Yes, the title is real. No, it is not clickbait. I am in the process of moving to Linux. I am testing a couple of distributions in a virtual machine and, as I type this, this article is being written from Firefox running in Linux through Windows 11.
So why the change?
The simple answer is that I have become increasingly frustrated with the direction Windows has been heading over the past few years. It feels like Microsoft is making more and more decisions for me instead of letting me decide how I want my own computer to work.
I have used Windows for decades, and it has served me well, but I have always kept one eye on Linux. I first looked at it back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then it wasn't quite ready for the way I worked, although I have continued to experiment with it from time to time ever since.
Today things are very different.
Modern Linux distributions are polished, easy to install, and support a huge range of hardware out of the box. There is plenty of software available, and for most of what I do day to day, Linux can now comfortably replace Windows.
That doesn't mean I am blindly jumping ship.
I believe am taking a sensible approach by testing everything first in a virtual machine. If I can't make my software work the way I need it to, then I simply won't move. Once I am happy everything works, then I will build a dedicated Linux system.
After trying a few desktop environments, I have settled on Linux Mint with the KDE Plasma desktop. It offers the flexibility I like while still feeling familiar enough to be productive.
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Will I completely abandon Windows?
Probably not.
There are still a few specialist programs I use, particularly around graphics and music production, that are simply better on Windows. I have no intention of changing operating systems just for the sake of it. My philosophy has always been:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
If a particular application genuinely works better under Windows, then I will continue to use Windows for that task. However my Windows system will not be connected to the internet in any form, so will be turning WiFi and disconnecting the ethernet cable etc... any up dates will only be for the apps I trust done via thumb drive etc... Windows Applications I will be keeping are ie; FileMaker 19, FL Studio, and Affinity & VLC are probably the only apps I will be using on the system.
So my day to day browsing of the internet, social media, emails, (basically anything done online) writing any documents, basic graphics and designs will all be done on Linux.
The goal isn't to become a Linux fanatic.
The goal is simply to use the best tool for the job while regaining a little more control over my own computer.
This is likely to be a gradual journey rather than an overnight switch, and I'll share both the successes and the frustrations along the way.
My systems will be something like the following;
Windows System
- Windows 11
- FL Studio - Music Production.
- FileMaker 19 - Database Production & Maintenance.
- Affinity - More complex graphic designs.
- Linux Mint
- LibreOffice - General Document creation and basic graphics design
- Scribus - Desktop Publishing
- Inkscape - Basic Designs
- GiMP - Rastor and photo editing
- Krita - Rastor and photo editing/drawing
- Audicaity - Audio recording
- Thunderbird (email)
- FireFox Browse
- Kdenlive - Basic Video Editing
- DaVinci Resolve - Series complex video editing
