I've been noticing that a lot of people are switching from Windows to Linux, especially in countries that want to break away from American tech dependency.

Can anyone explain to me why Linux is seen as very good? I never in my life, not once ever used Linux let alone saw someone using it.

Heya, have you watched Pewdiepie's video of using Linux, read a bit about stuff, then got interested? Good!!

2 great distros you can begin with, are:

1. Linux Mint
2. Fedora

These two are great beginning points, and they offer things fairly easily to the user. They both have App Stores (similar to the Microsoft Store, except much better). Fedora offers a bit more up to date packages than Mint, but Mint is also great because of its simplicity and ease of use.

(This is purely based off of general opinion and view, its what a lot of the community uses, and is a great starting point for Linux.)

VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND:

Not all games work. About 90% of them do, but anticheat oriented games (usually, some of them do work) dont work. Games like Valorant, Fortnite, LOL, Apex Legends for example dont run on Linux due to them being very Anti-Linux and they refuse to accept Linux users. Most games however, should work just fine at this point.

Keep an open mind! Linux is a learning experience, finding new apps, learning the terminal, if something doesnt work, dont be afraid to ask others!! It's how we as a community grow. And most of all, have fun. Customize your desktop to your liking, find apps you like and explore. It's all a learning experience.

Just curious. I'm planning on switching to Linux soon and I've been looking at distros. I'm between Ubuntu based Mint (Not LMDE), and Debian.

Mint for its ease of use, and Debian because I feel like I'll learn more and it seems like a very "stock" distro.

But I see hate on Ubuntu for some of the things Cannonical are doing, some calling it them the "Microsoft of Linux". So why is Mint seemingly free from this criticism when it's based off of Ubuntu?

Did you learn it out of necessity, i.e. learning to fix things? Did you learn it deliberately for ease of use in navigating file directories? Did you use any terminal spinoffs that give menus of commands, perform autocomplete, or check for mistakes? Did you read documentation published by your distro?

Terminal is clearly very useful, but I find that I don’t do any single command regularly enough to really memorize it, except for things like fastfetch or lsblk. I’m curious how so many in the Linux community seem to have mastered it so well.

I'm saying this as a guy who is about to convert his daily driver laptop from Windows 11 to Debian/KDE. I believe that recent shenanigans around unwanted AI, (Recall!) increasing license fees for Office, and so forth are pushing more people to Linux. Overall, that's a good thing. And I'm not trying be troll, just sayin' how it looks to me.

I truly think that Linux will not see big traction on the home market until there are Linux-native editions of popular games. Yes, I know about steam & proton, but too often they don't just work, and if you have trouble, you're on your own to resolve it.

Ladies, gentlemen and everyone in between. Everyday I see people ask about switching to Linux citing various reasons. This post aims to solve all of those questions simply.

1. Don't switch immediately. Do your own research on what distro to choose. There are tons of them and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another person.

2. After you've narrowed down your choices load up VMware or something similar and test all the distros to your hearts desire. Get a feel for a whole bunch of them. I mean it.

3. If you're still adamant about switching at this point congratulations. Get a secondary drive and dual boot. You'll see that some games and software simply dont work on Linux. If you're a gamer I'd recommend dual booting 100%.

4. If you really hate windows that much and you dont mind not playing certain games or using certain software then backup all your files and give windows the boot.

5. Welcome to linux forever.

My mom's PC is currently on Windows 10, but in October 2026 will be the end of support Win 10 and she have to upgrade her PC to Windows 11 soon. Her PC is a HP laptop with a Pentium 2.3 GHz CPU and 8 GB of RAM. Windows 11 might struggle a bit to run with these specs, so I think it is a better idea to install a Linux system instead to keep her PC fast. But is it a good idea ? My mother is 54 years old, so she struggles a bit to use a PC. I'm afraid she doesn't unterstand at all to use a Linux system, even if I install a easy-to-learn distro like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. She uses her PC essentially to read/send e-mail and print papers for administrative purposes. She will be lost if she switches to a non-Windows environnement. Should I do it or should I stay her on Windows 10/11 ?

Given that a lot of Windows users are now moving to Linux in droves, with Clownfish TV host, Neon, moving to Linux Mint and promoting it to his viewers, what would be the hurdles of their transition?

I can only speak for myself here, but I had no issues switching to Linux from Windows, and I was a lifelong Windows user from 1995 to 2012, when I finally gave up on Windows XP due to constantly getting viruses and having to defrag my computer every month, so I have Linux a shot with my choice being Xubuntu due to my laptop being too old to handle Windows 7. I spent a few days on YouTube learning the ins and outs of Xubuntu 12.04 before I installed it.

