I hear sometimes from Windows users who find no use for installing Linux on bare metal thanks to how advanced and usable WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) has become.I'm happy they found a workflow that works for them, but here's why Windows simply doesn't offer me enough to coax me over.WSL has admittedly improved over the years Since WSL's first iteration was released ten years ago in 2016, the application has come a long way, I can admit.
It's matured from being an incomplete compatibility layer to boasting an actual Linux kernel that's run in a virtual machine so that essentially any Linux app can run on it.From what I've read, many people find WSL's current state to be good enough for the work that they need to get done with Linux apps.I have no problem with this.
In fact, I think it's a testament to Linux's flexibility that someone can run Windows as their main operating system but still benefit from everything Linux has to offer.The trouble is, I've meanwhile moved over to Linux full-time.If WSL is good enough to satisfy a Linux user, then Windows is going to have to offer me enough to make a transition back to its platform worth it.
The apps I need work on pure Linux Unfortunately, there's simply no software I need to work or play that doesn't work well enough for me on Linux.Sure, Windows-only apps continue to exist, but they tend to be required by people in specific industries and niches I'm not in.Instead, I have all the apps I need on my Linux desktop.
My password manager, my cloud service, my document editors, my favorite web browser, my photo editor, my IDE, my notes app, my media player—it all works on Linux natively.Related How to Use PlayOnLinux to Install Windows Apps on Linux Your gateway to Windows apps on Linux.Posts 2 By Haroon Javed Even if an app I need isn't supported on Linux, the Wine compatibility layer and its variants and wrappers have made running many Windows apps and games a cinch.
No, not all apps and games, and as compatibility layers tend to do, there is some overhead consuming extra resources.None of that is issue enough though to make me even consider a switch to daily driving Windows again.Copilot gives me the ick Let's say my circumstances changed and there was a Windows-only app I absolutely needed access to.
I'd still do everything I could to avoid switching to Windows as my daily drive because of one name: Copilot.Listen, I understand how useful LLM assistants can be.I open one (or two, for multiple inputs) occasionally for low-stakes tasks like brainstorming headlines and content plans on topics I already know well.
The convenience and ease of use is undeniable, and it even occasionally coughs up a good idea.The keyword I used twice there is "Occasionally." I just don't need an LLM at my beck-and-call at all times for every task.Yet Microsoft seems insistent on shoe-horning it into every element of the Windows experience and its suite of apps too.
The endless prompts to prompt are annoying on good days and, on bad days, infuriating.Related These 5 simple Linux tools make Windows 11 look outdated And why I'll never go back to Windows.Posts 21 By Faisal Rasool That's before we even get into the ethical issues with the marketing scheme commonly referred to as "AI." From what I've read, the better my conscience feels the less I use LLMs.
Windows is not doing me any favors in that regard.Windows feels more like a billboard than an OS Now, let's try a new scenario.Let's say that, tomorrow, the "AI bubble" bursts in such a grand fashion that Copilot itself simply disappears from Windows.
No "nature is healing" memes would be enough to drag me back to Windows, and that's because of a little multi-billion-dollar platform called Microsoft Advertising.Whenever I open Windows on my dual-boot setup, I'm consistently amazed at the level of advertising that Windows users simply tolerate.Thanks to the placement of ads in the search bar, the start menu, and the news widget, it feels like I just can't get anything done on Windows 11 without being sold something.
That's to say nothing of Microsoft's own promotional campaign to sells its own services.There are incessant nags to buy more OneDrive storage, to subscribe to M365, to my M365 subscription.Then there's Microsoft Edge.
Windows 11 feels hell-bent on getting you to use Edge, with its tendency to throw a fit about installing other browsers and changing the default browser.The nagging never ends, but even without the nagging, Microsoft has a history of using dark patterns to move you onto its products, like generating Google lookalike skins for Bing and prompting you to "use recommended settings" that reverse your default browser choices.Considering all of that, I don't think it's unreasonable of me to remain unmoved despite WSL's usefulness.
I get that some people absolutely need Windows for work and certain games, but I fortunately do not.Instead, I'm happily running multiple free and open source operating system and desktop environments that I legitimately enjoy using.KDE Plasma is one of my favorites, and I've had no complaints with Arch Linux-based distributions.
There's so much good software out there that isn't Windows.
Read More
