So I work on a lot of open-source software, I do a lot of video editing, and I do a lot of work in general trying to build the best things I can. I love writing, and am planning a book. Now, trust me when I say, since I have been having to use the proprietary software known as Windows 10, I cannot understand why people use this OS platform for ANY reason. So, I want to compare Windows 10 to Linux, and I will be focusing on FerenOS. Why FerenOS? Because I dual boot on my new PC and I chose FerenOS as the Linux OS I boot alongside my Windows 10 install, at least until I get Arisblu working. I want to talk gaming, general note taking, audio and video creation, file management, and not the least of which writing.
Gaming on Windows is AWFUL
Y'know, I was skeptical when LTT said gaming on Linux is easier than Windows 10. Now, as I game every so often on Windows 10, by goodness can I agree with Linus from Linus Tech Tips when he said gaming on Linux is easier and better than on Windows. Go hunt down their video on Linux gaming being easier than Windows, trust me it is so nice. To get access to all the games that matter on Linux you either:
A - Do nothing because many of the biggest games right now, like Minecraft as one example, already exist natively on Linux.
B - Go to Steam and change ONE thing in the settings
C - Run a single command on the CLI, which there you go you have a game.
While there are some games that won't work on Linux, these are ALWAYS multiplayer games. Not kidding, it is 100% just multiplayer games with some awful anti-cheat that will either support Linux in the next 5 years or stop existing by the next 10. So gaming on Linux is much MUCH better for gamers, unless you have to play online.
Note taking
Hey... hey, apple, hey. Guess what. NOTEPAD IS GONE!! WHO AT MICROSOFT HIT THEIR HEAD HARD ENOUGH TO REMOVE NOTEPAD FROM WINDOWS 10!?? This is such a lapse in judgement, imagine if a Linux distro didn't have a terminal emulator? OH WAIT! THAT HAPPENED IN AN EARLY UBUNTUDDE ISO BUILT FOR TESTING! The lack of terminal emulator was a short mistake, one that got fixed quickly because a terminal emulator is a basic feature. When I was being featured on BigDaddyLinux for their live distro chat thingy where they tested a distro for a week and the week was Ubuntu Lumina. Guess what? I WAS RIDICULED FOR THE LACK OF NANO, A BASIC INCLUSION OF SOFTWARE! Even then, the lack of nano was unexpected, and will be added in Arisblu. But WHERE IS NOTEPAD? I am seriously baffled by the lack of Notepad. I use Sticky notes but only if I have to take notes. I would install notepad, but Sticky Notes do... the bare bare minimum.
Video / Audio Creation
This is where Windows and Linux tie. All the half-decent free video editors are on both platforms. I use DaVinci Resolve. If you love Adobe then maybe Windows is a winner here, but I feel like Adobe is best done on a Mac. That's just me personally though.
File Management
File Explorer? More like Denver International Airport because the waits are long, everything is slow, and I am 90% sure it is controlled by lizard people. I hate Windows file management. Sure many things are comparable to Linux but sadly the CLI on Windows is either useless garbage or PowerShell with the word "power" in the name being used loosely. I honestly hate both, so I will not use them for file management. I care about my sanity. But doing it graphically... now this is where we have problems. Sure Linux users are fighting about file managers on their systems but we can all agree Windows File Explorer makes us all want to cry.
Writing.
Now. While this is a similar situation to Audio/Video creation, where the decent apps exist on both platforms... let me make something clear. Writing a basic document on Windows, using the same applications I use on Linux, is a NIGHTMARE. First the fonts. Awful. Except Arial, all the fonts on Windows 10 by default are just awful. On Linux I have OpenSans and FreeSans 99.999% of the time, and if I don't, adding new fonts on Linux is easy and simple. On Windows? No. While it is easy, something ALWAYS BREAKS. I am seriously getting exhausted from the font installer having an aneurysm trying to know the difference between OTF and TTF. Not to mention trying to theme everything on Windows 10 is a nightmare. While many have given Windows credit for theme options, I can't. You can change the bare bones basics, but everything else is just not worth your time. For instance, trying to theme Windows to look/act like Gnome is a nightmare and a half, darn near impossible. To make Gnome act like Windows? 10 settings, 4 apps, an icon theme, and maybe an extension or two. Done. That is actually easy to turn a MacOS-looking desktop environment to Windows 10, not to mention that counted the menu changes.
