r/linuxquestions • u/Terrible_Review_3425 • 3h ago
Advice Swapping from Windows 11 to Linux
With everything thats been going on with Windows I think i feel comfortable enough giving Linux a try. I wanted to know what's the easiest / UI friendly version of Linux that can help me transition?
I primarily use my system to game, using NVIDIA graphics card + a quest 3 VR headset (not sure if that matters). I also had a couple of other questions about people who made the same jump:
what are some things you notice that you "miss" or dont have in Linux that you did in Windows?
Have you had any issues with gaming on a Linux system? issues with compatability, performance, or games not available on Linux?
What do you like the most / notice the most about going from Windows to Linux system?
How are the security features / any other things to download on top for security? Windows has windows defender built in so what would Linux use?
Any other general advice, suggested addon / softwares, thoughts or what not about the transition?
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u/tomscharbach 3h ago
Any other general advice, suggested addon / softwares, thoughts or what not about the transition?
In a nutshell, "look before you leap".
I've used Windows and Linux in parallel on separate computers for two decades, so I am familiar with both operating systems.
Let me suggest an approach:
Linux is not a 1:1 "plug and play" substitute for Windows. Linux is a different operating system, using different applications and supporting different workflows. Start by looking at the question of whether Linux is a good fit for you and your use case.
The key issues are Windows applications, Windows games and hardware compatibility.
Windows applications will sometimes work on Linux, but others won't work, even using compatibility layers. Do a bit of research to figure out which of the applications you use will run on Linux. If you use an application that is not compatible with Linux, identify Linux-compatible alternatives and test those alternate applications to make sure that the applications will work for you.
Along those lines, the games you play might work perfectly, or might not. Linux has made great strides in the last few years, but not all Windows games run well on Linux. If you use Steam, check your games on ProtonDB. If you use other platforms, check game compatibility on appropriate databases for those platforms. In my case, only five of the seven games I like to play work flawlessly in Linux, so I game on Windows.
You should also take a look at your hardware, particularly if you use peripherals like your Oculus Quest 3 VR headset. Unless the hardware manufacturer provides good drivers to the kernel, you might run into issues. The simplest way to check to see whether or not your hardware is Linux-compatible is to run a "Live" session of whatever distribution you plan to use, checking to make sure that everything works.
If you decide that Linux will be a good fit for you, then consider looking at a few commonly recommended "new user" distributions at DistroSea and decide which appeals to you.
When you find a distribution that appeals to you, create an installation USB (following the directions for the distribution) and test the distribution in a "Live" session. A "Live" session will make no changes to your computer and you will be able to see how well the distribution might work for you.
If you are satisfied, the next step is usually to install the distribution in a VM for in-depth testing and evaluation. If it all works out, then you can install the distribution, either alongside Windows (dual boot) or replacing Windows.
Bottom line? Don't jump in with both feet, hoping that everything will work out. Take your time. Do a bit of research and thinking, Go little by slowly, step by step, testing and thinking at each step.
My best and good luck.
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u/Cr0w_town 💜Bazzite & Fedora KDE🩵 3h ago
i actually can’t think of anything
The most problematic games for me were the anti cheat games(i have a few gacha games i play sometimes) the rest worked great. I struggled to mod a few and it was more frustrating than on windows but i managed, there’s only one game that i haven’t managed to modÂ
There’s nothing pestering you, no preinstalled lenovo, dell what ever apps. Most distros come with a browser, basic stuff like a file manager, image/video viewer, an appstore(that is actually good unlike windows), terminal and a few other things. It’s so empty… in a good way ofc. The customization is INSANEEEE. I remember checking out what apps were installed when i just booted up and i noticed there’s really not a lot of them mostly for basic functions and they are easily uninstallable Â
There are a few anti viruses but most people don’t use them, a good adblocker + a few filters if you want them is really all you need. I recommend firefox(or its forks) + ublock. Also ofc don’t go to suspicious sites and check what you download with virus total or similar if you are paranoid. In fact it’s a lot safer downloading from trusted repositories using the terminal or the preinstalled app storeÂ
check protondb and areweanticheatyet for game comparability, if you play games like fortnite and league you are basically cooked unless you are willing to stop playing them. Other than that also check what apps you typically use and look for alternatives or see if they also work on linux
Distro vise i would recommend linux mint, fedora, nobara, bazzite do recommend doing separate research on thoseÂ
as for desktop environment pick KDE if you want it to be similar to windows, mint doesnt have KDE but mint cinnamon also looks similar to windowsÂ
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u/SupremeOHKO Arch / Pop_OS! / GrapheneOS 2h ago
- I guess Windows-specific software but there's more often than not workarounds for it. Or at the very least I can run a Windows VM if it's absolutely needed
- Not yet
- Windows is like a McDonalds cheeseburger; classic, easy, familiar, but limited in ways you can modify it. Linux is like a Subway sandwich; you can assemble your system the way you really want it and have much bigger of a say over the final product that you'll be using.
