Linux Liberation Day
Microsoft has lost the plot and I am increasingly convinced that Linux has sufficiently smoothed the edges making it a viable option for many - maybe even the masses. In this post I’d like to elaborate on why I held out, why I am finally ready to kick Windows to the curb, and why you might want to as well.
If you’re unaware - support for Windows 10 ends today. This is somewhat symbolic as you’ll still be able to keep using Windows 10 for quite some time with security updates still coming through 2026. What will change, though, is the pressure to switch to Windows 11 (which if you’re like me you’ve been resisting).
There is a broad consensus in the digital spaces I frequent that Windows 11 is infested with AI-powered advertising and that never before has an OS been so weaponized as a product to collect information on the users. An OS that serves ads when you click the “Start” menu is just one of the most egregiously gross things I can think of in computing. I concede that paying for a service and still getting ads on that service is not new, but it feels especially jarring to have to deal with that in a space designated for productivity and work. I could continue on, but suffice it to say if this bothers you - even a little - you can liberate yourself of it and upskill in the process.
For the last several years I have used Windows, macOS, and Linux all on a daily basis. I used a Windows desktop machine as my personal machine, my work-provided machine is a MacBook, and while I worked on that machine I would remote into HPCs/hyperscalers that ran various flavors of Linux. Also, thanks to Apple’s penchant for forced obsolescence I have been running Pop!_OS on my mid 2012 Apple MacBook Air for several years now which has continued to be completely sufficient for pet development projects and browsing.
There were a few reasons for my own holding out on the switch to Linux (in order of importance):
Work from home (remote) setup compatibility
Gaming
Effort to Annoyance Ratio
Work from home compatibility
I highly prefer to have a very clear separation between my personal computing and my work computing. I want zero crossover of data, but I want to use the same peripheral hardware (monitors, mouse, keyboard, mic, webcam) for everything. I accomplish this with a hardware KVM switch and a sort of software KVM switch. The hardware switch lets me tap a button on my desk to swap a high-quality mic and webcam between my work and personal computers. The software KVM (or keyboard-mouse over LAN) lets me share a keyboard and mouse across both computers simultaneously so all I have to do is move my mouse between an invisible barrier and it knows which one I want my inputs to go to. The last switch is a 10 second swap of display settings that any modern OS can handle. This is incredibly powerful for someone who works from home as it lets me completely separate my personal computing (music, profiles, passwords, etc.) that I want access to during my workday without any friction or duplicated hardware. The only catch is you need both machines to be compatible with all the hardware and the software.
The software I have historically used for this was Symless’ Synergy as it had solid Windows and Mac clients. Other tools existed that were compatible with Linux as well, but when I tried them previously they didn’t fully get there in a way that satisfied my ability to map custom keys, copy/paste, and have low-latency on the client machine.
With the impending end of support for Windows 10 I decided to revisit this. There are a slew of options nowadays, but I landed on Deskflow as it had direct support from Symless and was as ‘close to home’ as I could reasonably find. Also, it had clear compatibility with most distros so that shouldn’t hinder me. A quick test worked without issue so I felt ready to start feeling out the next steps.
Gaming
While I definitely do not game nearly as much as I used to it is still something I’m not ready to completely give up, especially as my oldest child gets closer and closer to the age we could reasonably start gaming together - which is a very exciting prospect for me.
The state of Linux gaming has completely shifted since my last attempt - largely thanks to the shift from Valve to invest in Linux compatibility in their pivot to the steam deck and hardware. Funnily enough, the main thing that blocks Linux compatibility in modern AAA games isn’t the game itself but the kernel-level anti-cheating software packaged alongside them. I can live without those titles though, so we carry on unbothered.
The next facet of the gaming on Linux question is the distro reportedly can have an out-sized impact on performance. I’m writing this post on CachyOS, which is an Arch Linux (by the way) derivative, while some games install on Steam and I’ve had no problems so far.
Effort To Annoyance Ratio
I could’ve just as easily given this section the heading of “Laziness,” as that’s really what this means. How much perceived and then actual effort is making the switch compared to how annoyed am I by the choices that Microsoft is making about data privacy and AI everything all the time everywhere.
I could probably use Windows 11 for my limited purposes and ignore those things without too much strain, but at this point I think it’s a place where I (hopefully we) can vote with my digital wallet where I want things to go in computing.
What’s Out There
The other major point I have not touched on specifically yet is all of the available options. At first glance the sheer volume of options might feel overwhelming, but the refreshing part is you can get everything along the spectrum.
There are distros built from the ground up for the absolute beginner that look great and just work in the same “hide the naughty bits” kind of way you’d expect from macOS or Windows (looking at you Ubuntu and Mint) and there are of course the extreme distros where you will become the master of your configuration and experience (Arch of course). There are also many novel somewhere-in-the-middle distros out there like Bluefin (yay dinosaurs), Bazzite, Pop!_OS, and CachyOS which is the one I’m currently using.
All that said, the Desktop Environment you select is probably going to be the major determinant of your immediate shock to the system. KDE and GNOME are going to feel very easy and comfortable and have tons of support and compatibility cooked in while the cool kids are off spending weeks ricing with Hyprland.
Conclusion
I despise the idea that the OS is to become yet another vehicle for advertising. I refuse to be forced to pay for an OS in a subscription-like model and to still be served ads when something so clean and ready for prime-time with all my ideologies intact is right there begging for some love. There will be some learning required, but the communities have never been more ready and willing to accept new users. I hope you’ll at least consider throwing a Linux distro on a bootable flash drive you have around the office and supporting 2025 as the year of the Linux Desktop!
Quick Instructions if you want to try it
Download Belena Etcher or Rufus
Download an ISO of the distro you want to try (Pop!_OS, Bluefin, CachyOS)
Flash the ISO to the drive (be careful not to delete an important drive)
Reboot and smash F9-F12/Del or whatever your BIOS Boot Menu button is for your motherboard
Boot from the ‘live’ USB (OS on a stick)
Play around in Linux and optionally install on a real drive!