have to spend a few days explaining how/what files are. The Chromebooks hurt. Also most of their experience being on a iPhone hurts as well.

[@drubizzy]

I have been dreading the entry into the job market of people who's first "computer" was Mom's iPhone. It's been bad enough with people who's first OS was Windows XP.

[@xWood4000]

I'm not surprised, but as an IT engineering student I haven't seen that very much. Most of my classmates at least knew how to use Windows (files, settings etc). And since I live in Europe the iPhone/Android divide is much more equal and having an iPhone isn't a status thing

[@DragunBreath]

I was a teenager when Win95 came out, and got really into computers and decided to go into IT for a career. At the time I used to worry that I wouldn't have a job once the next generation became adults because computers were becoming so prolific, and kids were growing up with tech and would be so proficient with it that folks like me would no longer be needed. It still surprises me how wrong I was in thinking that.

[@MrVybson]

crazy how we went from old people not knowing how to use a computer to young people now, i didnt even notice the shift

[@casperes0912]

What country? This sounds like the dark future we're heading towards here. I am from Denmark and have a master's degree in computer science. Everyone from my year knew how to operate DOS and Unix based machines from the command line easily; But I see a decent proportion of the new bachelor students starting now who don't understand the directory structure of their file browsers and barely understand the desktop metaphor because they are more and more from the "Apps" and mobile OS era.

[@Torach]

I have been hopping between Windows and Linux for years, but always coming back to Windows. Last year I was so fed up with Windows that I just backed up all my personal files and too the leap to Arch Linux. First time ever using it and decided to not use the script. I almost gave up several times but now I have a stable system that I love. Right now I am moving away from Google and after that it is time to host my own cloud.

[@ah-64apache84]

keep going, its so worth it!

[@8lec_R]

​@ah-64apache84 I'm not yet ready for arch. Just worried about updates, I don't bother with forums and just hit update everyday lol. But soon, I'll also might move. I'm eyeing cachy os

[@slalomsk8er397]

I can recommend nextcloud for self hosting but it's also available as a service.

[@XDRosenheim]

Are you me? :) Also stopped using Windows (about a year ago) and just decided to use Arch, since Valve seems to be pushing it I thought that it might be a better option. Also wanted to get away from Debian that I have used on and off, and even have on a server. I would call myself Google-less, but I still have a G-cloud storage subscription, because it is so much easier for the family to backup to. Currently trying to set up an Arch server, so far I have got Immich and Plex running perfectly on it.

[@ghosthunter0950]

I moved my laptop to Linux 9 months ago, and afte just learning how to install stuff with various methods (package manager, .deb files, flatpaks, appimage...) but now I gotta switch back because of the uni requirements that I need my laptop for.

[@MarkYork85]

The reason why you are being asked to type your user password when you try to open the other disks, it's because they are not getting mounted during boot. Some distributions may have mechanisms to automount the drives during boot, but if that does not happen on your distro, you can add those drives to /etc/fstab and have them be automounted during boot with read and write permissions for your user account. The same applies to network attached drives. You can add them to fstab.

[@RocketSlug]

So I guess the question is then why do some distros have it configured automatically and others don't? Is there some cost to doing it that some distro managers feel is worth the trade-off, an oversight by the managers, or a fundamental incompatibility with some configuration? It's small UX papercuts like this that really frustrate me when it comes to Linux, especially if it's something that one distro seems to have already solved yet is not standard practice

[@Sollace]

KDE also comes with a GUI application to manage those out of the box. The only thing to watch out for is to remove them before you uninstall the drive, as missing drives in the fstab may prevent the system from booting.

[@sheldonross5871]

Network shares should automount on access. Putting entries in fstab is crude and problematic (wait ?nobootwait?) Fuze or autofs is the much better solution.

[@bradleyp3655]

@@sheldonross5871 All my NFS drives are not auto mounted and user mountable within fstab. I don't have SMB mounts.

[@bobbyhinner3225]

​@RocketSlug because each distro is managed by different entities. Some are corporations. Some are non-proffit foundations. Some are just groups of linux enthusiasts. Each will have their own preferences on how it should be done. With windows and Mac it gets done the way that Microsoft or Apple decides.

[@urncjd]

Installing and using Arch Linux has less friction than using Windows 11.

[@meusearchbtw]

😌

[@paultapping9510]

100% agree

[@NextPancake401]

Funnily enough, my friend switched because of a single breaking point, his install of Windows became horribly broken and nothing could fix it (we tried). So he decided to join me in using Linux (had been using it for 3 months at this point) and ever since he switched, he's never gone back, or even considered, even through the hard times. I think he believed he wanted more control, more freedom, less uncertainty. He lost a lot of his favorite software, tools, and programs but gained new ones, enjoyed the customizations, and found enjoyment in tinkering. Learned how to diagnose Linux and become friends with it. I think he's a good example of what a lot of people are, willing to change and have motivation to change but won't until a final straw situation happens. Once he switched, he embraced it because it aligned with his ideas and beliefs more. I can't say the same. I switched cuz it was cool. I switched because I wanted something new to try and because I hated Windows. Or at least initially. My most recent Linux install (September of 2023) was motivated by belief and ideas not by a desire to abandon Windows and I haven't looked back since.

[@Cobinja]

Browsers with a seach bar on the pre-configured start page have a big impact on how people dumbed down in terms of using the internet. I work in a tech hotline for a fiber/DSL and mobile provider. I constantly have to explain what and where the address bar in a browser is, so that people can open their router's configuration page.

[@kensmith5694]

I can remember a support person asking someone "Look at the upper left corner of the screen and tell me what color you see displayed there" They were desperate to get the person to stop saying "I am in XXX and the YYY doesn't ZZZ" The person on the other end was constantly going back to this same statement over and over. Eventually, he worked out that they had notepad open and full screened or something like that.

[@qdaniele97]

Most people these days don't know the difference between search engines and browsers (or between Chrome and Google or Edge and Bing). Some wouldn't even know the difference between them and Internet in general

[@blendernoob64]

No shame in using Mac with your Linux box. I do the same! Every app I can’t run on Linux I use on Mac and it’s much nicer than windows. Unix just makes more sense to me compared to windows and Mac has so much of the power user tools that Linux has that I can cd and vim much the same way in Mac. I cannot wait for Zbrush to come to Linux if it ever happens so I can completely move my work to Linux on the desktop, but I will always have a Mac on the go. Linux as a laptop has its utility but Mac just does it better and more seamless.

[@TR4NS1ST0R]

No way, a person without a blind hatred of macOS? Incredible!

[@pupsthemechanic]

I started using Linux on a virtualbox VM on a MacBook pro in 2014, at age 14. It was Ubuntu.

[@BAgodmode]

@@pupsthemechanic2014 Ubuntu was so easy to install, you had to literally be brain dead not to figure it out. It had been that easy for like, at least 5 years by then.

[@sadiqabbaszade4789]

​@@TR4NS1ST0R Well you are BLIND to the fact that macOS sucks a** when it comes to building your games/applications for it, and you don't even get that much profit from mac users especially from games. We as a company completely ignore mac because of how terrible the building process is for no reason, it is not worth the hassle for the little income from mac kids. And guess what? You go through the same horsesh*t process for iphones too. I mean, they literally force you to buy macOS if you want to build your software for apple products, and it is not even guaranteed to successfully build.

[@master74200]

If you haven't tried it yet, I'd consider installing Bottles and see if Zbrush (the Windows version) can work there as intended. It's easy to try, so if you have 5-10 minutes to spare one day, give it a shot and see if it's worth fiddling to make perfect, or if it's a mess.

[@aestheticjmack]

I made this switch two years ago and I feel like I am 1000% more purposeful with my time with tech. Open source is a realistic future to interact with if you want agency and control. I decided to pick up Digital Minimalism for my read this year and it makes sense because it fits this entire mindset. I look forward to more linux content, you are the goat!

[@UnawareBlaire]

We are at the point where the only problem desktop Linux has is the amount of people using it. Its 99% there and that last 1% is just select few companies not supporting it because they don't see a market. I wouldn't be surprised to see stuff like the adobe suite or elgato software get support under Linux by the end of this year. Just need to keep building up demand for Linux

[@c0wg0d]

lol that will never happen

[@UncleJemima]

Adobe does seem unlikely, but 2025+2026 will be a huge test for Linux in the home world. Windows 10 is still massively used, and a lot of people are going to have to decide whether to pony up the cash for (likely highly tariffed) new PCs, or if they'll take a chance on a new OS. tons of people will need to not only switch, but STAY switched on Linux for corporations to notice and adjust their practices

[@JSHADOWM]

Adobe will never come to linux now that there apps are spyware. one of there tech guys will warn them that linux users will be capable of turning that shit off.

[@rdsii64]

Elgato maybe, but don't hold your breath waiting for Adobe.

[@merelynominal]

​@@c0wg0dlol dawg Adobe is a for profit company. They don't have a grudge against Linux. Once Linux gets enough market share, they'll do everything to port their software to Linux.

[@ClassicCaleb]

Inspiring. One reason I've been gradually moving to somewhat "OS agnostic" purchases these past couple of years. Things like getting a Rodecaster Duo (works with linux) so that the next whim I get to try a full Linux migration again, I don't have to worry about software filters and processing for my mic. Bitwig Studio (yes I know about Reaper) even though I'm a Cubase diehard, but I'm trying. I would encourage anyone that isn't "ready" to make a move to Linux yet, at the very least please consider being more OS agnostic in your purchase/studio design choices.

