Good because fuck Microsoft and Windows.
It bears repeating, so: fuck Microsoft and Windows.
I mean really, fuck Microsoft and Windows!
Microsoft, a sponsor of the new White House ball room.
I’ve been a Windows user since 95. I tried a few times to move to Linux, but basic user unfriendly problems always brought me back to Windows. Now there’s no option to go back. Linux Mint has had some bumps, but I’m properly motivated to jump over those hurdles now. I’ve become a proud Linux user this last week. Finally free of Microsoft’s gravity.
Good luck. I jumped ship 10 years ago, you get used to it to the point Windows starts feeling weird.
Don’t hesistate to reach out when you’re stuck
I remember someone on Discord server I used to be on kept telling people to “use Linux” which back then, I thought it was some scary OS for people who’s tech savvy and wrote him off to be annoying. It was few years when I have my own laptop as early birthday present that I find Windows 10 annoying and remembered Linux exist so I run up a virtual machine and watch so many videos on YouTube about it. Then, I made USB-Boot and installed Linux Mint.
Far from perfect but I feel so much more comfortable using Linux over Windows, feels so much more smoother
back then, I thought it was some scary OS for people who’s tech savvy
That “too hard, too scary” reputation is a big part of what has held back linux adoption.
But when people actually give it a try, most realize that reputation isn’t really true.
I’m really enjoying the learning curve with Linux because it’s a valuable skill to master. On the other hand, every time I’ve had to “go under the hood” with Windows, it’s been to keep it from doing something awful to me.
Windows 10 died a few days ago, leaving users with three options: stick with the OS, upgrade to Windows 11, or switch to an entirely different platform like macOS or GNU/Linux. But months before Microsoft dropped support for the OS, Linux-focused companies were already campaigning to poach Microsoft customers and convert them into Linux users.
The Document Foundation, the folks behind LibreOffice, started its push as far back as June this year, criticizing Microsoft’s decision to end support, which would render millions of perfectly functional PCs obsolete, and presented Linux as a cost-effective and secure alternative. We have also seen initiatives like The “End of 10” Campaign by KDE, making the case for Linux and providing guides and info on how to switch.
Of all the projects trying to poach Windows users, Zorin Group might be the most aggressive, launching its biggest OS upgrade, Zorin OS 18, on the very day Windows 10 died.
In a recent post on X, Zorin Group celebrated the launch of version 18, claiming that it hit 100,000 downloads in “a little over 2 days”. The company called it its “biggest launch ever” and claimed that over 72% of those downloads came from Windows.
Zorin OS 18 just reached 100,000 downloads in a little over 2 days 🎉️
Over 72% of these downloads came from Windows, reflecting our mission to provide a better alternative to the incumbent operating systems from Big Tech.
Thank you for making this our biggest launch ever! pic.twitter.com/6U4h3EQ3dq — Zorin OS (@ZorinOS) October 16, 2025
So what’s the big deal with Zorin OS 18? The new version comes with a redesigned desktop that feels a lot more modern. It uses a lighter color palette and a taskbar that has a floating, rounded style by default. The developers also introduced a much better window tiling system. If you drag a window to the top of the screen, a layout manager pops up, similar to Windows 11’s Snap Layouts. The main difference here is that Zorin allows you to create your own custom tiling layouts.
As for Windows app compatibility, Zorin OS 18 now includes an updated version of WINE 10 for better support of Windows software. On top of that, there’s also an expanded database that helps when it detects a Windows installer. The system checks the file and suggests the best way to run over 170 popular apps, whether that means installing a native Linux version, using the web-based alternative, or firing it up through WINE.
Windows 10 didn’t “die”
Microsoft isn’t offering support for it, but their help was barely useful to begin with.
There’s a few small hoops to jump through to enroll in the Extended Security Updates program, after which Windows 10 devices will continue to be functional and secure for at least another year.
Ultimately, I’m all for folks going out and dabbling in Linux. Unfortunately, most consumers are interpreting this situation as a requirement to rush out and buy a new Windows 11 PC and that’s bad.
