I realize this is a Linux community, but I was wondering why you still hate Windows. I mean, I love Linux, but I will not argue that it’s more convenient to the average person in most use cases to use Windows, I recently had to switch back to Windows and I realized how convenient it all was and how I was missing so many things because of my love for Linux. But at this point, Linux is a part of my personality and my self-image and I will not leave it, but I gotta be honest, it’s pretty convenient being on Windows. So, why have you guys chosen to still stay on Linux? Some reasons I can appreciate include
- The terrible privacy policies of Microsoft. It sometimes makes you feel like your computer is not owned by you but lent to you by Big Tech.
- The community and the spirit of sharing
- The joy of “figuring it out” and customizing everything you want to the minutest details
- FREEDOM!!!
sudo suKinda ties into the previous points, but still one of the best selling points, the freedom to do whatever you want is liberating. You can run a server on it or you can create a script while knowing you have control over almost every FOSS app there is or just destroy your whole system with one command. Idk, feels good man!
These are the big ones, but one must realize you are sacrificing many things while not using windows too, productivity can be much greater there if you are a normie, it’s really convenient! So yeah! Give me your reasons! Also, how many of you dual boot?
I swapped away from Windows about a year and a half ago. The last straw was them sticking ads in the OS. And from everything I’ve heard, they continue to boil the frog; they continue to add more and more telemetry and unasked for “features” and bloat the system more and more and more with every update. Even my own parents are growing tired of Windows; it’s a clunky, poorly optimized operating system that’s positively frustrating to use.
I will concede that not everything that runs on Windows will run on Linux. It’s true. But I severely disagree that Windows is “easier to use.” Of course, when you grow up on Windows, Linux has a learning curve. It’s different OS. But once I got past that? Nah, Linux is far easier and more intuitive in most cases.
Installing programs? Open your software manager and click a button.
Playing video games? Open Steam or Lutris and click a button. Occasionally you might need to tweak things, but you have to do the same on Windows sometimes, especially for older games!
I could go on but those are the biggest two examples that come to mind immediately.
As to another point you made, I personally gave up almost nothing. Destiny 2 and League of Legends don’t work, but I quit league before fgsh added Vanguard and neither of these games want me. That isn’t my fault, and it isn’t a short coming in Linux’s fault, it’s the devs being assholes.
In spite of this, I do acknowledge some people would have to give up more than me, and for some people that’s too much, and that’s valid! I hope one day they truly get a choice.
You write like one can do stuff on Linux with one command.
However, Linux enthusiasts simultaneously tell the user to spend time troubleshooting problems on their own, and say that’s a given.
It’s a double standard I see on the web.
You write like you just came here to be angry at people who’ve made a personal decision to leave Windows like it affects you, and that’s gonna help neither you nor us.
At no point in my comment did I say you “write a single command.” I’m saying basic, every day things that I do are point and click. I want a new program? I open my distro’s app store, which is a GUI, and click download on the app I want. I want to play a game I have? I click play on Steam or Lutris. You know. With a mouse. No typing involved, my guy.
It also sounds to me like you’ve run into some real fucking assholes when you needed help. And unfortunately, they’re out there. But that isn’t all of us. I hope one day your negative first impression of our community changes, but it never will if you keep engaging in bad faith like this. So please stop.
bloat the system more and more and more with every update.
Kinda why I call Windows the “Fat Man”
Of course, when you grow up on Windows, Linux has a learning curve. It’s different OS.
tbch, it’s not that. I haven’t used Windows in 7 years, never touched it, but gotta admit, the new Windows 11 is pretty cool
I don’t mean superficially. Linux Mint was very similar in feel to the Windows 7 days. Just thinking about it makes me nostalgic.
I mean in the way that sometimes you gotta run something in WINE, or trying to mod a game only to run into how different the file structure is. Back end things that make you go “Oh, this really isn’t Windows.”
And it’s not. But that’s okay. It doesn’t need to be. It shouldn’t be. We moved to Linux before it’s not Windows. It’s a little frustrating at first, but taking the time to learn how it works was worth it. I’ve never looked back.
A few months ago I blindly copied the hosts file from https://github.com/Ultimate-Hosts-Blacklist/Ultimate.Hosts.Blacklist as I was used to on BSD and Linux systems. It bricked Windows. Turns out that I had to use the installer script for Windows. Realised too late. That was my final goodbye to the Redmond giant.
For running a walled garden with iron grip, Apple allows copying the hosts file. Which I use for things like certification exams and any governmental agency stuffs.
Honestly, take away the PR blunders, bloatware, privacy nightmares, and ads, and I really just dislike how Windows works.
