Why should I primary Linux for Home Desktop and which one do you recommend?
I’ve always used Windows and am super comfortable with it. I have set up a dual boot with fedora but don’t use it because I have never identified a need to use it. I see a lot of windows hate, so what does Linux have that I need? What can motivate me to migrate? What is a good Linux to have for a desktop + steam?
Drivers for majority of the software are already installed. This means for most devices, it is just plug and play, no need to scour the internet for device drivers.
Installing and updating packages through package manager is a much-much better solution than going to websites, downloading installer, than installing the software and then remembering to update each and every piece of software.
Customization, you make the UI look and behave like you please. It is my belief that the UI should be user-specific not how a certain company feels a UI should be like.
Much better OS updates, Updating the OS doesn’t all the time require restart (you should do that anyway), but OS updates don’t happen suddenly forcing themselves, when you maybe doing something important.
Printing is a much better experience. This may not be for all, but I print stuff regularly, but I had issues with printers on windows, that I don’t have on linux. Cups and Sane are amazing.
Its just faster and runs like a champ, even on old hardware.
No ads. This shouldn’t even be a thing, but microsoft in their infinite wisdom, show ads on a OS that the user has paid for.
You can uninstall any software you don’t want. Don’t like firefox as default browser? just uninstall and use whatever you want. Don’t like your file explorer? there are quite a few to choose from, or don’t want to have a file explorer? the choice is yours.
You should explore it, you should check out what all it has to offer, try different desktop environments, try tiling window managers, maybe you will find something you really like. Virtual desktops for example, in my personal opinion are done much better on linux than on windows/mac.
After you setup Linux to your requirements, there really isn’t a reason to use windows.
A few reasons not to use linux:
Your work/school require that you use windows/mac.
Some hardware that is necessary for you doesn’t have linux support/drivers.
Some software(this applies to games as well) you use is not available/work on linux and the alternative doesn’t exist, or the alternative isn’t good or you really require that specific software.
You are happy with your OS. This is a perfectly fine, use whatever you are comfortable with.
If you do decide to use linux a few recommendations:
If you plan on using linux for a long term, use something like debian (or debian based, ubuntu is fine, but I don’t like it)/redhat based distro like alma or rocky . These are stable and for the most part you can just install them and forget about them. Arch is good, but you have so many updates daily, it kind of takes a toll on you. fedora,opensuse are a good middle ground if you want regular software/os updates but not daily.
You may also be interested in something like NixOS. Check it out, it is a really interesting project but it isn’t I would say yet for majority of the users. 2. try out different Desktop environments, I would say this is much more important than your choice of distro. Experience them all and pick one you find the best for yourself. Do this in a VM, trust me on this.
Much better OS updates, Updating the OS doesn’t all the time require restart (you should do that anyway), but OS updates don’t happen suddenly forcing themselves, when you maybe doing something important.
Typical updates on Linux take MINUTES, and (sometimes) a single reboot.
And for the record, with regards to @oats point #1 for the negative, I have a school machine (university level, research-related work). Matlab, Mathematica, R, Rust, Intel and Nvidia (CUDA) Fortran are all available for Linux. And, in many instances, many CPU-intensive applications may only be available on Linux (and Linux clusters).
Most answers you will read here will have technical reasons at its core. For a normal average user that gew up with it, windows is fine. But as soon as you get a bit more tech savvy and/or privacy minded you suddenly see a lot to be desired. Most people switch to linux because they want more control, because its structure is more technically elegant, more responsive and because they don’t trust microsoft to respect their privacy.
Windows is 50GB on disk to install. An insane size for an OS. Windows often calls home without any indicaton or transparancy why. In linux you can control everything yourself. Windows is often slow or inefficient… On windows you have only limited ways to craft and costomize your desktop experience, which in linux allows fully. And more reasons like these.
As you can see for tech savvy people linux offers the tools to take control over your computing needs, if you have or develop the skills to do so. For more mainstream grade experiences distros like Ubuntu or Pop!OS provide a great environment that allows people to ignore the more technical stuff and get on with their needs. Using linux as your daily driver will require you to leave behind some old habits and learn some new ones, but its worth it in my opinion.
I daily drive PopOS on my gaming rig and whatever distro that catches my fancy on my development homelab labtop.
If you care about your privacy and you are a kind of IT guy, then never ever just watch into wireshark while using windows. I was so fucking scared about the shit running in my background while I had a really clean windows installation and a lot of services and tasks disabled. Holy moly, I could not tell if this where MS calling home or some maleware. Even a simple netstat was full of messy unneeded stuff I can‘t disable (I figured out how ti disable everything via registry, ending up having an unusable windows) Hint: I was beeing hacked on windows OS some years ago, which makes me paranoid not having any chances on windows to check if some unwanted programm uses your PC and sending data over the ethernet.
Switched to endeavourOs 1y ago and would never go back. Runs 10 times faster, can do 95% of my tasks and games without having huge workarounds, thanks to proton. I have finally the feel the OS belongs to me and I can mostly control what the hack is going on on my PC.
Personally I would say start with Fedora and try Gnome (maybe with some extensions like dash to panel) or KDE. KDE is more buggy poorly, but has far more features. On Gnome you can run some KDE apps too though, Dolphin for example is awesome
In Fedora add Flathub and try to only use Flatpak apps from there.
Then if you think you are happy, you can try an immutable Distro. They will basically never break, but some advanced apps and plugins may not work that well. In theory you can simply install these apps as RPM apps though too.
Fedora Silverblue/Kinoite with Flatpaks is SO ahead of Windows. Updates go in background while running, and after a reboot you always have a completely new system. Updates are fast, and extremely stable, due to the system image being like on Android.
Flatpaks run in containers, isolated from the system. They are getting better slowly, but are mostly not made to run there, unlike apps on Android. So they cant be as secure, but still are waaaay better isolated from the system, you can restrict internet access, state the folders they are allowed to access and way more. On KDE in the settings, in Gnome using Flatseal.
This is also wayyy more modern.
Also, Dolphin, or actually any other file manager. Dolphin runs on Gnome too perfectly. They are soooo much better than the Windows explorer crap. Extensions everywhere. Tabs. Drag-drop menu. Creating links. Windows is so horrible to use.
Also Linux is way better at processing small files. Try starting GIMP, unlocking a big Cryptomator vault (for cloud backups). Windows just crashes sometimes.
Also, Linux has so much more Opensource software for nieche purposes. Windows has a lot, and a lot of old crap like Openoffice, FreeMind and other not maintained software. May not be there on Linux, because its outdated. But just look through flathub.org, its amazing.
For me the reason I’ve switched is Windows just feels bloated and slow to use especially on less powerful hardware. When I open a program on Linux it just opens instantly, no spinning wheel, no waiting 5 seconds for the start menu to finally decide to open
That and package management, on NixOS I have a list of installed programs and system config all in one place, so no random applications I installed 3 years ago and forgot about, uninstallers that don’t work, dodgey .exes etc
So I ended up going with mint XFCE (?) and I really dig it. It’s comfortable. Now I’d have to work on migrating proper documents and files over but I might just keep them separate (have spread out over different drives anyways) until I get some hdd/ssd updates.
I’ve been using Linux for 19 years. In that time I’ve very rarely booted Windows.
If you don’t feel comfortable with Linux, then why use it? People who pressure you ir have an elitist attitude have always existed on both Linux and Windows, but they come and go.
The only legitimate complaint someone might generally have is Windows being a weak link on a local network, but in most cases its usually, even then, just someone trying to be part of the in crowd of Linux opposed to actually understanding what they’re saying well enough to have a reasonable concern.
Most people who become interested in Linux go through some kind of phase that involves talking crap about security or privacy or free software rights, but regardless of any of that being true or untrue, most of us just wanted to try something different when we tried it and switched after becoming addicted, then we go through our arrogant phase.
Telemetry and Tracking, you need to sign in to legitimately use your Windows 11 Machine and it does collect data you would not want to if you would know which and what data it is.
Psychology feels different. You could actively be creative and do everything you want because noone watches you and there are no absurd backdoors on Linux.
Linux Desktop with KDE (?) or Gnome (Fedora) it is… or Cinamon (Which mainly Linux mint uses). You have a wide variety to choose your Team that develops all the features into your comfort zone and if you elaborate with your Linux Desktop you will notice that many useful features exist since many years that enhance productivity or comfort. Like Window Tiling, set your window Always On Top or Always Below your windows, use Widgets (depends on which Desktop), make your windows wiggle or break in a quantum pattern or Fire when closed and discover more things that would not be possible on the hardcoded private Windows 10 or 11 Desktop.
never ever update your PC again with Linux! Just get the newest Security updates and have a system running that will never force you to reinstall the shit again because a new Windows 12 came out and the transfer tool does not exist or deletes all programs. (Depends on Distro, Ubuntu needs complete upgrades that may break system, but Arch and Linux mint were perfect)
Interested in encryption? No problem, it was always secure and easy to install with most GUI installers at OS install.
Nicest way to install programs? Just use the easy to use package manager and be 3 clicks away to install the official and legitimate way of Steam, Blender or other application instead of needing to search the internet.
Its satisfying and has a nice file structure.
Learn your OS to the roots. You can learn how the details work if you want or are interested in a specific thing.
Nerdy community instead of casuals who downplay you for not knowing that its obviously Wednesday patchday or another irrelevant day for Microsoft. (You also can get bad communities that downplay you anyway in Linux communities, but are very rare in my opinion compared to Windows focused ones)
Btw, if you don’t feel like the current distro feels comfy, just try a different one with maybe a different Desktop or different Desktop design. The best part about Linux is, its perfect. But there is no perfect fit for every Human, thus why I hate Windows for trying this “fit for all” Philosohpy, but maybe its just that I have setup a perfect Arch Linux System with KDE after using Kubuntu, Pop OS, Manjaro for 3 years and gaining knowledge about Linux.
This. The same that Torbrowser is Firefox and not Chrome. Tails is Linux and not Windows.
uhm, you should update your software. Maybe I understood you wrong. Best update process is Fedora immutable, switch to a different image, reboot, no problems. Rolling distros might be good, but are too unstable for many.
I think I meant debian but I actually don’t know how long security updates are done. Maybe I was a bit in the wrong. My main focus was Arch Linux and OpenSuse but not sure how it behaves when you only do security updates and no normal packag updates. But the main thing stays true that you don’t need to reinstall anything like you need to with Windows 10 to 11 transistions and other versions
Just wanted to share my experience as a new Linux user. I recently started getting much more serious about privacy and open source over the past year but I didn’t make the leap to Linux until Reddit killed all the 3rd party apps; probably because of all the Linux posts I began reading on Lemmy. I was searching up all posts similar to yours seeing which distro is “best” or to start out with. I decided to take the route of researching what I’m looking for and just trying out different distros and desktop environments.
Fast forward to today and after much trial and error, internet searching for troubleshooting answers, how-to videos, and testing about 7 different distros, I landed on OpenSUSE Tumbleweed and couldn’t be happier.
Linux is fast, customizable, and I no longer have to worry about windows spying on me. It definitely was a challenging switch, even though I’m very tech savvy, mainly because it’s a whole new language (for me). It was also extra challenging because I have a Samsung GalaxyBook3 Pro 360 and for some reason audio is shot on all the distros I tried. Thankfully, some very smart folk on the internet had a guide on how to get audio working (not perfectly though) using a command script and HDA verbs (like wtf are HDA verbs??? Lol). I also had to find a workaround for being able to use my laptop for work as well which heavily relies on Microsoft’s suite of apps. My solution? Install edge alongside my default browser of choice, to be used only for work, and operate entirely from office 365 web apps.
