Windows Users Need To Know This Before Switching To Linux

[@_antoniocouto]

First honest Linux switch recommendation I’ve seen in years. Is nice to see that there are people in the Linux community that has common sense and do not say the traditional “Linux can do everything that Windows does, and better” that some Linux fanboys love to preach.

[@buu2k195]

dt is always very honest. you never see him talk like some other linux evangelist do. he's always objective and will point out the pros and cons

[@louistournas120]

Once, a guy told me that a problem with Linux is that it does not have AutoCAD. Some fan boy apparently had recommended Linux to him. That's a mean thing to do. If it is not part of Autodesk's business plan to support Linux, then you must use Windows or move on to some other product. Same for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premier. I have heard that there is no Linux equivalent. That's normal. The programmers do it for the love of it. The artist could join in and make recommendations. If the programmer is a dick, then there is nothing we can do. Open source software is useless for artists (an artist is not going to dive into your source code). Another one was about commercial projects. Why don't people form companies and make software for Linux? Not many people open software companies. It's not viable. A few form teams of 2 or 3 people and make software for iphones and games for ibones.

[@amrishpatel3501]

@@louistournas120 I know Blender is supported in Linux. Though since most of the art software I use isn't supported on Linux. I'll stick with Windows 10 instead.

[@SunIsLost]

Yea! Good point. By everything, they probably meant that people can browse a web and play some game(s), use desktop and use app. Among other things. It's probably "Yes, you could do ALMOST everything on Linux ,that you can do on Windows, BUT, it would be much much harder - more difficult, and one thing that take 5 minutes on Windows, could take DAYS if not WEEKS (or more) on Linux" But, they didn't say it, because people would be like "What's the point of switching to Linux when I can't do everything that I can do on Windows or do it EXACTLY like on Windows and just as fast if not faster than Windows? Nah, I would stay on Windows, because it "just works" and it's "easier " *(Easier in terms of normie point)*" or, they would be like "I wish I could use linux, but, I can't, because I have a 12 hour job, that requires some basic computer knowledge (office, adobe suite) and I can't waste my precious time trying to figure out eg. why isn't this button working instead of work, so I will stick for Windows for now."

[@wyterabitt2149]

@ippos_khloros I havent tried Linux once and not have it fundamentally broken somewhere stupid. Tried Mint not that long ago, VLC wouldn't install or do anything. Spent an hour going through every resource I could find - which also led me to find Firefox will sometimes completely destroy the OS and freeze if you use too many tabs . . . . . . only a hard reset fixes it. Yay. Of course I could use something else, but that is not how an OS should be and if I don't trust what is happening or know why I won't stick with it. Put on one of the few games I play, although older it has an actual Linux version. No sound . . . . . not a single resource with a few hours of trying to fix it helped. And that is similar to how every experience has been since I first tried Linux over a decade ago, across a lot of different computers all of which didn't *need* Linux, they all had good semi modern specs. I like the idea of Linux, but I have never had a positive experience once with it.

[@Selbstdenkender]

I switched to Linux about half a year ago, no regrets, I'm much happier overall. Linux is just superior in every way. I was on my own, learned a ton of commands (voluntarily) and I'm still learning, using Linux full-time now, for my job and privately. No longer dual boot, completely ditched Windows. Even my wife uses it now:)

[@TudorGeorgescuNL]

Lol, I use Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS, the more the merrier.

[@AbhishekBM]

@@TudorGeorgescuNL Whoah!!! In the same pc?

[@TudorGeorgescuNL]

@@AbhishekBM Not in the same PC. But, technically you could have them all in one PC.

[@oscwavcommentaccount]

@@TudorGeorgescuNL These OSs can be sorted into 2 categories. Windows NT: Windows Unix or Unix clone: Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS

[@amalirfan]

Think about windows gives me anxiety, or I should say nostalgia 😆😅😃😐😕😦😢

[@jpHasABadHandle]

Valve's Proton has pushed gaming on Linux forward quite a bit in the last two years. Things like anti-cheat software are still a roadblock, though.

[@geovanneteixeira100]

Yes, I remember that in 2014, when I started using Linux, trying to play on Linux was very bad, we only had wine and openGL, most of my games didn't work during that period, after proton and vulkan, almost all of my games from steam work now.

[@hammerheadcorvette4]

Running Windows in a VM solves that problem. GPU Passthrough has made it easy to do.

[@timonstrae4022]

MentalPatient you lose 5-10%

[@jpHasABadHandle]

@@hammerheadcorvette4 My setup couldn't physically fit another graphics card.

[@holyhelga]

Those anti cheat I call anti Linux filter

[@ransan]

I usually boil down the "Can I switch to Linux?" question to two major points: 1) If there's software/games you absolutely can't drop, don't switch. 2) You should have the TIME AND PATIENCE to find and learn new software. YOU WON'T JUST MAGICALLY BE COMFORTABLE RIGHT AFTER THE SWITCH. IT WILL ABSOLUTELY BE STRESSFUL AT FIRST because most of the things you're used to get thrown out the window (no pun intended). Distros like Mint, Linux Lite, Zorin, and Feren may try to look like Windows, but that's only to add a tiny bit of comfort and familiarity and nothing more. These distros are still NOT WINDOWS. It's a process, it takes time to be comfortable in it. But if you tough it out, then you just might see the magic us Linux users keep going on about.

[@MichaelTilton]

Distros trying to "look" like Windows are a disservice IMHO. They do nothing to help other than dressing up the UI, and that itself are misleading.

[@MichaelTilton]

@Deon Denis you might have missed the point of my post. If all a distro does is make it pretty, it hasn't actually made it better. Every distro I have tried is basically the same girl with a different dress on. She's still s bitch underneath. Meanwhile Android is Linux done better. The year of Linux on the desktop has already arrived, it's just that it is in our pocket.

[@aphextwin8520]

You can play Team Fortress 2 on linux, so other games don't matter at all

[@louistournas120]

@@MichaelTilton Why is it a disservice? Windows is the popular OS. Something in the range of 90 to 95% of desktops run Windows. Most people want something familiar. It's not that it is impossible to learn something totally different, but for most people, it is a waste of time. For example, for cars, it's basically a standard. You either have a manual or automatic transmission and most of them are nearly identical. The steering wheel is the same. The position of the parking brake, gas pedal, break pedal is the same. Then you have left sided driving in England and a few other countries. What were they thinking? Standards are good. Small differences are fine.

[@louistournas120]

@@MichaelTilton I'm not sure what you mean. What do you mean by it is a bitch underneath? Yes, Linux has it's issues. The software installation and packages thing is messy. There are too many of them. There is the dependency hell problem. I can't comment on Android. I use mostly Kubuntu, some OpenSUSE and tried a few other distros.

[@ДеанДонков]

nobody: Arch Elitists: Why am i watching this?

[@98SE]

haha... I use ARCH BTW................

[@Yasharvl]

lol, I was asking myself why in the world I'm watching this!? But, quite frankly, it's a good video.

[@VanStabHolme]

@@98SE pls stop with this "I use Arch, BTW" madness... I use Gentoo btw.

[@garryiglesias4074]

I use Slackware and Arch... But Windows too as I'm a game developer :).

