AskBeehaw

I've been using linux almost exclusively since somewhere around 2008 or so. The main thing is to ensure that you are still able to do what you want to do with your computer, regardless of the OS. You may have to seek out some alternatives to programs that you're currently using, but there's a pretty good chance that there's something available. Check out the available software on the Mint install you currently have, and check out protondb to see if the games you're interested in are compatible. I'd recommend creating a backup of your current system before you do anything just in case you need to revert back.

On a distro like Mint, I've never (or at least very rarely) run into any issues outside of NVIDIA drivers, and even that isn't too bad given that it's a slower-moving distro and Cinnamon isn't using Wayland anyway. I put Mint on my parents' computer since it ended up being easier for them than Windows was. That doesn't mean that you won't have any issues, but Mint is pretty easy to use, and they have a reasonably active forum for asking for help.

For what it's worth, Windows 11 is pretty lousy. You get ads shoved everywhere they can shove them, and their telemetry is pretty invasive, imo. That's not even mentioning their future plans where everyone gets pushed to their cloud services. If you have any questions, please ask and I'll answer as best I can.

Happily using Linux since 2008. Crazy that it's been 15 years of distro hopping and enjoying computational freedom

Been a full-time Linux user since 1999 — fed up with Windows … I guess it would have been 98? I found Red Hat Linux on CD at, I think, Office Depot. It was a dive into the deep end. I was having x-server problems at first, and a math professor buddy told me where to find the config file and how to fire up vi. I think I probably spent two days sorting out how to use vi. But I never looked back. Found ways early on of making sure I was compatible with colleagues and others and, of course, have needed to spin up Windows VMs over the years for things as silly as getting Adobe DRM content to display. But it's all so easy, now, though I do see a lot of good advice here about being certain about compatibility, etc., if you're on bleeding-edge hardware (given what you posted, I seriously doubt you'll have any issues).

I've used Fedora as a daily driver for at least the last seven or eight years, Ubuntu before that. I've run Arch on a few things and always run Ubuntu on servers (just got used to it). Windows will very quickly become something you don't miss at all.

Having said all that, I've never been a gamer of any kind, and I know that makes a big difference.

Been using Linux for over 10 years at this point. Haven't considered going back to Windows. Even put my boomers on Fedora with GNOME without issue.

I use Linux every single day. I just don't use Linux Desktop every single day. I help run/maintain numerous Ubuntu servers for various environments within our SDLC. I'm also the lead developer, so wearing many hats is fun (...sarcasm...)

Full time Linux user for about 6 years now. Both at work and at home.

If games is what's holding you back, don't worry about it so much. There are very few games that don't run on Linux these days, like you said, because of anticheat, or just because the underlying company is horrible. Valorant comes to mind for games, Epic and EA for companies.

Some example of game i've been playing on Linux, with no issues: Cyberpunk, Elden Ring, Everspace 2, Dying Light, Sekiro, Warhammer 40k: Darktide, Guild Wars 2, Doom Eternal, Elite Dangerous, Valheim, Minecraft etc...

There's more things working than not working these days.

That said, I would also be lying if I said there isn't going to be a learning curve. It's a little bit more work (especially for games not available on Steam), but it's really not that bad, and the community is very helpful.

I love Linux. I prefer it to windows, but windows is fine. Unfortunately, there are some programs I use that don't work properly under linux, primarily Microsoft office, but also some games here and there. I'm sure that I could get those games working under linux, but it's more work. I use linux at work, and windows at home at the moment, but I prefer linux and am very comfortable with both.

I have considered Linux for personal use but honestly for now I'm too braindead to put in the effort since I'm not that interested in spending time fiddling around with the OS. There are some proprietary software keeping me on Windows and I'm too lazy to dual boot for a few programs. I've had exposure to Ubuntu in college and dabbled in OpenSUSE though and it was pretty nice.

I have to say though that I transitioned to a lot of (open source) programs that are also available on Linux because I've had pains before with typical annoying shenanigans with closed software (enshittification but make it programs instead of social media). Programming and Linux are also adjacent relevant skills to my wider field so maybe sometime in the next few months/years I may transition. Windows is kinda meh but not irritating enough to make me switch. I have a Raspberry Pi running Linux for Home Assistant for smart home stuff though!

