Why I'm sort of leaving Linux

Tim Apple - Oct 31 '19 - - Dev Community

I've been a pretty heavy Linux user for over 15 years now. I have all the badges, Gentoo installs, Arch install, I have compiled my own kernel, used Debian, Redhat before Fedora existed, Slackware, SUSE, all the buntus, and on and on. I've participated directly with Fedora, Ubuntu-Mate and Archlabs Linux.

What I'm saying is, I've been around.And I love Linux. I enjoy installing distros. Tweaking config files is my game. And the keyboard, oh! give me some i3 and I can kiss the mouse goodbye. I love almost everything about Linux. So why would I leave?

Well, my arch-nemesis Windows has actually gotten sort of good. It's practically a pleasure to use. And have you heard of the 'Subsystem for Linux'? Yeah, the penguin now lives under the hood on Windows 10. I can be really productive on it. But is it enough?

By themselves, these things may not make it an absolute game-changer. But there is something else that happens when I am using Windows. I accomplish my work.

Yeah, I said it. I get things done on Windows. There isn't anything for me to really tweak, no new desktop to install, I don't change icons and themes. I have no distractions on Windows. This leaves me with one main thing to do. Get to work.

I have even tried to go back to Linux in the past couple weeks. But I'm just not content there. I inevitably end up tweaking and theming until the proverbial cows come home. Let alone the thousands of free apps to try.

On Windows I have my core apps, they are all high quality, some that are available on Linux also. But some that aren't. To the surprise to some, I'm sure, everything just works for me also, same as on Linux. The only drivers I installed were unnecessary. Mainly for updating SSD firmware and getting the latest and greatest from Intel. Mind you, I had no way to update my SSD firmware on Linux, that I knew of at least.

Now, remember, I'm not bashing Linux. Not in the slightest. I am acknowledging my ability to be distracted by the shiny. Like a dog who hears the word 'squirrel', I am instantly distracted. That is of no fault to Linux. But it does make the semi rigidness of Windows work well for me now that the 'Subsystem for Linux' now exists. I live in the best of both worlds.

So maybe give ole' Windows a shot again if you find yourself with the same issues I seem to have. Or, if your a bored Windows user, looking for more action, maybe go give Linux a try. Either way lets all just be as productive as we can be.

Cheers
Tim

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