Why I switched to Linux
By: Teun Van Son
Tags: Privacy, Windows 10, Security, Software, Linux

About a year ago I ditched Windows and installed a Linux distribution on my laptop. I’d had some sneak peeks at Windows 10 and I was so repelled by what I saw, that I resolutely refused to purchase and use it. Now, a year later, I have a decent idea of the advantages of Linux over Windows:

Control

This was my primary reason to ditch Windows. I don’t want my operating system to control me, I want to be in control of my operating system. This means that I decide what happens when and how on my machine, and Linux gives me that control.

Of course, control is not black and white. Every operating system sits somewhere on a line between absolute control and no control whatsoever. A project very close to the ‘full control’ side would be Linux From Scratch, which lets you do everything yourself … and is utterly unusable for anyone who isn’t very tech-savvy.

Close to the other side, the ‘no control’ side, sits Windows 10 (possibly only trumped by MacOS, which I have no experience with). It doesn’t let you decide when to install updates, which means sudden forced restarts when they’re the least welcome. It removes programs in big updates without notifying the user. And it serves ads that are almost impossible to get rid of. (This might be the right time to remind you that Windows 10, ad-infested Windows 10, costs over €100 per license.)

Umm … thanks?

So the trick, for me, was to get rid of these ridiculous levels of intrusion without sacrificing my time or sanity. I quickly found out that the Linux community offers plenty of options that give you decent control while also offering a platform that’s as easy to use as Windows, if not easier. The most recommended distribution for newbies migrating from Windows seems to be Linux Mint, but I ended up going with a slightly more hands-on option, Manjaro.

Both distros give you full control over updates and the software you want to have on your system. Want your system to stay up to date automatically? No problem. Want to do it manually? Fine as well.

And because Linux is modular by nature, you can alter, remove and replace every part of it. This means you can replace the pre-installed browser with your own favourite one, change the file manager to something that suits you, and even install a different desktop environment to give your operating system a completely different look and feel.

Privacy

It’s not hard to imagine that Windows 10's built-in ads are bad news for your privacy. And indeed, Windows tracks you through a unique advertising ID to give you personalized ads, which are served by third parties. But it can also collect your calendar data, music, purchases and credit card information, contacts, interests and even your keystrokes. (A program that collects your keystrokes is called a keylogger and is generally considered malware, but in Windows 10, it’s a feature!) What Microsoft actually collects is only limited by their wish to do so, and installing their OS means giving them permission to share all of your information with any third party. It’s truly a privacy nightmare.

Linux, on the other hand, is private by default. There’s no ads, which means no integration of ad networks and no third parties to share your data with. Even the most newbie-friendly distributions give you lots of control over what data you wish to share with the developers, usually for debugging purposes only.

Most Linux distributions don’t have to be actively tweaked to be private; they’re private by default.

Security

Windows is a hotbed for viruses and other malware. Its free built-in antivirus software is decent, but that does need to run in the background constantly and it nags you about daily or weekly scans. Linux, by contrast, typically doesn’t need any antivirus software.

Yes, this is the kind of stuff that self-satisfied Linux users share on Reddit. (Animation from Songbird Symphony, meme by /u/AimlesslyWalking)

This is partly because the user-base is much smaller (and, on average, more technically competent), which makes it an unattractive target for developers and spreaders of malware.

But on top of that, the way Linux works is simply more sensible for security purposes. For example: when you log in to your Linux system, you’re not logged in as administrator (‘root’), but as a normal user with limited authorization. This means you can’t actually alter or remove system-sensitive files without typing your password first. Windows, by contrast, gives you administrator privileges as soon as you log in to your account, which means that any program can do anything it wants to your system once you click ‘yes’ in that annoying pop-up. In Windows, a complete system wipe is always just one click away. The only reason to believe that this won’t happen is your trust in the source of the file you just downloaded.

“letmein”

And this is where another problem comes in. Because in Windows, you usually install software by Googling the name of the program, downloading an .exe file from the first result and executing it with administrator privileges. This process is convoluted, and there’s many possible points of failure. You don’t (and often can’t) verify the authenticity of the website, nor of the file you’re about to give full control over your system. By contrast, Linux distributions will always have some kind of app store that is maintained by the developers. This means no sloppy mistakes! And even malicious intent on the developers’ side would quickly be noticed by the users on the testing branch of the distribution.

Pop!_OS’s app store

The Linux community in general plays a big part in maintaining its security. Since Linux distributions, as well as the Linux kernel (the core software), tend to be mostly open-source, they get vetted by the community. This means that any security flaws are found quickly; much more quickly than a dedicated but small team of paid employees ever could.

Choice

When you get a Windows machine as a consumer, you have one option. When you get macOS, you have one option. When you go for Linux, you have hundreds of options. After all, ‘Linux’ is not really an operating system, but rather an umbrella term for lots of different operating systems (distributions, or distros).

These different distros are built for different purposes, with different goals and target audiences in mind. On top of that, you can often choose between multiple Desktop Environments (DE’s), which all give you a different look and feel.

Do you want an easy-to-use Windows-like desktop? Go for Linux Mint Cinnamon (Mint is the distro name, Cinnamon is the DE).

Do you want a slick desktop that’s optimized for out-of-the-box gaming? Check out Pop!_OS.

Do you have a stone-age machine you want to revive? Slap Xubuntu on it.

From top left to bottom right: Linux Mint Cinnamon, Pop!_OS, Xubuntu and my own Manjaro Xfce.

And if you’re unsure what distro suits you, LibreHunt is a great tool for finding the right distro with only a couple of simple questions. You don’t need to be an IT expert with a love for tinkering to use Linux. The distros I mentioned in this article are all very newbie-friendly. If you simply want to try out some distros without impulsively wiping your Windows (or MacOS) copy, you can try out as many as you want in VirtualBox, or dual boot Linux alongside your main OS.

Lightness

How light Linux can be, varies from distro to distro. But I haven’t come across a single one that’s heavier than Windows is. By this I mean two things: Linux distros tend to take up less hard disk space, and use less working memory (RAM).

First, the disk usage. Windows ships with a metric crap-ton of software, both wanted and unwanted, and it shows: a clean install takes up between 25 and 40 gigabytes of space on your drive. Compared to Linux Mint Cinnamon (7.8 GB) to name just one example, that’s huge.

Over to working memory. A fresh idle Windows install takes up about 1.5 to 2 gigabytes of RAM. This means that it would take up about a fifth of my laptop’s memory, without even having any programs open. Again, compared to Mint Cinnamon (650 MB) or my own Manjaro xfce (526 MB), that’s a heavy load for a laptop or desktop to carry.

Of course, some Linux distros are going to be heavier than that (particularly ones running the Gnome DE), and some lighter. But in general, your machine is going to have more resources available on Linux to run all the programs you want, simply because the OS itself is less of a burden.

Wobbly windows

Finally, the real reason most people use Linux. Just look at this: