This became relevant specially after 2023
Windows keeps getting shittier, Linux keeps getting better and easier to use.
Why there are a lot of people migrating from Windows to Linux these days?
Submitted 8 months ago by ryujin470@fedia.io to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
Comments
DoubleDongle@lemmy.world 8 months ago
douglasg14b@lemmy.world 8 months ago
This really is the truth.
The gap is almost insurmountable still, but the gap is narrowing thanks to the hard work Microsoft puts in.
golden_zealot@lemmy.ml 8 months ago
I switched due to the following problems with Windows and benefits with Linux:
- Recall, the most privacy invasive software I have ever seen being spun as a “feature” which was shown to be insecure as well
- Fucking ads everywhere in the OS itself
- It’s slow as all hell
- I would try to do something as simple in the UI such as hitting “Sleep” and Windows 11 wouldn’t do anything until the 4th click
- Windows no longer has a monopoly on games or music software - proton and DAW’s like bitwig should now be forcing Microsoft to compete to make their OS better, but because capitalism doesn’t work, they don’t, and so I have no reason to stay with their OS
- Linux is fast as fuck. Games like Armored Core VI and Death Stranding run better in an emulated state on Linux for me than they do natively on Windows because Linux isn’t running 1500 telemetry tasks at all times.
- Linux gives you choices of window managers. Don’t like the UI in Windows? Tough luck. Don’t like a UI in Linux? Change it in 2 seconds if you’re using KDE Plasma, or switch to another WM like Gnome, XFCE, Cinnamon, etc so that the computer works the way you want. You want to have some WM functionality only sometimes that no one WM offers? Install 3 WM’s, choose which one you want when you log in. Make the computer work for you.
On Windows 11 the final absolute last straw for me was when it stopped installing updates for me and gave me this:
So I couldn’t even trust the system was secure anymore.
Windows is stagnated because all of their development focus has turned away from making a competitive OS with good and useful features for the end user, and instead focuses now on how to get more dollars out of each minor action a user could possibly take when using it. Linux just feels more modern, more powerful, more useful, more secure, faster, prettier, cleaner, and cheaper than Windows now because it is 98% of the time.
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 8 months ago
Because things aren’t improving. Windows 11 is a bloated buggy mess loaded with privacy issues. They change things that have been working fine for years or decades or introduce new features that no one asked for and only get in the way and they don’t even test the changes properly to get bugs out. It’s clear they do not have users interests in mind and things are only getting worse as time goes on. The ship is sinking and Linux is the only lifeboat available.
BlackPenguins@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Windows 11 has a massive keylogger built in. For decades we associated them with malware and now Windows is trying to normalize it as “good for the user.”
They say it’s off by default. But that’s like me having the detonation for a nuke sitting on my desk. Sure I could just not hit the button but I don’t want that shit in the same zip code as me.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
I assume you’re talking about Recall, the feature that isn’t even coming to 99.99% of the computers running windows, and still isn’t even released officially outside of opt-in previews, right?
The_Decryptor@aussie.zone 8 months ago
I switched a year ago, after trying and failing multiple times over the years whenever I gave it a try.
- Linux has massively improved, systemd is a lot cleaner than the mess of disparate shell scripts it displaced. Network Manager is also a lot nicer now than I remember it being when it was first introduced into Red Hat.
- Windows hasn’t, in a lot of ways it was actually regressing. I used to get multiple shell crashes a week with no insight as to why, friends would claim it was just me but then receive an update and start having similar crashes. Also noticeable UI issues that went unfixed for multiple revisions, made it felt cheap.
- MS went all in on AI garbage and was jamming it into everything, kept getting popup notifications and the like to try Copilot, notifications went from being useful to just being an ad delivery mechanism.
- Gaming on Linux massively improved, last time I tried it OpenGL support was a mess. Now OpenGL is very mature, and all the D3D translation stuff uses Vulkan which has been rock solid for me. I’ve found games run better than they did on Windows on the same hardware, and the only game I’ve had an issue with was Destiny 2, which is intentional on the devs behalf (Luckily the game’s boring now)
I find I’m a lot more willing to let issues slide though, like I’ve had some Thunar crashes which I’m cool with since there’s like 4 devs maintaining it, vs. the multi-billion dollar company working on Explorer which I expect better from. Also unsurprisingly the only actual shop-stopper issue I’ve had was with a memory leak in the Nvidia drivers, the actual FLOSS stuff has been great.
