I first began using MS Windows back in the 90s. Back then, I didn’t even know Linux existed. For me, it was a Microsoft world.
My first real computer was an old Dell desktop I bought second hand. It was running Windows 95 and I thought it was great.
I got my first experience of Linux when I bought a netbook. When the guy at the shop said it was running Linux I didn’t even know what it was and, after years of using Windows, I found Linux difficult to use. I never applied any updates because I wasn’t sure how to do it and my netbook began running like shit.
That didn’t matter because it wasn’t my main computer. At that point I also had a laptop running Windows XP.
To be honest, I liked Widows XP and don’t remember having any problems with it. Then, every time I needed to replace my machine, I found a different version. I didn’t like any of them as much as Windows XP or even Windows 95.
It seemed to me, my computers were getting more tempremental with every version. Sure, they worked okay when they were fresh out of the box but each update seemed to make them slower. The updates were also very intrusive. I got sick of switching on my machine and having to wait for another set of updates installing and, as the years passed, the upates appeared to be more complex and take longer to install.
By the time I bought my ASUS laptop, in 2015, it was getting ridiculous. I waited a couple of hours for some updates to install and then switched my computer off. I thought something had gone wrong and cutting the power would reset it. My intervention seemed to have made things worse.
By that point, I was working online and living the digital nomad lifestyle. I needed a computer that worked and although I’d only had my ASUS a month, I had to buy a Toshiba Satteite to work with instead. Taking the ASUS back to the shop where I bought it was not an option. The shop was in Valencia. By then, I was living in Seville.
My problematic ASUS was running Windows 8.1. The Toshiba came with Windows 10 pre-installed and the first update took so long I was sitting biting my nails.
Eventually, I managed to get the ASUS working so, since then, I’ve had two computers to work on. I’ve been using the ASUS most because Windows 8.1 annoys me less that Windows 10.
Right from the start my ASUS was trying to entice me with free update to Windows 10 but, as far as I was concerned, Microsoft could take their free update and shove it where the sun don’t shine. Windows 8.1 was the lesser of two evils.
If you have already made the Switch from Windows to Linux, you may be able to appreciate how frustrating my Windows experinece had become.
The constant updates were not the only thing that bothered me. I also hated how slow the sytems on both computers had become.
One of the worst things was, if I was busy and tried to put off intalling an update, Windows kept trying to go over my head.
I had to keep stopping my computer from doing what it wanted to do.
Linux has updates too but I’m always in charge. I can install them when it’s convenient. I’m the boss. Linux keeps me informed but does not try to take over the show.
I have a friend who is an IT expert. Although she gerenerally has to work with Windows a lot, she has always told me Linux is the better option. So, one day after a Windows update had prevented me from working for several hours, I took the plunge and intalled LInux Mint as a dual boot – on both machines. I was amazed how much faster it is and I still am.
I like Linux Mint Mate. Cinnamon is okay too and I plan to explore the abilities of Ubuntu and a few other Linux options in the future by installing them on Virtual machines.
Lately, I’ve come to realize chaning from MS Windows to Linux was a doubly good move. Windows 10 has a lot of privacy
issues. A lot of Windows users appear to find the intrusions into their privacy is acceptable. When Windows was lagging I always suspected there could be something going on behind the scenes that I was unaware of, after reading this article, I think my fears may be justified.
I’ve been wanting to move away from “Big Tech” for a while now and have stopped using Microsoft services such as Hotmail and One Drive. When I buy I computer I expect it be a tool that works for me. I don’t like the idea that it may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing that may be secretly working for someone else.
Althogh I realize nothing is perfect, I trust Linux. I don’t trust Windows. There is no going back and I find Linux provides me with an exciting learning experience. It may take me years to become familiar with it and the things it can do but I’m happy to put in the time.
