Crashing 3 times a week and secretly stealing data like crazy? A programmer's journey of migrating to Linux: "I finally deleted Windows 11 completely."

[Editor's note from CSDN] Have you ever been driven crazy by the forced telemetry of Windows 11? Are you fed up with the endless bugs and sudden black screen restarts after system updates? When Microsoft's arrogance leads to a continuous "downgrade" of the Windows experience, more and more users are turning their attention to the open - source Linux. The author of this article is a firsthand witness who has completely "defected" from Win11. He not only abandoned the dual - system compromise but also replaced his main computer and work laptop with Linux. He has also deeply experienced multiple distributions such as Mint, Debian, and Artix.

In the past two years, more and more developers have fled from Windows to Linux. I've finally taken a step into this "open - source deep sea." After months of tinkering and countless pitfalls, I can responsibly say that this is the most correct computer - related decision I've made in the past decade or even in my entire life.

By the way, I'm currently using Artix Linux.

Currently, I've completely deleted Windows 11 from my main desktop and work laptop and given all partitions to Linux. In other words, I've fully entrusted my two most relied - upon daily computers to the open - source community.

My decision to make the switch wasn't an impulse. Here's my real experience.

The trigger for the breakdown: Telemetry monitoring + Abysmally poor software stability

Why are there so many articles and videos recently about "I switched from Windows to Linux"? There are ultimately two reasons:

1) Crazy data telemetry 2) Deteriorating software experience

The way Windows 11 collects data is like a pumpkin farm in October - it grabs as much as it can, and it's almost impossible to completely turn it off. Hardware information, which software is used, usage frequency, behavior trends... all are collected.

What's even more outrageous is Copilot + Recall. Microsoft claims it's an AI assistant, but in reality, it's more like "legal spyware." What's the result? Copilot hasn't helped users much but has instead benefited Microsoft and data brokers.

Software stability is a disaster. Windows 11 has multiple settings entries for the same thing (network configuration, device management, etc.), and they don't communicate with each other. Each update doesn't fix bugs but creates new ones.

Before switching to Linux, my hardware was as follows:

AMD Ryzen 7 6800H

32GB of RAM

1TB PCIe NVMe

The configuration was not bad at all, but I still encountered 2 - 3 system freezes per week: It would freeze for a few seconds, the screen would go completely black, and it would either restart or just hang.

At my wit's end, I dual - booted Linux for a while. Then, during a Windows automatic update, it directly wiped the Linux partition. At that moment, I decided to completely delete Windows and keep only Linux.

Why Linux instead of macOS?

Many people will ask: Since you're leaving Windows, why not switch to macOS?

I've tried it.

But my only Apple device is a 2014 MacBook Air, which can only run macOS 11 at most, and its performance is abysmal. After using OpenCore Legacy Patcher to upgrade to macOS 13, features like iMessage and Continuity had all sorts of issues, and the experience was terrible.

Moreover, I also needed to find an operating system for my desktop, and I really didn't want to spend one or two months' mortgage just to install a new system.

So I chose Linux - High compatibility + Full control + A savior for old machines.

The history of pitfalls with distributions: From Mint to Artix

Linux distributions are like coffees with different flavors.

Linux Mint: A masterpiece for beginners, "ready to use out of the box," but it was too bloated for me. I installed it on my home theater PC, and it's very stable. Even a 4 - or 5 - year - old child can use it.

Debian/Fedora/Bazzite/Void: I've tried them all. These distributions are generally good, but Void's software repository is too sparse, and its drivers have all sorts of problems.

The final choice: It's a derivative of Arch Linux. Artix inherits all the features and customizability of Arch, including the resource - rich Arch User Repository (AUR), which can provide a vast number of software packages and applications. At the same time, it's a lightweight distribution with very few pre - installed software.

The core difference between Artix and Arch is that it doesn't use SystemD as the initialization system. I won't go into the debate about the initialization system here. In short, Artix's boot speed is incredibly fast - the cold boot time is less than 10 seconds, and it has extremely low system resource usage.

Of course, its drawbacks are also obvious: It's not a "ready - to - use" finished system, and you have to do it yourself.

The pitfalls on the migration path

My laptop is a 2014 MacBook Air, and its hardware performance is actually quite solid. Unfortunately, the combination of a 2014 MacBook Air and Linux is a classic nightmare.

After installing Artix on the Air, the biggest problem I encountered was the lack of a wireless driver, which means the Wi - Fi function couldn't be used directly. The solution is actually quite simple: Download the corresponding wireless driver (specifically, the Broadcom driver) from Artix's official software repository. This operation can be completed by executing a single command in the terminal, but the prerequisite is that the computer must be connected to the Internet. And my laptop had no Internet connection at that time.

Finally, I had to connect a USB - to - Ethernet adapter and directly connect the laptop to the router to successfully install the Wi - Fi driver. The whole process only took about 10 minutes, but at that moment, I really wanted to smash the computer.

The desktop was perfect out of the box. It even lit up the strange resolution (1680×1050 portrait mode) of the second monitor on the first try. Later, I also tinkered with KDE and XFCE. After installing KDE, the menu had a white background and white text, and there were all sorts of graphical bugs. When I reverted to XFCE, the Wi - Fi icon disappeared. Fortunately, after 45 minutes of tinkering and reading a large number of manuals and forum posts, the problem was finally solved. The Wi - Fi icon returned to normal, and I could select the wireless network again.

Besides, Linux itself also has some inherent shortcomings. For example, not all games marked as "Linux - compatible" on the Steam platform can actually run properly.

