So, you're considering switching to Linux?
Tags: linux, opensource, operatingsystems
Published: 2022-01-12 14:01:38

I've used Linux for a number of years now, as my primary OS platform. I use a mix of Debian, Ubuntu and Manjaro (x64/ARM64), so I am by no means attached to one flavour. Well, You could argue that I'm leaning a bit towards the Debian derivatives, but that's primarily because it's the ecosystem I know best. Using Manjaro is sort of like testing grounds for me.

If you've been following social media and the various communities, you know that running an OS is almost like a religious war. You find people battling over what is best instead of just acknowledging each others different believes and tastes.

I'm not going to try to convince you to switch to Linux (edit: yes, I did! LOL), but I'm going to tell you why I did it, and the obstacles I met, and then you can decide for yourself. It's a pretty longwinded text, but feel free to skip ahead.


## First contact

My first contact with Linux dates back to 1997. I don't exactly recall how I found it, but I think it was a friend of mine who talked me into trying this Redhat thing. Being 17 at the time, I was just dipping my toes into programming with Javascript and PHP, and I was amazed to see all the source code available to me. Unfortunately my first encounter with Redhat Linux did not end well. I booted it, logged in - and then what? I didn't know where to go next. I felt like it was a huge step back, because I already knew Windows well, and it had everything I needed. But Linux had already ignited a spark inside me.

Years later, I guess it was around 2003-2004, I discovered Mandrake Linux and got a bit further. We didn't have Software Centers back then, so it was a bit difficult to discover things to install. And I had problems getting my Wifi to work reliably with NDISWrapper, which made it possible to make use of a Windows WLAN-driver and use that for Linux. I could have opted for cabled ethernet, I think, but didn't, because that required me to disconnect my main machine.

I regret that I didn't dig further into the problem at the time, because I was initially really hooked on making the switch to Linux.

My final step towards Linux came in 2013. I was bored with Windows and one giant company making decisions about how I should use my computer. Not having access to source code, when to upgrade etc. It's not that Windows is a bad product, it's just not customizable enough, and if you've noticed, later revisions of Windows 10 is increasingly trying to shield you from the nerdy parts.

And now the main gist of this article.. 


## Make the jump

Why did I spend so much time writing about the past? Because I wanted to convey the notion that switching to Linux is just not something you do overnight. I see many people try and then fallback to Windows or MacOS.

In the olden days, lack of userfriendliness and/or driver support would be the main reason people would stay away from the Linux platform, but with the advent of Software Centers, and better package formats, I think there is no longer reasons not to expose Linux to a larger group of people. Even people that you wouldn't think would be potential Linux users. Linux is for everyone.

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to divide people into three groups:

_The gamers:_

Due to the lack of proper support from the commercial game companies, your best bet is running games via WINE or Photon. There is tremendous work going on to make more games available, but you should be ready to do a lot of tinkering with game settings.

Why are there very few AAA titles on Linux?

The main excuse I've heard over the years is that: 

- Excuse 1) the Linux userbase is so small on the desktop side that it's not commercially viable to release Linux games.  

- Answer 1) There's certainly some reason in that, however, more and more games are made with game engines like Unity or Unreal, which do have cross-platform options built-in, so it's kind of unwise businesswise not to be present on every platform.

- E2) The second excuse is that packaging the software is hard.

- A2) Packaging is hard? Not anymore. Take a look at AppImages or Flatpaks. Package your game. Boom! It runs everywhere.

_The casuals:_

Who are they? It's the people that want a box that just works. They typically spend 95% of their time in front of a computer. inside an internet browser. They don't care about screen resolutions or system specs. 
 
It could be your mum and dad. Give them peace of mind and install Linux on their ageing hardware. Linux runs everywhere - I've saved old PC/Apple hardware from the scrapyard numerous of times. 

_The creative ones:_

If you're a developer, a graphic artist, a musician or have a creative mind, Linux is for you. The platform really needs people like you to grow. It thrives with user contributions. Fun fact: To date, I've mostly contributed translations and bug fixes. You don't neccessarily need to contribute code.

## Okay, you got me convinced

First: YAY!

I suggest you start out by either dualbooting Linux on your current system or build a dedicated box from old(er) hardware. You could run it in a virtual machine, but I think that you'll fall back to your everyday system, because you're not putting your old habits away. Having some dedicated hardware for Linux forces you to learn and to use it.

Do your research: Is your hardware supported? As a rule of thumb, it typically takes 3-6 months before new hardware is supported in the kernel. Who's at fault here? Well, it's not the Linux device driver or kernel devs that are lazy, rather its the hardware manufacturers not giving Linux much attention (things are moving forward, though) 

Also, do some research: Where do I find help? Which applications are you going to install, and what are the alternatives to the ones you know? 

Basically, you need to unlearn a great part of what you know. You need to learn new keyboard shortcuts. If you find a bug, try to find a way to fix it. Find out which desktop environment works best for you (devs, try a tiled window manager like i3 for hyper focusing. You're welcome!) One of the main beefs with Linux is that you compare it to your old OS. Don't, they have all the money in the world. The FOSS community doesn't. But we got equally precious things like time and effort. 

One final thing: Have patience young Padawan. Even though your first endeavor with Linux might fail, you might have learnt a thing or two in the process that you can use to your advantage.