[@ClassicCaleb]

In regard to reducing social media time by finding other hobbies, you hit the nail on the head. I've found that just committing to a healthier lifestyle, working around and outside the house more, taking walks, buying healthy food and spending more time doing things like meal prep together are much more rewarding across the board and naturally take time away from Social Media and you won't even miss it.

[@teslacuil1437]

I used to use onedrive for backups, and I switched to megadrive specifically because they have a native linux client.

[@nelejanbbi4616]

bitwig? wait don't you know about rea... *disappears into the void

[@hyoryo]

yea, unfortunately this is something most people who want to switch forget to consider. only a handfull of hardware manufacturer are like amd and make proper drivers for linux. so, hardware compatibility is an issue for linux.

[@4ngeldus739]

@@hyoryo yeah but no, a lot of stuff like sound devices and capture cards have universal drivers but there are some "premium" brands that will charge an arm and a leg for proprietary garbage that only works with their drivers on the OS they choose

[@Skibbehify]

22:49 The not mounting on boot thing annoyed me for so long till I found a simple solution. Download the gnome disks application and it lets you set drives to mount on boot. Disks>click on the drive & the specific partition>click the little cog icon (additional partition options)>click edit mount options>then there is a little toggle click that toggle and everything will no longer be grey and that drive will mount on boot.

[@XDRosenheim]

On Arch: Mount everything the way you want it. Use `genfstab` and replace `/etc/fstab` with it. Everything is now mounted at boot.

[@Ryzza5]

This is great but it's another example of things they need to just work without having to research workarounds to get more of us to jump ship. I'm curious but busy and don't have time like I used to.

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Yes, this 100%, I screwed up and my PC wouldnt boot because I did something wrong with Gparted, someone helped me fix it and then suggested the same application, both my os is fixed now and my game drives mouth at startup now. Just gotta get used to mounting drives that I keep connected by USB before using them.

[@Siltprogramation]

@@Ryzza5 They do on Fedora. Unfortunately, not all distros are as easy to drive as others.

[@Heggrik]

I fully agree with your thoughts on this. And I find it interesting with the whole digital minimalism trend lately, of which I am also a part. I wonder of it’s a generational thing or if it’s bigger than that. I myself was born in the first half of the 80s and found my brain rotting away to the point where sitting with my own thoughts and feelings was causing more anxiety than peace. Started to take more ”aware” (can’t really find the english word for it) decisions in my life in regards to tech and social media etc. To reprogram the whole dopamine process. 6 months in and already feel way more connected to people and experiences than in i have in a very long time. Thank you for taking a stand, and making your voice heard. It’s nice to know there are more people thinking in similar ways.

[@doctordothraki4378]

That's good! I believe the word you want is purposeful

[@H4KnSL4K]

At 2:30 re: Microsoft EOL in record time... Don't forget that this was "the last version of Windows"

[@GameCyborgCh]

windows 10 will be the last version of windows for a lot of people (me included), just not in the way microsoft envisioned it

[@Thexxis]

I use arch btw. Joking aside, as someone who's been on Arch Linux full time for over a year now (working on all aspects of indie game development: programming, art/3D modeling, sound/music, image/video editing, gaming, and picking up streaming again) I'm super happy with my janky, broken system. If anyone is going to break my OS I'd rather it be me than Microsoft lol. Not only because i like having the control over my own system like you mentioned in the video, but also because i love tinkering, breaking, learning, then fixing my stuff. And over time, after making silly mistakes and having to clean up my own mess, both me and my computer have matured from an oppositional relationship to a cooperative one. Nothing is worse than feeling like your computer is fighting against you, but the gratification of getting to a point where you're locked in and can really work in harmony with your system is so worth it. Technically this can also be achieved on any OS, but something about the design philosophy of arch (and by extension Linux in general) encourages me to actually challenge myself into learning more about the technology i use (beyond my natural enthusiasm for tech.)

[@UncleJemima]

I know exactly what you mean computers are highly complicated multifaceted tools that most people will never understand beyond a very basic level. that's why Apple and Microsoft have to design their systems with tons of assumptions, limitations, and hand-holding, catering to the lowest common denominator. and that's fine if all you need is basic home use but if you're a professional with advanced needs, or technically adept with particular preferences, the prescriptivism of Windows and Mac will eventually get in the way I really appreciate the Linux design philosophy, where the computer is *yours* to use as you see fit and the tools you need to change it are not hidden. there is room for improvement in the discoverability and ease of use of some tools, but resources like the Arch wiki already fill in a lot of gaps

[@Prophet6000]

I had that issue during Windows 10 where they had force updates and Windows updated mid game. I was f-it. Now I'm fully happy with Linux and I like having control of my computer experience and a basic respect of privacy.

[@hexeno]

Damn it’s like hearing myself talk. Switching to Linux, making a commitment based on personal philosophy, and eventually going back to Windows, and again and again. As a video editor your whole experience sounds very similar to mine. Issues and all. Last time I tried going back to Linux was when I was beginning the editing of my first feature film. It was a big thing, and I wanted a VERY stable workstation to focus solely on the editing, and well, I failed. Ironically had more issues than Windows. My RX 6800 couldn’t even launch Resolve properly and had that file sharing thing. And also, the same issue with audio codecs. Most of the film was shot in BRAW so that worked perfectly, but a lot was done with other cameras and well, it was a hassle. Yeah, I know there is transcoding, but there was no time for that, I had to export the dailies, well, daily. I think one of the issues with file sharing in some software on Linux is due to app installers like Flatpak or “App stores”. Those install software in a “contained” environment. But probably it was something with fstab not working properly. Got really excited when you mentioned that distro that was HDR ready. I know Linux works amazing for gaming but the lack of HDR is why I don’t switch, bummer to know that the support is there but it’s still buggy. I’m glad you read Digital Minimalism, I did too, and also A World Without Email by Cal Newport too. Got me motivated! But I ended up disliking the guy. His books are very bloated and his solutions are not very practical. World Without Email even suggest hiring an assistant lol. That writer is too encapsulated in his upper management world, the couple of books I read are clearly based on interviews with people that don’t live in the same world as most of us. I would recommend instead, Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, that book really changed my mind. It has a lot of MEAT. Not interviews or testimonials but actual deep thought about why we are living like this right now, very prophetical book from the 80s, successfully touched that subconscious part of my brain. Anyway. I’m currently using Windows 11 LTSC + Chris Titus debloat script and it’s working fine. Only using Linux on my Proxmox server. NextDNS handles the DNS blocking. I wish you the best luck going back to Linux for gaming, if you can make HDR work I’ll be there too, again!

[@yasunakaikumi]

it's not only you, every artist that I know who has decent PC knowledge are at the same boat, Linux is hard to swallow for artistic creators who rely on many tools that's only in Mac and Windows, it can run on Wine but you gotta have to pray for every move you make... then try to debug it and ask the community if there's a way to fix, then if you're using the wrong distro you'll be out of luck because no one can help you out so you have to move to another distro, then when you're in that new distro, it will work but another problem which is drivers because that distro currently does not support your new hardware so you'll either going to download a beta kernel to install a untested driver or wait a week or a month to be able to use that on stable kernel.... so on and so on.... this is my life since 2001 lol... miserable that's why I still use Windows for creative stuff and just use Linux for fun and not any other serious works. At the end just like you, I learned to debloat my Windows and also stopped the automatic updates until I need to really update the OS again and it pretty much work flawless ever since I learned this way... also using Rescuezilla pretty much solved my problem on a major update OS crash.

[@dtomvan]

I agree with everything you said, except the flatpak thing: when an app misses a permission you can easily grant it through a manager like warehouse or flatseal...

[@hexeno]

@@dtomvan yeah I was reading comments here and I think I missremembered. I think the issue was more with fstab not working properly. Edited my main comment.

[@LogansMediaHub]

You're not the only one, the most recent windows updates and the bugs that came with it have been my breaking point. also first

[@gargoyled_drake]

as soon as the constant AI watching the screen thing was announced i bounced without even doubting my choice. I was already ready. But just had some minor nostalgic windows attachments. Those days are clearly over now.

[@hyoryo]

when i first saw win10 i knew i would switch to linux someday. it still took me ten years and a few failed attemts, but my ultimate breaking point was when proton hit the deck (pun intended). gaming was no longer an excuse to cling to windows. i then switched completely to linux and never looked back again.

[@AstralBraixen]

@@gargoyled_drake If you're nostalgia for old Windows idk about really accurate options for other Windows versions but for Windows 7 there's a KDE theme called AeroThemePlasma that's more believable than theme packs on Windows people have made (except whole ISOs themed, those are quite accurate but then disable Windows update because it breaks them) And for XP and Windows 95 on XFCE you can install xfce-winxp-tc and Chicago95 and those are also really great theme packs.

[@JPs-q1o]

Mental Outlaw found the words to explain "Why Linux" 4 years ago on September 2nd, 2020...

[@DoctorSockrates]

There's a saying that I've been touting for a while that goes: "Inertia comes in many forms, not just physical." I think this is a perfect example of this - socially, technologically, and emotionally. Change can happen, but it needs steady maintenance to make it stick.