[@VanStabHolme]

@@garryiglesias4074 The only thing I used Windows for was games, now that I've decided to make a clean Gentoo install I have no Windows and thus I won't waste my life on games so I can finaly do something productive in my life, yay.

[@davidruzzo5806]

In a free world there is no need for windows and gates! I switched from Microsoft Windows to Linux Mint 20.3 several weeks ago. I was first running it on a ASUS Chromebox that I reprogrammed to run another OS. I just got a HP elitedesk 800 G2 mini and installed Linux Mint 20.3 and I love it. No headaches, no maintenance with cleaning out dead files and defragging drives or anything. I am running my HP with 128gb SSD, 16gb memory, i5 6500t CPU @ 2.5ghz and everything runs like a dream. Don't know why I used to think Windows was so great!

[@geovanneteixeira100]

Linux in the 2000s had projects that tried to be similar to Windows XP, which in the past was an example of quality, due to the choices made by microsoft and the maturing of the Linux communities, we reached a level where we do not need to copy microsoft, with linux having its own standards.

[@tacofortgens3471]

Lindows renamed to linspire, I rememvmber

[@aldntn]

I recommend installing Linux on a old surplus computer. That old computer may soon become your daily driver. At that point you're free. I still have a Win7 machine that will go to Linux when it breaks.

[@AndrewGulak]

This has exactly what I did. Old laptop that I didn't care if I melted. And I did. And I always scrubbed it and started over. Now I'm a shameless distro hopper.

[@champfisk5613]

Reasonable

[@joschafinger126]

That's the way, at least for those who have a surplus machine. On that note: second-hand laptops can be dirt cheap, especially if you don't buy them with a Windows license.

[@champfisk5613]

@@joschafinger126 where do you get second hand laptops with no windows license?

[@joschafinger126]

@@champfisk5613 There's a shop in my town, and in the past I got a few. Also, the good old device of buying a mate's or mate's mate's old machine can help.

[@geovanneteixeira100]

Who has never tried to make a prank on a friend using a KDE with Windows themes and icons using a Live USB? well, at least i tried...

[@dougtilaran3496]

It was a good try because KDE is already close to being a Microshaft program. Gnognome wins the Android battle

[@KSPAtlas]

@@dougtilaran3496 wym? KDE is about as similar to windows as budgie desktop is

[@davidgomez79]

There's a learning curve but its worth it. Linux has a much better user experience.

It's the first six months that are a pain, but I've never met anyone who, after using only Linux for six months (not dual booting) is seriously considering going back to Windows. Learning Linux is not at all difficult, you just have to have the RTFM mindset. But unlearning Windows, that's a huge obstacle to enjoyment and requires a lot of effort. That's why I advise against dual booting. You have to let go of Windows, in order to have a good experience on Linux.

[@DuvJones]

@ I would agree with that, through eventually I went back to dual-booting. That said, for me, their is a difference between me knowing what I am doing with my dual-boot and me doing so because "You are always going to need windows." Braking habits is hard, and harder the more ingrained the habit is. So I ended up learning Linux by necessity, basically being challenged to use it (I have been using Fedora since Fedora Core 2) and (because of things at the time) just going all-in for a few years with nothing else. Not the best way to learn, but it does force you to learn. Still I would suggest a dual-boot at least at start, why? Get familiar with Linux as much as one can before you go all-in, sure it is a crutch.... but going all-in is like being dropped from a plane into the woods, alone. You pack before you make that jump, you know what you need, what you don't, you understand some of the dangers and what you can't have before you get out of the plane. Same idea with Linux, use it, use it alot, get comfortable with it and when you feel like you hit a plateau... go all-in.

@@DuvJones I disagree. If you dual boot, every time you encounter a difficulty on Linux but need to get something done, you'll be tempted to boot up Windows and just do it there. You'll say to yourself: "sure, Linux is better, but I really have to get this stuff done, so I'll just use Windows, only this one time, I'll figure out how to do it on Linux later." And the next thing you know, you'll be booting Windows all the time, and the Linux partition will be just wasted space on your drive. Learning only happens outside your comfort zone. If you don't have a crutch that is Windows, you are forced to figure out how to do stuff on Linux. It may seem more painful to do it like that, but the total amount of pain is actually lower (there are just some intense spikes from time to time, removing a Band Aid is a good analogy). So, my recommendation is: do not dual boot for at least 6 months, ideally a year, until you figure out how to use Linux for pretty much everything. Then, and only then, when you are an experienced Linux user who doesn't need Windows for everyday stuff, if you really want to play a Windows-only game or do something that is very Windows-specific, sure, install Windows on a small partition and use it only to fulfil that specific requirement. Then it won't be a crutch and you'll have the best of both worlds.

[@DuvJones]

@ I can't agree with that because I have seen it happen to quite a bit of people that is completely new to Linux. Dropping someone into another OS, any OS, "cold-turkey" like that is a recipe for trouble for the unprepared. As I said, it's like dropping into the woods, alone. You don't know how to navigate, the tools you are to rely on are different (and in linux's case, at times changing), the interface is different enough to be alien, and linux is unique in the fact that with many tools, they give you a gun... if you point it at your feet and press the trigger, that is on you but there is no assumption in the fact that you know how to handle said tool. By using linux, it's assumed that you know that "rm -f /" does your system, for example. And should you do that (assuming that you are in root, assuming that you know how to get in root, etc.).... Linux isn't about to attempt to stop you. Which is why, as much as it does bug me, dual-booting at least for 6 months is a good idea with a learning process behind it. At least till you feel that you can live in linux, have some idea of the lay of the land. Once you have that... "rough it". The VERY worse thing that I have seen was what I pulled, which was "cold-turkey"... just diving in. No idea with how different linux actually is. Sure, I learned a ton, didn't give myself much of a choice in that, but some things I could have learned faster without "roughing it" had I known what I was dealing with at the time. But again, I never gave myself the time.

[@joschafinger126]

@ It kind of depends. I did use to dual boot, for some six or so years. I did so mainly because of Age of Empires and The Sims. Dual booting made the transition easier for me -I could have the best of both worlds. Sure, my situation was a bit unusual: as a teacher in Extremadura, Spain you use Linux at work, so using Windows to write your worksheets and exams, then taking them to school to be printed from Linux and suchlike can be a real pain. After all, dual booting or no is a decision that's as dependent on each person's situation and needs as the eternal issue of "the best distro".

[@smdias65]

"Learn to enjoy the process." I love that. You hit the nail on the head.

[@vasocreta]

exactly. And that was what drew me to Linux roughly 13 years ago. I love the process of learning Linux, tinkering, etc.

[@alexandersuvorov2002]

That’s why Linux will never make it to business users.

[@mihairomulus2488]

@@alexandersuvorov2002 weird since it's extremely used by businesses

[@alexandersuvorov2002]

@@mihairomulus2488 I mean desktop business users, not server market. On the server side Linux won over UNIX. I also switched to Linux on desktop because Windows really falls behind in terms of functionality and flexility.

[@LXM10]

I just switched over to Linux for a few weeks so far and been learning everything I can from you and others, but so far I'm loving it. I've already broken a few things here and there, but it's part of the learning curve. No regrets so far.

[@GrantZaitchick]

I respect where you are coming from. I know about the headaches of dual-booting, but for the short term it is one of the best options for people to try and compare the two on the same system. For the long term, you generally learn what to do in Linux to recover many aspects of a system. WINE is much better than compared to years past. While it is still mainly its game support that has been accelerated by Steam's efforts, there are many improvements that have been made to the project overall.

[@johannbauer2863]

Last time I was this early, I was using Windows

[@DistroTube]

Lies! Windows would still be booting after last night's update.

[@singha360]

@@DistroTube hahaha good one DT!

[@skilz8098]

​@@DistroTube I'm still running Windows 7. I don't get any more updates nor do I care too! I don't plan on switching to Windows 10 anytime soon either! I don't know Linux well enough to make the switch and nearly every application I'm familiar with is Windows-based... I'm not trying to put down Linux at all, but I think I'll stay with what I know for now. One day if Microsoft continues to overreach and force more shit on you that you didn't ask for, and allows you to have less and less control of the hardware and software that you paid for, then I might finally abandon them. I've been running Windows since Windows 3.1 and Dos 6.0. So my knowledge of Windows is fairly good, even to the point where I had to edit and fix my own dreadful "Window's Registry files"... or having to patch a failing "*.dll", etc. I'm so used to Dos or Command Prompt commands and functions that when I tried to learn Linux via Cygwin64 Terminal, I know the struggle of trying to learn the bash commands... and that's not even a full distro... Don't even mention Mac because I can't stand Mac systems, not their OS's nor their Hardware! I think one of the main reasons why I do like Windows is due to their "driver base" for various hardware. I normally custom build my machines as I prefer not to buy pre-build manufacture bloatware machines. Over 25+ years of Windows experience is hard to unlearn and break old habits. Outside of that, I'm self-taught in C++ developing 3D Graphics Rendering programs and 3D Game Engines, and more... I use both Direct X 10,11 and Modern OpenGL, I'm starting to learn Vulkan, but one of the hardest switches for me would also be the C/C++ compiler, linker, and debugger that I'm used to... I'm used to Visual Studio's IDE and how everything is integrated together and how to set up the environment to my preferences... switching to Linux would force me to have to use GCC or Clang... There is nothing wrong with either of them, again it comes down to what I know and been using for many years... I've tried using VSCode which is okay in its own right, but I'm still more comfortable in Visual Studio...

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@skilz8098 My story is much the same as yours, certainly in your first paragraph. I'm still using Windows 7, as I have for the last 10 years. I tried Windows 10 natively for 2 months before I decided to switch back, just days before support ended.

[@skilz8098]

@Maxblau nope still using win 7

[@horatiumarasescu6187]

Derek, very honest and to the point video. And yes 12:15 is the reason I left behind dual boot shenanigans. I dual boot only Linux distributions and no issues whatsoever.

[@thespider7898]

Temple OS is the best operating system. There are two types of people, avoid both of them. Thank you for choosing Snapple.

[@alberttibor8458]

Tell me more about temple OS

[@thespider7898]

@@alberttibor8458 Temple OS is coded from scratch, so it is the most unique OS currently available. It was created single handedly by Terry Davis as his life's work.

[@hammerheadcorvette4]

Former Dual Booter here... NEVER AGAIN ! Do the right thing and if you are on Linux, run Windows in a VM.

[@Lanzetsu]

You can install them in separate SSD, so one will get your Window partition and other the Linux one, also Linux itself is not friendly with other Linux distributions sometimes, so you need to be careful

[@champfisk5613]

This stuff is not true, I've ran both on and off for years

[@BenitoF2009]

Can you get your actual running WIN7 into a VM? And if "yes" -> how? 🤔

[@Lanzetsu]

I know you can but doesn't remember exactly how, not sure if it was making a disk image of your partition or setting something in the VM program.

[@hammerheadcorvette4]

@@BenitoF2009 I did this 5 yrs ago. I imaged my Windows 7 install into a .vdi so I can use it with VirtualBox.

[@jacobkrause5945]

Been a windows user since the 95 days and end of last year I switched linux full time. My main use is gaming and programming and so far I it has been great. Lutris and Steams Proton are excellent programs that make gaming very easy on Linux. At least with the games I play like Kingdom Come Deliverance and Hitman I have had zero issues. What Proton can accomplish now is just amazing.

[@fharidvalencia2068]

I remember I enjoyed SO much when I first switched to Linux when I was 13, I transitioned to Ubuntu when it got the first Unity desktop, Ubuntu 11.04, and I know most people hated it, I just loved it, SO different from Windows, so fresh, such a new essence, it ran pretty well, its competition after all was Windows 7 Starter on a 1GB RAM notebook, that was just a joke, but Ubuntu made it actually usable and enjoyable and used it all the way to college when I had to use Windows again, and I have never been a Linux power user, but I appreciate so much this community for all the hard work they put to spread free and updated software to anyone no matter who they are

[@punklejunk]

I switched to Linux ten years ago primarily because of cost (it was frustrating to have older hardware being left unsupported; I love that Linux gives old laptops a second lease on life-- also, Windows was easily $100 or more if you paid for it). Very soon I saw that Linux simply ran lighter and better for me. Have not looked back since.

[@jamieturnage4574]

i left windows for linux a long time ago dont miss windows a bit

[@divingdave2945]

Dual boot works just fine for me. Had no issues so far, and I don't see how Windows could affect my Linux system in any way, as long as I keep those two separated on different disks.

[@somethingelse9228]

some people likely wouldn't have that luxury

[@Fhoz]

@@somethingelse9228 Windows is pretty tame when Linux is on a separate disk

[@finnk1289]

The biggest shift is really software. If your browsing, content creation, gaming, chat software is available on Linux, you're set. Firefox, Discord, Steam all work fine. Music player, file manager? That may have to change. Desktop environment? You can bind it to work the same, or way better then before. If you don't want a tiling window manager, I recommend KDE. It encourages you to poke around. Great video by the way. You explained the reality of Linux, and that we'll never be Windows, without gatekeeping.

[@andrewpalm2103]

An excellent and honest summary, Derek. I have two dual-boot laptops that have run without issues, except for the install, which took some fiddling that was not beginner-friendly. Great job!

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

Im a deplorable and use Linux full time 😉

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

😆🤐

[@musicalneptunian]

People with any kind of hat are fine in the Linux community!

[@GreyGhost-r4z]

Musical Neptunian Just fooling around. I was feeling amused yesterday. Built my Son a cheap Manjaro machine last night.

[@HungryGuyStories]

Me too! He's obviously not a gamer. Nearly my entire Steam library runs on Linux. The few games that don't run on Linux, I buy the console version. My machine also has removable drive bays -- no dual boot. So if I want to run a legacy Windows game, I swap drives and boot into Windows.

[@supersebastianman]

Love the honesty of this, I kinda love the little challenges of Linux and of course the values of open software

[@temp50]

Linux + random laptop + broadcom wlan nic, Nvidia Optimus, etc...? You are either lucky or not using your hardware enough. :D

[@joegee2815]

I usually recommend Linux Mint to people moving from Windows because it's easy to install and the out of the box interface is close to the Windows experience. And it's a good distro for the casual user. I'm trying Manjaro now on my macbook pro. I'm liking it and may start recommending it.