Conclusion
Don't use Windows if you respect your time and money. It is $100 for limiting you from what many free and open-source options give you. Here is the entire list of why you have any reason to use Windows 10 over Linux:
- Adobe (unless you own a mac).
- Online gaming, maybe a few rare instances of offline games.
- You like wasting time and money.
I use Windows because I want to develop more open-source software for the Windows ecosystem. Oh and devloping on Windows 10 is a nightmare. You think I was scathing Windows on all the other fronts in this list? I could make a much larger article explaining why Windows 10 is the worst OS for developing software, PERIOD. At least MacOS gives you tools to build MacOS specific applications. Windows? Oh boy, I will think on that article. Who knows, I might just make it a book.
Latest comments (58)
I am used to using windows. It is more convenient for me. Recently, I even bought a cd key on the site royalcdkeys.com to make sure I have the original software.
Thank you, i am a begineer and was learning bash, when i hit the low in the learning curb, I definitely thought is it worth doing what i am... but this made my day, made me chuckle, and realize that i should not yet give up. Thank you!
ROFL this rant is just taking everything away from Windows. Such hateful and delusional post it deserves a few words back:
The conclusion is from where I stand the opposite of this "article". I value my time and money. I expect better from haters. It's been 30 years Linux and I am aware of its strenghts and uses but stealing the desktop hasn't it and it never will. It's too fragmented and doesn't seem to be anyone responsible for it. For the kernel sure, for filesystems sure, for x or y utility again sure. But who responds for the whole thing and where's the whole thing? Please don't refer me to distros I've used many of them, it never felt like the whole thing. I am very grateful Windows user.
I have been writing software for 20+ years professionally. I use Windows as my main OS. Windows has better compilers than Linux for embedded development and better IDEs in my experience. Yes they are expensive, but in the "life and limb" type industry I am a part of, this is a small price to pay for the needed features. Less restrictive industries may be able to get away with Linux for dev work, however. Let me be clear though that Linux is a good environment to deploy to given its modular design and wide adoption by iot manufacturers. I am merely talking about a development platform.
Sorry but gaming on Linux is the one that's awful, the number of games is substantially lower, the driver situation with NVIDIA is terrible, the performance is worse than windows and try to install a game on another drive than your main one... Most triple A titles are not available and anti cheat software for multiplayer isn't as well resulting in hardly any multiplayer games.
Then there is the inherent user unfriendliness of Linux as well ; linux is great if you like to tinker and mess about with computers but really sucks when it comes to gaming.
Pretending it's better than windows 10 for that is just laughable.
I understand wanting to comment, but please understand that Linux has severely changed in the last 5 years. More games work on Linux than don't, NVIDIA drivers are no longer a problem, it's really just specific Anti-Cheat software. And as someone who is not very good with tech (I know, seems ironic, but I suck), I can say with more than enough confidence in my heart to say Linux is easier than Windows 10. Don't just take my word for it, a lot of family members who I have worked with (either young children or elderly) have all preferred using my Linux installs than Windows 10.
Considering your reply i think you are a casual gamer and for casual games there is absolutely no problem under Linux although the selection, again, is a lot less than under windows. For gamer playing Tripple-A games and anything with multiplayer, linux is just terrible. Hardly any choice, the frame rate is substancially lower and there is lack of stability.
I don't just take your word for it, i run Kubuntu on a second boot and it's ok for productivity but that's about it. I am an IT professional by the way which doesn't mean i am Einstein, far from it but it does mean that i know linux in and out as well as windows ; and take it from me linux desktop is not suited for gaming or serious productivity. It has less than 2% market share for a reason. Linux desktop is fragmented, buggy, and not ready for prime time.
