In this section, we will go over some of the pros and cons of switching from Windows 10/11 to Linux as the operating system for your PC. While using Linux will still require a user to learn some new operating system features, making the switch has never been easier. In fact, losing easy access to Windows apps is really the main draw to remain in the Windows Ecosystem.

We’ll start by listing the reasons someone might want to make the switch. Then we will go over some of the reasons you might be better off remaining with Windows. Finally, we will give a quick summary and overview for final thoughts.

Linux is Free

The first and most obvious pro for Linux is that it’s free. You can download and install most versions of Linux as many times and on as many machines as you like. Different versions of Linux are typically referred to as Distros and there are many to choose from. While some Linux distros do offer a paid version, these are usually enterprise editions or pro versions with additional features or support. All regular consumer level versions are available for free.

Linux is Customizable

The different distros lead into the next pro and that is customization. You start by choosing a distro and that itself decides part of what you’re getting. You can further customize your experience by choosing different desktop environments within the distro you have chosen. Some are meant to look a bit like an Apple computer. Others, might look a bit more like a Windows environment. You can also find options not meant to look like other operating systems and just are different.

Linux Works on Old Hardware

Windows is directly responsible for the next item that is a pro for Linux. Windows 11 has a hardware requirement that means that millions of working computers will not be able to run it. Windows 10 will go out of support in October of 2025. When that happens, any computer running Windows 10 is officially unsupported and will receive no further updates or security patches. As a result, banking and online shopping sites will stop working for security reasons. The only way to fix this problem with Windows is to buy a new computer with Windows 11 as the operating system.

Linux, however, has no such hardware requirements and will run on many older machines. Not only that, Linux will likely run better than Windows did on the same hardware. This is because Linux has a smaller footprint in memory than Windows. If you are looking to keep an older machine working longer, Linux might be the way to go.

Linux Gives You Update Control

While Windows will only let you pause updates. Linux gives you complete control. You can turn them off entirely, or you can have them alert you and let you decide on each update, or you can have it do updates automatically if you wish. The point being that you are in total control of if and when updates are applied to a Linux PC.

Linux Allows You To Use A Local Account

Using a local account means that you aren’t connected to any cloud services.

You could set up Windows 10 with a local account if you wanted to. When you buy a new Windows 11 computer, if you don’t currently have a Microsoft account, you must create one or you can not use the PC. If you do this, it is important to use a secure email and to remember and retain that email and its password. If you lose them, you can lose access to all of your data if you get locked out of your computer.

While some Linux distros do offer cloud services, they are not required. You can have a Linux computer that never touches the internet if you want, while this is not impossible on Windows 11, it is much harder to achieve.

Windows Apps Are Harder To Use

If you are a heavy user of Microsoft apps such as Office(Word, Excel, Powerpoint, …), Outlook, Microsoft 365, or Game Pass, you will have a hard time getting them to work properly on your Linux system. You might get some of the Office software running in a Windows Virtual Machine, but your mileage may vary here. There are Linux alternatives to everything but Game Pass, though they are not 100% compatible with Office. The most common alternative office program is called LibreOffice.

If you do depend on Office products for a work environment, this might be a deal breaker for you to switch to Linux.

Linux Is Just Different Than Windows

There is no getting around the fact that switching from ANY operating system to another will take some getting use to. None of the settings in Windows are the same on Linux or the Mac OS for that matter. Having said that, once it is set up and all your programs are installed, daily computer usage for most people will not really change.

Most of what many people do these days is done in an internet browser. In fact, this is one way that some Microsoft Office Apps CAN be used. If you are able to do the work in the browser versions of Word or Excel, then those tasks will function in Linux perfectly fine. This method is less reliable for large spreadsheets.

General Software Support

Not all software developers write or properly maintain Linux versions of their software. Some, like programs in the Adobe Photoshop family and AUTOCAD, do not natively run in Linux (at time of writing). It is a good idea to check if anything you specifically use has a Linux version and if not, how easy it is to get the Windows version working using Linux tools. Many Windows paid programs have free, open source counterparts available for usage with Linux.

Gaming Support

Gaming has come a long way on Linux systems. Thanks to compatibility layers that have been recently developed many games ALMOST work right out of the box(especially on Steam). Having said that, not all games work and some require some amount of tinkering to get working correctly. Some online games also require support for anti-cheat software that works fine on Windows but not on Linux.

You will have a much easier time gaming on Linux these days than ever before, but the process is still much easier on Windows.

Linux Will Sometimes Require Command Line Usage

Linux is much better these days, than 20 years ago, about having a pretty painless desktop experience. Graphical User Interfaces(Windows like environments) in Linux are standard now. Having said that, there are times where you will just be better served if you can enter commands in the command line interface. It isn’t terribly difficult and most things you’ll do can be looked up and often copy pasted directly from the source to accomplish your goals.

Switching Is Easier Than Ever

A few decades ago the switch from Windows to Linux was a lot more painful. Drivers had to be compiled, media codecs were not available, games didn’t work, and much time was spent finding fixes to awkward compatibility issues. Fast forward to today and the typical Windows user can make the switch almost painlessly.

Linux Has Better Support For Older & Low Spec Hardware

If you are looking for a way to extend the life of your hardware beyond what Windows is willing to support, there is no better option. Windows can resurrect older hardware and there are even Distros that still support 32-bit architecture(machines from the 1990s and early 2000s).

Linux & Much Of The Software For It Are Free & Open Source

Free & Open Source Software(FOSS) is sometimes slow to develop, but it is developed by the community and typically well maintain by a group of people passionate about its use. The software source code can be viewed and even improved by the community, as no one person owns the rights. There are applications for lots of things including…

• Office Productivity

  • LibreOffice (Microsoft Office)

  • Thunderbird (Outlook)

• Internet Browser

  • Firefox (Replaces Chrome or Edge)

• Sound & Video

  • Kden Live (Video Editor)

  • Audacity (Sound Editor)

  • OBS or Open Broadcast Software (Streaming/Recording)

• Art & Creativity

  • GIMP or General Image Manipulation Protocol (Photoshop)

  • Krita (Like GIMP but can handle animation)

  • Inkscape (Vector Graphics or SVGs)

  • Blender (3D graphics software package)

You Can Try Linux Without Installing It

Linux, unlike Windows, offers users the ability to run a test version of their operating system directly from a USB thumb drive or disc. You simply prepare the installation media and set your machine to boot from the flash drive. This will not harm your normal operating system installation in any way. If you don’t like it, reboot and unplug the flash drive and you are right back to your normal operating system. If you do like it and you have backed up your important files from Windows, you can go ahead and install from inside the test system.

Linux & Windows Can Both Be Installed

If all of this sounds intriguing but you aren’t quite sure you can give up Windows apps, or game support. You still have the option of backing up your Windows data(which you should be doing regularly anyways), and then installing Windows and Linux side by side. This is typically done on a new installation and you simply partition part of your storage media for Windows and part for Linux and then your PC will ask you which to boot into at boot.

A couple of final thoughts to leave you with. The first, Windows users might disagree with, but there is a certain aspect of security through obscurity that comes with Linux. Most users are either on Windows or Mac OS. Being that there are fewer users overall, there are also fewer bad actors out there writing malware for Linux(though it does exist).

Finally, and this is my biggest issue, with Windows they are forcing you into an online account and collecting massive amounts of data from you. There are even new features coming to Windows 11 that will snapshot your screen at regular intervals to better “assist” you with their AI. Linux does not do this.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you live in the area and are interested in making the switch.