It’s okay, Microsoft can’t hurt you here anymore. You have just been living your whole life in an abusive relationship. It’s okay we will be nice to you.
I’m old enough to have seen this “flocking” several times. Some people stay and are pleasantly surprised. Most people go back a few weeks/months later, and leave a “Linux suxx” post behind them. I don’t expect this time will be any different, and that’s totally fine.
Linux is a lot better than the last few times.
It might just be ‘good enough’ at this point.
I think a lot of people expect Linux to work like Windows, and that’s why they go back to Windows, even if some stuff is easier on Linux.
Many of us probably remember times when we tried to download random applications through a web browser, because that’s what Windows expects you to do. People will try that, and be confused, why stuff breaks or not work at all.
I agree. This time, it’s actually different. Big name streamers and YouTubers are showing their support. Not just people in the tech industry, but random channels like EmKay and PewDiePie.
Linux is better than ever. Steam is a breeze. Wine support has never been better.
Meanwhile, Windows has more nasty surprises, underhanded backstabs, and security nightmares than ever before.
First time reading that PewDiePie is a “random channel”…
Can you enumerate these underhanded backstabs? What a colorful claim.
Ads. Steering me to store all my data in Microsoft’s cloud where they do (or inevitably will) scan it for profiling, AI training, government surveillance, etc. (which also annoyingly locks file handles when documents are open). Shoving AI into every product, even when it’s completely useless. Sunsetting useful products. Changing license terms for paid products, forcing subscriptions. Requiring online accounts only and eliminating workarounds. Removing features and replacing them with incomplete UI offering less control. Massive security holes. Annoying patch/upgrade system that interrupts me while I’m working. Flaky, bug ridden tools (Teams, etc) And updates that break hardware.
Hey some of these actually are underhanded backstabs. You get a good star for understanding the assignment! 🌟
Have you used Windows past the 8.1 days?
Yes, I find Linux terribly unusable on my laptop, way too many driver issues, hard to get into a secure state, and I miss apps like signal (no official build) mpc-hc (the replacements are all trash) and a functional version of thunderbird (lol at the tray icon third party implementation that just doesn’t work). Etc, etc. I don’t have a ton of unique needs but I do want theto work
^and this is of course with KDE, gnome is all that but with just a trash user interface. How many gestures do I need to use to make my computer treat me like an adult ffs.
It’s still of course on my server (an old laptop which ironically can’t be used as a laptop because at some point after some random update the login service broke and won’t accept input from the keyboard lol) and other headless devices I don’t have to actually use, thank god.
Signal has a Linux client though? I literally use it myself
Linux usage has been trending up over time. It’s real.
As a percentage of desktop users or percentage of any users (including people who use their phones mainly)?
as a percentage of desktop users per a number of different benchmarks
Could it be that desktop usage in general has gone down? That people use their phones and tablets for browsing and similar tasks. Then Linux would have a bigger share, but maybe not because there are more users.
Is there a dumbie sheet or cheat sheet . I just feel lost on linex.
Depends on what you feel lost about, if it is the basics in general then I would suggest you start of and read about the basics here https://labex.io/linuxjourney they write about the very basics in a very simple way. I think they did a good job, they start of with what Linux is, what distros are to commands from the most basics as how to navigate in the terminal to more advanced combinations. They also have vms where you can try out the commands if you haven’t switched yet.
If it is a cheat sheet as in commands then i would say it is better to make your own of the commands you care about but you can start of by using other ppls list like this one https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/linux-unix/linux-commands-cheat-sheet/ but it can be overwhelming for you so use the linuxjouney first. Also it is very important to learn how to look up how to use the arguments in the terminal with man or -h to make it faster and less painful to use.