I can't speak to video creation, but I know quite a bit about audio - and anybody doing serious audio creation will find your section thereon far too dismissive of Windows.
As much as I love Linux, JACK is, while more flexible, seldom on par with ASIO on Windows performance-wise (at least on higher end cards that include its drivers, not cheap soundcards with ASIO4All if that's still a thing). Commercial Windows pro audio software (and even some free, like my beloved Jeskola Buzz) typically blows away Linux offerings. And neither are as good as MacOS (which, unbeknownst to many, has realtime audio by default at the OS level via CoreAudio).
With all of this said, I still prefer Linux because RT audio is so easy with even the cheapest of USB interfaces, and because free audio creation software was what got me into Linux in the first place (though I keep hoping to finally run Buzz without crashing in WineASIO, which would make the penguin all I ever need for making music).
Truly confused about the Notepad point... did Microsoft remove Notepad or just make it an optional feature?
Also few points for windows > linux. WSL allows for most linux-based development to work nearly seamlessly in windows without booting up a virtual machine. Almost every popular game now is multiplayer so that really does mean the majority of good games aren't linux-supported, and very subjective but IMO windows is much more graphically polished. Edit: some distros are decent but even the ones considered very good visually aren't quite as polished as windows unfortunately.
I am not sure about the notepad issue, I got backlash for saying it is gone but I don't see it. Also, points for Windows 10 < Linux. WSL and WLS2, while being useful for a few minimal use-cases for Windows-developers in need to quickly run a Linux tool or two, is far from professional capability (at least if my experience with the tools are to say anything). They are decent tools, but a dedicated Linux system is always better. With multiplayer games, it isn't an issue of native Linux support it is Anti-Cheat friendliness. There are some AC software out there that are aggressive and harmful, and they hurt the game developers as they 100% lock several gaming ecosystems. Many good online games are on Linux, but as a non-online gaming person it is not a huge deal for me. While out of the box windows is a little polished, Linux by far can beat Windows 10 in looks either with some distro defaults, or very easy modifications to the desktop environment you use on Linux. Windows 10 looks good, yes, but it is by far from unique, or the most polished for that matter.
I hate windows but Windows File Manager is much better than mac's finder. for me, the only reason using mac instead of linux is the high quality commercial softwares. Some of usefull apps to me don't have linux version, like photoshop, sketch, xcode, affinity designer etc. please don't tell me to use gimp (or wine version of Ps) instead of photoshop :|
I am a Linux Embedded Developer and daily drive Linux more or less exclusively. And if I had a free wish regarding the futures of OS, I would wish for Windows to die. But still I have to disagree with this article. Yes Linux is absolutely great especially for development and just from a technical perspective it is also superior to Windows in most things. Also many distributions are even easier to use than Windows for basic users (most people who say otherwise are just used to Windows). But there are no doubtedly issues with Linux. E.g. problems with drivers are a more common than on win, also drivers are not handled as uniformly as they are in the device manager on win. I quite often had issues with the pulse/alsa needing a restart on some machines. And issues with gnomes file manager especially regarding broken/removable drives and slow/disappeared network shares are definitely much worse than on Windows, maybe KDE is better there (never tried).
MS Office is definitely superior to LibreOffice, from a functionality, usability and design perspective.
Missing professional tools from many industries (Adobe Cloud, CAD, Video Editing and more) are a big issue.
Gaming is STILL an issue, yes a lot got much better. But there are more titles than just multiplayer ones which won't work. E.g. the newest AoE versions. Even if there are workarounds at least for me the one click Lutris way did not always work. Also VR support on Linux is pretty much not existing.
HDR is not supported on Linux and HDCP stuff is also not yet fully working. Getting streaming providers like Netflix to play in >720p is also quite a hassle if possible at all.
What is bad about Windows 10 is that it sucks up so much of the resources and is bloated with stuff. It never gives the experience it can.
Bloatware is installed by the vendors, not by Microsoft. Win10 is actually a light, even though not the lightest, and simple OS for most of the users. Who denies this evidence is most probably a fanboy.
