There. That’s out of the way. I recently installed Linux on my main desktop computer and work laptop, overwriting the Windows partition completely. Essentially, I deleted the primary operating system from the two computers I use the most, day in and day out, instead trusting all of my personal and work computing needs to the Open Source community. This has been a growing trend, and I hopped on the bandwagon, but for good reasons. Some of those reasons might pertain to you and convince you to finally make the jump as well. Here’s my experience.
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It’s no secret that Windows 11 harvests data like a pumpkin farmer in October, and there is no easy way (and sometimes no way at all) to stop it. The operating system itself acts exactly like what was called “spyware” a decade or so ago, pulling every piece of data it can about its current user. This data includes (but is far from limited to) hardware information, specific apps and software used, usage trends, and more. With the advent of AI, Microsoft made headlines with Copilot, an artificial assistant designed to help users by capturing their data with tools like Recall.
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After dealing with these issues and trying to solve them with workarounds, I dual-booted a Linux partition for a few weeks. After a Windows update (that I didn’t choose to do) wiped that partition and, consequently, the Linux installation, I decided to go whole-hog: I deleted Windows 11 and used the entire drive for Linux.
Every time I have tried linux it was a miserable time.
Look I understand your concerns, however I like being able to use my computer.
The only actually functional linux systems I use are my android phone, my TrueNAS scale and my steam deck. The only reason they are functional is because in each case, they go to great length to abstract the OS to a point it’s barely there and you’re just interacting with a point and click system… And even then, I still can’t get my steam deck to access network shares because linux fucking sucks.
Every time i tried Windows, it was a miserable time.
Around December, I got my first non-work non-Mac computer in recent memory and it came with Win 11 (not Enterprise) installed. Couldn’t believe my eyes when I first booted it up: a completely hostile and bloated experience, in my opinion. I’m not new to Windows, I’ve been on pretty much every version from 95 and forward– including ME and Vista – and it’s never given me the ick like Win 11 did. Installing Debian was a massive improvement – including out of the box functionality.
Your preference is fine, if you have software you need to run that is fully compatible with your system and the user experience doesn’t get in the way of your workflow – all the power to you. But I genuinely don’t believe it’s a good reflection of most people’s experience and needs. Linux these days are as plug and play as Windows, if not more.
Good you have tried switching.
The network share issue is most likely because newer versions of Windows have disabled support for older versions of SMB (1.0 and 2.0), if you enable support for those on the windows host you are trying to access from the Steam deck it could work.
Funnily enough, I managed to get the deck to read my windows shares without an issue, it’s the shares on the NAS that I can’t access. You’d think linux<->linux would be straightforward. Nope.
Sounds like a user issue. What do you do when the UI changes and you can’t find something? What do you do when your phone doesn’t connect? If you want a perfect user experience where you don’t have to use your brain at all, don’t use a computer. Or any technology.
Oh yeah, with linux, you also get this kind of people, massive turn off.
I know how to deal with computers, I’ve probably been working with them for longer than you’ve been alive.
It really sounds like you don’t know how to deal with technology, but you do you.
Thanks for your valuable input. Trust me bro, <current year> will be the year if Linux on the desktop.
It’s like you’d do anything than read some short book on Linux basics and learn these 15 new things you never knew about, so you’d actually understand at least something about the system you’re going to use all your life.
Here I mean a computer operating system. Whatever you’d use, you don’t have many options, and assuming you’d not stop using a PC, kinda makes sense to learn the basics.
I don’t know, Windows kinda sucks. It’s literally the worst, you wouldn’t find a system that is worse, would you?
If you’d at least said same things about macOS, which is polished and truly was the best polished system (at least pre macOS 26). But Windows. LOL, it’s like a North Korean someone boasting how cool their country is, the best quality of life in the world. Same vibes. Looks rather miserable.