3 Years using Linux as My Desktop

If I had a time machine I'd go back and tell myself these things when I started. It would have saved me so much time and heartache.

Timestamps:
00:00 Can you use Linux Desktop?
01:12 Hardware
02:23 It is NOT Windows
03:30 Is Linux stable?
05:44 Distributions and Desktop Environments
08:24 Not everything works .

[d.d.]

I think that is a very reasonable take on that topic. I like my Linux desktop because it doesn't try to sell my data all the time and doesn't force stuff on me. I feel that I'm in control of my desktop not the other way around. I also really love the package system which makes it really easy to keep the OS and all programs up to date. And then there are all those great and free programs. Some are very well integrated into the KDE desktop too, which I really enjoy. But as you said, not everything is perfect with Linux. In my experience Linux desktops are just buggy. I have never installed a Linux desktop without having to fix some bugs within the first 24 hours. Sometimes even the installer crashed, which is just pathetic. If you want to use Linux distros as a desktop, you need to learn how to fix stuff, because you will eventually run into problems. Besides the huge variety of distributions the bugs are the main reason why I wouldn't recommend Linux distros to users who don't have time to learn Linux.

[JustinTunley]

Although I'd never have called myself a Windows power user, I did switch to linux a few years ago & I think it'd be fair to say that there was an initial dip in productivity. It's a matter of taking one step back to take two steps forward.

[EarlOfBurl]

"It reignited my love for technology". Couldn't agree more! I switched to Linux two and a half years ago and your videos helped me to understand the basis of using Linux. I was a windows power user, tweaked this, modded that but in the mid -10s I was technology tired. I just needed my browser and I thought that we were living through the smartphone age. The desktop is dead. But then came Linux and I dual booted Ubuntu. And from that time on (and discovering problems with secure boot on my first try) it was quite the ride. Linux keeps on giving and I keep on learning. Now I'm home lab-ing setting up my own proxmox servers, switched to VIM three weeks ago and configured my first WM (qtile) one week ago. The rabbit hole is deep and that's great.

[nmlynch]

I’ve been trying Linux on and off for years. What held me back was the gaming aspect. I spent way more time installing and tweaking things than actually using them. It became frustrating when I tried to play a game with friends and I found a bug instead of the game starting.

Started again 3 months ago and the advances in Proton + steam deck release have been a huge game changer. I haven’t come across a game I needed to boot into windows for yet and they aren’t breaking every single update since proton is getting first-class support now. Popular games are even starting to implement proton support for Anti-Cheat software. It’s an exciting time. I’m actually using the machine more than I am tweaking it now and I’m loving it.

[mritsreal]

Yes!!!!
Love your explanation and can relate 100%!

It's so sad for me when you meet a Win, Mac, Linux fanboy that can not relate for the pros n cons.

So thank you for putting My feelings into Words like this. Cheers //Crazy

[annalinneajohansson]

Keeping things in the home folder is an advice I will take to heart. I've been daily driving Linux for a good couple of years now and I've broken more installations than I care to count (it's how I learn, don't judge!)... 😂

[issadogboss]

Chris I have been using Linux as my primary operating system now for about 8 months. Your YouTube videos have helped me immensely, once I came to point where I quit comparing it to Windows and started to educate myself on Linux and all it had offer I was sold I don't see me chasing Windows anymore. However, like you I had a lot invested in Windows software some that I like so over in the corner is a dedicated Windows computer that I use but lately mostly for games. I have been somewhat successful in bringing some over to Linux but I have discovered there Linux systems offer up a lot of gaming options too.

[beauson]

I switched to linux mint about 2yrs ago and I haven't looked back hey. I wasn't a "windows power user" but I was able to fix most of my own problems, and you're right that any windows experience doesn't really matter, but I've still found mint and recently Pop OS easier to learn than windows or IOS.

To me, as someone who is definitely no expert, it feels like linux has the ability to do exactly what I want if I put the effort in to work out how to do it, and everything is structured in a very logical way. Windows feels like they did that 30yrs ago and have been slapping bandaids and dodgy fixes on to it ever since, so when you want to do something you have to pick through such and extreme amount of rubbish it just becomes a waste of time.

And the security dramas within Windows and Android, combined with the fact that a piece of 4x2 can run Linux, it was kind've a no brainer

[IronRex]

This is what I love about this channel: it is not about being a fanboi of Linux, Windows or Mac. It is about learning all tools (including OSes) then choosing the ones that are right for you.