[@DudeSoWin]

Import Difference Import Motive run unwoke

[@WrestlingWithGaming]

I'm in a similar boat. After switching from adobe to davinci and affinity, my next step was to switch to Linux for basically the same reasons you mentioned. Unfortunately, Davinci has issues in linux and blender can have problems too, and those are my main work tools. Mac isn't really an option to guarantee full blender compatibility with plugins, scripts, nvidia gpu features, etc. blender can leverage in windows. Sadly, I'll have to dual boot windows for KZbin work for now but my plan is to use Linux the rest of the time I'm on a PC. I'm just so tired of not knowing what trash ad or apps will be in my start menu and windows notifications whenever i boot up my pc. I hate not being able to truly customize the lol and feel of windows without something like window blinds, and oh yeah, theres all the data MS is scooping up tonise for god knows what.

[@Skater-y3l]

What issues are you having with Blender and Linux? I use it all the time and here's one issue I ran into. In Debian Stable, the Linux version in the software center had missing features like denoising. To fix this, I downloaded the latest version from the blender website & it had all the features. Blender 3.6 works for me with Nvidia too, if you prefer to use an older version.

[@CecilEtienne]

Windows 11 was the last straw for me as this operating system is simply a personal data collection hub. Microsoft collates it's users personal data to sell to the highest bidder. I have uninstalled Windows from all computers in my house and we now use MX Linux and Ubuntu Budgie. My household will never use Microsoft products again.

[@CommodoreFan64]

If you like Budgie DE, then give Solus Budgie Linux a go, as that's the flagship distro for Budgie DE as Joshua Strobl is the lead developer on both projects, so you will see the best, and latest updates for it there, it's simple, easy to use, their software center is packed full of good apps, and best of all it's rolling release so you install it once, keep updated(usually they drop updates weekly,) and you run with it.

[@CecilEtienne]

@@CommodoreFan64 Thanks for the advice, my wife uses Ubuntu Budgie on her laptop. I use MX Linux on my gaming computer. I will try Solus Budgie on my VM.

[@CommodoreFan64]

@CecilEtienne Anytime, & I personally find It's better to just run it from a live USB 3.0 drive, or a spare SSD, as a VM can create additional overhead, & not give you a 100% realistic experience on your hardware if something rare like a wifi(that's still one of the headaches of Linux in general do to broadcom closed source drivers, & some others not providing support at all, but it's usually USB Wi-Fi chip sets )chip that might not work.

[@paultapping9510]

​@@CecilEtienne another MX user in the wild, that's three this week! You guys are like buses 😂 I always see MX near the top of tier lists but you almost never see someone say they use it.

[@CecilEtienne]

@@paultapping9510 MX Linux has been knocked off the number 1 position on Distrowatch, it's now Linux Mint.

[@elleniscoo]

Ive been running fedora as my main system for a few years now, welcome to the club I love seeing creators like you and dankpods, and James Lee for example also reaching their breaking point with windows

[@dirkschannel5817]

Three years ago I completed the switch to Linux. Never looked back. Getting rid of Windows Server was easy. I use Linux on servers since the early 2000s. Get rid of Windows on the Desktop was hard. There was always some peace of software I needed for work that only ran on Windows. Till Microsoft went full on cloud with Office I really enjoyed Office... In the end I fully embraced open source, private and professional, so the switch was a success

[@ARKY-v3x]

This is what I don't understand! Linux has bxboxeen around for a long time but no one has come in and made it more "plug and play go" like windows OS, which makes me wonder if the whole user base just enjoys being "better than windows users " or something? 34:10

[@mathesonstep]

It really does hurt me when I see people my age (early 20s) afraid to use a computer, I really don't like the way things are going and I am really starting to fear the people going into tech related fields without having any troubleshooting knowledge or really care for technology, I am very sad to see people who are just going into it for the money. I really don't know what to do, but I have hope that things will change. For me personally, I've been thinking of rebooting my website and I have a ton of little projects I want to work on so I think that's whats going to be best for me as well as sharing solutions to all sorts of different issues I have ran into on my blog whether it be Windows Linux or an issue I ran into whist working on a project. I keep trying to make short form content in hopes it reaches people so I don't have to repeat myself but I honestly found it hard to contain all my thoughts in a short form video

[@SeeOHZee]

On topic to Arch, I've started to use CachyOS which is Arch based. So far no regrets switching to that over Windows 11.

[@robertgosz4281]

Same here. CachyOs for two months now and I don't miss Windows at all.

[@paultapping9510]

same same. Cachy is excellent.

[@Yagami2027]

What makes CachyOS special? Like what is its main thing that differentiates it from other distros out there?

[@paultapping9510]

@Yagami2027 it incorporates a bunch of kernel config and optimisation to specifically make it good for gaming on higher end hardware, it is Arch based but with a much friendlier installer and on-boarding process, and it has really good hardware detection. Compared to Debian stable, my previous gaming distro, I doubled my fps output, and get games that render more correctly and at higher settings, with less effort on my behalf.

[@Jimalcoatl]

It's kind of astonishing how far basic troubleshooting skills can get you. I've never studied comp sci, can't write a single line of code, and barely understand the Linux terminal, but I did grow up getting games running on older PCs, experimenting with software just to see what I could do, doing basic hardware upgrades (like swapping video cards or RAM) and have built like a half dozen desktop PCs. That alone built some decent troubleshooting skills and at nearly every place I work (I'm an ESL teacher) I always end up as "the tech guy" simply because I read prompts, google error codes, and try to figure out how to do things that we need our computers to do. To "git gud" at using computers really just requires a willingness to read, look stuff up, and try shit.

[@wagonet]

Yep. I agree. I grew up figuring out how to get games working. That skillset has been very helpful in all my jobs. I don't have any CS background either and work alongside many who do. I don't program but I have at least found a niche with that skillset built as a kid who got into computers and attended LAN parties

[@ktnjared]

Awesome video Addie! I was Linux only in the early 00s, then got a PowerBook in ‘05. I’m pretty much where you are, being Linux first and Mac when needed. I haven’t touched Windows since October 2023. So happy to see you moving further along in this adventure. Definitely going to have to check the book out; a lot of your concerns and thoughts echo where I’ve been for a few years now. Thank you so much for making this video.

[@MrSujano]

I love that you're experimenting to find a solution that works for you. We have options for a reason, and there is no single "silver bullet" solution for everyone. Keep on exploring 💪

[@Yagami2027]

Can I know what OS you use? I always wonder about that....

[@MrSujano]

@@Yagami2027 I distro hop a lot to try out different things, but I am currently using Bazzite and Nobara on my main rig to see if they are feasible as daily drivers. 🙂

[@UltimatePerfection]

I can't make heads or tails of DaVinci Resolve, whereas kdenlive provides a nice and easy video editing and it gets advanced features such as object isolation (basically removing background without having to manually rotoscope the thing) pretty soon.

[@farissoliman7282]

Davinci resolve is supported on Linux

[@UltimatePerfection]

@farissoliman7282 I know, I am just saying that it's not that good.

[@NoYes-y9k]

This year, I finally made the switch to Linux nearly full-time. I have three computers, and only one dual boots with Windows, and that's my school based (as an Engineering Student) laptop. I've become a minimalist myself, and switched to a degoogled android, that only has access to my Jellyfin server, some downloaded books, and some downloaded music. It can text and call, but otherwise, that's all it can do. And afterwards, I feel like my life has become so much better. I think me switching to Linux has led me down a path to make my life better.

[@TheLeftistOwl]

I used to think Linux was not ready for the average user unless they are strictly only using a browser to do their work/leisurely stuff. Using Bazzite the last few months has completely changed my mind. I do think there are certain things Linux does that need to be changed for average users to get more out of the OS and be easy to use, but just playing games or doing just about anything on it has been a breeze. Any time i go back to using windows on my main desktop, I'm reminded why I stopped using it. I only use it occasionally for specific multiplayer games or software I need to do MIDI stuff. Other than that, I avoid Windows because of just how bloated it is and how many issues I have with it. Everything just works on Bazzite for the most part and that's what keeps me on it.

[@stevesveryown]

I look forward to your Linux tips, tricks and suggestions when it comes to streaming and OBS. I am on Pop but have recently installed Endeavour. About ready to try it in prime time.

[@nakkimyself]

Bro what is your camera? it looks amazing. Almost movie like with that noise. I like it

[@andydvsn]

Never been a better time. 👍

[@EposVox]

AGREE

[@Rocky_the_Protogen]

My reasons for switching: - Stability Windows has never been stable for me, constant problems. Linux just helped me see how unstable my system really was. - Data collection No more. Sure, if I go online, I'll get data collected on me, however I can choose what gets sent off. - Freedom I'm not bound to a delicate structure, Linux is a sturdy base to build on. - etc. There are so many things about it, but those are some main ones.

[@Kirathian1234]

I have had issues with NAS network shares like the ones you described too. It's been awhile but I remember trying to mount drives automatically on startup giving me lots of problems. I had to learn about fstab, chmod, and other little things like that to get it to work. I wish it was easier because I remember that stuff really annoying me at the time. "Why is this so hard.. this is such basic stuff" I remember thinking. But on other distros... it just worked like it does on Windows. So yeah.. it's a bit of a toss up with that particular issue and I'm pretty sure it all has to do with how specific distros handle permissions. But I don't know, I'm not some power user or anything. I was just trying Linux out, and while I had a great time with it (especially gaming), that one particular SMB share annoyance really soured me a little. All I wanted to do was play some music files off my NAS and it turned into an evening of googling lol. But hey, I guess I learned some things.

