Richie’s Computer Stuff

I had that very experience somewhat recently. I had to set up Windows 10 on a laptop for a friend. I had been using Linux on my main PC for probably five years at that point, so I was “un-used to” Windows. Oh boy that was a dreadful experience. It was a lot like “no, no, no, no, don’t want that, stop it, turn that off, be quiet”, and then logging in and getting the final pieces finished? Headache-inducing. “Try this!”, “try that!”, “did you know you could do THIS?”, “subscribe to this product you should use!”

And then the preloaded “suggested software”, the search bar with “suggested/trending” garbage I did NOT want to see? Yeah it was not pleasant. I think unless I’m doing it professionally? I’m not going to accept that task again. I’m glad I do not have to use that software on my main PC anymore. It seemed to have gotten worse since I stopped using it five years ago.

I use Garuda, which is an Arch-based distribution. Regressions are inevitable, though in my experience any actual issues arising from updates are quite infrequent. I’ve only once ever had to use Snapper to restore my system after a borked update in the some three and a half years I’ve used it. Keep in mind that this is a rolling release distribution, so new code isn’t always thoroughly tested before it’s sent out. I generally prefer new software, because I like playing games so new features and enhancements are important to me (on my main PC. I often install Arch for fun on other computers, but I thought for my ThinkPad? It’s older, maybe I’d like it to run Debian).

But any time I have a minor hiccup (that usually gets resolved after an update or reboot), I remember how much worse it could be. I’d much prefer the rare slight complication to the ads, telemetry, nags, intrusive updates, excessive bloat, and lack of control.

I’ve said before, that after using Linux on my main PC and not touching Windows? Windows really does feel like I’m not using my PC, something I never really noticed before I made the switch five years ago. I used to have no problems with modern Windows, but now it’s hard for me to tolerate. Old Windows is generally okay. I collect old computers, so versions like Windows 95, 98, 2000, and XP are fun.

I made the switch back in 2020 when I learned how much Proton had improved Linux gaming. I tried it out of curiosity to see if I could make it work for me, and after a week, I had gotten settled. Most of my games worked, some right away, some with tweaking. Some didn’t work at all.

Fast forward to 2025, and now those few games that didn’t work (I wish I remembered which ones they were) do, and I almost never have to do any tweaking to make games work. I’m so used to the way my distribution works that going back to Windows for anything is jarring. I bought a used ThinkPad a while back, and the previous owner “helpfully” installed Windows 11 on it for me (which I promptly wiped and installed Arch Linux, later Debian onto). That was the most I used Windows 11 (about 5 minutes, to make sure the machine worked). I am glad I do not have to use it on my own machines.

I recall another recent time where I set up Windows 10 on a laptop for a friend. It was… not a pleasant experience for me. Again, I was glad I didn’t have to use it.

Linux isn’t ready for everyone, but it sure as hell is ready for me. It was ready for me years ago.