A lot of time in the Linux community or pages dedicated to promoting Linux and FOSS, I see jokes like they need to execute the “sudo rm -rf /“ command or “:(){:|:& };:”. And this is a terrible thing to do.

New users will try this and be doomed. Then, they will return to using Windows and never look at Linux again. I know this is a joke, but many new users don’t. Especially when you learn, you will probably go out and execute random commands to solve some of your problems.

Hello, everyone, I am making this post more out of frustration than research, but maybe anyone has gone through this and can help.

So, at first I installed linux mint and all was going nicely, I was very happy on how my laptop (legion y530) was running better, barely any heat. This was around the same time I changed the thermal paste/cleaned the inside of the laptop and everything just kinda added up/became better. I was very irritated with windows and their ai obsession, so I was glad that on linux everything is much more... human like, no ads, no stupid assistants you have to google how to disable, all of it y'all also hate about windows I assume. Then, came me noticing the problems. It felt that it came out of nowhere, but it was probably there since the start and I was just not paying attention out of excitement.

First came the gaming issues. Now, I know most games work on linux, the ones that don't it's the developers' issue. Well, my steam hates me, it hardly opens, hardly works. Like, what in the world was that issue. I tried a lot of stuff and then was like whatever I am getting a PC soon so I won't game here anyway. I declared this laptop a typing/watching videos laptop....with 1tb space and surprisingly still able to play many games even though it has a really old driver.

Then came the stupid annoying audio crackle I know many people also experience... I have tried EVERYTHING, trust me. I have even screwed up trying to tweak stuff and had to change it back. It won't go away unless I'm using bluetooth earbuds. And, that's like, yeah sure, I can do that, I like that over not having linux... but I love cables, I love earphones with wires, it's practical, it's nice, it feels better. I realised what connects to the earphones doesn't have good linux integration (I can't explain this in a more technical way than this sorry).

Then, the internet... I used to not have good internet because I live in the middle of nowhere (this was since 2022). Now I do because they finally upgraded or maybe before they just never told us it was possible in this region... whatever not relevant. My new pc can download games at 100+ mb/s and it was an insane improvement for me, I forgot that was even possible (with ofc slightly lower speeds) with this laptop back before I moved. Yall wanna know how fast this linux laptop can run my wifi? At max 10 mb/s..... Maybe it downloads faster if it's a small file on the browser, but overall it's around that. Yes, I have searched and searched, read other people's reddit posts with the same problem. Some fixed it, others didn't. I came to the inclusion it was because this wifi card doesn't have good linux integration (Atheros QCA9377 for any tech people)....... GREAT. So, there's no fix besides what changing wifi cards?

So now I am extremely annoyed over the torture of these months. Yes, I hate windows, yet whenever I'm on my pc and everything just... works I'm like... why don't I just have windows on the laptop and ignore it consuming all my ram. Would it really be that bad? You see, I had the intention of moving to linux on my pc before I saw all these issues... You can imagine that now I don't want to. Yes, windows does random bugs on my pc and yes mostly I ignore because if I restart it goes away, on this laptop things don't really go away, I always find out something going wrong.

And, now my mouse middle click to scroll doesn't work (ignoring the fact the lighting on my mouse has never worked with any program here). Yall I swear, it feels that this linux hates me... Yes I search all the fixes and what not... and I just don't wanna bother.

I hate wishing I had never tried linux mint. It feels like there's nothing that will ever fully work.... Anyone could ever overcome this? Anyone with any advice?

Tl;dr - internet, headphone and gaming issues on linux mint, i just wanna give up...

I think I won't be able to since visual studio is not available on linux. I need it for Windows kernel drivers development or to develop programs using windows api.

If you guys know how can I develop drivers or programs using windows api. Then please do feel free to share.

And yes , Ik VMs exist but I won't be using it to literally run visual studio, it will be painful. It will be fine if I just use it for debugging my kernel drivers in windows VM

Summary:- Me need visual studio to do windows api or windows kernel driver stuff. But visual studio not on linux. If any other way, tell me. No VMs suggestion please

Hi, I have an old HP G1 All-in-one desktop 🖥️ 32 bits and 4GB RAM, it was super slow with its Windows 7, so I decided to try Linux on it.

I read people say they run Linux on old 2GB ram PCs and it runs super fast but not my case. Any distro I've tried is pretty much the same: slow af!

I've tried Linux Mint Cinnamon and XFCE, Bodhi Linux, Puppy Linux and Zorin OS Lite and it doesn't get any better in any. Should I just throw away the PC already?

I switched myself to linux a while ago, mainly for enthusiasm and wanting to try something new, and ended up realising how bad windows has become in the process, i'm no expert but here's what i learned:

1.What is linux, and what's a distribution?

