When I first made the leap from Windows to Linux, Geocities was just starting up, and the first social network hadn’t even been dreamed of.
In other words, I had to spend a good amount of time researching what Linux was and how to use it. Because there was such a lack of good information, I wound up installing Caldera OpenLinux over Windows (not knowing I could have dual-booted), which meant I had no choice but to learn the ropes of the open-source operating system. It was a trial by fire situation and I had to learn fast.
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Thankfully, that experiment panned out for me, and here I am.
You probably don’t want to go that route, especially in this age of widespread information. You want to know what you’re getting into.
We’re not going to get into philosophical differences (such as open vs. closed-source). The differences I list here are some of those that you actually need to know.
Let’s get on with it.
1. Price
Linux is free. Period. End of statement.
A Windows 11 Home license costs you $140/machine. You can’t reuse a license and you can’t share it. If you need to install Windows on a computer, you buy a license. Of course, most people don’t buy a license for Windows because most PCs ship with Windows pre-installed and the cost of that license is baked into the purchase price. One way or another, you’re paying for Windows.
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You can download a Linux ISO for free and install it on as many computers as you like. One, ten, a hundred, a thousand… it doesn’t matter. On top of that, most of the software you use on Linux is free as well.
2. Hardware recognition
Some might argue this but I fully believe that Linux hardware recognition is far better than Windows. Here’s why I say that.
I can install Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, or any number of Linux distributions and not have to install a driver for anything because the kernel has become so good at supporting hardware. In fact, I cannot remember the last time I had to install a driver to get a piece of hardware to work on Linux.
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My printer (a Brother laser) is automatically detected. Video, sound, and networking… all automatically detected. Video camera? Detected. Monitors, keyboards, mice? Detected. I have a Razor Kiyo streaming webcam<!–> that Linux automatically detects and configures. That webcam won’t automatically work with MacOS and Windows. I have to download a driver for it to be recognized.
3. Modularity
This is one of my favorite aspects of Linux. It’s modular, from the kernel on up. What does this mean? You can pick and choose what you want.
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If you don’t like the desktop environment, install something different. Would you prefer a low-latency kernel? There’s one you can install. Don’t want X11? Then install Wayland. What about Pulseaudio? How about Pipewire? For nearly every aspect of Linux, you’ll find several options.
With Windows and MacOS, you can’t do that. In fact, with Windows and MacOS, you’re pretty much stuck with the Microsoft and Apple approach. Linux doesn’t lock you down to one thing or another, which means it’s like the Burger King of operating systems in that you can have it your way.
4. Home directories
I can’t tell you how many times this issue has confused new Linux users I’ve spoken to. You see, your user files and folders are stored in your home directory (which is often referred to as home, ~/, or $HOME). That directory resides in /home and has the same name as your username, such as /home/olivia or /home/nathan.
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In Windows, the home directory is UsersUSERNAME and in MacOS it is /Users/USERNAME. Fortunately, most new Linux users won’t be bothering with the command line and the default file managers make it very easy to locate the home directory. For example, GNOME Files (aka Nautilus) has a Home entry in the left sidebar. Easy peasy.
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5. / vs
This might seem insignificant, but it trips up new Linux users all the time. In Windows, directories are separated by a backslash, such as Usersjack, whereas in Linux they are separated by a forward slash (so /home/jack). On rare occasions, I have to use Windows, this always gets me. I immediately default to / as the delineator between directories in a path and have to try again.
When you switch from Windows to Linux, you’ll find yourself doing the same thing (only in reverse). You’ll type homejack and be informed there’s no such directory.
6. Security
This one is pretty simple. Linux is far more secure than Windows.
With Linux, you don’t need to worry about antivirus or antimalware software because the security mechanisms in place prevent malicious software from wreaking havoc. That’s not to say Linux is immune to security issues. If a computer is plugged into a network, it’s vulnerable. Linux just isn’t nearly as vulnerable as Windows.
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In nearly 30 years of using Linux, I have only had one instance of malicious software, which came about by me inheriting a poorly configured server to maintain. That server had a rootkit which was nearly impossible to remove. That’s a fairly impressive track record and it’s made possible because of Linux.
7. Sudo vs. ‘run as admin’
When you need admin privileges on Windows, you can right-click a launcher and select “Run as admin.” In many cases, you aren’t even asked for your user password. You might want to ask yourself why Microsoft makes it possible to run a piece of software with admin privileges without asking for a password!
On Linux, any time you need to run an app or command with admin privileges, you use sudo. When you use sudo, you have to type your user password. Even better, if your user isn’t a member of the sudo (or wheel on Fedora-based distributions), you can’t run an application or command with admin privileges.
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If you can remember these differences, your journey from Windows to Linux will be a bit easier.
Open Source
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