[@StephanePasquierThailand]

Very nice video, thanks. I switch to Linux Mint, 2 weeks ago, after 40 years on Windows. Not easy, but happy.

[@antonvoloshin9833]

Man, windows don't exist that long, first release is '85 if I'm not mistaken. But still - wow! Funny thing I've too switched my home desktop to Linux about 2 weeks ago :)

[@StephanePasquierThailand]

@@antonvoloshin9833 Thanks man, it's a great OS....!!

[@akaCol1987]

4:48 "tired, old point and click Windows paradigm" Even as a Linux user, I find myself opening up a terminal window and think to myself, "Welp, back to the 80s we go..."

[@gabiold]

Terminals aren't the 80s only. CLI is still useful, better and superior, and always will be... ...in specific use cases. There are things that need a plethora and options which always be faster to type than click through a dozens of windows. Or when you wan't automation. It is natural with CLI, really complicated if even possible in a GUI-only program. And there are things that needs heavy visual support, overview of thihgs simultaneously, etc. which are not really convenient in CLI. GUI is.far superior for these tasks. It would be really silly to edit photos in CLI. 🤦🏻‍♂️ There are always these debates that CLI is oldschool and why there isn't a GUI for everything... It is not oldschool, it's a different school for different purposes, and there is no really good gui for some tasks and because of the nature of some tasks, it is a huge amoint of work to develop an universal GUI which could even do the all the tasks at all, let alone would it fit everyone's workflow.

[@kraftykactus1028]

*puts on my cool sunglasses despite being indoors with the windows closed* "Alright, hacking time..."

[@Hadw1n]

Finally someone who doesn't glorify linux gaming. I play a lot on my rig so I do not use it on my main maschine. I use it on my laptop where I work.... and yes battery is a bit shorter but enough mostly. Thanks for the content distrotube. As a newbie I appreciate it. Thanks a lot for the Arch Installation tutorial :)

[@danieldiaz143]

I switched to linux on 2008 thanks to windows vista and it's impossible long boot time. It's been great since day 1 and there so much to learn that I'm still learning stuff. Currently daily driving kubuntu

[@alritedave]

We really need more videos like this. I use Linux for work stuff only, but for home use people really need the good and the bad explained!

[@kibis54]

With all the limitations and gimmicks of Windows 11 a lot of people I know, myself included, are considering switching to Linux some time soon. Thank you for the help!

[@johnstath9666]

Thanks DT. Your advice is always to be listened too. As a new Linux users my advice to anyone wanting to make the jump is a) partition your drive and save your work on that partition, otherwise get an external drive and save it there, b) you will do (a) because you will do distro hopping. No different to walking in to an ice cream shop. You get there with a set idea but once you’re in the shop all initial ideas go out the window.

[@QuirkQuest123]

i have to dammage my eyes in front of my pc screen and spend thousands of hours to learn about linux especialy when you re over 40 y.o

[@kboutdoors4599]

Windows does everything for you so all of the things that you are doing in a Linux Terminal are what is actually happening behind the scenes of those pretty point and click menu. So technically you are already doing it. Now you get to see how your system works. A better understanding of that can and will help you be a better computer user in general. Just a basic explanation of the difference tbh. I switched after almost 30 years on Windows man. It’s worth it just stick with it and be willing to learn and don’t hesitate to ask for help

[@johnc3403]

When you've been inside for a while, banged up abroad in a hellhole of a prison in the stifling heat with 'roaches and flies and sweaty cramped conditions. You have a bucket for a toilet that you share with a dozen other amigos, your don't speak the language and your consular support has left you there to rot because you got yourself into this mess. Then one morning, the guards take you by the arms and drag you to the prison gate and dump you in a heap outside and your bag lands beside you. You feel a cool fresh breeze for the first time in forever. You see the trees and the fields, the birds in the air and the children playing in the street. And as tears stream down your cheeks and your turn you face towards the blue sky, you breath in a lungful of the coolest cleanest air. ..and you know that at last you're free. This is the kind of freedom I felt when I first escaped Windows. I am not a religious man but not a days goes by when I don't thank St. Ignucius for the freedom he's granted me. Long live the GNU/Linux desktop.

[@TheDotBot]

That was extreme! Good though. For me Linux was everything I was expecting when I switched from DOS to Win 95. What a disappintment that was. 14 years of just when I thought Windows couldn't be dumbed down any further, they prove me wrong. I still have to use Windows for work, but it's running in a VM. But hey, I've only had to replace the whole VM from backup twice, so that's something. Most of my friends use Linux. They're not nerds either. I'm only ever asked for support by those still using Windows.

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

Nicely said and the picture in my head was awesome! Although, I thought it was "Hot Pockets"? Lol :-D LLAP

[@ThunderPuppy11]

I felt the same way and have used the same prisoner metaphor to explain Windows vs Linux to family and friends.

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

@@ThunderPuppy11 My sister had Win 7 and last year I had her come to my house where I setup a eBay box I bought and installed Peppermint on it and she took off to using it really good... She said I can do all my web stuff just fine, neat! So I sent it home with her. Her only complaint was it was slow, it was a single core AMD with 4 gig of ram. Next I put MX on it and she did not like it as well. Later I had here try Mint on a better system and she loved it.... In Nov 2019 her Win 7 was screwed up big time and she looked and me and said, "Wipe it and install Mint on it!" (true story)... I ask her once a week for a month if she is doing ok with it, now I just ask every now and then, she says yes it is great, no more crashes , an 2 day updates... Lol LLAP

[@musicalneptunian]

Windows = Rikers Island Apple = San Quentin Linux = Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeddddddddddddommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[@SummerTime-de3sd]

1:12 I needed this. I've been trying to use Linux as if its windows and I keep trying to do things as I would on windows and I'd fail to get it done well enough and I would jump back into windows. Thank you for that.

[@rezataba6204]

Great video. Probably the only non-bias which I've watched. I'm a Linux PopOS user however still love windows. "No platform is perfect, No platform is pointless", Reza Taba. UPDATE: I switched to PopOS 24.01. I love it much more than Windows now. Of course with some extensions installed.

[@universallyepicnarwhal9102]

and soon gamers can ditch windows once steam deck proton is released. They're gonna get EAC and a couple other anticheats to b compatible with proton

[@primalpenguin]

0:43 Cheating on Windows/Mac with Linux, eh?

[@Prophet6000]

I'm still a new user I have been learning how to do stuff myself before asking any questions. But I'm enjoying the freedom and the learning process. Currently trying to get the hang of the terminal and learning how to use neofetch and gaming.

[@Just_call_me_M]

For me i find it much easier to just switch between the 2 operating systems whenever i need to do something that is much more efficient and easier to run on either linux or windows, both have their advantages and disadvantages and im not willing to drop one Os for another.