Last time I tried Linux was 23 or so years ago. I had no idea what I was doing or at that time knew how to figure it out. That being said, I want to use Linux but am apprehensive.

I see computers as tools. I think that tools should be intuitive and fairly easy to use. My brief experience with Linux left me feeling that it requires a fair amount of time dedicated to setup and upkeep. That's time I would much rather spend on other endeavors.

Windows has gotten to a point where I don't like using it. I will not switch to Apple products, full stop. But I won't make Linux a full-time hobby.

What should I do, friends?

I tried Linux Mint, and I absolutely hated it.

It (and apparently Linux as a whole) lacks basic accessibility features one can expect in Windows, like colorblind or grayscale filters.

The rate at which I ran into problems in trying to do basic things was maddening. I like tinkering with my PC, don't get me wrong, but I need my computer to be reliable enough to count on when I need to get something done in a hurry, or when I'm having a bad brain day and really don't want to fall into a miserable troubleshooting loop tk make my day even worse.

This problem was compounded by the fact that help forums were full of assholes, including assholes who try to trick newbies into deleting their whole OS and all their potentially vital or irreplaceable data as a "joke". Not everyone was an asshole, but there were more than enough. And there weren't enough helpful people to actually help solve problems in the way that you can google most Windows problems and immediately find an idea of what to try. And so many people obsessed with the philosphy of FOSS, over and above the utility of the PC, who are chomping at the bit to lecture others at any moment.

It also crashed more often than Windows ever did.

I hate the way app installation works. Just let me go to a website, download the thing I want and see its description and instructions as presented by its maker, and install it. It's so much simpler and more intuitive in practice.

And Windows a) is much better for gaming, even now, b) has numerous apps I use for which there is no true Linux equivalent, and c) has a much better user interface, even when dealing with aspects of it that are new to me.

Windows powertools and group policy editor and so on give me more than enough control. I disabled the most annoying things, like the forced restarts for updates at inconvenient times, and the telemetry.

At the end of the day, Linux offers better privacy, this is inarguably. Philosphically, I really, really want it to succeed. But it's built by and for a very specific type of nerd, without consideration for regular users in many ways (see the point about accessibilty settings especially), or at least not with as much as Windows offers. I want to believe this might get better in future, but it's been years and years now, and still no colorblind mode in the most highly recommened distro for new users from Windows? That is not promising.

Better privacy and the occasional fun of tinkering with it just 100% is not worth all the tradeoffs compared to Windows, for me. I'd rather devote my tinkering time to making Windows private and blicking its telemetry rather than trying to get Linux to function. The reliability and versatility is just not there.

I am currently using Linux Mint! I love it, especially as someone who can't afford fancy things like 70 dollar games or expensive software. I'm enjoying going through recommendation lists to see what I can use in lieu of Windows softwares.

Initially, the gaming was also what made me avoid doing it, but... I can't play triple AAA games on my laptop anyway because I don't have a GPU, lmao. The only game I play regularly is on my phone and can be single player.

I don't play MMO like I did as a teen, so there's no point in worrying about that either. I have some visual novels I might not be able to play right now, but I play games at such a slow rate that I can just put them on my backlog for when they do work.

Currently, I'm playing through my backlog of older games like Trails in the Sky which work decently. Emulation also works great on it!

Current user. It's been my primary OS since around 2001.

People have a lot of opinions. My TLDR is if you're interested, try it out.

My Linux journey is meandering and has a less than satisfying arc, but now I feel like typing it out for all of you. You're welcome.

I grew up using a Macintosh and started using Microsoft on Windows 97. We were a a multi-computer household at that point, (thanks, Dad!) but I still preferred my Mac for the next decade or so. I was much more in-tune with Unix at that point, but I went to the darkside for a few years for school and eventually found myself ready to build my own PC in 2011.

One of my buddies at the time was super in to trying new Linux distros and would always show them off to me, so he convinced me to try Ubuntu on it. I decided to dual-boot since it would primarily be a gaming PC. I was default Ubuntu and needed a command to be Windows and that worked great for awhile. But as I started using Windows more and more, I eventually reached a point where deleting the Ubuntu partition made more sense. Keeping up with both wasn't helping me out.