[@ThecatThecat-hq1op]

If you're a power-user, then I think your move to arch or anything that isn't immutable is going to be great. Those distros are specifically about taking away control from the user to make it easier, so I'm not surprised at all about the issues you ran into on bazzite (except for HDR breaking, they should have been on top of that).

[@rarebrockstark6219]

I'll swap to Linux when installing apps is straightforward, I can install any app I need, and when it's actually worth it to swap. Windows has about the same amount of freedom as Android and thats all I need.

[@dinossauroproductions6271]

to be honest, what apps do you need that you can't install or easily substitute on linux? (and by easily i mean without spending time relearning or adapting, like swaping from photoshop to gimp because gimp is trash)

[@rarebrockstark6219]

@dinossauroproductions6271 most emulators loose compatability on Linux. RPCS3 barely runs good on Windows, so I don't even want to know how I'd run on Linux. And although you covered it slightly, alot of Steam games don't support Linux or Mac. When it comes to apps: MSI Afterburner Ryzen Master DVD Fab (ripping software) FooBar 2000 (ripping software) And from what I can find Img Burn doesn't run ethire. I know I'm in a very select minority that uses their PC exclusively for gaming and media veiwing, but it's the main reason I can't see myself switching. I do have a $35 Linux 32bit laptop though! There'd also a few Steam games I wouldn't be able to play, especially VR titles.

[@eagle_rb_mmoomin_418]

​​@@rarebrockstark6219 many emulators are opensource and are often written at least partially on Linux🤦 Your mistake is thinking the same S/W is available. There are equivalents for most things but you need to do some research or watch one of the many Linux channels that cover this stuff. If you could handle win7 you can handle a modern mainstream Linux distro.

[@CCCW]

I made the complete cut to windows about half a year ago, even removing my windows partition. It's been going pretty great, but I'm a software dev so mileage may vary - but I feel it was very easy, even outside of that context. But I use windows 11 on a vm for work, for maintenance of old windows apps, and it's.. Atrociously bad?! I feel myself missing all the good and logical things from Linux whenever I'm using it. But my main point is - I think Linux, nowadays, isn't really worse to use than Windows at all anymore. Just different. I think many people could easily switch.

[@PDXASM]

Great video, Addie. Welcome to wisdom. Glad you see a reason to use your platform and voice to examine this place we're all in now...

[@numinous123]

So, basically, you hate Linux USERS and not linux itself.

[@notjustforhackers4252]

I'm pretty sure you can "FSTAB" in root/var on most 'immutable' systems like Bazzite. I'm on an AM5 system with my older 6600 running Fedora KDE for gaming, 'net, watching stuff, blah, blah, it's an absolutely brilliant experience. Perfect PC for me. ( Windows free for 8 years )

[@MiraiKishi]

OMG, the fact that you're ditching Windows has me hyped because I will TOTALLY ditch Windows too... ... If Elgato makes Linux versions of their software. PLEASE, PLEASE kick Elgato's asses in gear and get them to create Linux software! I want to use the Stream Deck and Wave Link on Linux!!!! ; _ ;

[@notjustforhackers4252]

"Stream Controller" is a perfectly good app for using Stream Decks on Linux. Available as a flatpak.

[@Pazy160]

Even if Elgato dosen't officially support Linux there are very well supported Stream Deck programs on Linux such as "Boatswain" and "StreamController". I've used both in a live event environment and they have worked very well. I don't use Wave Link but the hardware seems to work on Linux so might be worth loading up a Linux live CD and seeing if it works in other audio control software.

[@CodyShell]

My first distro was Yellow Dog Linux 5 on my fat PS3!

[@EposVox]

Haha hell yes

[@janusdk]

Oh yes! Yellow Dog on Mac PPC here. Almost forgotten.

[@iamKORHAL]

You're putting so many of my thoughts from the past few months into a video. I've been wanting to switch to Mint but haven't done it yet. Trying to figure out which programs I can switch to and learning about them before the switch. I don't want to have anything to do with Adobe, I already love Affinity. Definitely going for DaVinci. I'm happy to see you putting this out there :')

[@whifflingtove]

I recently installed Mint on my personal laptop and regretted it. It didn't even work with Intel wireless drivers out of the box and I failed to get video drivers working. I finally gave up and installed Ubuntu server and everything pretty much worked. It takes a small bit of effort to remove Snap and avoid Unity, but it's way easier than starting with something broken and extremely difficult to get working well. If you really want Cinnamon (which I don't) you can still easily do that. Also note it's a vastly better experience then Windows which was eating CPU and constantly making my laptop uncomfortably hot. Now my battery lasts 2x as long and I can properly customize things.

[@aozora7]

I'm a software developer who deals with linux servers every day at work, but when I tried several desktop linux distros in virtual machines, I never saw anything on any of them that would make me want to switch, and that's ignoring software and hardware support. Things worked fine, but everything seemed jankier and less polished than windows, and I couldn't think of any practical reason using it would improve my PC experience. I don't think I'll ever have interest in desktop linux until a large corporation comes along and does something similar to what google did with android.

[@8lec_R]

Your problem is using it in a VM. Trust me there's nothing that feels jankier than windows.

[@aozora7]

@@8lec_R There's no difference between a system running in a VM or natively besides performance, and performance is completely irrelevant in this instance.

[@8lec_R]

@@aozora7 i said the same until I installed it on my computer. You can dual boot. You probably can throw 30 bucks on a 500gb ssd to try it. I tried 10 different distros. They are all basically the same until you actually start to use them. Also have linux installed on 2 craptops, 1 ewaste computer and a Raspberry Pi. Since 2020. Never wanted to switch my main pc. Until I switched on my main pc for shits and giggles. Good hardware makes a world of difference. Also if you have never used Linux and plan to be blown away, don't even bother trying. It won't. You'll learn how good it is after atleast 1 year of regular use. If you want visual coherency, go with GNOME. If yoh want customization go with KDE. Any distro. Fedora is a good start.

[@noahhounshel104]

You're just staying with what you're comfortable with.

[@speakersr-lyefaudio6830]

Switched to linux after a windows update. Hated how it would auto update and close whatever I was working on. Learning to make my own site, run a tiling window manager and teaching myself to code.

[@chrisradtke]

I've been running Linux since the late 90s. Every once in a while i try doing Windows to try to see why people like it so much and i hate it, no freedom, no privacy. Sure, Linux has it's problems, but just find a distro that does what you need it to do and you'll be fine 90% of the time. The file/folder/share permissions is kinda annoying, but it's not really that bad when you understand what it's for. Anyway, can't wait to see more Linux content from ya!

[@randomno0]

Balding IT Director of 25+ years with 35+ years in the field here (and also ADHD): I was hanging on every word and have been singing this very song for many years now. I just can’t get people to listen for more than six seconds tops before they bail. (Thanks a lot, TikTok.) There are so many excellent points at this broad level of discussion that tie together. Most want it boiled down to a single point in seconds. It’s so hard to have an exploratory conversation anymore.

[@Blackpapalink]

I've been running Mint on some craptops for half a year, now. I'm using it as way to get myself to write more in the morning before turning on my desktop.

[@BrightEyesWolf]

Holy mackerel, Addie! This couldn't have come at a better time, lol. I've been having a very similar sentiment lately about finally giving Linux a real try at becoming my main OS. I’ve been exploring it on and off for the last 15 years, but lately I have been considering actually giving it a go, to see what works and what doesn’t. I’ve also been thinking about getting a Mac Mini to become more familiar with macOS, but I also have been wondering if that might be the system I can use for some of the creative side of things - be it photo editing or putting together a video from a summer trip and so on. Admittedly, I haven’t had many gripes with Microsoft and Windows 10 or 11, but I don’t like the direction Microsoft seems to be heading with Windows. Another motivation for exploring different Linux distributions is to have some recommendations ready for friends or family when they say, “You know what? I’m done with MS and their BS. Do you have any suggestions on what to do?” And I want to be prepared in case I feel the same way in the future myself.

[@the-patient-987]

Have you tried Nobara?

[@8lec_R]

Nobara gang 🙌🏽

[@the-patient-987]

@@8lec_R I haven't had any major issues besides still not being able to easily install mods. But that's not Nobara's fault.

[@ShadowOfTheSPQR]

@@the-patient-987 I steer clear because it makes many forked/custom modifications and this has a far smaller testing surface and can be prone to system breakage over timemuch more than handcrafting something similar on an expected fedora setup. But good luck. Hopefully you do not have that experience. It doesn't happen, until it does.

[@the-patient-987]

@ I've been using it for over a year now and haven't had any issue that wasn't user error. I hope it keep behaving.

