I’m not a Linux evangelist. I didn’t switch because I hate Microsoft, or because I wanted to compile my kernel by candlelight. I switched because I was curious—and kind of sick of Windows treating me like a toddler with a credit card.
So I gave Linux Mint a shot. And honestly? It felt more like Windows than Windows does lately.
Welcome Home (Sort Of)
When I first booted into Mint, I was greeted with a welcome menu that walked me through the basics: update your system, pick your layout, customize a bit. It was smooth. No command-line gauntlet, no cryptic driver errors.
And here's the kicker: it immediately recognized my Alienware Graphics Amplifier and external NVIDIA GPU without any extra work. Just worked. That shocked me.
It’s Just... Easy
At one point I wanted to rearrange my multi-monitor layout. My Windows brain kicked in: ugh, I probably have to open a terminal and copy some arcane xrandr syntax. Nope. I hit the menu (still feels like a Start menu to me), typed “display,” and bam—there were the settings. Just like Windows.
It’s got quirks, sure. Desktop scaling is one. It only offers 25% increments—so if 100% is too small and 125% is too big, tough luck. It’s fine if you’re using a laptop screen front-and-center, but for me, that display’s secondary. I’d love a 112% option.
Still, I’ll take that over the constant background update anxiety Windows serves up.
Why Mint, Though?
I tried others first. Pop_OS was on my radar because of its reputation for being AI/dev friendly, but on my Frankensteined Alienware laptop (with multiple GPUs and external drives), it just wouldn’t install cleanly without some painful setup acrobatics.
Mint? Mint made itself at home. Respected my Intel/NVIDIA setup. Didn’t complain. Didn’t crash. Didn’t force anything.
And yeah—as I mentioned in a past article—Mint literally doubled my download speed on install. No bloat. No tracking. Just clean, raw bandwidth.
My Advice for Windows Devs
Keep Windows. Try VMs first.
No, seriously. Dual boot if you’ve got space. Not everyone has a triple-drive, heavily-modded laptop like I do. But the beauty is: I still have Windows. I just don’t use it unless I’m running Unreal Engine for game dev work or need to test something in AAA gaming territory. It's just easier.
If I’m writing scripts, testing tools, running AI workflows, or just vibing with a keyboard and caffeine—Linux Mint is my default.
It’s lightweight. It’s respectful. It doesn’t waste my time. And it actually feels like a developer machine, not a branded appliance.
Hell, just the other day I was—let’s say—learning how a certain Windows application talked to the OS. Purely for educational purposes, of course. I ended up creatively rebuilding a native Linux version from the behaviour alone. And for that? Having a Windows install on hand made the whole process way easier.
With that said, Linux is coming up FAST in the gaming space so who knows, maybe I will just be running entirely Linux native in the next 2 years.
Familiar Touches (and a Few Gripes)
- Start menu? Still there.
- Shift + Print Screen? Still lets me snip a part of the screen.
- My only big gripe? I can’t Ctrl+V in the terminal. I have to right-click paste. Mildly infuriating—but I’m sure there’s a fix. I just haven’t looked yet.
Linux Mint doesn’t make you feel like you’ve abandoned ship. It makes you feel like you upgraded to a cleaner version of what Windows used to be. You’ll still feel at home—you’ll just be left alone to get stuff done.
And that’s the part that matters.
And remember, Linux comes in many different flavors. I tried 12 of them before I got here—it just turned out that my Alienware's favourite flavour was Mint Cinnamon. Sometimes it's up to the machine to decide, not you.
Top comments (1)
So coolllll 😍😍