Now, it's fully Windows 10 and will not be updating past that, but I'm also using a Steam Deck, so at least I get some Unix that way!

I certainly won't be going back to a Mac, but I am considering a full Linux boot for my next build. That's a couple years out still. My baby was built to last, and after a couple upgraded GPUs and harddrives, she still hasn't disappointed me. I'm definitely more of a GUI user than a command line user though. I can navigate a command line, but it's a constant game of looking stuff up.

No matter, it's super exciting to see Linux rising up the ranks in terms of the amount of games that will work! I'm very excited to see how the community grows from this.

I use macOS as my primary, but I use Rocky Linux and Ubuntu for my servers

I daily drive both windows and Linux mint. In my experience, it's been getting a lot better but isn't ready for non-technical users who just want something to work. I needed to disable the nipple button on my laptop cause it drifts hard and I had to resort to the terminal for that.

I'm liking mint a lot, but I would suggest having at the least have one windows machine that you can quickly access.

I use Linux wherever I can and after spending years trying different distros I've always come back to Mint. Although I enjoy tinkering with new user interfaces, spending time fixing problems instead of actually using the OS eventually got old. Once set up Mint works for years without a hiccup.

Microsoft's telemetry, increasing invasiveness pushing ads, and general dumbing down of their OS so it's usable for people who don't know what to do when they reach the edge of the mouse pad has gotten ridiculous.

Microsoft's intent to move Windows to the cloud should make more people question using it. Despite having to pay for Windows it seems Microsoft has decided that we're what's actually for sale, not the operating system.

I've used a couple of distros for work and as a "well lets try it out" and it absolutely does not appeal to me. I think it takes a specific mindset for Linux to be the OS of choice. I think the people who have that specific mindset often don't realize how different their specific mindset is from the wider world.

Unironically, I think if you love linux you're probably just a very tech literate individual who has a higher capacity for learning and intelligence than the majority of people. Linux savants can preach all day every day that it's "not that hard" or "easy to learn" but I think while you lot are smarter, and honestly more capable than those of us who stick to Windows, I think the same things that make Linux stick for you also contributes to the lack of understanding for why other people don't enjoy it.

When someone tells me they use linux as their daily driver my immediate assumption is they're either way smarter than I am even if they don't realize it or have some type of neurodivergence (adhd, autism, etc,).

Y'all are built different and should be proud of that.

EDIT: Unless you're the type of person who uses Linux purely for the "clout" you think it brings you. Then you're just a poser with an "imverysmart" complex

Desktop Linux user since 2006. I've tried many different distros.

Right now I use Alpine Linux, but I think the distribution I've used the most/longest is Debian.

I have a windows pc I use for work (and most gaming), but on my personal laptop I currently use Mint.

Ive been using linux since 2010, but since I am not a programmer and know only a few basic commands I have stuck to very user friendly distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Zorin etc.

My work pc runs windows 11 and its a shame its so brutal behind the scenes, it actually looks and runs very nicely. But I try to run OSOShutup! And other tools to reduce telemetry, (hopefully that helps a bit)

I would love to try to switch!

however, two of the games I play sadly have no chance of becoming linux friendly, the company is very uninterested. I'll see what the future holds, though, because Windows does a lot to irritate me. I've heard Pop_OS! is decent.

Been using it as my main desktop for many years, and it's better than ever these days. The only suggestion i'd give is to check compatibility of the machine you'll use with it, that's still the Achilles' heel of it for normal users, most things are supported well but some aren't, specially if bleeding edge.

Have been running Arch for a few years now, booting Windows whenever I need something that doesn't work otherwise or has no alternatives, which doesn't happen that frequently.

Every time I try using Linux there is some bug or another that doesn't seem to have a fix and ends up being a constant irritation. Last time it was whatever flux equivalent I was using only working on one of my monitors. Plus I do a lot of multiplayer gaming which still seems to be hit or miss on Linux. Eventually I always go back to Windows.

Switched to using linux after seeing one of those ridiculous Compiz special effects videos showing all the cool things you could do back in 2009. Been using it ever since.

