As requested, – here is an update on my Linux adventure - the first week has gone by without incident and I’m not turning back!
The tl:dr summary: OMFG. This is probably the EASIEST OS install I’ve ever had – and that’s saying something - since most modern Linux distros are easy!
Reminder of who you’re reading right now – I’m a Windows veteran for the past 25 years and between work and home, I’ve used and supported every flavour from Win95 to Win11 and Server 03 to Server 22. I have installed well-north of 1000 instances in my time, deployed from Floppy, CD, USB, Ghost, WDS and more.
I have dabbled in Linux on-and-off over the years but always on secondary PCs so this is my first time rocking Linux on my primary. I’ve spent the last 12 months experimenting with Linux in preparation for the End-of-10 and this very moment. Testing different distros, Desktop Environments and philosophies while digging into proper Linux learning (not just ‘best Distro’ lists or reviews on YouTube). I’ve had several ‘lightbulb’ moments as I’ve come to learn more about Linux that make me feel like a n00b all over again and I’m loving it. You can read my other lightbulb moment in here.
The remainder of my home gear is already Window-free. Home server: (Unraid), laptop and TV box (Fedora Gnome & KDE respectively). These have all been cut over and running well for the past 6-months as I’ve really sunk my teeth into this new learning. Now that my last hurdle - Windows-only software requirement - is no holding me to Windows, I’m free at last!
Current state: Brand-new parts purchased - and since I couldn’t wait, it’s all hosted in a temporary case while I wait for stock of the exact case I want. Core7 Ultra, B860 and 5060ti for those that care.
Summary: This must be the easiest Linux distro I’ve ever used. Here is a breakdown of what happened:
- Installed Bazzite
- Log into the desktop
- Sign into Steam
- Download Doom 2016
- Play Doom 2016 in glorious ultra widescreen.
It really was that easy. No Drivers to install, no endless Windows updates, no mountains of software to install and configuration to remove all the garbage and regain privacy. Once I got eaten by a Pinky then I quit the game to continue my setup, just a handful of flat pack software installs required to fill the gaps but all that was done in about 20mins. In fact, downloading Doom took longer than the rest of it combined!
And fast! The new hardware helps obviously but I’ve forgotten how bloated office has become. Libre Office by comparison opens in half a second and everything feels so snappy. Nothing is snappy on Win11, not even notepad anymore.
I watched a very timely video on the weekend featuring a guy with fancy chest-hair and this really hit me where I lived (and worked). So many of Window’s ‘quirks’ are normalised while the same (or less) on Linux is seen as a problem. To paraphrase: we think nothing of editing registry, running PowerShell scripts or sacrificing small woodland creatures to remove built-in functions and apps, and endless other utilities to give us control over our system and yet, if we do anything like this in Linux, it’s “too hardcore, not ready for mainstream”.
I haven’t touched the terminal at all, yet I have to the software I need and my entire PC is ready to use.
If you’re someone who’s been on the fence about Linux, please don’t be. If you last tried it 5+ years ago, I encourage you to revisit. I honestly think Linux is about ready for the mainstream and I genuinely didn’t think Bazzite would be this easy getting games going. A huge thank you to the Bazzite team and everyone who contribute to making Linux better and easier!!
I was a huge Windows-fanboy for +20 years. Then I slowly started getting familiar with Linux Mint. Since a couple of years we have no more Windows in our house.
I used to fix computer problems for people a lot, for fun. Last week, I booted a Windows 11 laptop to help a friend and I was put off by EVERYTHING. The nagging popups, ads, the dubious ad-riddled webpages I have to visit to download apps. It’s all crazy evil. And still people bullshit-bingo me that “Linux is so complicated, you need to learn so much” while constantly fighting off predatory shit from soulless corporations. They don’t even know what using a computer that works for you means anymore.The nagging popups, ads, the dubious ad-riddled webpages I have to visit to download apps.
I still have to use Windows at work, and it advertising apps in the start menu and specific games to me with a notification popup in pro versions of the OS just blows my mind. This is a piece of software my company paid extra for, and it has ads all throughout…in a completely ‘clean’ install.
It’s even worse since I end up using VMs at work, so I get to experience this over and over on each machine.
As long as you are domain joined, group policy will get rid of all that BS (I think that’s the requirement, I’ve been out of ops for a couple of years now and the memories are fading fast!). These days, that’s the only way to make Win11 somewhat decent.
Glad to see it’s going well :3
I’ve been on linux for years at this point, and it’s such an astronomical upgrade over windows, that sometimes when I don’t think while talking about PC stuff with people I forget that most people aren’t using it, and it throws me off to hear them to refer to windows things lol
hell yeah living windows free is great
games or specialized software seem to be the thing that gates most people from using linux and it’s nice to see such progress on the gaming side.
i myself gave it a shot with fedora on a new laptop and it was as smooth as you described it; the last time i tried it, it required several google searches and knowledge of how to convert from debian to fedora.
Agree - software is the greatest blocker these days. My recent software restriction was simply a tool I was only using for study.
I was still skeptical that it would be so easy as I’ve been burnt before by Linux on YouTube or articles that exclaim just how easy it is but I usually run into at least a couple of major issues that become a pain to overcome. Not so this time! Every PC I’ve cut over during this process has been painless.
Literally the only issue I’ve had to date was my monitor not waking from sleep - a minor fault that was fixed by selecting any colour profile that wasn’t the default.
it clear that linux is improving and i wish it was still as open as it used to be given the american’s gov’t’s mandate to kick out foreign developers and google closing their source on android.
it’s still more open than the alternatives; but it’s future trajectory is clear.
This is really good to hear. As someone who hasn’t used Windows since 2004, it’s easy to lose perspective of how daunting a self-switch can feel.
I’m glad to hear your experience is going well. I know you’re experiencing many little annoyances and things which seem harder than they should be, but are not focusing on those. It’s always good to hear the perspective from a new user!
“Ghost”… That brought back memories, thank you.
Good story. And boy, I’m jealous of your first time, I wish I could go back, in a way. Keep going, it gets better.
Thanks! I’m genuinely encouraged by learning Linux. That’s why I’ve been documenting things here, to share with those like me who have tried before or hesitant to make the jump.