[@8lec_R]

@@ShadowOfTheSPQR nope I trust GE to setup something for me better than I can. If you are actually a part of the community you'll see that this is not an abandoned project the discord is quite helpful

[@mysticking16]

My wife works from home and needs a webcam for her job. She does one Windows update and the webcam that she always used won't be recognized forcing her to buy a new webcam. Not long before that i made a new Linux based gaming PC. My Linux PC was able to use the old webcam with no issue. It was just plug and play

[@andi242]

It's like a rant/praise about linux 😄 but that's the way it is... it's not perfect, but neither is any of the others OSs. If this was a 100% praise Linux video it would just not be truthful. If you want to explore the other sides of the internet, Linux is perfect for that! Learning and fixing things on Linux almost automagically brings you to the better parts of the internet. Read blogs about how someone did this and that on Linux coming up with their solution that fits your use case.... Engaging with others on the same problems... ask questions...! Even helping out others on the forums,if you found the solution to a problem that someone else also has... Perhaps start your own blog on your own experiences? start the journey and you'll be off of tiktok in no time! 😄 (and please make backups on whatever operating system you are)

[@dragonwolfsp]

as a senior in high school, who is very tech literate. I agree with this entire video. I watch the students around me, my peers, and it scares me. I find their lack of agency terrifying. I absolutely agree with basically everything that was said in this video, it’s all about baby steps, we just have to stand up and take them.

[@terror6149]

Switched back half an hour ago to windows and this video popped up.. I love Linux and hate windows, but I'm a big gamer and i need windows for the kernel anti-cheat games. It sucks but until somehow, if ever developers are accepting and actively develop for Linux i will permanently switch over. F Microsoft..

[@desertfish74]

My windows partition has no programs except Steam and GOG galaxy. It automatically launches those. I only play some games that don't run well on Linux, but the number of reboots is getting smaller every month

[@terror6149]

@@desertfish74 Nice, i think I'm stuck for a while.

[@davidsmith7208]

14:54 Agreed entirely, I've been a Linux user for a long time and people who do that stuff really piss me off. I always try to give people the balanced perspective of "you will have to learn" "you will have to use different software that works differently" "don't expect it to behave like Windows, because it will never be Windows" "there are alternative software, but 1:1 replacement isn't a thing"

[@MetalPotato]

I think a good bridge is steam OS making it's way onto the scene, I got a steam deck OLED and I've been enjoying the experience.

[@MetalPotato]

For anyone that doesn't have a steam deck and wants to try it on the desktop computer, I would look up Bazzite. It's basically steamOS.

[@terryhayward7905]

This is the most effective and logical rant that I have heard on Linux. I moved to Linux Mint when Win 7 pro was changing to Win 10, and the only thing that I miss is Photoshop. I have not had to update my hardware for years, it still runs just as fast now as when I first changed, and just as fast as any Windblows machine that I have seen :)

[@FifthDread]

I started using Arch on my Laptop a little under a year ago as an experiment to see if I could someday rid myself of Windows. I've had ups and downs, many times breaking my setup after updates. However, every time I broke it, I walked away smarter about how my system works under the hood. Eventually, diagnosing an issue went from taking hours, to taking minutes. It ended up being worthwhile to me personally, as I've slowly become empowered to make Linux into my ideal platform. It continues to provide me with challenges even to this day, but I now have the confidence to use it for more than just an experiment. I do say this as someone who embraces the FOSS ideals and philosophy, but I don't fault anyone for using a platform that works for them. Glad to see your commitment to using it more.

[@salvaje1]

Just a small tip, you can reduce the work/time of re-installing the 2tb worth of games by using steam local install where the game file are sourced from a local machine that already has the game instead of the remote steam servers. I believe you need to use the beta version of the client on both machines, but you can switch it back when you are done. It saved me a lot of time when I was moving my games over from my windows laptop to my linux desktop. My internet was terrible, so reinstalling all the games would have taken upwards of a week.

[@EposVox]

you don't need any specific client version - just gotta copy your steamapps folders and put it in the new place. Can do that on any OS, and always have been able to. The problem is having a >2TB USB SSD free lol

[@omsi-fanmark]

I went from Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC to Linux Mint 21.3 at the beginning of 2024 with my main system. I'm still on it and very happy it, doing all my work and gaming on it. At the end of 2024, I got a new laptop computer, a Framework 16. It is officially certified to work with Linux and it is a complete configure-/assemble-/repair-it-yourself device (they'll even send you a screwdriver along with it!) with all individual parts available for purchase in their parts shop (for repair/replacement/upgrade). It is all AMD-based including a dGPU module (Radeon hybrid graphics 780M/7700S). I then decided to CLONE my main system to that new laptop AND to an older HP Omen laptop, so to have the exact same system, experience and software on all of these three devices. And so I did. It saved my quite some time I would've otherwise spent installing each of these two addtional systems individually. But what about the different hardware? Well, that's much easier than with Windows, because the Linux kernel does it's quick hardware auto-detection every time it boots without any "please wait" messages like you get on Windows (with a lot of wait time and BSOD risk like “inaccessible boot device”). From the main desktop system to the Framework laptop, the process was therefore very easy, it was just cloning the content of both SSDs to the destination and - after booting the Framework into text-only/console mode - removing all Nvidia GPU-related packages. One reboot later, the AMDGPU OSS drivers kicked in and I was done. The complete hardware was already working and I could even register my finger prints with the finger print reader for quick-and-easy logins and sudo confirmations. Only the full disk encryption requires a regular (and complex) password (at boot time) - and for that I wouldn’t want that to rely on a finger print anyway. From the main system to the HP Omen, the process was somewhat more tricky, because the smaller system SSD (the second disk being a HDD here). I had to migrate partition by partition, adjusting file system sizes and so on, without breaking the encrypted boot process. It took some time to get it right, but still it's much faster than an individual new installation including hundreds of gigs of software. The complete hardware was working right out-of-the-box without any changes. Linux doesn't mind the different CPU (Intel, not AMD) and the Nvidia driver was perfectly happy to use the mobile GTX1070 instead of my desktop's RTX2080S. So now I'm running Linux on three personal systems after just one year, not to mention Linux servers (at home, at a data center and at work) and XCP-ng (Xen Cloud Platform, a Xen/Linux-based bare-metal hypervisor for VMs). I still have two or three more systems to work on, but by then, Windows will only remain in the form of VMs.

[@clinttube]

(this is going to sound like one of those financial advisor bots but I am biological haha) Congrats - I've been getting the lay of the land on what computers are available in light of the coming Windows 10 EOL, and Framework is very high on my list. I'm hoping they'll offer other GPUs for the bay, I probably could do any mid-range GPU but I'd feel better that there would be greater future options. I have only recently started my Linux journey dual booting on my current and old laptops via dual-drive-dual boot. The dual internal M.2 slots and the expandable storage modules are attractive; do you have any experience booting off those storage modules? Did you have any experience with Windows on Framework as well as Linux? I do not trust any disk where Windows also resides but I do value the optionality of having a usable Windows installation ready to use as needed, ideally eventually not at all. I am aware of the Windows boot loader complications already did that research don't worry about that - more wondering about the hardware flexibility. I'm probably not going to upgrade my laptop anytime super soon honestly and my current dell is relatively repair-friendly as laptops go, and is also certified from Dell as Ubuntu-ready (which they also offer as the non-Windows OEM install). I could see myself with a similar setup as you but more simplified. My work is replacing everybody's W10 laptops with Windows 11 and I was given an early slot... it is absolutely pathetically bad and unusable if you have any experience with well-functioning and lean computing. I won't own personally own a device with that OS installed, but whether I just buy time for 3 years on Windows 10 hoping a new option emerges or just ditch Windows altogether doesn't really matter since even Windows 10 heavily trimmed and de-bloated still does things unilaterally like a freaking rootkit which I can't keep allowing.

[@omsi-fanmark]

@@clinttube The current CPU and GPU selection is what Framework started with about a year ago. They have since then improved upon some finer details of the Laptop 16, but it is basically still the „first edition“. But the goal is clear: Have a device that can be further upgraded at any later point for it’s longevity. So it is very likely that more options for CPUs and GPUs will follow. For now, in my opinion, the two AMD CPU models are probably the best laptop CPUs you can get, while I doubt that the higher-priced option of them both is worth it, it is the same CPU just with a slightly higher max. boost frequency. Core and thread count are the same. I didn’t opt in for that. The base CPU model is already quite fast. As for the GPU, the performance benefit of the Radeon 7700S dGPU module compared to the internal 780M iGPU may not be very large, however both perform quite well as far as I have observed. The dGPU however has the benefit of it’s own dedicated GPU memory, so the CPU doesn’t have to share AND it has it’s own USB-C port on the back of the module for an external monitor attached directly to it. Although Framework does not mention the possibility, both the HDMI expansion card and the DisplayPort expansion card can be used on that backside USB-C port to attach HDMI and DisplayPort monitors. Since there is nothing mechanically stabilizing those expansion cards when attached to the dGPU, I’d recommend a flexible adapter cable for prolonged, safe use. Aside from the base CPU model and the dGPU module, I opted for 2x 32 GB of memory. I was tempted to take 2x 48 GB, but then considered this to be overkill. I purchased the NVMe-SSDs separately, because Framework’s asking price was way too high here. I went for a 2 GB WD 2280 and a 2 GB WD 2230 (exactly the same models as Framework offers them). I also selected 12 expansion cards (for the six slots in any useful combination), but none of them are data storage (SSD) cards. The Framework 16 has a nice BIOS/UEFI setup tool with useful settings and it has the usual boot options. Of course it can boot from the internal SSDs and I also booted from USB stick (Linux Mint 21.3 Edge). As mentioned above, I don’t have any of these data storage cards, but I see no reason why the system would not be able to boot from them. Keep in mind, that the six expansion card slots are technically ALL just USB-C ports in a slot-in design (4x USB-C 3.2, 2x USB-C 4.0 / ThunderBolt 4). Yes, that is 6 native USB-C ports and all the expansions cards do is to either pass-through USB-C to USB-C / USB-A or to convert USB-C to LAN, Audio (as in “USB sound card”), (micro)SDcard, HDMI, DP-Out and so on. You can even plug in a USB-C cable into these ports without an expansion card, it’s just uncomfortable to do so because on the laptop itself, the ports are recessed 2 or 3 cm into the laptop chassis. USB-C port capabilities aside from normal data transfer differ: The two USB-C 4.0 / Thunderbolt 4 ports can support HDMI and DisplayPort expansion cards and can be used to charge the laptop. One of the USB-C 3.2 ports can also support HDMI and DisplayPort expansion cards. One of the USB-C 3.2 ports can be used to charge the laptop. The remaining two USB-C 3.2 ports are data transfer only (which of course includes adapters to LAN, (micro)SDcard and so on). Power supply must be USB-C PD with 180W or 240W (preferred, but not yet available anywhere) on a SINGLE port. You cannot - for example - combine 2x 120W input. Framework offers a 180W PSU, Delta Electronics have a new 240W model that should become available within the next months. I’m waiting for a 240W model, using a 100W model for the time being, but that does not yield full performance without draining the battery. The Framework Laptop 16 of course also supports Windows, in fact, most keyboard modules feature the “Windows” button. But I didn’t try, I didn’t want to taint it with M$ crap. I feel with you about all the wrongdoing of Windows, especially Windows 11. Fortunately, no one tells me what system to use. I am the “root of all evil” at work (systems administrator), so I basically do as I see fit. Before switching to Linux Mint, I used M$ Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019/2022. That is - along with the IoT version - the only one that is tamable enough to respect the users privacy and offers maximum control over your own system as far as possible using M$ crap. I wonder why so many companies are blindly upgrading to Windows 11. I would expect that several of them are official M$ Volume Licensing customers, so they should be able to use Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 / 2022 the same way I did and it is supported until 2029 resp. 2027.

