Part of Listed's 100 Day Writing Challenge.

Wanted to write a generic guide for anyone who is getting into Linux. But honestly? Given the 101 guides are out there, I decided to just go straight to sharing why I use Linux instead. Hopefully it can convince another person to look up and try Linux.

What is Linux

For the technical person, just search up 'Linux'. Pretty sure there is a high chance you have worked with it before.

For the non-technical, its basically an alternative to Windows. You know, when you start your computer and see four blue squares with a loading icon below. That icon is the Windows icon, and it is the stuff that is allowing you to use your computer, open Email, play games and see this blog post.

If you use a MacBook, you’ll see a logo of an apple with a bite taken out.

What we call 'Windows' is an operating system. An Operating System is needed for any PC for it to open applications like Emails or Games. Linux is also an Operating System.

Why I use Linux

Less Fan Noise

Or simply put, more resource efficient. Anyone who used windows experienced this: You boot up the PC, the fan is already making a lot of noise. If you let the PC sit idle without any applications open, the fan might still make a lot of noise. You open the task manager, a portion of your RAM/CPU usage is already gone even when you haven't open a single application yet.

Pretty annoying.

Free

Also, linux is free. Usually you have to pay for a license to use Windows, otherwise you are locked out of certain features. Even if you don't use those features, you get an annoying 'Activate Windows' watermark at the bottom right.

Also, this is a reason why I don't use Mac, Mac-books are expensive and not that physically durable for those clumsy moments.

Fun fact: If you use GNOME and miss the 'Activate Windows' watermark, there is an 'Activate GNOME' watermark.

No Bloat

It just comes with minimal tools. Install the rest yourself. No unwanted OneDrive service, Copilot on your desktop or that infamous Window's Recall.

The software, services, or tools included with your Linux system depend on the distribution you choose.

What Distribution I use

Ubuntu with XFCE Desktop (Basically, Xubuntu).

Tried multiple distributions, still like Ubuntu and Debian the most. But I occasionally do play games which requires latest packages, and changing to Debian Sid felt counter-intuitive to Debian's philosophy and all.

If you are new or looking to get into Linux, I did hear a lot of good stuff about Linux Mint being friendly to newbies. To be honest, it probably takes a little bit of Distro hopping to find a distro that fits your 'feel' and mindset.