The file structure is the main one that really made me feel like Roddy Piper putting on the glasses. I was perfectly happy shambling around between Program Files this and LocalAppData that. As soon as I understood how logical and elegant the file structures that Linux uses is, there’s no way I could ever go back.
Also, things like Settings, Device Manager, Control panel, and 2 or 3 other separate GUIs all containing A, the same settings 6 times over, or B, all containing different settings that should be consolidated. It’s almost as if Microsoft can’t stick with a design language or feature scope to save their lives, but they also can’t get away with completely removing these old GUIs, so they just bury them and add another on top.
However, I can’t say I actually hate Windows. I cut my teeth in computing on XP, and I see XPs DNA all over modern Windows (the aforementioned Control Panel being a remnant). I think without all the added garbage, Windows is actually an incredibly powerful, albiet obtuse and frustrating, piece of software.
They killed Clippy! Those bastards!
Don’t worry,
Cortana (Clippy the Second)Copilot (Clippy the Third) will surely succeed this time!
Back when I first used a computer we were told if it has ads and pop ups constantly then you have installed a virus. Try using a fresh install of windows…
I genuinely don’t find Windows easier to use. And troubleshooting Windows problems is a friggin’ nightmare compared to Linux.
The Microsoft support forums are pitifully hilarious, too.
“Hi, I need help with N. I’ve tried X, Y, and, Z.”
“Hello, sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with N. Have you tried X, Y, or Z?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to hear that it’s still not working. Please refer to this thread, and feel free to contact Microsoft Support with any future questions. Have a nice day.”
“But my problem still isn’t solved. Hello?”
Where one of X, Y or Z is “update your system” and “ensure you’re using the latest drivers.”
And the other one is either use a third party registry cleaner or run this esoteric powershell command as admin.
And if it doesn’t work, just reinstall your entire computer. Fuck your entire day.
OK, but seriously, X, Y and Z are these:
-
Reboot
-
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth -
sfc /scannow
The only answers you’ll get.
-
“Thread closed due to inactivity.”
It seems to be populated exclusively by people (or these days LLMs?) who have had MS customer interaction training, but simultaneously have no grasp of reading compression.
Freedom FTW!
- The joy of “figuring it out” and customizing everything you want to the minutest details
Customization is my reason. I’ve got a two-monitor setup in KDE with different panels on each one. Each one is highly customized specifically to me, and the customizations can’t be done in Windows.
I haven’t used Windows in years and rarely think about it. But, ads. I hate ads with the burning fury of a thousand suns. Therefore, MS catches some fraction of that hate by putting them in the OS.
Proprietary software is a security risk, especially for US companies that can be legally served NSLs
The “we know better than you” attitude Microsoft has. They’ve very slowly removed more and more power user functionality. Almost every customization has to be hacked in with a group policy or registry edit now, or by outright replacing explorer.exe
More or less applies to Apple and most companies.
I still rank OSX higher, simply because it’s at least consistent. Windows is a fucking mess.
Plus, it’s unix-like and comes when an ssh client.
Although to be fair, WSL fixes that issue to a big degree. Maybe even better than OSX, since you get a real Linux with real userspace. WSL(2) might be the only really cool feature Microsoft added to Windows, that actually brings value for the user.
Because I don’t sit down at my Linux destop and feel like the product. There’s no ads or suggestions or popups or apps installing themselves or shit copying my files around in ways I didn’t really want or AI bullshit or anything even remotely suggesting I buy more shit, just… whatever the fuck it is I was intending to do.
The value in not having my computer act like a damn slot machine trying to get me to insert more quarters is, frankly, immense.
I don’t know if I “hate” Windows but more like “I’m done dealing it.” I might come and use it time to time, but only when absolutely necessary, and the mental capacity to remove things I don’t need and make sure its removed.
.” I might come and use it time to time, but only when absolutely necessary
I get that!
I don’t hate. It’s just a piece of software. I just use Linux because I like the privacy and I’m a tech savvy person
I don’t wanna learn Windows whatsoever, cause I can do everything I need on Linux and it serves me well
Windows, macos, all the same. I want a free device. I love donating to KDE. How could I love giving money to microsoft?
Microsoft is more difficult for me nowadays because I use it very rarely. I hate that nothing works as expected. I hate that they force everything upon you.
We are free. We are GNU. We are linux.
We are free. We are GNU. We are linux.
Amen!
I don’t like the fact that even if you have a Pro or Enterprise license, some amount of telemetry is still being sent to MS for any number of nebulous reasons.
At least with bigger names like Fedora et al, they give you the option up front to opt-in, and you can have a reasonable amount of trust that they won’t do it in secret.