[@omsi-fanmark]

@@clinttube As for people without access to official volume licenses, there are still other ways like fake key management servers that activate just anything from M$. ;-)

[@dtomvan]

23:00 I think you can just hit cancel there and it will just let you in. It tries to open your keyring but if you enter the password it finds out it didn't need it all along. So in my experience, when you get an unnecessary dialog like that, you can just cancel it. Doesn't make it less annoying though I agree

[@EposVox]

It does not

[@ShadowOfTheSPQR]

If it's a keyring issue, I find deleting the whole keyring suite is simpler than fussing with it to be honest. For accessing nas I've found it much smoother once I've set the nas to a static IP, then set it up to automatically mount a connection to the NAS on startup and so a simple sudo mount -a will get it going if it gets confused (I've found it does from time to time). The drive should be mapped and mounted or there will be problems, just depending on smb:// and so on is trouble. I use KDE but perhaps this can help across the pond, good luck.

[@ernestoditerribile]

You still can do almost everything you can on Linux in MacOS. Almost all commands in the terminal are the same. And all packages can be directly compiled on MacOS via HomeBrew or MacPorts.

[@EposVox]

Except, you know, game.

[@ernestoditerribile]

@@EposVox Yeah I only Play iPad games on my MacBook. But that's not my main reason to use Linux and Mac.

[@spooders8943]

Nixos is the new arch these days

[@RibbyCribby]

God I wish game devs would figure out anti cheat for Linux. It's so unfair that Linux is excluded

[@UncleJemima]

EasyAnticheat already supports Linux. some developers just decide not to enable the Linux flag. it's mind boggling

[@justsavagemichael]

⁠@@UncleJemimaTo add to what you said - BattleEye also has Linux support. Devs just hate enabling it, because in Linux it won't run kernel-level - which is the core issue here. They want to install (what's essentially) a rootkit on my system. Any less than borderline malware is not good enough for them. And yet, people still find ways to cheat... Everyone loses here. Very sucky situation :/

[@yaybrianna]

1:27 - My brain somehow heard this as "soccer fights" the first time...

[@RetroMusicDan]

I have been feeling this kinda way about so much for a while now x_x forever feeling frustrated and scammed, paying for stuff that bloats my system and hardware that doesn't work. Moving to take some control back and learn how things work along the way. Meanwhile vibing with the people making better stuff, open source, away from social media. Thanks for voicing your thoughts like this. I think I relate pretty hard and I appreciate you using your platform to question the status quo.

[@ClintTheriault]

Glad to see you taking the plunge to convert 100% over to Linux. I sympathize with you completely, as video editing and a lot of other stuff is still MUCH harder to do on Linux than windows. (I'm not the type of Linux fanboy who will lie about that shiz) I use Bazzite/Ublue on most of my computers for a few years now and I have some tips/opinions for you. (everything is positive so don't worry) TL:DR - Bazzite's issues are mostly to do with Flatpak and how KDE handles network shares. This isn't technically a Immutable issue, but Immutable distros make this issue much more apparent. Bazzite tip: You probably already know this, but you don't need to reinstall anything if your want to switch between editions of Bazzite. The rebase command will switch everything for you and let you keep all your apps and settings. (there are bugs with this process, but it's rare) AMD vs Nvidia on Linux: AMD is more reliable for games, but if your using Linux professionally (AI, Video editing, etc...) Then sadly Nvidia is the only real option. Resolve only supports Nvidia cards (AMD is technically possible, but don't bother), and 95% of the other video encoding gui applications are the same. With AI, almost everything needs CUDA. This is because AMD doesn't make Linux versions of their compute drivers, so the opensource community has had to step in to try and figure them out (amd does have compute drivers available for linux, but they're closed source and broken beyond belief). Your issue with the storage on Bazzite is because those folders don't pass through the sandbox that flatpak uses. I 100% feel your frustrations here and this is Linux as a desktop's BIGGEST issue IMHO. This is not a distro problem, but a issue with the flatpak store app not being allowed to use that particular storage path. This is a problem with every distro right now and is quite frustrating. It not auto mounting on boot is the normal behavior for new drives, if you want to permanently mount them you can do it through the KDE Partition Manager app (or the Disks app on Gnome). KDE and Gnome should have this as a option when you first mount the drive. In order for the apps to be able to see them after that you have to allow that app to access the folder using the permissions section in the settings app, sadly these permissions need to be added one by one. IMHO this is beyond annoying and not really something a normal user should be expected to do. Network drives are even worse to deal with because this isn't something that's easily done at boot, and linux apps rarely support them at all. This requires a workaround like rclone to automatically mount them, and this can only be done from the command line. That being said, if you DO go with another distro, you can avoid most of the flatpak related network drive issues buy using a non-containerized version of the app. (Something not easily possible with a immutable distro) Flatpaks are the future of Linux application packages, and slowly a lot of applications are becoming ONLY available on flatpak. But there are a lot of UI/Permission issues that need to be fixed for this to be a seamless process, and it's far from complete at the moment. I hope your journey into linux continues to be a mostly positive one and that by trial and error you find the solutions to your weird bugs with linux. Arch is far less reliable IMHO, and I'd recommend something like Nobara instead, but even that one has issues, so honestly you should just pick whatever you want. Just make sure to take plenty of backups. (Desktop Linux is nowhere near as stable as people say)

[@chucklanman3315]

I have been on Linux full time since 2000. I have learned so much. Not just linux in itself, but years of going through source code, and understanding what a piece of software does, and how to edit and fix code. It's an amazing Operating System, and i now couldn't use a computer without a Unix shell. The only other Operating System that i still love to this day is Amiga Workbench.

[@Henkz85]

Also, if you're thinking about switching to Linux you've probably been recommended by everyone to start with Linux Mint and when you're comfortable move on to some other distribution. I usually tell people that Linux Mint is not only "Linux for noobs". It's totally legit to stay on Mint because it's a genuinely a good distribution even for non-noobs. Sure, you might find something that suite you better but you'll probably find that Mint works completely fine. You don't HAVE to move on. And hey! You can actually dual-boot several distros that access your same files and games too!

[@edzo29]

27:38 -- Out of context, but this is really what the transition to Linux is about. You're never going to find the 1:1 replacements, you're not going to fully copy your workflows. But you can find new paths to accomplish the same or similar goals. You can make it work over time, but you have to be brave enough to change.

[@EposVox]

There aren’t any, though. To do professional scale photography and videography, the tools just aren’t there. That’s the problem. I need a hammer and everyone keeps trying to tell me I can just “get used to” using either a toy hammer or hitting nails with the butt of my drill - and neither are suitable for building a house.

[@LunaTheFoxgirl]

The drive mounting issue can be solved by editing fstab, or using GNOME Disks (or the KDE alternative) and marking it to automount on boot. Password is needed because mounting devices requires root permissions, usually. Some distros are configured to blanket allow mounting devices, others are not.

[@xWood4000]

I hate Apple and what they stand for but I would recommend their products to many. Apple know how to make good products while Microsoft doesn't for the most part.

[@8lec_R]

I mean you're basically encouraging apple to continue with their shitty practices.

[@Morristigue]

I got alot I can say about this video and the thoughts that are rolling through my mind. I like what you had to say here, and some of what you had spoke about was also on my mind. You articulated it a lot better then I can. It astonishes me how tech has advanced in many ways yet become so narrow in source that I feel like we lost the plot at some point only for everyone else to try and play catch up.