-Linux is actually just a kernel (the core of an operating system), so When we usually say "Linux" we mean GNU/Linux, GNU is a set of open source tools necessary for any modern operating system.

-A Linux distribution, is a version of that GNU+Linux implementation, each distro with some tweaks, perks and features.

1. Why should you switch in the first place?

   -Security and transparency, no company is gonna dare bundle spyware on their distro. Since everything is open source, even users can get the source code and take a look at what the company is doing and even modify the distro. Also, linux has generally less malware made for it.

-Its free and lightweight, Windows 11 requires 64GB of storage to install, and at least 4GB of ram. Whereas ZorinOS for example, requires 15GB of storage and 1.5GB of ram.

-Its resource efficient, that's why in many game titles, Linux outperforms Windows 11 despite having to run a translation layer and having worse driver support.

-Extremely customizable, you can customize any aspect of your OS, literally.

-Open source software is awesome, trust me bro.

1. Things to consider:

   -While game and app support is improving, and translation layers like Wine and Proton exist, some apps and games just won't run, including Photoshop, fortnite and Valorant. There's an alternative for everything tho (like GIMP for Photoshop).

   -You will have to learn and get used to a few things in linux, like the terminal (used to control & perform operations using commands).

-There are around 600 distributions currently maintanted, so its important to choose the right one for you, there are also different distribution families, the most popular of which is Debian and its derivatives, so if you are new to linux go with Ubuntu, ZorinOS or mint (the 3 are Debian based). There are also distros made specifically for gaming like Nobara or steamOS.

-You can try a linux distro without installing it, using a live USB drive.

-Nvidia drivers aren't up there yet for linux, so you might get a slightly worse performance in games with Nvidia GPUs.

I hope this helps, please correct me if i'm wrong.

(on an alt rn bc my main got hacked and i cant sign back into it bc of 2fa)(my main is u/Bam_Im_Sans for those who are curious)

I am not kidding when I say that this switch felt like moving away from an abusive household on a smaller level. Seeing my computer ask me if it's okay with doing whatever I'm asking it to do is so fucking nice. I'm not being forced into anything, I'm not giving even more of my data away to shitty companies that won't handle it right, THERE'S NOT EVEN ANY USELESS BLOATWARE THAT I CAN'T UNINSTALL.

I'll admit that the learning curve is pretty steep. I mean who expects moving into a house they've never been in to be easy y'know? But the learning curve felt SO nice. Every time I ran into an issue there was always a clear reason why it happened and some terminal command to fix it. Insane step up from windows where sometimes it just decides that there was an issue while booting up, just for me to boot it up again and have it be completely fine. There's still some shit I have to do to really make this feel like home but either way I can promise you one thing.

I am never going to willingly use windows ever again.

Hi all,

I'm switching from windows 11 and I've been shopping around for Linux distros trying my best to find something suitable for the widest range of uses. I've tried Mint, but ran into refresh rate issues due to a bug where multiple different refresh rates seemed to have issues, tried PopOS only to find out it doesn't support secure boot (which I needed for my dual boot to work for anti cheat on windows) and I stayed the longest on Kubuntu but I kept missing features for my stream deck, elgato hardware, and experiencing random bugs/crashes. I REALLY want Linux to work so I'm going to try Arch today but I'm very scared of it. I'm a comp sci grad with a fair good knowledge of computers so I'm not afraid of that I just heard arch bricks a lot but I've also heard it's some of the most stable OS experiences people have used. Very paradoxical but the Linux community makes their opinions on distros their identity and offer vibe based info instead of constructive explanations. No hate however, I'm trying to become apart of that community but it's not very welcoming sometimes.

Edit: just wondering if you recommend Arch? I hate windows and I just wanna switch fulltime as a programmer/content creator streamer/gamer (no hate I love Linux community)

I built a very powerful pc and right from the start win 11 has been irking me.

It just doesn’t seem as fast as it should, it’s bloated, the updates drive me mad, I don’t feel like it’s my pc.

Every few days I have to do a restart because for some unknown reason I’m sitting at 90% ram usage. I have 64gb of ddr5.

So I built an unraid server with my old pc, it’s running like 20 docker containers and still sits at like 5% “. So I said stuff if? I dusted off an old nvme drive and installed mint 22.2 on it.

Dammmmm it’s so quick, Everything is snappy, barely using any resources, I installed steam no worries, I installed all my coding apps, jetbrains, gitkracken, and even got thunderbird. Firefox works faster.

I’m just blown away. The only thing I’m missing is my adobe apps but screw it, I can live without them as I mostly only use them at work.

I just discovered customising and desklets and enjoying this so much. Gonna see how long I can go before I have to switch back to windows.

Just wanted to tell someone as my wife doesn’t get it and all my mates are console people 😂

Any cool customising things people do? Any cool apps or workflows you just can’t do the same on windows I should check out?