[@McSquiddington]

About Linux Mint: I've just found it's the best distro for me. Just for me - no dissing anyone who likes another distro. It's Ubuntu-based but its GUI feels a little more natural to me, there's no need to sign up for anything to obtain kernel updates, my NVIDIA card works right out of the box - and once I made peace with the fact that my Linux box couldn't both be my games and clerical machine while *also* running my Plex server, I had an easy time adjusting to it all after coming in from Windows 11. To solve the Plex issue, I bought a secondhand Lenovo Thinkcentre off of Facebook Marketplace, stuffed a 4 TB plate drive into it and an old 250 GB Samsung SSD for booting, and loaded Ubuntu's Server Edition. Accessing it remotely and dragging my media files off of my old removable drives and back into it was painless. My one, single criticism about Linux in general is both an asset and an inconvenient: file permissions are pretty much hermetic unless you "su root" practically every single file in your media collection and figure out exactly which code refers to which level of access - on a per-file basis. That makes your filesystem practically airtight and explains why some Linux evangelists joke about you not necessarily needing an antivirus. It only ever really recognizes its install drive as its "'main" drive, and sees even M.2 sticks as removable media! The end result is that having a bunch of physical drives is a bit of a hassle on Linux, which really seems like it wants and prefers to live onto a one-drive system. Besides that, loving Mint. I've tried Manjaro and almost fell for it, except for the fact that I'd just internalized "Get" as part of the Terminal jargon, and Manjaro doesn't natively use Git or Get. I go back to Windows mostly for work, seeing as my sysadmins won't let those expensive Photoshop licenses get wasted...

[@fubaralakbar6800]

When I first started with Linux, it was the different workflow that made the biggest impression on me (this was the days of Gnome 2). I found it so refreshing. It drove home to me how much Linux really is designed for the end user, whereas Windows is designed for its own designers, who project their own desires on the rest of us.

[@matthewstoch8670]

This was a great video on this topic. I began using Linux a year ago and there was quite the learning curve having been on the Windows platform since Windows 3.11. Linux just runs differently but it is not impossible to get use to if one has the time and enjoys tinkering and learning

[@singletona082]

One thing i've noticed from the flavors I've tried? Thankfully a few of the cut/copy/select shortcuts do work. The terminal is your friend even if you stay within a desktop enviroment, and while gaming on linux has improved by leaps and bounds? Linux is still a fairly small subset of the desktop population, so getting linux native gaming is touch and go. Fortunately wine based projects like steam's proton are helping to fill the gap to an extent. I'd noodled around with it in the early 2000's but really went all in when i got the cr48 chromebook. Given linux base and whatnot and relatively low power and google giving a way to boot something more traditional desktop'y? It isn't perfect, it's got a learning curve, and it's own issues, but you have OPTIONS. There is likely a distro that works for your needs and hardware. I tend to make my desktop look very windowsy with the taskbar at the bototm, corner clock, start clciky thing on the other side. I am HAPPY with that desktop, but i love the tools that come with linux and the presentation is far more customizeable. The big thign I've never gotten my head around are tiling windows managers. Those are great and powerful, but I've never been able to wrap my head around 'em.

[@allenpamscofield]

Excellent video sir! I started messing with Linux back in '98 (or was it '99...can't remember exactly) with Mandrake Linux. It has come a very long way. I still use it daily (Ubuntu 20.04 LTS right now). I use Windows at work and still have it at home as well. Use what works for you as there is no "magic OS" that does everything.

[@electricspider2267]

Choose gentoo. Pros: You get to customise everything. Cons: You have to customise everything.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

This was a good video with some hard truths that a lot of Linux users simply wouldn't admit to. As a Windows user of over 20 years, I'll never switch to Linux as my main OS. I've spent years building up and perfecting my software archive and knowledge based on that. However, I do dabble with Linux in virtual machines and in live USBs, with my first Linux experience being around 20 years ago with Mandrake Linux in a hot-swappable hard drive. I honestly respect all operating systems and we all need to remember that they're just a means to an end. There should be no elitism or bullying because no OS is perfect. Unfortunately it's the world we live in today that has shaped our views of these different OS's, with everything having to be big and colorful and hip and trendy and easy to use. Personally I don't care for the newest versions of Windows, Mac or Linux. I have a penchant for older versions that are more business-oriented, much preferring simple icons and text, for example, over in-your-face flashy graphics and features.

[@carlosfernandez6470]

I had an old laptop with no use , i install linux in it. So , now is my first computer . I do everything and more. And in the journey l learnt a lot. And i keep learning .

[@oscarrzga4615]

Where are you from?

[@bunny_incup132]

Thank you for the video talk. I'm a windows user myself planning to switch to linux, and I am aware of those things that you mention here in video. It is like nothing new for me, I did not learn anything but I did ENJOY the video talk, voice, and a real "tips", advice to the other people. Really thank you. Video made my day.

[@Centurionguy69]

Thank you DT for being open and honest. I have been on linux now since september 2019. Why? Because of you DT and also another channel called Chris Titus Tech. Between the 2 of them, they showed me how good linux actually is. And after yet another windows crash, I just fedup with windows and I have not looked back. I started on Linux Mint. For me it was a very easy starting place and out the box my dual screens just worked. Since then I have tested many other distos. All really good, stable, etc. but I really struggled to get my dual screens working. Sadly my laptop had nvidia graphics cards and that is always a problem in linux. BUT, I eventually followed DT's video on installing and configuring ARCH and guess what, my dual screens work with NO problems. I am not a proud ARCH user and I love love love linux and arch. So, linux community, thank you for welcoming back in september and for me, Once you go linux, you never go back. Just thought I would tell everyone about my experience.

[@axtrifonov]

1. Install some distro for newbies, like Manjaro or PopOS 2. Use repositories (Manjaro itself, AUR, Flathub, Snap...) instead of searching programs in Internet 3. Install Wine, Lutris, winetricks 4. Don't delete Windows, do it later when you'll be sure you don't need it anymore

[@NGFSec]

DT , thank you for being concise on this video. I’m currently in that transition period from Windows to Linux.I always knew Linux was better than Windows, but now I’m spending good amount of time on Linux, to fully understand it and get comfortable. Already notice is much friendly for CLI users and network software platform runs better on Linux, like for example GNS3.

[@TheBrainQC]

Honest point of view, i tried linux for years now (1st time was in 93/94) and i agree that since 2 years, in my opinion, we have something that can stand comparison with newbie friendly windows. I dual boot an amazing Manjaro Kde and windows 10 because i'm a gamer but the day my gaming is available with ease on Linux, the switch will be complete.

