Today marks over a month since I left Windows and started using Linux. Here’s a full breakdown of my experience for anyone interested or considering of making the switch, or just curious about Linux.
1. How to Know if Linux is Right for You?
First off, everything has its flaws, and no operating system is perfect. Here's a key points to help you know if linux is a good fit for you.
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If you’re a graphic designer or use Adobe, simply steer clear of Linux. Adobe programs are obviously not supported. There are alternatives, but they’re certainly not on the same level. The same goes for UI/UX designers. Recently, Figma has made it harder to use their platform on Linux. It’s not impossible, but it’s a bit tricky. I personally use Figma on Linux, but you’ll need to do some configurations. And that’s not Linux’s fault—Figma is blocking certain features on Linux. Who knows what the future holds if they continue down this path.
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If you’re a gamer and gaming is your priority, Linux isn’t ideal. Some games on Steam and Epic will work, but you definitely won’t get the best gaming experience. (Though it’s better to focus on more productive things than gaming, but we’ll leave that for another discussion!)
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If you’re someone who doesn’t like to do a lot of customization and prefers things to be ready-made, or you’re okay with minimal customization, Linux might not be for you. Later in the post, I’ll explain how customization is both a blessing and a curse.
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Finally, if your PC or laptop isn’t the most powerful, Linux is a great choice for you. You’ll notice a significant improvement in performance, and we’ll talk about that later.
2. Key Things You Should Know About Linux
Let’s assume you’re not one of the people mentioned above, and you feel Linux is right for you, so you decide to give it a shot.
We all know Linux is an open-source operating system. Open-source means the source code is available to everyone, and anyone can review or modify it. However, Linux isn’t just a single operating system like Windows. It’s made up of distributions (versions). Anyone can take the source code, modify it, and create their own distribution for others to use.
For example, there’s Linux Arch, Linux Mint, Linux Ubuntu, and many other distributions you’ll hear about. Each one has its unique features.
Distributions
The first thing I encountered when I decided to switch to Linux was the sheer number of distributions. There are literally dozens of them, each with its unique features. There’s no such thing as the "best Linux distribution." It all depends on your needs.
(And by the way, if you need help figuring out which distribution is best for you, I highly recommend the r/DistroHopping subreddit on Reddit. The people there are very helpful—just describe your needs, and they’ll help you find the right distribution.)
Without going into detail about every distribution, I got advice from several people and decided to start with something beginner-friendly. Linux Mint was recommended by almost everyone, and it has several great features, including a desktop environment (DE) that looks similar to Windows.
So, what’s a desktop environment (DE)?
Desktop Environment
Let’s call it DE for short. The DE refers to everything related to the user interface, from the design to the placement of elements and the overall look.
For example, some DEs resemble Windows with a Start menu where you can search and open apps, just like in Windows. Others, like Gnome, don’t have a menu and are more minimal, resembling macOS. Then there’s XFCE, which is similar to Windows XP and is designed for low-resource devices due to its minimal resource usage.
The DE that came with the distribution I chose was Cinnamon, and that’s the one I went with.
3. Installation Process
Once I chose the right distribution and DE, the installation process was very straightforward, much like installing Windows. You download the ISO file from the distribution’s website, burn it to a USB using a flashing tool, plug it into your device, restart, and open the boot loader to boot from the USB instead of your hard drive. (These steps are similar to Windows.)
After that, the installation begins. You can find details on YouTube, but for me, it was a simple "next and finish" process. In my opinion, installing Linux is easier than installing Windows. (Of course, not all distributions have such an easy installation process.)
4. User Experience
Let’s talk about the experience regarding customization, performance, and app support.
Customization
The level of customization available in Linux surprised me. Most things can be customized. For example, the taskbar (called the "panel" in Linux Mint) can be placed anywhere on the screen, like the top and bottom at the same time. You can remove elements you don’t want from the taskbar or remove the taskbar entirely if you prefer a minimal desktop.
Another example is that even simple things like the clipboard need to be downloaded. There are many different clipboard managers, so you’ll surely find one you like. The same goes for the image viewer. In Windows, these features are built-in, and you don’t have the same level of control.
While over-customization is a great feature, it can also be a drawback. You’ll spend a lot of time tweaking everything at first, but once you’re done, everything will be perfect.
Performance
One of the things I really liked, which I think will matter to many, is the performance. This is one of the most significant advantages of open-source systems like Linux. Linux uses noticeably fewer resources than Windows, and apps designed specifically for Linux are incredibly optimized. Especially if your memory is 8GB, you’ll feel the difference.
And this is while using a regular DE like Cinnamon, not a lightweight one like XFCE. I imagine the performance difference would be even more noticeable with a lightweight DE.
App Support
Lastly, app support was decent. Open-source apps are fantastic (and I genuinely love the open-source philosophy). However, for other apps, they’re often modified to work with Linux, and they may not be as polished. Some apps aren’t supported on Linux at all.
In conclusion, this was my experience as a beginner in the world of open-source operating systems after using Windows for over a decade. Over time, I’ll likely notice more things and learn more, but overall, the experience has been positive.