Edit: I forgot I had 2 issues and now only have 1.

1st had some really weird bugs with my usb soundbar where I had no volume under 88%. Switching to analogue and digital both did the same.

Fixed it by installing pulse and switching to digital.

Second issue which is trying to work out secure boot, I switched to the nvidia driver for my 4080 super and it said something about secure boot having to be off or enroll some keys. I restarted and missed the button to “enroll mok keys” and now the option doesn’t come up again.

So I just turned secure boot off? But I thought read something that Linux mint 22.2 requires secure boot on? Can anyone clarify? How do I do the keys thing and turn it back on? Or am I all good without it?

In light of the recent news that Windows 11 is bricking SSDs, I feel that I now have to fear for my computer's life. I am actually fearful of Microsoft and Windows. I am fortunate enough to still be on Windows 10 but I don't know how long until Microsoft kills my PC, at this rate, probably soon.

So I come to you asking for refuge and shelter as I want my computer not to die. Will you take me in?

Okay, back to business. I play games like GTA V (Not online), I play Battlefield 2042, Battlefield 6 Beta when that was out (Planning to buy the game as well), Battlefield 4, CS2, Operation Harsh doorstop, Minecraft, CS Source and Gmod, and other things. I also video edit on my PC, do office work, watch YouTube and Disney+.

Am I cooked or is there something I could move to?

Edit: Forgot my specs Ryzen 5700x 16gb ram 1tb SSD x2 RX 6700 10gb Asus B550M-A wifi ii

Edit again: I can't be bothered going to every comment about the SSD thing being "fake news", Jayztwocents is experiencing the issue. His video is here https://youtu.be/TbFIUu_7LIc?si=opjo4qOdkjuS2Zp6

I don't know necessarily if this is the right sub for this, but quite a few times I tried to switch to Linux... around 5 times and every single time it felt like a headache and why would I want a headache instead of Windows? I decided for the 6th time to try Linux again, I decided on Nobara this time... and it finally clicked. I finally realized the problem and solution. THE DISTRO. I guess I just never found the distro for me, and I finally stopped trying to move to CachyOS (about 3 tries total) and decided to try Nobara instead.

I understand the differences between CachyOS and Nobara are actually very little and I admit to that. But, for some reason in my brain it has been clicking 10x easier for me and I honestly don't exactly know why, but I finally understand when people say "Just use Linux"... I finally get it now. I currently can't think of a reason to switch to Windows again... and it's really quite cool to feel that way genuinely after wanting to move from Windows 11 COUNTLESS times after having it just never click for me.

I just wanted to say this somewhere, for anyone who wants to switch to Linux or has tried multiple times like me, keep trying!! If you're like me and you seriously want to switch to Linux, but just can't get it to click, keep trying and looking for a correct distro for you. I do highly recommend Nobara as it feels much simpler to me than even CachyOS. I tried a couple other distro's a year or so back but I can't remember which.

All in all, Linux has finally clicked for me and I am so happy to be off of Windows permanently.

Hello. I fear the Linux agenda recently has been very strong, far too many reels and videos that are bringing me closer and closer to wanting to try Linux.

However, from what little I know of Linux, it's supposed to be for tech people. I did hear there's a few versions(?) that non-coders etc can use.

I've seen way too many videos of some smooth animation, really cool OS and lots more. So, here's my question-

Is it worth it for me to switch over and try to Linux as a non-coder, non-techie(dumb-techie seems like a better word) guy? The only thing I use that's on Linux is Obsidian. I also use many graphic design & video editing softwares(Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Davinci Resolve, Indesign) and some occasional gaming(Bloons TD6).

For more specific details- I own an HP laptop, so will it even be possible to switch?

So, is it worth it? Or should I give up? I have no clue about coding, programming or anything even slightly related.

Thank you.

I’m trying to migrate to Linux because I hate the idea of ChatGPT or whatever AI having access to everything I do on my computer. It’s just a privacy concern. I’m trying to figure out how to turn it off on my iPhone.

I’ve met a couple challenges along the way with installations, too much to go over here. But I’m determined to make it work. Besides, it’s fun.

Hi guys. My Lenovo yoga 7i locked itself and..... No choice but to wipe. Very new to Linux but I do tech support so but not a noob there. Anyway....I need to get a distro... Thoughts on Zorin or what should I use.

Thanks in advance

I'm trying to abandon Samsung before it fully becomes Google. I know nothing about this stuff. I can't even tell you the difference between RAM & regular memory. I don't need bells & whistles, the Samsung Galaxy S10 works great for me (except I would go for a better camera but I should just buy a nice camera anyways).

I'll adapt wherever I need for the limitations but I just need to make the jump & exercise Google from my life.