If you are lost about programs then there are a lot of good GitHub pages that links to useful programs and cli tools, you just need to search for awesome Linux <what you want> list
Examples:
https://github.com/luong-komorebi/Awesome-Linux-Software You can use their web pages version too https://luong-komorebi.github.io/Awesome-Linux-Software/ https://githublists.com/lists/awesome-lists/awesome-bash
Here is one for distros https://github.com/kolioaris/awesome-linux-distros
Here is an example for customizing https://github.com/fosslife/awesome-ricing
When looking for programs is it very important that you know what distro you are on, what desktop environment (like kde, gnome, xfce) and what window composition you use (usually Wayland or x11, x11 is older and is more compatible).
So in short start of at https://labex.io/linuxjourney
Then look up distros here https://github.com/kolioaris/awesome-linux-distros
For new ppl do I think Ubuntu based is best because almost everything has a Ubuntu version, when you feel ready can you test out other distros. I haven’t tried bazzite, I started of many years ago on debian (a few random ones like arch and mint) and then pop os for many years and now cachyos, I liked my journey but that doesn’t mean it is correct for others.
I would suggest to have all of your data you care about on a separate disk or have automatic backup of it so you can break your os without care. And if you start customizing would I suggest setting up a GitHub repo and commit your changes everytime you like what you see so it is easy to go back if you regret something.
I hoped this helped on your journey, I didn’t want to overwhelm you so I hope I kept it simple enough :D
Butting in to say: your post may be the help I needed to actively consider switching.
Dude, I’ve been using Linux for over 20 years and nowadays I barely need anything beyond what I do on Windows and Mac. Just remember that everything is a file lol
If it is a cheat sheet as in commands
With most modern distros, I would say that most typical users shouldn’t have to go to the command line any more than they had to in windows (which is to say very seldom).
Yet there is that lingering reputation that you have to be some sort of command line guru to even think about using Linux- and that simply isn’t true. Hasn’t been true for decades.
This is true, but I think it is good to know the basics because sometimes is it easier just like it can be easier in Mac and windows.
I think it is good to know about the tools you have so you can do the best decisions for your use case.
But like you said the terminal is not a must (for most) so if you feel uncomfortable about it then the terminal is not a reason to not switch to Linux.
Im setting up a raspberry pi for media then switching my pc to linux. So it should be interesting. Thank you for all the great starting points.
Glad I could be of help! Knowing the basics about the terminal (cli) will help you a lot with your raspberrypi when you wish to fix/change/do things on the fly. I often use ssh to connect to mine to do stuff from my phone haha
Thanks for that, I’ve saved your post for when I switch. My laptop runs windows 11 but I’m not enjoying the experience. Used linux a bit in the 90s but I’ve forgotten everything and will have to start from scratch. Yep, when I get some time I’m going to make the jump.
I do free infinite troubleshooting on matrix, I have over 15 years of experience
Just ask people here, people just love anyone who switches over to Linux and want to learn about it. Because we actually love this operating system. Its so good.
When my kid started using Linux, once he knew how to start programs and install things, we went through where the files are on the file system and how to get there in a terminal. I think thats a good starting point so you understand the foundation of the system.
And then go though a basic Linux command line tutorial to learn about the common tools for listing files, filtering results, renaming and deleting files etc.
You can do that stuff in a graphical file manager too but you dont really get that understanding of how things work until you do it in the terminal.
The terminal commands is where I feel lost. I feel like Im trying to hack the main frame.lol just a bunch of typing and no clue what it means.
Any specific things you are getting stuck on?
Analysis paralysis mostly.
If it’s on the distros, don’t fret it too much. They all do everything, it’s just an initial configuration.
I have been recommending Mint specifically, as it targets the average user with a ‘it just works’ mentality.
I guess it is the year of the Linux desktop for at least some people.
I’ve used Linux desktop in various forms for just over two decades, this has to be the fourth time it felt like Linux was having its chance to seize marketshare. Each time it ends up not being the mass adoption that people hope for but it feels like the community grows each time so I think it is neat nonetheless.