Bwaz@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Copilot. Win11 working only on mew hardware. Win10 going out of support. Basic bloated operation with little concern for what users want.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
You’re in a linux loving, windows hating bubble here on Lemmy. There is no significant number of people migrating from windows to linux according to any metric we have.
rfr_Foglia@feddit.it 8 months ago
Linux is growing according to the data, but at a slow pace www.gamingonlinux.com/steam-tracker/#engsplitanch…
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
Yeah and that’s what I’d call “not significant” growth.
vane@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Because Valve showed people that linux is not so bad after all. Might be also that people can ask ChatGPT for help and Microsoft is financing it’s own funeral.
JTskulk@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The short version is 2 reasons:
- Microsoft requires Windows 11 computers to have special new hardware that not all computers have. Security updates for Windows 10 ends in 3 months. Many people are faced with a choice of buying a new computer, or installing Linux on their current one to save money. Others realize how much Windows 11 sucks shit and switch because Linux is better.
- Gaming on Linux has gotten a lot better recently. For many people, this was the main thing holding them back. Software support in general is better than ever.
Jankatarch@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Because windows won’t do with old laptops and 3 years is apparently enough to consider a laptop old nowadays.
shalafi@lemmy.world 8 months ago
This is not happening in the wider world, not on any appreciable scale. Here comes lemmy:
“NOAW! People ARE switching in DROVES!”
LOL, the vast majority of people can’t spell Linux.
rfr_Foglia@feddit.it 8 months ago
Some people are switching and the Linux user base is growing at a reasonable pace though
Supervisor194@lemmy.world 8 months ago
For me it’s because it seems evident that Microsoft wants Windows to be saas and here’s the thing: I don’t like Windows that much. For over 20 years now, I’ve preferred Linux for server stuff and Mac for daily driver stuff, I’ve only tolerated Windows, mainly for gaming.
Since Windows 7 died (I skipped 8 altogether and reluctantly have been dealing with 10 with lots of hacks to keep it locked down), I have only been barely tolerating it - and games were the sole reason.
Well, Proton has now obliterated that, conveniently right as Microsoft has decided that what people REALLY need is for them to be 100% shit. I refuse to install 11. So I’m out.
Feyd@programming.dev 8 months ago
The fact they keep trying harder and harder to make me switch off a local account is reason enough.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 8 months ago
Because Windows 11 sucks the biggest one ever.
spittingimage@lemmy.world 8 months ago
The user experience. The Windows user experience just gets worse and worse while Linux gets better and better.
Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 8 months ago
The amount of work I was spending to fight the recurring bloat of shit in Windows 10 was eating away at me for years… I had the OS drive in my computer die a little over 2 years ago, so I was having to re-install windows from scratch on a new drive, and going through the install process, see skype and one-drive horse-shit popping up - disabling both, running updates, and they pop back up again… It just killed my spirit. I went distro searching that same day. My laptop followed suit about 6 months later. MS will be very hard pressed to win me back.
deadcatbounce@reddthat.com 8 months ago
Quite a few people have come to their senses. It’s taken thirty years but … hey … Rome not built in a day.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Because these people don’t have to run Quickbooks
Brkdncr@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Source?
ItsComplicated@sh.itjust.works 8 months ago
I can only answer why I dropped Windows. I wasn’t going to pay a company to force AI spyware onto my system, ignore my commands with every update that negated them, or hold my data hostage if I didn’t jump through their endless hoops; all to claim my data as theirs with their end goal being to charge me more money for accessing what is supposed to be mine in the first place!
phoenixz@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
Pretty much this for me too, only I already switched in 2002. It really wasn’t that hard leaving windows behind, even back then
MushuChupacabra@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Because Microsoft insists on treating its users with contempt.
With Linux, you don’t need to replace your computer if it is capable of running Windows 10. For many, hardware upgrades are a requirement if they wish to stick with Microsoft. Installing a Linux distro will extend the life cycle of an older machine, at no cost.