I've used several Linux distros and replaced Windows with them for extended periods of time, and they do have some advantages over Windows, like the fact it's open-source, has a more secure kernel, a lot of times has better performance and doesn't include bloatware (depending on the distro). but ultimately, Windows gives me more access to premium software for drawing and design, better hardware support, better stability than Linux, and you don't have to constantly maintain it. But it all depends on your use case, and what you want to use your PCs for. If you just want to play games, and you have an AMD or Intel graphics card, Linux could actually be better for you. However, I wouldn't recommend you to use Linux if you're an Nvidia user, use proprietary software like Adobe CC frequently, have a fingerprint sensor on your laptop, have an HDR display, use proprietary hardware like a stream deck (not to be confused with Steam Deck), etc. because Linux does not support these things right now.

Ultimately, it's your choice, and I do like Linux in the end. It's customizability and privacy and overall feel make me want to use it more, and I would've used it if not for the proprietary software I use for work and art. If I wasn't so focused on drawing, I would've stayed on Linux. What I want is a set-it-and-forget-it kind of system, and idk if there's a good Linux distro for that.

BTW, Windows 11 can be debloated and de-trackerified with O&O ShutUp10++ and WinToys (not to be confused with PowerToys).

Switching to Linux was the best move I've made.

What I love the most about my installation that it is mine. I've installed what I need and nothing additional junk degrading my performance/reliability. On Windows I had this issue of reinstalling it every month just to get better performance. Window's vanilla installation comes with a lot of unnecessary softwares. I haven't come across a single day I had to reinstalled Linux, and I'm using one of the hardcore source based distro.

If you like technology, Linux and BSD have a lot to offer. This is one of the thing you will miss out on Windows! And if you come across issues, or looking for support, there are official group chats where you can get instant support.

But do remember that Linux for gaming is more of a migration than full support. Proton gives a ability to run games on Linux. Developers have to create a port for full support of Linux. Because of the propriatary nature of gaming technologies, Windows is still the right OS for gaming. I play Cyberpunk 2077 and I love using RT, which is unavailable on Linux.

Debian user here. Both for my servers and my desktops.

I develop for companies, and the tools of my trade are just easier to use on a linux machine. I could not get used to doing it from a windows machine, even with WSL. It's just not the same / not easy enough.

I gave up hibernation, so I could have encrypted harddrive (With all those company stuff, it just makes more sense), I gave up fingerprint scanners in favor of passwords. But I got back speed and ease of working. I'd make that trade any day.

No. I have used linux extensively during college, a dedicated Thinkpad X220 with XUbuntu installed was all I used for my CS degree. It was great for working on C/C++ projects, python was amazing on it. I loved zsh and vim and had an overall great time.

I now work in a company who exclusively develops on and using Microsoft products. I use Visual Studio to develop C#, and Visual Studio Code for all the other fun stuff like Bicep and Azure Pipelines. I don't hate it that much and sometimes it's pretty good.

I work from home on a company supplied laptop, so there isn't a space for my ol trust Thinkpad anymore. I have a main desktop that is for gaming and occasional hobby programming, but not often enough to hate programming on Windows. There are some days where I miss that little Thinkpad, but I just don't have a need for such a form factor.

You bet that whenever I do, I'm getting a Framework and slapping Linux on it ASAP.

I dual boot my gaming PC between Pop OS and Windows. (I Use Linux most but some games anti-cheat only works on Windows). And both my work and personal laptops are Macs with Mac OS on it.

I do not, and would not seriously consider it. I'm tech savvy enough to do or figure out (read: able to Google and follow a guide for) most basic computer things, but I'm not really a "techy" and Linux is a step beyond what I feel the need to figure out and work. I'm sure I could work it, but for an OS I just want something that run without having to do much or think about. I see the appeal of Linux, but unless boxed OSs get really, really bad, I'm OK with Windows.

I personally really like Linux Mint myself. It got my old acer laptop to run again (the windows install became as big as the hard drive and literally wouldn't boot) and I've been using it more and more on my home desktop, with a windows partition just in case. Just know that, while everything you want to do is possible, there WILL be some weird stuff you have to find work arounds for.

I haven’t in recent years outside of a VM here and there just to tinker with and see the evolution of Linux. Lack of time with work and school basically, and I needed to be on either Windows or Mac for them. The last time I used Linux as my daily driver was sometime around 2019, Kubuntu.