Anecdotally, I was tinkering with it earlier this year and finally stopped being lazy and flipped my main PC over. After I talked about it enough in my friend chat, three more friends followed suit and a fourth is going to soon. It’s not just the end of supporting Windows 10, it’s all of the repeated bugs, glitches, and AI garbage Microsoft has been pushing everywhere so aggressively. People who would likely only rate themselves as “mildly” tech savvy are sick of it and willing to make a move, I feel.
I’m ok with that. You hit a point where a community sustains, and is good. Lemmy is a great example of that. Often, when it grows past that, it can become… unsavory.
Often, when it grows past that, it can become… unsavory.
Exactly! Like the Internet, Linux is for anybody! . . .but not necessarily everybody.
Windows 8 is what pushed me to Linux. Linux is better than ever. Proton is just amazing.
Yeah, turns out people don’t like surveillance against their will…
I’m using it on my laptop as a teacher. My gaming PC with steam is linux. I see improvements in performance every half year.
Had a student want to use it. I told him he needs to dual boot. Keep his options open. Then time will tell whether he will make the great leap.
Dual boot should be default suggestion for everyone trying Linux out. No pressure, just try it.
VMs are a solution too, depending on what you use each OS for. I’ve worked some jobs where my main work machine was Linux, but would sometimes need to use Windows-only software, and would just run it on a VM.
Stop calling yourself a “refugee” whenever big tech fucks up something you were using. Anyone who thinks having to switch software is worthy of that word has no idea what it’s like to be a refugee. Check your privileged ass.
This.
For Years, you had the Option to use Linux. Since the release of the win 11 beta, Linux has not made any relevant big steps. The leopards have simply decided to eat your face this time.
A refugee would be someone losing their home in a bombing. A windows 10 turned Linux user is more like a Trump voter turned no kings protestor because he though sending the government emails will sure stop the anti trans laws.
And no, sOmE uSeRs hAvE tO uSe WinDoWs is not an argument. If everyone who was still on windows until now was reliant on it, why are they installing and switching to Linux? Every new Linux user is someone who was simply too ignorant to install it.
Year
Of
The
Snake
SNAKE?!
SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!
I hope this doesn’t mean the enshitifcaiton of Linux as we start to cater for people who don’t want to learn… We watched it with Microsoft products, though they also had a profitable reason to nerf their software.
Being simple to use out of the box is NOT a bad thing on its own. We are simply used to seeing the proprietary profit-driven version, which is the path to enshittification. When something works great out of the box but you still own your machine and have access to any damn thing you want that’s hidden from view by default, that is just a good product.
I’ve been an engineer in electronics and software for over 20 years. I have a masters in software engineering. I currently work on C and C++ code every day for embedded systems, including one that’s embedded linux. The terminal is my comfort zone. Screens full of super-legible monospaced text please my eyes.
I run Linux Mint Cinnamon (btw) on every computer of mine, even my work machine, and I don’t care who knows it!
I recommend it to anybody of any skill level who will listen.
That’s the beauty of Linux- there are so many distros to choose from.
Something for everyone.
And if enough people don’t like the existing options, you are always free to fork what exists and make something that fits your needs better.
It doesn’t have to. KDE is a great example here. Out of the box, it’s extremely simple to use, as well as familiar in look and feel to Windows. But if you want to - it gives you a lot of customization options. So it doesn’t seem to lose out on anything due to being simplified by default.
And frankly, a lot of Unix software could use a similar approach. I know it’s not that simple, but it helps the users greatly - particularly new ones, but experienced ones too. Perhaps this wave of Windows refugees will in some way lead to progress in this area.
Windows was developed by a huge corporation for profit, and that drives enshittification, because eventually they have all the users they think they can get, so instead they start trying to milk those users for more $$$.
Linux is developed by a bunch of nerds who are doing it as a hobby, or because they weren’t happy with the other options. This type of group does not leas to enshittification.
Lol, have you seen Gnome? It’s already too late.
Yeah what a nightmare. Amazing volunteers building incredible software for everyone for free.
Gnome devs threatening me with a good time on my surface laptop. Please stop.
