The Struggle of Moving to Linux
October 17, 2019
I have been using Windows for pretty much all my life. I remember using Windows XP in elementary school, with huge CRT monitors and Kid Pix. I have been using it for long over a decade now, and I have recently decided to switch.For about a month I have been migrating from Windows 10 to Ubuntu MATE. It's not an easy process, but it's worth it. I love the MATE desktop, it has just the right amount of classic and modern. I still boot up Windows every now and then just to play a game (BeamNG.Drive, mostly), but the majority of my work is now being done in my new OS.
Even though the switch was definitely a good decision, there are still some things I miss about using Windows. Here are some examples:
Software Support
A lot of software, especially games, run solely on Windows. For example, Rufus, a USB drive writing software I use often, only runs on Windows. I was disappointed to find out about this, since it had many features that other alternatives didn't. Also, this does not have anything to do with open-source software.Fixing Problems
For some reason, whenever I had an issue with Windows, I could easily search it up on the internet and quickly find a solution. With Linux and the countless distros out there, finding help on small issues seems almost impossible. I still have several small problems that I've never been able to fix.Admin/User
I've heard countless people say, "In Windows, you are a user. In Linux, you are the Admin". When I switched, I didn't feel like an admin no more than I did on Windows. A lot of the files I create in Linux, I have to give myself permission to edit, which completely contradicted what people said. It might just be my file manager, but this is definitely something that annoys me.There are many things I wish people told me about Linux before I started using it. I have tried other Linux distros, but Ubuntu MATE is the only one that just felt right. I still hate Windows 10, with it's bloated core and how it's extremely slow.
