My experience switching to Linux

 

Windows has been making a lot of missteps lately, especially with A.I. stuff like recall.

Plus, there is the excessive bloatware that comes with it, OEM software from Lenovo, security issues, problems with speed and crashes, many driver errors and other issues, corruption, and general slowness. I also felt like Windows had too many ads, like in the start menu and Microsoft Store. Windows is also a lot more locked down, with fewer customization options and a lack of built-in features.

So I decided to try out Ubuntu.

Ubuntu was my first distro, it was mainly only a gateway for me to try Linux as it's a simpler easy distro. I installed it and Windows in a dual boot. This is when two operating systems are installed onto separate partitions or hard drives. It was nice and I liked the default desktop but wanted to try more, so I started learning the command line and other parts. I experimented with many desktops, such as Xfce which I didn't like due to the dated UI and less snappy X11 display manager. I also tried cinnamon, which felt bland and basic but also used X11. Eventually, I heard of Hyprland. A newer Wayland-based desktop. Hyprland was a tiling window manager so the windows

automatically snap into place which creates a lot more efficiency and better multitasking also it's much more keyboard-based. Instead of opening a minimized window, I would press a shortcut to move to a different desktop. The desktop is entirely customizable everything from the start menu to how Windows displays. I liked it so I stuck with it, my new desktop also had the added benefit of being very pretty and less resource-intensive.

App compatibility is something many people are scared of when getting into Linux however I found it to be perfect. Most basic apps like web browsers, messaging platforms, and popular software are compatible. And a lot of popular games have support. If not wine, a compatibility layer can run most apps. And with a bit of tweaking most games can run through proton. Along with other tools. Flathub is also very helpful. It's an app store with tons of apps at the press of a button, with many unofficial ports. I've gotten most apps and games working. Also on Arch Linux, there's the AUR. A massive collection of unofficial ports made by users. However, one downside is that the AUR only works on Arch and forks.

I will describe my experience switching to arch in the next post.