[@jumpjet777]

Blimey! Just finishing my first year on Linux, after the first half of the video you nearly frightened me back to Windows ...... haha! At least I don't dual boot ...... errrr ..... I quad boot :P :-)

[@jumpjet777]

@Learn Linux I absolutely love it. Though it was apparent right from the start that Arch based distros are right up my street. I like pacman and the AUR. I prefer the terminal for installing software, but often use pamac to find that software. Sure I've jumped around like a demented bunny rabbit, but have always kept Manjaro and Arch installed. I started with Mint and Manjaro. I have W10, Manjaro, Arch (both KDE)installed , plus I am playing around with Arcolinux Deepin. Usually there's an Ubuntu/Debian based distro in that 4th slot. I use W10, Arch, and Mint on my laptop. Linux has come on leaps and bounds since I last experimented with it. There's no going back this time. W10 is just for my AAA gaming, those that cannot be played under Linux. Huge kudos go to Steam and Proton. I've had a few problems on the way, none insurmountable or difficult, to me it's part of the fun and helps me get a greater understanding of Linux. Still a huge noob, but maybe I will manage to become good at it before I snuff it 😁

[@extremehyperventilation4377]

So, dual booting is worth it? I wanted to have the option to dual boot for the first few months using pop os to see if it meets my needs

[@yanjeronimo7963]

@@extremehyperventilation4377 In case you're still wondering, it has been worth it for me at least. Windows is known to replace the GNU or whatever bootloader you're using in Linux with it's own bootloader after it updates, but it is just a minor inconvenience since all you need to do is stick your USB drive with Linux in and reinstall the bootloader from the live environment. It is very useful to have a Windows install around if you can't use a VM.

[@extremehyperventilation4377]

@@yanjeronimo7963 Can't I just use Grep? or whatever the boot selection program was called...

[@yanjeronimo7963]

@@extremehyperventilation4377 Sorry, I meant GRUB, not GNU. Brain fart.

[@PeterJavea]

This is a helpful honest video Today I met a man who has a 2005 laptop working just fine on Linux. He started by installing Linux on his old laptop. He said that this gave him time figure it all out and no risk. It worked He stayed on Linux since. He also said it is like you go to a new country. It will have most all the things in your country now, but when you're in the new country things are there but differently.

[@vermiman]

The try before you install of the live DVD distros are the best choice of one switching to Linux. Get used to a Linux distro before you install onto your hard drive.

[@kassemir]

Maybe. But, optical drives in lab tops at least, are becomming a kinda uncommon feature these days.

[@Jimmy_Jones]

@@kassemir Who uses DVD's these days? Just get a flash drive

[@kassemir]

@@Jimmy_Jones that was my whole point :) Most lab tops don't have a DVD drive, read the comment I was replying to :D

[@Datalore74]

Used to use Gnome years ago instead on Windows 7. Loved it except when doing video card updates. Left Gnome for Windows 10 when I stared my new job as an IT help desk/Network engineer. Last night grabbed a spare 850 EVO SSD and installed POP-OS. on it and now im trying to convert back into Linux. So much has changed over the past 5 years. Looking forward to using POP-OS more and more now. When my machine powers on it auto boots into POP-OS instead of Windows now. Got to change cold turkey. Thanks for the vids that's why I subscribed. Keep up the good work and as always stay safe and WASH YA HANDSSSSSSSSSSS............lol

[@mr_don_key]

dual boot works wonders if using two disks: one for windows one for a linux distro (note: ssd is heavily prefered) That way, you don't have to worry about windows overriding the uefi or mbr

[@ZacharyNoah]

That's exactly what I did on my Dell OptiPlex 7020 Small Form Factor PC. My secondary SSD, on which I installed Manjaro Linux KDE Edition, is housed inside a 2.5" SATA to 12mm DVD drive enclosure kit. My Manjaro SSD is actually a 512GB M.2 2280 SATA SSD inside an M.2 to 2.5" SATA enclosure kit.

[@eznix]

Very good points, and I agree with most everything you state. My only point of difference is Linux of the past. I have used Linux for many years and I have had a generally easy time from about 2002 forward. I made sure my hardware was supported before installing a distribution, and the results were usually very good. If I needed a specific video card or sound card, I bought what was listed as compatible and it worked.

[@SirRichard94]

I'd just like to interject for moment. What you're refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX. Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Linux, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project. There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called Linux distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux!

[@1pcfred]

2016 called. It wants its dank meme back.

[@Funcle]

Having used Linux for about 5 months I can tell you this; Linux is for people who have spare time on their hands. It’s fun to try it but it’s not going to be near as smooth as Windows or Mac in a lot of instances

[@Funcle]

@MichaelDustter i think it's not fair to blame the users if there's not enough major developers making software for Linux - especially professional software

[@justjoshing75]

Great video and thanks to you I’m running Linux as my daily driver

[@N0WYO1]

I just updated Linux Mint to 21.2 and ended up breaking some things. After some research, It wasn't hard at all putting things back together again. I dabbled with Linux for over 15 years, and I'm really impressed at how far it's come. My printer just worked. I didn't have to install a driver for it at all. Gotta look into how to get the scanner working, but I don't use it that much. I love the look and feel of the cinnamon desktop too. Very direct and elegant.

[@DGDG0000000]

You missed a crucial point about Unix and Linux system: they have a close to computer logic windows doesn't have. When you have to config things, if you know how works a computer, you are happy with Unix and much more with Linux. Windows has some abstraction who break the computer logic the way you can not easily config your system. By the time, as you said, after installed a beginner DE, my old tant (90 years old)was very happy with Linux (Archlinux installed and XFCE4 DE) and I just had to, sometimes, repair some faulted update from ssh session access the easy way. I do the same with my old dad who same, use arcolinux (who is archlinux) and he is very happy to use a strong and quick machine, never fall down, never slow, never pollute with fucking adds and fucking viruses... Very happy.

[@2009researcher]

I had a computer shop install a special bay in my computer so I can remove the hard drive through the front doorway of the machine. I have one hard drive with windows and my office software on it. I have another hard drive with MX Linux on it. I can move back and fourth using the same machine without dual booting. I love this drive bay device. I use my Linux hard drive for getting used to Linux, streaming Pluto, Peacock and Crackle media and surfing the web. At some point, I'm going to throw some money at eBay and buy some more hard drives and explore more of the Linux world. I'm really pleased with MX Linux. I love challenges and learning new things, ...learning new operating systems for me, is fun. I see myself putting a lot of faith in Linux systems. My MX LINUX is awesome, and 'YES' I will be trying other distro's.🙂👍

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

Well I will have to say DT, that you have a bunch of good points and most are true! When I tried to dual boot (2 times) back in the day, Windows Fubar(ed) my system both times in a few days of installing Linux. Then I said the hell with it for 2 more years and staid with Windows. Finally I got tired of the rebooting in the middle of me doing something and the hours to do a update... I bought a 2nd hard drive and installed Mint and after a week I booted to the Windows hard drive less and less until I just unplugged the Windows drive and it is still in that box unplugged... Lol I first thought I will never find any programs to run in Linux back then... Now I tons of stuff to play with... :-) Hay what about ctrl+alt+backspace

[@anonpoliticallyincorrect9721]

Nice story. The takeaway should be that if dual booting is needed, the best way to make it work is to install the second OS on a separate hard drive.

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

@@anonpoliticallyincorrect9721 Yep! that is the way I do it now days. I have 2 boxes that have 3 hard drives in them for booting and a common shared drive... All Linux of course... Lol I do have a older 2 core AMD that has a Linux drive and a Dos 6.22 drive. Have not done much with that box lately.... Now I am Linux only and the only Windows in in a VM and if I want to dual boot anything it will have its own drive... Take Care! LLAP

[@sgg17003]

Experienced Linux users: "It's great! It works so much better! It's easy! All you have to do to install a driver is...") Noob me: "it's faster, cleaner... but I have no idea ...yet... how to figure this out ") As a Linux NOOB I love Linux Mint but am interested in learning other distros and the terminal.