I deny this "evidence" as... well one: bloatware is very vague, two: includes adware and spyware (which is on **all* Windows 10 installs, and is unable to be removed)*, three: Windows 10 is not light.... by any means. It is about as slow as Ubuntu proper at its worst, which isn't a good sign watch this for info, four: define "simple", because while in several areas Windows 10 is as simple, if not more simple than Linux, I will give you that one. But Linux is.... well... in many more areas than Windows 10... much more simple. Installing the system, customizing the desktop (to oblivion, not just color/wallpaper changes), installing software, uninstalling software, opening software, the CLI, changing system defaults, fixing the system if something breaks, updating the system (Linux doesn't force updates), changing graphical environments, running virtual machines, searching for files, doing anything that requires a single line of code, office (even tho MS office is not on Linux), compression, file management, file security, system encryption.... and that's basically the surface of what I know.
In 36 years of running Windows and Linux machines I have never read such rubbish.
Notepad is still in Windows 10. Games run fine, as long as your hardware meets the requirements. File Explorer search is really slow, but criticising it for having a gui is very shortsighted.
I understand you have 36 years of expertise but I am 17, with 2 years of Linux usage and about 12 on Windows (sometimes in dual boot, sometimes not). I spent most of my life on Windows, including my personal favorites XP, 7, and Vista. I switched away in 2018, after wanting to experiment. I didn't even yet realize how much more I would improve my workflow. Even before I got back on to Windows 2 weeks ago after a total of 13 months without a Windows 10 machine being in my possession, I still considered Windows 10 to be an alright operating system. I call this an honest comparison because it was comparing coming back to a system I didn't touch in a little over a year. I was fine coming back to the system until I starting living in difficulty, and right now needing to fix my FerenOS dual boot as for some reason KDE is having issues with my monitor. Windows 10 had the same issue but I found a fix online, and I have been too busy to do the same for FerenOS. I understand I don't have 36 years of expertise but I do have a lifetime of history in Windows, and only 2 years at most in Linux. So, I get where you are coming from but understand my point here too. I didn't hate Windows 10 and even then many issues I still have to work with I simply call "flukes." While I despise development on the platform, that is not because of bugs, like what might have removed Notepad. I also often lose admin access until a reboot, and I sometimes lose my keyboard. Most of which are flukes which I was fine with as I couldn't blame Windows 10 for it all.
Sorry, but you've lost me at "Gaming on Windows is AWFUL" :)
It is not, I play all the latest games, everything runs smoothly.
I believe you're biased :)
I used to believe Windows was the gaming platform, until I had to play on it again
So I've used Linux since the 90's. It's was my main OS for close to 10 years.. I now run both Windows and Linux. I find myself on Windows more and more. From my personal experience it's easier for me to get everything I want set up. I do love my Linux though.. mainly the gnome desktop look. But Windows works well for me. I don't game, but I play CS:GO at times through Steam. It runs better in Windows, noticeably better. I only have Intel graphics and a Galago Ultra Pro from system76. I've put Windows on it in the past and it performed a bit better though I of course there were the long drawn out updates, everything else was good. My favorite game World of Tanks Blitz, does not run on Linux yet for that matter.
As far as dev, I do some web, python, rust, and now flutter dev and it all sets up and works perfectly well on Windows. A large portion of the core Rust team use Windows as their daily driver for that matter. But it all works ok under Linux.
Wow, I babble a lot... in the end, I have a Surface Laptop that is my main dev machine. I also have the above mentioned Galago that now has vanilla Ubuntu on it and is my secondary/sit on the couch and watch Tv while surfing machine.
I do love both OS's...and if I had the loot I would probably have a mac and enjoy that also. They are all just tools. These days they mostly do the same thing, one is no worse than the other really, it just depends on the look and function of the tool you want to use.
A user of any of the above can easily belittle the others and most of it will be based on opinion more than technical merit. Let's stop bashing everyone and work together to make awesome opensource software that runs on them all.
Cheers,
Tim
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