That’s too much value at zero personal cost to ignore.
lennee@lemmy.world 8 months ago
recently switched from macos to arch linuxans ive never been so happy with an OS
radix@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Win10 EOL is surely driving some people away, but it’s difficult to put a number on that. Measuring by market share is tricky and can be misleading. Steam Deck popularity may be driving increased usage, but those users aren’t necessarily migrating their main OS, just adding a new machine to the mix. But maybe “migrating” their time spent in a given OS counts? It’s messy.
trinsec@piefed.social 8 months ago
Windows 10 is about to be end-of-life this October. You probably think 'just update your OS to Windows 11', but many computers are deemed unfit for Windows 11 by Microsoft.
In order to move on to Windows 11, many people, and I do really mean a ridiculously large amount of people would need to buy a new computer or laptop. In the meantime their old systems are still fit for everyday use, so there is quite a lot of e-waste coming up.
Instead of just dumping the old computers you can just put Linux on them and continue using them. Linux costs nothing, just time. So if you don't have specialized software which absolutely must have Windows, you might as well just switch to Linux and keep using your old systems which are still perfectly fine for your everyday needs.
My old gaming laptop that I still use right now is from 2018. It does have the TPM 2.0 chip that Windows 11 requires, but its CPU is like just one generation too old for it. So, what do I do? When Windows 10 stops getting its updates, throw it away? Naw man, Linux will work. You can even game on Linux just fine as the Steam Deck has proven already, so I'll just switch my sweet laptop over to Linux and continue using it as usual.
whats_all_this_then@programming.dev 8 months ago
It’s still kinda crazy to me that a seventh gen i5 (still very capable for general use) and i7 (still a very good processor for pretty much everything) are considered “incompatible” with Windows 11.
Good thing the OS is trash though. My laptop supports it but I’ll be damned if I upgrade. Just switched to Linux as my main OS with Windows running on a separate drive for shit anticheat games I can’t quit.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
So, what do I do? When Windows 10 stops getting its updates, throw it away?
Windows 10 won’t just stop working in October. As long as you’re not an idiot you can safely use Windows 10 PCs connected to the internet for the next decade.
Microsoft have also announced ways to get extended updates to it til Oct 2026 too btw.
BombOmOm@lemmy.world 8 months ago
you can safely use Windows 10 PCs connected to the internet for the next decade.
Do not, absolutely do not, hook an OS that is no longer receiving security updates to the internet. Out-of-date machines can get pwned simply by being on a network or loading a website’s ad, no user interaction required. Vulnerabilities are discovered, never patched, and thereafter every script kiddy can get in with little effort.
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
To add to what others have said, I think Steam OS is making huge waves and that’s a really strong force.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
On the flip side, SteamOS and the “success” of the steam deck is giving people here a false sense of “OMG THE YEAR OF LINUX IS FINALLY HERE!!!” because most people that buy a steam deck aren’t really “using linux” in the way that OP is talking about. They just bought a game console, and that game consoles OS is based on linux. There isn’t any significant increase in people running Linux on their laptops or desktop computers.
rfr_Foglia@feddit.it 8 months ago
Isn’t it the same if people use a steam deck or a computer? More people => more support for Linux software, regardless if they use the steam deck or not
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
That’s true for a lot of people, but I truly believe a very significant number of people are being exposed to Linux this way and will stick with it long-term. It will be a while until we see that reflected in the desktop and laptop statistics.
I haven’t used SteamOS (or even seen many videos of it), but from what I’ve heard it’s not shy about being a desktop operating system. Even the Steam Deck, which is marketed as a console like you said, lets you use it in desktop mode and run any Linux software without having to jump through any hoops. This isn’t like Android which is technically Linux deep under the hood but effectively completely detached from the Linux ecosystem. SteamOS is part of the Linux desktop ecosystem, and it’s proud of it.
nemo@piefed.social 8 months ago
Windows 10 is no longer receiving security updates
Not all machines that ran W10 are capable of running W11
W11 is full of AI integration, always-on data collection, and other no-sell bloatware
Linux is easier to use than ever and free
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
Windows 10 is no longer receiving security updates
hddsx@lemmy.ca 8 months ago
Linux is free? I think you need to have a talk with the folks over at IBM about RHEL or the folks over at EQT about SLES
TheRedSpade@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Even the companies behind paid distros tend to release free versions. What they’re really charging for is support.
anothermember@feddit.uk 8 months ago
Free as in freedom. But also free as in cost for most PC use cases. Red Hat and SUSE are mostly selling enterprise services.
Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Windows 10 is no longer receiving security updates
I thought it was until October?
lolrightythen@lemmy.world 8 months ago
If folk wait until October, they will be more likely to go with windows 11 out of necessity. Better to learn while 10 is still an option.
fuckwit_mcbumcrumble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 months ago
W11 is full of AI integration, always-on data collection, and other no-sell bloatware
Windows 10 is the exact same BS, but 10% less in your face AI. Have people really been frog boiled this badly?
aGlassDarkly@piefed.social 8 months ago
I certainly was pre-Steam Deck, religiously looking after every Windows update for how I’d have to debloat the thing. After seeing firsthand how easy the SD was, I figured even my dumb ass can manage to search for instructions. Laptop is on Nobara now. Sometimes I have problems, but they’re rarer than they were in Windows and an easy search has solved them all so far.
psmgx@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Much of that dubious functionality can be turned off in Win10. Not so in AI heavy Win11
SolidShake@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Well this ain’t true lmao. Win 11 is almost the same as 10. I have 0 “ai integration” on my PC. I don’t even have cloud files on one drive. And the most “bloatware” are just windows apps like calendar or contacts etc which can just be uninstalled.
Linux is also not easier to use than ever, you still need to Google every day basic functions like installing programs etc and you still have to learn terminal commands. Like cool you feel that way about windows I guess but you’re spreading misinformation
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
Linux is also not easier to use than ever,
Not to mention doesn’t play nicely with GPUs made by the overwhelming market leader, nvidia.
BassTurd@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You may have disabled copilot, but it installed and integrated into the Win 11 operating system. It takes 1 update to re-enable it without your consent. If there weren’t precedent, that wouldn’t really be a valid argument, but it wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened.
Linux Mint is easier to use out of the box than any version of Windows. It is 100% usable without typing a single terminal command. If you learn apt-get, it extends functionality and is basically 1 command, which again, is optional.
To install applications it’s as simple as opening Software Manager, selecting the app, and installing. The app store is better than whatever windows has installed by a country mile.
On a fresh install it has a full libre office suite, all of the basic apps like calculator, and many others. If you don’t want that, it can be prevented at installation.
It is inherently more secure, and updates won’t revert settings or install malware like Windows updates.
Major version updates will always support old hardware. There will never be a situation like Windows 11 not supporting older hardware.
The only thing the Windows has over Linux is proprietary apps for a lot of products. For the average and most above average users, that’s irrelevant. There are options for most fields but not all. For most people, life exists in a web browser, and that works better on Linux.
trinsec@piefed.social 8 months ago
Linux and Windows are probably just equally as difficult to use to the average user. Might as well go Linux with less obnoxious features like copilot and recall. My dad was a Windows user for many many years, but he still knew zilch about how to solve problems in Windows. The average user would need to google anyway, no matter which OS.
And with the right distro (Linux Mint for example) you would have zero interactions with the terminal. Everything's done via the GUI, just like Windows.
I've had to interact with weird things in Windows lately which I had to google up like 'open the run programs and type in srvcmngmt.msc' or whatever that was again. Something that apparently couldn't have been done via the GUI. Great job!
For the record I am still mainly a Windows user.
SatyrSack@lemmy.sdf.org 8 months ago
you still need to Google every day basic functions like installing programs etc
To be fair, I had to do that when I tried macOS for a while years back. That is just part of learning to use any new operating system. But after a while, once you understand the basics, you will no longer need to use a reference for the basics. Linux is no different in that regard.
you still have to learn terminal commands
The only time I use the terminal is for things that are just simpler to automate via a command line. Things that I would be using a command line to achieve if I were using Windows/macOS. The kinds of things that I do in Termux on Android.
Reference4054@lemmy.zip 8 months ago
Uh, he right though. If you think you have to use terminal and google for everything in Linux… that’s just nonsense. Lol
I made the change a couple years ago and Linux runs circles around Windows now and is pretty easy to use.