[@fenfreeeaglenetwork]

I was a 'Negative Nancy' when I first came to Linux. Now HOWEVER, I will always be a 'NEGATIVE BITCH NANCY' towards Windows. LOL! Just like playing a guitar, still learning. Just wishing and hoping more Corporations like Printer companies, Headset companies, and others including Dolby would come on-board with Linux Imagine Dolby Atmos on Linux.

[@ton146]

I really enjoyed this video. I started moving over to linux with mint 19 and had a huge problem with the samba file when i upgraded to mint 20. Some kind soul helped me out because the rest of my network consists of several win XP machines. I needed to add 4 extra lines to the samba file and my whole network became visible to and from my other machines. I think new linux users should also be aware that all the linux file directories create a huge ecosystem which windows folk are not used to. All that stuff tends to be in the win directory and sub directories and we dont go there! I feel a bit overwhelmed by the sheer size of linux but having got used to that aspect i must say that I am much more comfortable now. If you plan to jump get a new machine and start learning on it without disrupting what already works for you. That is what I did and I have now moved some applications over to linux without destroying my old auto-cad that i still use for drawings. Come and join us, it has been fun and I have met some wonderful folk online. Tony

[@redgeoblaze3752]

When I converted over, I didn't like the "transition from windows" style OSes and DEs. I liked ubuntu, and Gnome because they felt like their own thing separate from windows. Instead of expecting something to be somewhere, I'd look for it because in an OS as different as that, I'd need to look somewhere different. I didn't expect it to be like windows, and it was easier to deal with.

[@billfawcett3691]

Hi D.T. It's refreshing to hear a B.S. free lead in to taking up Linux as a Windows/Mac replacement. I made that move just as Ubuntu, Knoppix and their ilk were first "unleashed" for want of a better word. As you say Linux has changed/improved beyond measure since then. Reading between the lines of what you say Linux (ok, GNU/Linux) will NOT appeal to all Windows refugees, only to a sub-set who enjoy more than just using o.o.t.b. installations. That doesn't mean that they are smarter than most, but perhaps less"risk averse"? 🤔😁

[@mecrumbly429___4]

Actually, ctrl+alt+del reboots the computer or logs you out in most distros.

[@brokenpianotunes1923]

I'm so happy that gaming on Linux has come so far in the last year, I'm sick and tired of using windows with so many restrictions and having to use specific hardware settings to run anything correctly. I recently switched to dual booting just because I have an extensive history on windows and I'm slowly switching over to Ubuntu for simplicity in starting out, and fully intend to one day only have to use windows for business purposes.

[@TheGruselmops]

I think you made Linux for gaming look much worse, than it is. And the paste at which more games are coming out for linux and can be run on linux, the future looks very bright for gaming on linux. And If you want to play old windows games, they're often easier to run with wine, than on windows itself.

[@geovanneteixeira100]

This is true, I remember that in 2013, when I used Windows, I tried to run a 2000 game on Windows, which always crashed on my Windows 7, and I needed a specific DLL on the Internet to make it work. Now on Linux, I don't have this problem, I played without the .dll.

[@josephbrandenburg4373]

Having recently switched to Linux from Windows, about six months ago... I'm watching this now to see how much it _would_ have helped me if I had seen it then! I feel like I'm finally starting to understand Linux now. So I'm probably really a super-noob that has years of learning to go! edit: and yes I'm thinking about doing a distro-hop now, since I feel like I've bloated my Ubuntu beyond saving. Maybe I'll try Manjaro or Arch?

[@elbow005]

What about running Linux on external HDD or SSD? I think it's the best option followed by a solid USB drive for lesser frequent use.

[@Christobanistan]

How is that the best option for the average desktop user? I know the advantages, but it only works if you've got spare PCs everywhere.

[@jonny777bike]

I like running Linux on a raspberry pi. Still keep your Windows and or Mac but a raspberry pi is a good place to learn and play around with Linux before going full Linux. I’ve learned a lot but I still haven’t switched my other machines to Linux I just build new machines.

[@elbow005]

@@jonny777bike that's a very interesting approach, thanks for letting us know

[@elbow005]

@@Christobanistan why spare PCs? The major advantage ofc is clear separation between your pc with its OS and this secondary setup.

[@leonbishop7404]

usb drive read/write speed is too slow, for a daily driver. you need at least usb 3.0 and an hdd/ssd

[@LONEWOLF6523-gc3dv]

Very good delivery, especially about the "you going to have to be willing to do stuff yourself" but unless there are entities out there that will offer support, even paid support, you will be driving away a large segment of business, i.e.. the elderly. This is why the Distros that can be run with very little use of the command line will probably be the most successful regarding the people who switch from Windows to Linux. I don't know if Dell is already doing this-having Desktops created especially for Linux use and then offering paid support but this would be one avenue for those reluctant or unable to use the command line (poor eye sight, essential tremor of hands, memory issues) to feel more comfortable with switching from Windows to Linux. THE FLOOR IS NOW OPEN FOR YOUR RESPONSE!

[@merrygwolf4629]

You and that accent made this sound so easy for someone like me. Thank you. lol I'm nervous but willing.

[@mattstevens7601]

Did you switch to linux?

[@merrygwolf4629]

@@mattstevens7601 I just downloaded the software to a USB. I'm going to boot an old laptop with it. Any warning/suggestions?

[@mattstevens7601]

@@merrygwolf4629 I haven't done it yet either. I hope it goes well for you. It should be good!

[@mattstevens7601]

I relate to "nervous but willing" 😁

[@willywantoknow2563]

Thanks for your help DT! You've become my main intel for learning linux. Running Arch distros discovering what i like and working my way back to minimalist programs and openbox. Kinda stuck on xfce for now.

[@tripcodeQ7]

Debian is the best distro, net install SID no Xorg is perfect for new Windows users :D Also install Gentoo!

[@muskyoxes]

Wait, a linux exists without Xorg? Is that legal? How is it possible?

[@wiktorwektor123]

What is it? Some noobish nonesense?! Real linux "pros" would recommend to future new Linux users to strart from LFS ;P

[@adrianstephens56]

I think before switching a user needs to understand why - rather than jumping onto any particular band-wagon. My own reasons: 1. I like to play/experiment/fiddle - I'm a retired engineer, what else did you expect? 2. I wanted a filesystem I could snapshot and roll-back 3. I didn't like being forced to connect my machine to a Microsoft user account 4. I didn't want to be left behind from support once my hardware no longer met Microsoft's idea of what I should be running. I was willing to pay time effort (and money) to make this happen. Part of the transition involves learning what windows applications you are dependent on, and what can replace them. For example, Microsoft Office is replaced by LibreOffice/Free Office, except expect bits to break off and fall under the wheels. Freestone image app is replaced by Digikam. Lookeen desktop search by recoll. OneNote by Joplin. This list goes on. Eventually I settled on Manjaro installed root on zfs, which took a bit of tinkering. Unfortunately I have to run a VM with two mission-critical apps for which there is no linux alternative (VideoPsalm and Microsoft Access). And that's where the money bit came in, I had to buy licenses to install the Windows VM with office. At least my VM will be portable to new hosts as I upgrade.

