Why should I move to Linux?
It was an odd summer day when I first caught wind of this elusive penguin going by the name Linux, and it was certainly quite the turning point for me. This was the day I discovered a new world in computing, one that absolutely blew me away.
TLDR: Linux is awesome. Now why would someone want to brave the challenging seas of Linux in the first place? This is what I want to write about today.
What is Linux?
Is it Linoox or lienox or linix?
Linux as literally everybody says, is not an operating system, but a kernel, I will spare you the details here, I assume you already know what I am going to say here.
I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve recently…..
A brief bit of history (On me, not Linux)
I started my Linux journey a little bit over a year and a half ago as of writing (two as of editing). When I first discovered Linux, I was a bit skeptical about what this weird, alternative operating system was, but I was quite intrigued as well.
At the time I was quite fed up by the stuffiness of Windows and really wanted
a change of scenery*(arch btw)*. I mainly wanted the ultimate customizability
and privacy. This is where this great kernel came in.
My first ventures were in online ‘virtual machines’ that ran Linux distributions, it was a perfect environment to test and play around with Linux distros without using virtual machines or live ISOs. At first, it was an absolutely refreshing experience. ZorinOS was an amazing first Linux distribution and paved the way for the rest of my Linux experience. As of today I am writing this on NixOS, and I can definitely say that this journey has been an amazing, but of course very difficult one.
Why should you switch?
This honestly comes down to you and your personal needs. In my own eyes, Linux is absolutely amazing for almost anybody. Although my personal opinion may not account for everything someone else may consider when looking at Linux for the first time.
What about compatibility?
In the most recent Linux kernel versions, 6.9.9 as of writing (6.11 as of editing),
hardware compatibility is absolutely amazing. Of course there are a few rough edges
right now like Nvidia graphics and one my own personal pains, Wi-Fi adapters, rtl8822bu
I’m looking at you. There are plenty of blind spots but as the days go by they are
very quickly being ironed out.
I will also note that packaging formats still suffer from huge fragmentation; there are so many and no real standard since many distributions package things differently. Many programs available on Linux and macOS are not available on Linux, but there are always alternatives to explore.
Linux is not for everyone
There are many positives to switching over and Linux is developing quickly, both as a kernel and as an environment, including the desktop environments, packages available and so much more. It is really growing and, I believe that giving it a try can really be an amazing investment for anyone, but not everyone.
There are some things to consider though, for the sake of keeping this short, I will write a separate post about those details. Some of these may be absolute turn-offs, so in many ways, Linux is not for everyone. But I do not think it is supposed to be for everyone.
Closing thoughts
In the end I believe that Linux is an amazing system that allows for the creation of amazing environments and operating systems. However, I do not think it is really an environment for everyone. Some people will love it like me, others do not really care and others downright hate it. It all lies in you.
Thank you for reading!