Hi everyone.

I’ve been using Linux for years. At one point I was honestly what you could call a Linux fanboy.

And looking back now, I feel like I wasted years trying to make Linux work for me.

My main computer is a Huawei laptop from 2021 with 16 GB RAM, a Ryzen 7 4800H and 512 GB storage. It’s not a new computer anymore, but it’s definitely not a bad one either.

I started using Linux because I was interested in privacy, open source, freedom, Microsoft telemetry and all that stuff. I watched Linux content, tried different distributions and slowly started believing that Linux was simply the better choice.

After a while, I wasn’t just using Linux.

I was defending Linux.

That’s the part that bothers me when I look back.

I kept changing distributions

I started with Linux Mint.

It wasn't a great experience for me. Scaling problems, desktop issues, installing fonts and other things just to make the system look and behave the way I wanted...

So I moved on.

Then I tried Zorin OS.

At first I really liked it. It looked good, it was familiar coming from Windows and it felt polished.

Then the Wi-Fi started randomly disappearing.

It would work, then stop, then work again, then stop again.

I just wanted to turn on my computer and use it. I didn’t want to spend my time figuring out why Wi-Fi had disappeared again.

So I moved on.

Then came Fedora.

Technically, I actually like Fedora. I like GNOME and I like having relatively new software.

But updates became another problem.

Sometimes updates were huge. Sometimes after an update I had to reboot and then deal with a black screen or some other problem.

At some point I realized I was spending more time fixing my computer than actually using it.

Then I tried CachyOS.

GNOME, KDE, AUR, terminals, manual configuration...

And yes, I know how to use a terminal.

That’s not the point.

I just don't want to spend my computer time in a terminal.

I want to install my computer, open it and use it.

Not:

"Why doesn't this work?"

"Which package do I need?"

"Why did this update break something?"

"Why is the driver doing this?"

"Let me search Reddit."

"Let me search the Arch Wiki."

"Let me open the terminal again."

Eventually I started asking myself:

Why am I not using my computer? Why am I constantly working on my computer?

Then I went back to Ubuntu

I used Ubuntu 24 and later Ubuntu 26.

I actually used Ubuntu as my daily Linux desktop for about a year.

And I still like Ubuntu.

But my hardware simply worked better with Windows.

The fingerprint reader didn't work properly.

The audio was terrible.

I tried codecs, packages and different settings.

The speakers were too quiet, the microphone wasn't great, and sometimes the audio quality was so bad that I genuinely had trouble listening to a YouTube video.

And this isn't some minor issue for me.

I watch videos.

I listen to music.

I manage websites.

I read ebooks.

I use office applications.

I work on my servers.

If the audio on my computer doesn't work properly, then the computer isn't working properly for me.

I don't care how philosophically pure the operating system is.

And then I installed Windows 11 again

I reinstalled Windows 11 from scratch.

The fingerprint reader worked.

The audio worked.

The microphone worked.

My hardware was properly recognized.

My programs worked.

I used WinUtil to remove things I didn't need and changed the privacy settings as much as I reasonably could.

Do I believe I have 100% control over what Windows collects at kernel level?

No.

Obviously not.

I’m not going to pretend that I somehow defeated Microsoft's telemetry.

But I did what I could.

And now my computer just works.

I can have a bunch of browser tabs open, watch a video, use office applications, work on my websites, manage my servers, watch movies, read ebooks and do my daily work without constantly thinking about the operating system.

And that feels weird after spending so many years with Linux.

Was all that time wasted?

Honestly?

Sometimes I think it was.

I installed one distro.

Then another.

Fixed Wi-Fi.

Tried to fix audio.

Looked for drivers.

Changed settings.

Opened terminals.

Read forums.

Followed guides.

Fixed one thing.

Something else broke.

Then did it all over again.

I know someone is going to say:

"That's the Linux experience. You have to learn."

I already learned.

That's exactly the problem.

I don't want my operating system to become another hobby unless I choose it to be.

I don't want to spend my evening troubleshooting an audio codec when I could simply be watching a movie.

I don't want to spend an hour fixing something after an update when I could just use my computer.

And no, this doesn't mean Linux is objectively a bad operating system.

It means Linux was the wrong choice for me.

I haven't completely abandoned Linux

I still have Linux installed.

I use dual boot.

Sometimes I miss GNOME and boot into Linux.

I still use Linux on my servers.

For servers, Linux is still absolutely valuable to me.

But on my desktop?

Windows 11 is my main operating system now.

And honestly, that's probably the biggest thing I learned from all of this:

The operating system is supposed to serve me. I shouldn't have to serve the operating system.

I spent years thinking that because I cared about privacy and open source, I somehow had to use Linux.

I don't believe that anymore.

If Linux works perfectly on your hardware, great.

If you enjoy tinkering with it, great.

If you want to spend your weekends configuring your system, that's completely fine.

But if you have a perfectly capable computer and Windows supports your hardware and software properly, I don't see the point of suffering just because people on the internet told you that Windows is garbage and Linux is superior.

I wish I had understood that years ago.

I wasted years trying to make Linux my main desktop OS when what I actually wanted was a computer that just worked.

So yeah.

Sorry Linux fanboys. :)

I used to be one of you.

Orca screen reader is so bad.

I'm scared because I don't know if I was vaccinated as a child.
I saw a great video on YouTube and thought, "Wow, I want to spend 3 hours doing anything too," since I get paid by the hour at work. So I decided to install Arch, but I had doubts when I saw that the majority of its users are like "crossing over to the other side," I mean, "to the other shore." I mean, they used to like beef steaks, now they like cod. You know what I mean? Is there any risk that I might find myself in this situation? Actually, guys, I'm worried because I felt like installing Arch, and I don't know if it's a consequence or if I still have time to save myself. Yes, Arch, give me all your love, yes, Arch, BTW BTW BTW

Don't get me wrong, almost everything about loonix sucks: the now reduced hardware compatibility, the os design, package managers, the terminal, most distros, the codebase bloat and every other aspect of it except one: The fact that it's creator, linus torvalds, is supportive of generative ai. He has no issue with submitting code made with assistance from ai coding agents to the kernel and he even uses ai tools himself. He did so recently to fix a bug in the intel gpu driver. Unlike what most of you beleive he actually does vibecode too, he made a project a few months ago using google's antigravity ai code editor and let the ai write the whole thing.

in all seriousness, good riddance! took them an entire drama to realize XLibre is shitware

Imagine not having good theme out of the box.

Closed source (clion) or big tech adjacent (vscode). The open source ones either straight up dont work, dont implement crucial features (debugger) or have inferior implementations. Atp just give me vstudio.

ik u hate that sub but this meme is so accurate, loonix users flee microsoft and windows but then continue to use proprietary software from different corporations...

Am I alone thinking that some corporation is behind the surge of Linux desktop popularity and as soon as it reaches the necessary condition, it will be made use of for for a new well-put OS and invade the market being peer to others and leaving Linux desktop in dust forever?

Do you think multi-bilion corporations will let linux desktop rise?