A Linux User Reminds Himself Why He Stopped Using Windows
Last month, I wrote about my life using Linux for the past ten years. This week, I started using Windows again — and was reminded why I switched to Linux in the first place. Here's what I learned.
I've been a happy Linux user for a decade. I wiped the Windows partition from my computer long ago and never looked back — until recently, that is, when I found myself having to boot to Windows in order to work with a PDF file that was only supported by modern versions of Adobe Acrobat. Since Adobe stopped releasing Acrobat for Linux several years ago, and I could not get Acrobat to run reliably via Wine, running Windows was the only solution I could find.
Fortunately, Microsoft now loves Linux so much that it makes Windows 7 and Windows 8 virtual machine images available for free download and use on Linux systems. The images only work for a limited time before you have to register, but for my purposes, they fit the bill. After downloading, I was able to fire up the image in VirtualBox and get to work.
Why I Stopped Using Windows
Once I booted into Windows, however, I was quickly reminded why I switched to Linux so many years ago. Even my virgin Windows 7 virtual machine image did some annoying things. They included:
- The Windows taskbar displays only icons. Maybe that works for you. Personally, I prefer seeing Windows XP-style names of programs in the taskbars. It just helps me keep track of what I have open more easily. That's how Ubuntu does it (with GNOME Classic installed).
- There's no easy-to-access terminal. OK. This one's not really a problem with Windows as much as a reflection of my personal preference. Most users don't want to work through the terminal. But one of the things I have come to love about Ubuntu is how I can quickly open a terminal and run some quick commands to complete a task that would take much longer when done using the mouse. Want to move all the PDF files in one directory to another one? You can do that in a few keystrokes on the command line. I suppose you could do this in Windows, too, but the Windows CLI is arguably much less user-friendly, and it takes longer to open.
- Windows endlessly nags me about registering. The Windows virtual machine image I downloaded is supposed to be a trial for use by developers. If you want to run it permanently, you need to register. I get that. But since first boot the system has nagged me to no end about registering. It pops up boxes all the time telling me to register, or warning that I may be a victim of "software counterfeiting" (which is rich, because, again, I obtained this image perfectly legally from Microsoft's own site). I know that if I actually registered, this annoyance would go away. But I like that on Linux, I never get bothered about registering — or warned that I need to update my registration and so on. I can spend my time actually doing work instead of clicking boxes telling me to register.
- It reboots when it feels like it. This is definitely the most annoying part of my recent Windows experience. The system reboots itself periodically, presumably to install updates. Sometimes a tiny pop-up appears warning me that it's going to reboot, and asking if I want to postpone. If I miss the pop-up, then the system will reboot suddenly while I am in the middle of working. It's a tremendously obnoxious feature. In contrast, Ubuntu usually manages to apply updates without requiring a reboot at all. On the rare occasion that it does want to reboot — which generally only happens after a kernel update — it patiently waits until I give it permission. Ubuntu has never rebooted on me while I am in the middle of working.
This list would probably be much longer if I were using my Windows system for something more than just editing a PDF file.
Conclusion
I know: Ubuntu has its problems, too. Nothing's perfect. And for some people, WIndows is just a better fit than Linux.
Still, I admit that I've been happy, in a kind of way, by my frustrations working with Windows. Ever since I switched to Linux, I have always been afraid that Windows will get much better, without my knowledge. Using a recent version of Windows and finding it quite annoying is pleasant affirmation that Linux is still the better option for me.
As a Mac user, i switched for
As a Mac user, i switched for the same reasons years ago, glad there’s an operating system people can switch to if they can’t afford a Mac.
Really? 756 words wasted.
Really? 756 words wasted. Please stay on Ubuntu. It is a great OS.
Try master pdf editor, which
Try master pdf editor, which is free on linux, so you don’t have to use acrobat pro.
There are little things that
There are little things that I love, like pressing the printscreen button and being able to choose an area of the screen then uploading to imgur, rather than just copying the whole screen to the clipboard.
Windows has so much happening in the background it can be 5 minutes just to warm up after booting. It’s so annoying.
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer
Don’t get me wrong, I prefer working in linux myself. But your first two points are just a matter of configuring Windows. The task bar items can show text if you configure it to so. And by putting cmd in a ‘quick launch’ button, its just a single click to a command line. (MS does hide the quick launch toolbar for some bizarre reason, but it can be enabled easily)
There are many reasons to
There are many reasons to switch from Windows as there are many reasons to switch from any OS. Your points however are rubbish. If you were using Windows officially you would know the basics of how to set it up so all the things you want are obtained. It can show names of programs in taskbar, access to PowerShell is super easy, there is no nagging for registration and there is no auto-reboot.
Hit the windows key, type cmd
Hit the windows key, type cmd and enter. Opens Windows terminal pretty fast (5 key strokes). What would be the fastest way to open a terminal in Linux? I haven’t found one yet.
Depends on desktop on Linux
Depends on desktop on Linux you’re using. Most will get you a terminal in a couple of mouse clicks, those that can’t are likely to be easily configured to do so.
“displays only icons” – It’s
“displays only icons” – It’s in your “personalize” settings. Just right click on any blank space on the desktop, & click personalize. From there you can select different themes — even XP style. Selecting classic theme, it would be hard to tell you were not running XP.
“access terminal” – You get to it in your start menu. You can even right click on it to created a shortcut to it on your desktop or anywhere else you want. Or drag & drop it to any window or folder.
“nags about registering” Almost any free or temporary trial version of something will nag you to get the full version. In this case, MS no longer distributes W7. They want to force you to upgrade to that god awful W10 –stay away from W10. It’s an adware & spyware cloud-based platform & not a real OS. Keep in mind though, you are using a temporary trial version of W7, which is no longer distributed, in a virtual machine. It will not behave like the real full version installed properly. There will be errors & glitches.
“It reboots when it feels like it” – Since the onslaught of forced W10 updrades, & forced installations of W10-like telemetry/spyware, onto W7 & W8, most have automatic updates shut off, & manually update security updates only when they want to rather than windows wants to. I have 9 machines running W7. None of them ever rebooted by themselves. After installing some (but not all) software it will ask to reboot. You just click on “later” & it won’t ask again.
IBM gave employees the choice
IBM gave employees the choice to switch to Mac from Windows if they wanted. They saved millions of dollars in support, found the Macs actually lasted longer, measured increased productivity in their workers, and weren’t nickeled and dimed every step of the way.