[craigw]

Switched to Lunix about the same time, 3-years ago. Absolute blast learning Linux, driving all three main flavors, Arch, Deb & Fedora. Still driving all three today and not looking back. Still have a Windows stream box for hardware, e.g., scanners/software that won't run without Windows. Working for a corporation, can't sever Windows completely. Good vid Chris.

[MidnightGeek]

I'm very glad for your success, well deserved. I was here 3 years ago when you started this journey, and from day 1 your videos were amazing. Keep up the good work!

[jacksonreventan]

That part of you that would use something like final cut while being a big time linux user is what really made you look apart from other linux enthusiasts and what I really admire about u. Keep going like that Chris. Good luck

[Artist]

Thanks for video! I've been going back and forth with the idea of trying Linux as a daily driver. I have a dual boot Fedora and Windows, I'm taking classes for web development. After watching some of Linus Tech Tips Linux challenge been wanting to try it myself. I enjoy using Fedora I moved over there from Manjaro after a few issues I've had with bugs.

[deusern]

Hey Chris! I agree with your points on this video, it's very similar to my experience, you put it to words very accurately. At the same time, I think you should consider making more content about optimizing and simplifying gaming on Linux, it's getting a lot of interest now due to "windows 11" combined with steam deck success, so there's definitely more people that are considering Linux over Windows, hopefully more so as things progress further. It would be a good bet to reach more people. Take care and keep it up.

[huaen]

One of the reasons why I love your channel so much is because you promote a very pragmatic, "use the right tool for the job" philosophy instead of a more ideological philosophy that tends to be relatively common with Linux youtubers. It's really fun to see you make the best use of whatever tech you have, whether it be windows, macos, linux or even chromeos!

[Hey-Yaz]

WOW! has it been 3 years already? I've been following since your Linux challenges. I enjoy your content through the years. Please keep it coming. Thanks!

[TheDohped]

extremely well put, over the years I have raved on about it so much to friends that a fair few eventually want to try it, but it rarely goes well, mainly just a torrent of questions which google would help far better with than i can, and constant attempts at trying to download and install apps using google rather than the package manager after multiple explanations of how it all works, so when the android and eventual chromebook revolution happened it has helped a lot in converting muggles, my 85 year old granddad just got the out of updates eol warning from his first cbook, it's been by his side for 8 years and he instantly stopped switching his windows desktop on after buying it.

the love of technology thing i think plays the biggest part in whether or not gnu is for you, and if you are frightened of breaking things or have any urge to give up on things then stick to windows and just triple your ram lol

[sidcooperrider]

I got my Mom (at 74 years old) to use Linux Mint on her computer three years ago. She has not a problem! She just uses Firefox, games and FreeOffice mostly. The thing she missed (the best thing Microsoft ever made) was the Bing picture of the day, which I found a Linux program to do.... That's story worthy too!

[WPGinfo]

Hi Chris, Thnx for your videos. These are very valid & valuable comments. I am a windows-user [I started with DOS3.0 actually way back when...] when it comes to the most commonly used applications. Simply because the applications work well, I know what to expect and I can get the job done quickly. Uneventful is a good thing.
Recently I started to use Linux; Not so much for day-to-day-stuff, but as a basis for services / servers that 'run in the background.
Home Automation, Printserver, Filesharing, Mediaserver, Back-up-server; Stuff like that. I am learning new things in Linux. I find it difficult, confusing and a completely different perspective on computing. 'YT is my friend' means I get most things up and running fairly quickly. I find tweaking and fine tuning difficult because my basic knowledge is insufficient to do troubleshooting all that well yet. These servers / services are as stable as a rock, once I got them going.
I still have lots and lots to learn, but as long as there are results at the end, I'm willing to put in the effort.

[busyrand]

Outstanding video. You're candor is unprecedented in this space. I'm agnostic in terms of using tools and programs. I simply want to use something that works well, and is generally intuitive for its intended purpose. Thank you for mentioning your experience with editing and use of GIMP versus Photoshop. Far too many people are fanboys about this stuff. I need a stable coding machine and ran into problems when I had to run my PHP code in a GUI server [XAMPP and MAMP] but I had all my Node JS stuff installed in my WSL2 Ubuntu setup. The two layers couldn't interact with each other. When I tried to install all the Node stuff natively in Windows, one of the installs got hung up and crashed my machine. I'm going with Linux as my programming environment because all the dependencies I need practically ship with the base install.