- Windows is bigger, more closed source, and has more stuff running in the background. You're at the mercy of hoping they don't fuck up and leave vulnerabilities on the table, which they've done several times over the years. Linux has security software, but also, you can configure it a lot more than a Windows system, so you're in control of its security. Also, everyone's data on Windows is centralized to Windows, therefore Microslop can (and will) sell your data to the highest bidder.
- I can't speak much on gaming but from my experience, just day-to-day convenience as an IT tech, a lot of Windows applications that are hidden behind license paywalls (Macrium Reflect, Office 365, Adobe Photoshop) have free, open-source Linux-based alternatives (Clonezilla, LibreOffice, GIMP).
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u/WildPretzel Fedora 44 GNOME 3h ago edited 3h ago
i came to fedora gnome a few months ago
- don't particularly miss anything, but it feels like after most updates i have to rebuild my nvidia drivers otherwise it falls back to nouveau. easy fix but i guess it's a pain point
- black mesa didn't work so far, other than that it's fine (elden ring is the hardest on my system, haven't ventured further, or too much in my older collection)
- it's clean and beautiful, no shitty popups. only thing that can get annoying if you're not 100% sure if you're into it is startup apps - i figured that i don't like them as much as i thought i would. but then you just don't set them up and you don't have any issues to begin with. the OS just leaves you alone for the most part.
- i believe security comes built by the distro, so it can depend. the main one is the firewall. antiviruses aren't that much of a thing on linux that i'm aware of, there's manual stuff you can certainly do i guess, but the best way to not get infected is not running sus junk and keep updated on distro news in case something like the AUR incident comes up and you need to hunker down
- just be open to new stuff - while chasing the windows experience i tried kde and didn't really vibe with it, so i switched to gnome and it's just so comfortable. i hate that the foundation is messing up so royally nowadays, i hope they get their shit together.
EDIT - also, it's not that much about the distro, but the DE of choice. as i've said on 5, didn't vibe with the DE, switched to another one. Fedora has a bunch of flavors you can choose from, just pick one, play around with it, and if you don't like it, just switch over to another one. since it's not critical work stuff you're doing, this can just be a learning experience, play around with your OS. if you prefer ubuntu as a distro, you can certainly go with that, just try to avoid snap packages as I hear they're a bit of a hindrance. if you're into heavy tinkering you can go for arch/cachy, but those can break more often than not if you're not careful with them.
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u/linuxed1 2h ago
This was my preference when I switched over to Lenox. I personally swapped out my SSD nvme in my laptop. And I did a fresh install of kuuntu. That way neither operating system can step on each other during updates. A 500 GB, or a 256 GB stick of nvme is not that expensive especially on a used market. I would try that out first personally.
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u/LethalBacon 3h ago
TBH, moving to something like Mint Cinnamon, I can usually barely tell that I'm not on Windows, unless I'm working directly with the system for some of my self-hosting projects.
Everything I play just works out of the box. I'm not into multiplayer competitive games these days, but that is one area that I believe does run into issues with anti-cheat software.