"Civilization 3 Complete Edition" is a typical example: After starting the game, the map would turn completely black (but later I used the game runner Lutris to solve this problem). There are also some software I often used on Windows that don't have corresponding versions on the Linux platform, such as the screenshot tool Greenshot and the batch image watermarking tool uMark. Although there are alternatives for these software, they either have incomplete functions or require re - learning the operation process.

A pleasant surprise: Managing my phone is even more enjoyable than on Windows

It's no surprise that Android natively supports Linux. But what really shocked me was that my iPhone 13 Pro Max actually works very well.

Originally, my iPhone 13 Pro Max was "incompatible" with Artix Linux running the XFCE4 desktop. After connecting the phone to the computer, it could only charge, and the system couldn't recognize the device at all. I tried installing the software KDE Connect, which was supposed to achieve a similar linkage function between the iPhone and Mac, but it had no effect. However, I finally found a solution in an unexpected place.

When I installed KDE before, a Dolphin file manager was left in the system. I tried using it and found it much better than the default Thunar file manager in XFCE4. Even more pleasantly surprised, when I connected my iPhone to the computer, Dolphin actually recognized the device directly!

This makes file transfer a breeze because the file manager can access all the files on the iPhone. Moreover, with the improvement of iOS file management functions, the files of each app on the phone are stored in their corresponding dedicated folders.

The whole operation process is much simpler than on Windows - after all, there's no need to rely on iTunes anymore.

The biggest feeling of using Linux: I've fallen in love with my computer again

As for why I switched to Linux and why I'm writing this article to share my experience, there's only one answer: I enjoy using it.

I've rediscovered the joy of using a computer, and the whole process is full of novelty. Moreover, there's always room for exploration in the Linux system. You can adjust the system settings at any time and deeply learn about the underlying operating mechanism. Also, compared with Windows, Linux runs faster and is more stable, which are real pluses.

Actually, there are many more details worth mentioning, but if I say too much, the article will be too long. Here are a few simple additional points.

The process of installing games through Steam is as simple as on other operating systems, but the number of compatible games is slightly less than on Windows. However, except for the aforementioned "Civilization 3," all the Steam games in my library can run smoothly. In some cases, the gaming experience is even better than on Windows because Linux doesn't run resource - consuming anti - cheat software in the background.

The customizability of the system is a "double - edged sword," and the specific experience depends on the desktop environment or window manager you choose. The XFCE4 I'm using has strong customizability, but to make it look good, you need to have a certain amount of technical knowledge. It supports the tool Conky, which can display system information on the desktop. And Conky has a very high degree of customization, which is achieved through script code in the configuration file.

The power management function of Linux is a bit of a mixed bag. The battery life of my MacBook Air under the Linux system is about the same as when running macOS (after all, it's an old laptop, and the battery has already aged). But occasionally, there are some "rogue processes" that prevent the laptop from going into sleep mode after closing the lid. However, the lightweight nature of Artix also has its benefits: The laptop's fan rarely runs at high speed, and the same is true for the desktop.

Migrating the system configuration in Linux is also very convenient. For the settings of the desktop and applications, you just need to copy a folder. As long as the same software packages are installed, I can make the system interface of the MacBook exactly the same as that of the desktop through simple drag - and - drop operations. Moreover, the user's freedom to choose the computer interface is unparalleled by other systems. If you don't like a certain design in XFCE4, you can either directly modify the configuration file or simply change the desktop environment (of course, as mentioned before, doing so may cause new problems).

The most important thing is that the overall stability of the system is top - notch. Since switching to Linux, my computer has never crashed, and there are no longer frequent graphical interface failures like black screens as in Windows 11.

Conclusion: Linux isn't a silver bullet, but it's worth a try

Linux won't solve all your computer problems with a single click, but it can make you truly understand your system.

Like other operating systems, it requires users to spend time learning how to use it and its unique features. Admittedly, to delve deep into the system's underlying layer and fully unleash its potential, you do need to have a certain amount of technical knowledge. But many distributions (such as Mint) are ready to use out of the box, and users may never even need to open the terminal.

Personally, I like this slightly challenging experience. Linux strikes a good balance between ease of use and the joy of in - depth exploration. If I want to, I can choose a distribution that's ready to use out of the box, but what I want is a stronger sense of control. This is precisely the charm of Linux: Its flexibility is unparalleled. You can choose a highly challenging distribution or a simple and easy - to - use one according to your needs.

Installing Linux has not only breathed new life into my three devices (laptop, desktop, and media computer) but also made me rediscover the joy of using a computer. There have indeed been a lot of frustrations in the process, but when you solve a difficult problem through your own efforts, the sense of accomplishment is something you've never felt when using Windows.

The reason behind this is actually quite simple: Most of the problems I encountered on Linux were caused by my own improper operations, while the troubles I encountered on Windows or macOS often stemmed from the limitations or bugs of the system itself. Linux gives me the freedom to "tinker" with the system - even if I mess up the system, I can fix it myself, and this process itself is a form of learning.

Today, when Microsoft ignores users' anger and continues to "mess up" Windows 11, switching to Linux is no longer exclusive to geeks but a practical choice for more and more developers. If you've been hesitating for a long time, now is the best time to embrace Linux.

Original link: https://www.notebookcheck.net/I - dumped - Windows - 11 - for - Linux - and - you - should - too.1190961.0.html

This article is from the WeChat official account "CSDN Programmer's Life", author: Sam Medley; Translated by: Zheng Liyuan. Published by 36Kr with permission.