[@justsomeguy5103]

I'm surprised to hear HP has the best Linux support for their peripherals. I have installed Linux on a lot of different laptops, and HP laptops are the most hostile of the bunch towards Linux.

[@JohnMurtagh]

Their printers work great on Linux thanks to CUPS.

[@honestycounts9352]

I switched over to Linux MINT 19.3 Cinnamon, and the way the computer looks and feels is very much like the old Windows XP. So if you like XP, you'll just love Linux Mint.

[@kingocatss]

"Some games only work on Windows and will not work on Linux" *laughs in KVM*

[@astrahcat1212]

I tried out linux for a while on one of my older laptops, and while I really liked it (pop os in my case), my main software applications are the Adobe Suite, Reason 11, and Unity3D. After considering running a virtual machine, I realized that this is basically 95% of my workflow. It sucks to be tied to the Adobe Suite, I've been using Photoshop, Premiere and After Effects for decades now and I can't make the switch because of this. Everything in Windows in the modern age unfortunately is very straight forward and functional. I would definitely use Linux if I was developing my own 3d engine, though, or programming using Python. Too late for me. : /

[@qantj]

I do believe there are open source alternitives for those programs if you want to try them

[@leonbishop7404]

@@qantj yeah but it might be too late for him since he already is locked with windows-only option

[@williamzabel2080]

The best Linux distro for anyone is what they feel comfortable using and what desktop makes them feel comfortable.

[@krozareq]

The terminal is where it really shines. So many possibilities and automation. The open source community produces and maintains a mind-boggling number of utilities for the command line. Throw in shell scripts, shell functions and aliases and one finds that a GUI is far far inferior.

[@garryiglesias4074]

You're messing up concepts... A terminal is NOT a shell...

[@ccroy2001]

Ok a year old video but I just subscribed. Good points. For me a 2nd drive really helps. I remove the windows drive, install Linux on a new drive. It's a safety net. Then as you learn add both drives in and dualboot. I've done this for years.

[@bobgrimes8618]

The only time I dual booted was between OS/2 and Windows 95.

[@zacktrujillo3473]

For anyone still considering switching to Linux but not wanting to leave gaming or some windows-only utils, I highly, highly recommend WSL2. WSL2 is Windows Subsystem for Linux 2. It's a Microsoft-developed subsystem for running an entire Linux distribution within Windows itself. I use it myself, and it's perfect. I can still play games like Valorant or Steam games while having a complete Linux terminal at my disposal. There are even things you can do to get a desktop version running on Windows. So, please try it out

[@MystycCheez]

I use a lot of niche, one off software for my many interests, so switching to linux would unfortunately not work for me. On the flip side, because I have so many interests, if I were to consider getting a side computer, like a laptop, installing linux would be a good idea because there are plenty of linux things that would align with my strange ways.

[@bretislav9247]

Thanks for this realistic approach. There are many things that i can relate😂. I switched from Win 10 to Zorin Os on my ThinkPad T420 and i must say everything improved.. stability, performance and even battery life! I think it's because it uses less resources.. on windows 10 after starting system i had 2,34 GB RAM taken but with fresh zorin os I have only 800 MB 😮. So, Linux experience is really one's personal experience. True is i must still learn so much, but I'm happy 😊 because i have new hobby😂

[@terranrepublican5522]

Fun fact: my laptop has almost 1h more battery on Linux. I'm not sure about Netflix but I do compile programs.

[@Jimmy_Jones]

Yeah. I have so much more battery now I use Manjaro. Mint I think used more. But compared to Windows they use way less.

[@svily0]

Been dual booting since the beginning of time, nothing ever touches the bootloader, unless you decide to reinstall Windows of course. A good point by the way to watch what hardware you buy, first read about its compatibility, then put the money for it.

[@rubenmc1787]

My whole life has been windows since windows 3.11, yep 3.11... last year I got tired of the blue-screen, frozen programs in the middle of saving... Last November I switched to Linux, first 3 days on Ubuntu was a nightmare!! like riding a bike for the very first time, you think you got it when all of a sudden you drooling on the floor... 3 week on Ubuntu and I can't do nothing as fast I wanted... I spend a whole day just reading about Linux distros, desktops, window management... I went to bed thinking about it... next day the first thing I did was to do a fresh install of Debian with xFce as main desktop environment... after a month I'm as efficient or even more as I was on windows, I have been able to even run one of my favorite video game Skyrim V, it wasn't easy but I wont go back to windows...

[@musicalneptunian]

Welcome! I started off in Windows 95 but went to Ubuntu Studio last October 2019! Now Windows is out of my life for good! Never going back!

[@davidlewisjohnson4235]

Way to stick with it, you're already reaping dividends! Just wait till you get a year down the road, you'll realize that you were computing like a neanderthal before Linux! I remember looking back after that first year and just being shocked at horrifically inefficient and broken the user experience had been on Windows. Cheers!

[@chaslinux]

I love this video, great job. As a (former) Microsoft Registered Refurbisher who has also refurbished Linux PCs for people since 2001 I can atest so much of what you've said is true. Positive attitude is really helpful. We've had some really interesting successes with people who had very little computing experience before, but we also provided lots of tailoring (to their needs) and support.

[@chef2654]

If you're a gamer, don't come to linux.. yet™

[@ripp102]

what if you are a gamer and a developer too? Only dual boot. As i have an oculus rift s (cheaper than vive) and as i doesn't work with Linux i have to have windows. I'm saving up to buy the index though.

[@chef2654]

@@ripp102 Thanks for your life story. Granted dualbooting is the only solution right now, it is also a bad one, since it splits you between 2 different environments.

[@ripp102]

@@chef2654 true, it kinda sucks atm

[@Jimmy_Jones]

@@ripp102 Your a developer. Get developing a linux port. Lol.

[@rapira_i]

@@Jimmy_Jones if it were that easy dont you think we'd have one already?

[@IamSonoma]

@14:00 I recently had Gigabyte tell me that they do not support Linux. My b450 MB just recently started having problems with any linux distro. I have gone through a bunch of testing and swapping out of components. At least it worked for 6 months. It works fine in Windows. Basically they told me since windows works use windows. I have not given up. Appreciate the videos. They are very helpful.

[@blackstar_1069]

4:12 Ctrl+alt+del shows me reboot menu in manjaro 🤣

[@DistroTube]

Makes sense. Rebooting is always the answer, right? :D

[@blackstar_1069]

@@DistroTube 🤣 or the gud'old unplug

[@knucklehead99-z1w]

DistroTube Don’t ReBoot...,Be Root.

[@garryiglesias4074]

And BTW Ctrl+Alt+Del is NOT a Ms thing... It's a IBM PC specification... It was BIOS bound at first... And most "x86" unixes bind Ctrl-Alt-Del to shutdown /r ANYWAY... Because again, IT IS NOT A MICROSOFT concept.

[@Jimmy_Jones]

Ctrl+Alt+Del is the inferior cousin to Ctrl+Shift+ESC.