Yep, tried several distributions and ultimately landed on Ubuntu for the ease of troubleshooting. I've used Linux full-time, including for work, for a few years now and at this point can't imagine wanting to switch back. Agreed that there are still some games I have to skip on for now however there are plenty now to not be a deal breaker for me.

I use both Linux and Windows, but run Linux inside of HyperV on Windows 10 or on Raspberry Pi projects. I use too many Microsoft-specific tools for work and play games that don't have great Linux ports to use it as my primary OS right now.

I used Ubuntu for years as my primary OS to get more life out of a PC that would not run Vista/7 back in the day. I got another four years out of it. I would not recommend Linux for anyone who wants something that just "works" and is adverse to having to tinker and use the command line because something will happen. I installed an update once that screwed up my display driver on that machine and the fix involved a lot of manual fussing and research. I am a professional nerd and have the skills to do these things, but even I just want something to work without fussing with it all the time.

At the end of the day, a computer is a tool and you should use an OS that works for your needs. There is no moral high ground here.

I'd use it if Adobe software worked with it. Unfortunately, it is essential to my work, so windows it is.

I've used Linux for about a decade, mostly with Ubuntu but recently with Fedora. I love trying out different distros and seeing what makes them unique, so I keep virtual machines for a good bit of distros -- as well as one for Windows, just in case something requires it.

I feel properly in control of my computer when I use Linux, while Windows is too controlling and bloated for me to enjoy.

Something no one here have said about Linux. It's that is a less distracting system. For example, I was trying to procrastinate less and get more dep work done. And windows for some reason decided that is okay to have TikTok, Spotify, Disney, Netflix apps installed on my system and to see in my start menu. The same with the news, why I would want to see news I did not subscribe myself?.

I'm a fulltime Linux user and have been for about 15 years. Mint was a great district for that early phase where I was learning about the general difference between a locked down Windows environment and something more open and customizable. It put really good limits on my guesswork and made lots of sane, reasonable decisions about how things should be.

I moved around a lot, but my next medium term district was Linux Mint Debian Edition, then on to plain Debian (testing branch), around a couple of others until now I am on Arch based distros, mostly plain Arch but on one machine Manjaro. At every step some people told me I was on too simple a distro, others said it was too complex or unstable, so I just learned that everyone prefers what they have and are used to and it is much ado about nothing. In the simplest form, you do you, nobody else has to live your life and use your system.

That all being said, I love being on Linux. Wine has gotten so much better over time which is amazing, but also with the development of game environments like Unity, Godot, and so on developers have never had an easier time targeting Linux with a real release. Valve has definitely helped by pumping a lot of resources into Wine and also the surrounding stuff like OpenGL and Vulkan so that's pretty cool.

Things have only gotten better since I started with Linux and it seems there is a lot of room to keep going. I am hopeful about the future of gaming on Linux and I really do think it is the current best platform for the future.

Linux user here.

I keep a small windows 10 partition for a few specific tasks which need proprietary softwares (use Cricut Design Space, edit Adobe Illustrator files). But I do everything else with Xubuntu : gaming, scientific research, dev, office work..

And when I don't want to help people with their computer, I just say "sorry, I use linux, I don't know how to connect a printer/clean virus on a windows computer"

All my servers run Linux and my laptop. My only windows machine is my gaming desktop and that’s only be necessity.

I'm interested on trying Linux, but I honestly don't know Where to begin or which "version" is better for me

Games are not a problem for me as I don't care much (at all) about them

I've daily driven Linux for about 11 years. I started when Windows 8 released, because a new laptop I bought came with 8 and it just put a bad taste in my mouth so within the week I had started using Mint, I eventually moved to Manjaro and I've been using EndeavorOS for about a year now. There is a learning curve, but to me that was half the fun. I've also ended up with a deeper understanding of computers, networks and even people via the FOSS community.

I used it in college and had a good time, but eventually didn't feel as compelled to have a fully customized computer and started using windows more and more until eventually I got rid of the Linux partition. My laptops still have it, but don't see much use.

However, I've been wanting to build a home server for awhile and I finally ordered some parts and have been having a ton of fun deciding on what tools and services I'll host on there. I'll be using arch for the first time (previously used void Linux and various Ubuntu flavors) as well as learning docker and stuff. Looking forward to having a lot of fun with that in like a week or so!