If you’re happy with windows, use it. I’m not going to waste any brain cycles arguing against someone else’s computer preference. But quit with the terminal and hard to use shit with Linux. That shit is about a decade outdated. I can’t even think of the last time I have needed to use terminal.
NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
Linux Mint is exactly as easy to use as Windows, if not easier. In Windows you also needed to google every day basic functions, but I guess for you personally that was so long ago that you don’t remember. On Windows you also need to use the terminal for some things, like removing some of their bloatware (xbox bullshit, for example).
There are some specific points I kind of agree with you about, but I don’t agree with your general sentiment. Linux is easier to use than ever.
BombOmOm@lemmy.world 8 months ago
And the most “bloatware” are just windows apps
The Windows 11 Pro edition at my work had an entry for Whatsapp in the start menu after a fresh install…
This “Pro” edition had a popup ad for one of Microsoft’s games pushed as a notification. Literally a popup ad for a game in a Professional edition of the software. Something my company paid extra for.
I have 0 “ai integration” on my PC.
I’m constantly playing wack-a-mole with Copilot. It’s in Notepad by default…
Yeah, there is a reason my home PCs are all Linux Mint.
HuntressHimbo@lemmy.zip 8 months ago
There are a few different factors. I think the most is that the lifecycle for windows 10 is ending. Microsoft is pushing the upgrade, but 11 has Recall which is essentially AI spyware. Many folks are trying to push Linux instead of upgrading when support is fully cut off
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
but 11 has Recall which is essentially AI spyware.
How do so many of you believe this? How did so many of you upvote this?
Windows 11 doesn’t have Recall. If you have a Copilot+ PC you can opt-in to a preview of Recall currently. Those without a Copilot+ PC, ie. everyone in this thread who actually has a windows pc with Windows 11, do not have Recall and will not be getting Recall.
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 8 months ago
This is the top answer, but it’s missing one key fact: Windows 11 mandates a TPM chip, a secure cryptographic processor that (amongst other things, both good and bad) allows an OS to verify that its boot files haven’t been tampered with.
A lot of old computers don’t have this chip, making this the first Windows edition in a long while where the upgrade process isn’t smooth and painless. Rather than throw away their still perfectly fine computers to buy a new machine they don’t need, a lot of users are choosing to switch to Linux so they can keep their current PC while still enjoying software and security updates.
It also helps that the Steam Deck has introduced a bunch of people to Linux, plus Valve’s extensive investments into WINE/Proton (software that allows you to run Windows programs and games on Linux) means that for the first time, running Linux doesn’t mean limiting your library of usable apps. At this point Linux even runs many games better than Windows due to lower overhead, and most things will run without issue so long as they don’t rely on kernel-level rootkits for anti-cheat or DRM (and kernel access is being restricted in future Windows updates after that whole CloudStrike thing, so that will likely stop being an issue either way).
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 8 months ago
It also helps that the Steam Deck has introduced a bunch of people to Linux, plus Valve’s extensive investments into WINE/Proton (software that allows you to run Windows programs and games on Linux) means that for the first time, running Linux doesn’t mean limiting your library of usable apps.
At this point Linux even runs many games better than Windows due to lower overhead, and most things will run without issue so long as they don’t rely on kernel-level rootkits for anti-cheat or DRM (and kernel access is being restricted in future Windows updates after that whole CloudStrike fiasco, so that will likely stop being an issue either way).
jaggedrobotpubes@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Microsoft Recall.
Worse than all but the worst viruses, for real. Takes screenshots of everything (everything), and stores the contents where hackers can steal them easily.
It’ll probably get quietly reactivated every few updates, so you can never really afford not to be checking.
FreedomAdvocate@lemmy.net.au 8 months ago
Recall was never actually released, you do realize? It was also only on Copilot+ devices.
It has been reworked to be completely encrypted and secure, and still isn’t out.
frenchfryenjoyer@lemmings.world 8 months ago
was gonna say this but you beat me to it. i absolutely hate it when corporations add things to products that nobody asked for. I’m dreading getting a new computer (windows 10 user here who is already fed up with bs windows updates that screw things up everytime)