The recent instability caused by Windows updates and the shenanigans over Recall has pushed me to switch to Linux, and I will not be looking back any time soon
I will start this post with a few words of caution. If you are happy with Windows on your personal PC and the potential risks posed by the (forced) introduction of the Recall feature, stick with Microsoft. Switching to Linux is not something that should be done without due consideration, but it is now easier than I think it has ever been and there are more reasons than ever to consider the jump.
Back story
I am an experienced (old) software engineer and have long has a laptop PC of my own to learn new technologies and develop personal projects. My employer (a software firm) has preferred to only use MS Windows on PCs, largely because of the administrative control and perceived control it offers. Linux was only really considered for client servers where the cost of MS Windows Server becomes a compelling negative factor.
I have always liked Linux and have investigated it several times over the years but the following factors have usually tilted the balance in Microsoft's favour.
- New laptops tended to come with the latest edition of MS Windows installed, so the licence cost was wrapped up in the price of the PC, whether you like it or not.
- Updates used to be reliable and even recent upgrades (Win-7 to 8 to 10 to 11) were free as long as your machine was compatible.
- It was preferable to maintain a degree of compatibility with what I used at work but that was more an issue in the day of desktops and working in an office. I have not done either for more than five years.
- Many of the office tools I used to use were Windows only but since the move of such tools to the web this is no longer a constraint. Also, my need to use exactly the same tools to access documents on my personal PC has vanished.
So why (and how) did I change to Linux
The primary reason for abandoning MS Windows was the instability caused by recent updates and how all my attempts to wind back the update failed. This opened the door ajar for the change. I watched a few videos to gauge which variant I should choose and decided on Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.
So, I downloaded a copy and prepared a USB key to trial it. I was very impressed and it lived up to all the commentators had said but I was not quite ready to make the leap.
The secondary push
My wife had an old laptop that was no longer compatible with Windows but wanted to start using again.
I brought out the USB key I had prepared earlier (Blue Peter reference for older British readers) and within minutes we had installed Linux on the primary (SSD) drive, leaving all her data files safe on a secondary (HDD) drive.
I can honestly say the process was quick and painless, even with the minor configuration changes for use by a non-US user.
Then came the fringe (but not insignificant) benefits. Not only was the Operating System (OS) incredibly easy to use and fully featured, it was very responsive and the battery usage was much better.
I was convinced it was time to change
Just when I thought I had resolved the Windows update problem I was presented with another Blue Screen Of Death. I was sure there was no hardware fault and the cause was all down to the misbehaving OS. I'm done. Windows is history. Time for me to “bite the bullet” as they say in The States and drop Windows for Linux.
I was “pushing on an open door”, but the experience of building (that makes it sound more difficult than it was) my wife's laptop demonstrated how simple the process would be.
- Restart the PC to enter the BIOS settings.
- Ensure the USB key was the primary boot source.
- Push the USB key in and reboot.
- Follow the step by step guide and you are done.
- When prompted, remove the USB key and reboot into Linux.
Closing thoughts
We have now been using the new OS for a month and have absolutely no regrets. In fact there have been some pleasant surprises.
- The entire OS installed within 16MB on my primary drive, a lot less than Windows.
- It is fast and responsive and I have yet to see a greyed out waiting screen because the OS is busy.
- Battery life - wow. OK, a few months before all this I had bought a new battery and had been using it with Windows so was used to the performance boost it provided (a couple of days from hours). But I was not expecting Linux to be nearly twice as efficient with the battery power (nearly a week between charges.)
There has been some adjustment needed, primarily in using the command line. I am more familiar with shell script than my wife but she had become frustrated with Windows’ CMD v PowerShell. Whilst she now has to learn a new scripting language, there is only one and the need to use it is not frequent.
I keep asking myself “why did I not do this earlier” and it comes down to the combination of push and pull.
Push: MS Windows is too problematic.
Pull: Linux Mint Cinnamon is soo easy.
If you liked this post, you might find my post on using a chromebook for development of interest.
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