At the end of the day, I’ve found that everything you can do on windows, you can do on Linux (literally even run windows apps) and you can sometimes do things better on Linux. It takes patience, troubleshooting, and you may have to format a partition or two along the way but it’s so worth it. Just dive in and have fun with it. Everyone can give you their opinion on a distro to run or desktop environment to choose but remember they are just opinions at the end of the day and very much subjective.
Stable and noo downtime internet speed like Windows because background update, can increase your internet speed to 40% (can up to 80% in my case with Q4OS + pure profile installation)
Customizable interface according to your preference (with learning curve first)
As a home desktop, there’s so many useful apps from Linux (Recoll for example) that you can’t find on Windows
Very lightweight and power save (according with the linux you use)
What can motivate me to migrate?
IMO when you migrate to Linux, you can learn many things that you never think about before and it give you the easiest solution for daily life. From piracy, privacy, ideology, and deep tinkering other things that you can’t do on Windows (Coreboot / Libreboot, or HAM Radio hack for example).
What is a good Linux to have for a desktop + steam?
Pop! OS is the best choice you have. But if you want to create home desktop for your family using it, I recommended Q4OS with Pure Profile installation, just install Firefox + Ublock Origin and you can go perfectly good…
That should be the other way around, no? What do you need that Linux has (and Windows doesn’t). Otherwise it’s a case of “solution in search of a problem”. You presently do not seem to have a need as you have mentioned, so ideally you should leave it at that and continue using Windows.
What can motivate me to migrate?
While as I implied above only you can answer that authoritatively for yourself, a few examples of what other people seem to like about Linux might help perhaps -
“Free as in beer”, so not having to spring for another license if you build another rig
"Free as in Freedom", which matters to many but not necessarily everyone
Better environment for development
Less susceptibility to malware (not necessarily because of inherent security, but also because Linux is not targeted as much)
Heavily customizable, at the kernel, desktop environment, other software-level
Choice of software update mechanisms as well frequency of updates depending on use-case
Reviving of old computers where Windows would typically struggle to run
Community participation, though this can be a hit or a miss depending on where you hang out and who you interact with
… and so on.
What is a good Linux to have for a desktop + steam?
There are many, but I generally recommend Linux Mint or Pop! OS for this use-case.
personally i prefer mint, in large part because i love the cinnamon desktop and mint seems more stable than pop os in my experience. (and if you have nvidia gpus i know pop os can have it pre installed but getting it installed in mint is the click of a few buttons)
Edit to add: See what desktop environments you like, than find a distro that ships with that environment, that will tend to lead to great levels of stability for you.
This is the best reply in this entire post. I personally prefer Linux-based OSes and use them for pretty much everything these days, but if you don’t know what you want or what you’re looking for, I’d feel bad telling someone to jump headfirst into a new world. As much as I hate what the Windows platform is these days (imo, an advertising/data collection platform first, operating system second), I wouldn’t suggest someone change their workflow unless they’re truly interested in learning something new (which, depending on your use cases, could be better).
If OP really wants to use Linux instead, be it for fun or utility, I agree with a lot of people’s suggestions for Pop!_OS or Linux Mint. I’ll also suggest sticking with Fedora or trying Nobara (a gaming-focused distro based on Fedora). I use Fedora for my daily use and Steam works great for my games. Nvidia drivers are easy to install if you need to.
Overall, anyone who’s going down the path of replacing Windows with Linux should have two things: patience, and some decent web sleuthing skills. Switching to Linux can be incredibly rewarding, but you have to have patience (especially in the beginning) for learning new things or changing default settings to make your OS work for you. I know this is just another drop in the sea of long-ass rants in this post, but maybe this has some helpful info here.
Less susceptibility to malware (not necessarily because of inherent security, but also because Linux is not targeted as much)
It is always funny visiting sites that you know are riddled with malware and slipping right past as their scripts attempt to install stuff that isn’t even compatible with your computer.
Debian Stable is a solid choice as it has the best support and is a hassle-free experience. Maybe with KDE Desktop. Its the most userfriendly windows-like desktop i know of.
Optional: You can also install the MX-Tools from MX Linux to get some comfortable GUI system tools.
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