[@CommaV9414]

The amount of people that just completely shut down and throw their hands up and go "I don't know!" when I asked to do something as simple as right click something is the reason Windows will never go away.

[@EposVox]

Counterpoint: if they don’t know the basics anyway, might as well teach them the better way

[@CommaV9414]

@@EposVox that's if they want to learn. Worked in a little computer help desk for a college where we prepared students to use school systems before the semester starts. too many of them were robbed of the chance to learn how their things actually work from locked down and streamlined devices and services and thats created a lot of learned helplessness where they just shut down It was great when we'd help them get past that by showing them how to combine basic computer skills they never knew about. But I think took many younger people will never get that chance

[@kensmith5694]

Yes, there are people who think a mouse squeaks and eats cheese etc. They have a cell phone or tablet and poke at the screen and think there is no other option.

[@edzo29]

I started reading a book about the attention issue from around 10:00 or so. I think there might be something useful here, you might find it interesting: "Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again" by Johann Hari

[@EposVox]

Yes!! I recommend it a lot. Started it last spring and finally picked it back up and finished the first week of January. Good stuff

[@Ari0och]

I migrated to Linux Mint about 8 months ago! I fell head over heels without knowing almost anything about Linux, and I heard a lot from supposed "Linux experts" things like: "you'll go back to Windows eventually, you're just hyped for testing a new OS" Well... 8 months later and I'm increasingly sure that I'll never go back to Windows again hahaha :V I use my PC mainly to play and draw, and it meets all my needs, not once did I have a headache equivalent to the problems Windows gave me, the few times I had an inconvenience it was a very specific game it doesn't work or whatever, I can't open doom mods in gzdoom as practically as before but I can play anyway, even though it's a little more work... but even when that happens I think "oh what a shame, if I can't get this to work I'll play another game here". I can literally count on one hand the number of games I couldn't play here! whenever they try to invalidate my choice and my arguments about it being a better OS they say "but what about that specific game, what about that software, and that VERY SPECIFIC function that you don't even use" It's always something like this that seems like they even forget about the THOUSANDS, sometimes seeming like infinite problems and headaches that Windows gives every user EVERY DAY

[@timothyt.82]

Migrating to a non Windows system is a major trek for everyone. Devs, users, companies (but only Desktop Linux), everyone has been entrenched into the Gates machine. But the movement is starting to go somewhere. Proton is a huge step, and maybe one day if enough players make the switch more games will run natively and not even need Proton. Office work applications like the Libre Office Suite are improving as well, and if more people can hop on and support it, then hopefully it will get even more work out into it. We're not there yet, but the potential is. The first major hurdle we have to face is getting enough people to try something like Fedora or Ubuntu, as well as getting the office apps working correctly and efficiently, reliably for all users.

[@frykauf]

A decade ago I've also done that gradual switch from Windows->linux->macOS. It just made sense for the software library. I like to say I don't love Mac, but I hate using it the least out of all the operating systems out there, including mobile. And yeah I still love a few things on Linux more.

[@krimkerre]

I essentially made the same move as you.. ditched Windows, but needed certain graphical software that's not available on linux. Built myself a dual boot Hackintosh / Bazzite system and have never looked back

[@MMOStein]

Ai art is trash. Yes it is that serious. Yes I am "gatekeeping". No you cannot win this argument against me. *Ever.* No you are not (and never will be) a real artist via Ai assistance. Don't change my mind (because you can't). Bye.

[@EposVox]

I’m confused what this has to do with this video

[@MMOStein]

@@EposVox I mean, most of your video is about how there is "zero friction" when it comes to learning/developing new skills because of how modern technology (such as Ai) rots your brain. I'm an artist (I draw mostly traditionally). You are also an artist (just a different kind). So the topic of Ai art may be a bit foreign to you. I'm pointing out that generating art with Ai will never be equivalent to a real artist's work. People using Ai to make "art" did literally nothing to create it, they do not understand the blood, sweat, tears, grind, knowledge, and dexterity that's required to actually create an artwork, as they use technology to circumvent all of that. Thus Ai art has completely lost its attachment to humanity, it loses meaning and life. Ai in general literally one of (if not THE biggest) enabler of the problems you bring up here. Just like how Windows strips people of control over their PC, or how Twitter rots your brain. You switch to Linux, to gain back that control/autonomy. You delete Twitter, to stop the slow decay of your ability to focus/think clearly. You stop using Ai, to retain your ability to critically think, to read/write, or to create. Etc.

[@EposVox]

Ok yes. Sorry thought you were accusing me of claiming to be an “ai artist” lol. I 100% agree. I played with jt a couple years ago and it messed things up. I like making things with my hands

[@MMOStein]

@@EposVox Its fine lol, I did word the original post in a sort of confrontational way but I wasn't directing it towards you, I was talking to the people who would defend Ai or Microsof or Twitter, etc. I'lI also use linux too. You should also consider base Fedora if Arch ends up being a bit too "unstable" for your liking. Fedora is good middle ground between Debian based and Arch based. Its rolling, but not "bleeding edge", its also stable but not 'stagnant".

[@TheAzul_Indigo]

I switched from windows to Linux this week. I’ve never set foot in a CS class. I was tired of ads, I didn’t want to replace my 13 year-old laptop, and I want to understand how my tech works.

[@MagentaNimbat]

I've switched to Linux, I am making my neocities website, and I've got myself an iPod with a 128 GB SD card mod and have deleted social media off my phone. Small things I've done to to be free and be in charge of my experience and it has mentally improved my life and it really feels like I have control of what I want to do instead of wasting my time on my phone on content I'll forget in an hour

[@analogdarling3678]

Thanks so much for putting out this video. I’ve really enjoyed the evolution your work has been taking. The website video was awesome and arrived just as I was contemplating canceling my impending Squarespace renewal. I let it lapse and decided to build out my site again like I used to. I myself have been questioning my relationship with tech over the recent years and have come to similar thoughts as yours. Please continue the work here and on your other channel. All the best!

[@UncleSpellbinder]

I've been a Linux user for 25 years. Dual booted for a long time. It's been a bit more than a decade since I had a Windows computer. The only time I see Windows is at work. Otherwise, I'm 100% Linux. My desktop PC and my laptop both run Linux. And I couldn't be happier.

[@cameronfrye5514]

Recall was absolutely the inflection point for me. I switched in June of 2024, and other than the laptop provided by my employer I don't run Windows anywhere in my house. Like you I've been in and out of Linux for more than two decades, but never seriously considered it on the desktop until I realized what Microsoft was doing. All of my productivity and gaming happens on Linux, and my DAW is based on Mac.

[@leonoliveira8652]

As much as I love linux and hate microsoft nowadays, yeah, Mac is the way to go when you need something for PRODUCTION. I wouldn't touch it with a five foot pole, but it is what it is. For daily drive/gaming, linux is perfect.

[@danielcoffman1022]

I am truly happy for you. I cannot speak for the rest of the Linux community, but for me, I wasn’t offended about you saying “Linux isn’t ready for production”. For me, it was that, from my perspective, you were looking for a 1-1 replacement. I understand why people want that, but it’s also like taking one crap experience and trading for the same crap experience. I know, for me, that I had realized that Windows wasn’t for me because I didn’t like how it worked. I felt I was successful in switching to Linux because I unlearned how Windows wanted us to use computers and learned how Linux did things. Maybe it was my misunderstanding, but it felt like your past videos were upset that Linux wasn’t Windows. Anyway, not looking to attack, but to congratulate you. Switching to Linux isn’t about it being a replacement, it isn’t about being able to do the same thing (I found a lot of Windows supported software to be less useful), it isn’t about price, but I feel it is about letting go of the *abuse* and learning how to take ownership of your computer experience. I think you are on the right path. Good luck with your journey.

[@EposVox]

People make this argument a lot. If you’re a professional in a field, a replacement is the only option. If you need to hammer some nails, hitting the nails with the butt of your drill isn’t an acceptable compromise - and with creative work, that is often what the Linux alternatives are. Video editing is an objectively worse experience on Linux, regardless of how the OS works. Photo editing and art creation is objectively a worse and barely-supported experience. Music production is objectively a worse and barely-supported experience. I may not like how Windows works, but Linux working better doesn’t magically make it capable of doing my job. I don’t see it as an attack, you’re good - but I am exhausted by this kind of take. I have to run Mac in parallel because I cannot do the vast majority of my job on Linux, at all, and a lot of it not without major compromises to time and quality. I don’t disagree with everything you said, but the “you’ll learn to deal with it because it’s better here” is always an incredibly ignorant take from people who have never had jobs with any sort of specific requirements that cannot be compromised on. If you work for the garbage company and insist on driving a hybrid sedan instead of the garbage truck, you will not move the neighborhood’s garbage where it needs to go.

[@danielcoffman1022]

@ I see your point. I guess I start from a place of “Windows sucks” (oversimplified statement, there are a TON of reasons why I don’t like Windows), and my software experience has been horrible on it. I am a programmer and I love how smooth the Linux system runs. I guess my take has been, “if the foundation has cracks, it doesn’t matter how good your house is made, it is going to fall apart”. I mean, Valve moved to Linux because they saw their company falling apart as Windows being their foundation (Microsoft could pull the plug). So, that being said, them moving to Linux has been their way of ensuring their existence. I don’t actually think they hate Windows. I think they’re moving to an OS that can be their foundation. Like, if Microsoft got stupid and decides to kill Steam (we all know they could), Valve will at least have Steam OS. All that being said, I feel like Windows is used because it is supported. It is supported because it is used. It’s that infinite loop that the cause is also the result. I will admit that I do not use the tools you use for your job, but maybe it is because I am a programmer. I feel like Linux is just better…at least for me. I want to be a developer. Linux: Just downloaded a compiler/interpreter; done. Windows: Download VScode, or Visual Studio, sign up for the free/professional version, use copilot, and hope/pray they don’t steal my work or pull my license. But more than programming, and gaming, I haven’t been able to do something that I didn’t want/need to do. Whenever I find hardware that I want to use, I end up checking if there is software I can use, I find it, and then I script out my own workflow. Anyway, I guess my point is, I understand that I don’t understand what you know, (Again, not arguing, just sharing my personal opinion/experience) but I see that users flock to the system they want to use and the support/software will follow. Plus, as a programmer/script writer, I want to develop free(dom) software that replaces the proprietary software that people “think” they need (I say “think” because, outside of not being able to accomplish their task, people learn the tool and not technology). From a programmer perspective, I have seen programmers completely lost because their IDE is either not supported or broken. Plus, as we have seen, future features become limitations. I would love to write software to make things better. In fact, I believe I have started doing so. I don’t like IDEs, because they’re just too resource heavy and lock away too much from the programmer, that I am writing a command line IDE. It is written in bash (so none of the secrets are hidden). I guess my point of view has become, (this will sound stupid) maybe the hammer isn’t the tool we truly need for pounding nails. Maybe the tool we needed was actually yet to be invented? My other point of is, other companies may try to ensure their existence just like Valve someday. (But that is a long shot)

[@EposVox]

@ it’s definitely a not fun feedback cycle as you said. Most people just need to get the job done, they can only use the tools that work. It’s unreasonable to ask more than that. That’s why it’s important for those of us who CAN juggle it all to speak up - but it’s going to continue to be niche and we have to lean on companies that already support cross-platform development in the meantime and hope the rest comes with it. I think the biggest struggle is that the majority are programming-focused. You can get your dev environments just about anywhere. It’s easy to see that there are “video editing tools” or “photo editing tools” and assume the task can be done there, but the specifics matter a LOT unfortunately. If you had your IDEs, but no git or you had to compile on Windows still (struggling to form analogies) it wouldn’t be as good of a use case.

[@DavidHunterChunkyRiffs]

So many good points in here and I agree with all of them. Thanks for the video, I hope more people start talking about these issues.

[@ciberkid22]

I'm 2 months into Linux Mint, and so far I've found it fun! There's always the learning curve in swapping to a new Operating System, but getting around those bumps is fun and the control makes the pc feel more like *my* pc

[@solidsnake1298]

I made the switch to 100% Linux last summer, PopOS on my desktop and laptop and I've always run Ubuntu on my home server. All the Windows 11 non-sense pushed me over the edge. I was fed up with all the hoops I had to jump through to disable all the telemetry, ads, pop-ups asking me to use Edge, updates breaking things. Then a Windows update would reset all the changes I made and I had to re-do all the config changes AGAIN. I still keep Windows on a secondary drive, just in case. But I haven't booted into it since I stopped playing Destiny 2 last summer. And none of the games I currently play need Windows to run. There are an increasing number of tech savvy folks in my life that are saying exactly this. Most haven't made the jump, but they're seriously considering it and are asking me about my experiences.

[@crytocc]

Regarding the network storage: it seems that Dolphin uses some kind of KDE-specific 'storage backend' mechanism that, instead of mounting the network storage at a path in your filesystem, expects it to be accessed through that KDE-specific storage abstraction layer. Which of course isn't implemented by a lot of software, and so in that software it just isn't accessible. I don't know why Dolphin (or some other KDE component?) chose this way to do it, but it seems to be why I eg. can't open music files from my NAS in most media players, but they work fine if I open them in mpv. (On Windows, 'network locations' are an integral part of Windows' own OS filesystem layer, so anything using the standard Windows APIs would automatically support it. But this isn't true on Linux, where applications are expected to use FUSE to achieve the same result, and which Dolphin clearly doesn't.) Edit: It seems that the abstraction layer is called KIO, and that there's a tool called kio-fuse that, when installed, fixes this issue so that applications which don't support KIO still work with KIO-accessed files by transparently creating a FUSE mount when attempting to access them.

[@SubwayToSchiff]

Switched to linux (nixos) a few weeks ago and so far I am really enjoying not getting constant requests for updates and ads shoved into my face. There are a lot of rough edges, especially with graphics not 'just working' for things like hardware acceleration in browsers and apps, but so far it's still a great learning experience and I haven't hit a roadblock that would make me turn back yet. (OrcaSlicer for my 3d printers not working is suuuper annoying tho, but that should be fixable.) One thing I would absolutely love to take more control back is my over my phone. Am currently using a Poco X6, which is a brilliant device considering its cost, but the xiaomi launcher is just utter garbage, and the apps constantly get enshittified. No dice tho. Pixels cost easily 3x the price for waay worse phones, and Lineage and other alternative OSes don't really target most phones.

[@uis246]

17:16 sure you can. You go from using kdenlive on windows to using kdenlive on linux. Software vertical monopolists like Adobe will design software in non-interoperable way, so most creators can't do incremental replacement not because linux does not allow them to, but because Adobe does not allow them to.

[@EposVox]

Except kdenlive doesn’t do anything I need lmao. Has nothing to do with Adobe (haven’t used premiere in 7 years) and everything to do with it just not being competent for the job

[@uis246]

@EposVox I was generalizing here. I think I've seen only one or two videos on switching to linux, that weren't "I can't use it because it does not have Adobe, Adobe and Adobe". I remember you mentioning using davinci, which is better, but as you mentioned has its free version lacks non-free codecs. Although it shouldn't be a problem, since everything supports Opus, which is better than all popular non-free lossy codecs, and FLAC is the only widely-adapted lossless codec. I'm interested in what kdenlive lacks in terms of functionality.

[@ContantContact]

Good video. I switched to Linux Mint almost three years ago. An IT pro and Electrical Engineer, I retired from work about 5 years before that. Having a bit more time free, and really unhappy with the direction of Microsoft (which keeps getting worse), I put Mint on one laptop, and got everything going I needed, and then switched 4 more. Now it is all I use daily, and I still do IT work, but from home now. I don not miss windows at all, and am amused at all those who hate it but never do anything about it.

[@hyoryo]

from personal experience here are some tips for tech savvy gamers like you: - use Arch, the install script has become fairly good now, and the wiki will teach you The Way. - ditch gnome (especially if you use wayland), gnome has become incompatible with most linux stuff and keeps on straying further away. - configure and use gamemode, automatic performance configuration of most drivers is abyssmal at best, using gamemode you can force gpu and cpu into high performance mode while you play games. - stick to amd if you can, X3D tech for processors gives an extreme boost in some games, and amd radeon drivers are still better integrated into linux. - do not use hdmi, the hdmi consortium openly opposes linux and does not allow any driver to utilize your hdmi hardware to its full extend.

[@whifflingtove]

I'm still using vanilla gnome, and don't have much issues with it. It used to be a lot easier to change the theme to remove window titles and chrome, but I can still do that on some apps using extensions. What do you use instead?

[@hyoryo]

@@whifflingtove here are two examples from the top of my head: 1. gnome stores common icons in an other location than all other DEs. so, apps which want to use themed icons in their toolbar need to make special exceptions for gnome. 2. gnome refuses to render server side window decorations under wayland. so, apps which do not account for this will have no title bar or window border (like davinci resolve for example). So, most app developer no longer support gnome, because gnome demands way to much special treatment compared to all other DEs. Since i use linux as my long term daily driver i chose the other big DE: kde.

[@ShadowOfTheSPQR]

I really recommend KDE. I would sooner go for something fedora or suse based, which aren't as intuitive as they should be but are less work to get going and stable and maintained than arch. Even ubuntu is a reasonable suggestion for a beginner switch, snaps aside (which can be gutted, replaced with flatpaks and then forgotten).

[@FrazzleCat]

At present I don't have Windows installed on my machine. A couple of days ago I secure erased two of my drives, installed Nobara, and here I am. This after dual booting Nobara for awhile and then eventually setting it as my default partition. While I expect to eventually install Windows onto one of the smaller drives, this happened after Windows installed an update without my knowledge, which, predictably, all but bricked the o/s; GPU drivers were entirely broken, network driver was broken, and I couldn't install new drivers (even after DDU, for example). Windows has reached a point where I need to re-install it at least a few times a year. I suppose the point, other than to rant, is that changing bits of what you do (like dual booting to Linux for some gaming) helps in the long run and shows that no, you're not beholden to "this" or "that" platform (outside of edge cases). Now I just wish that Linux had better handling of displays that have two different resolutions. I so deeply miss Virtual Super Resolution (I'll be honest, integer scaling is "VSR at home").

[@mronewheeler]

One day a good friend of mine told me he had switched to Linux. He said it felt freeing and that he was inspired to learn more about computers because of it. And I've always liked to challenge myself by making big changes and forcing myself to learn. So after some hesitation, I erased Windows 10 completely and installed Ubuntu on my one and only PC. And I have never looked back. I haven't really learned much more about computers but I do indeed feel free using Linux.