this post was submitted on 27 Oct 2023
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Okay, so say I did switch to Linux. I would have to transfer all of my files that I have saved from Windows and try to make them compatible with being on Linux. It's also very excruciating and mentally painful that I would just have to start from scratch. I like all the various things I have saved on my PC i would not want to lose them
I mean transferring files isn't so difficult. Linux supports NTFS so it's as easy as opening the files in the file browser and moving them to your linux partition.
But yes in my experience it does take a few months to transition and in that time I did move back to Windows a few times, but eventually I stuck with Linux since it had a lot more features and benefits over Windows
Can you be more specific?
I may be reading this wrong, but it sounds like you think Linux requires all your files to be converted to some other format before you can use them. There is no such thing as a Windows-JPEG and a Linux-JPEG, it's just a JPEG. All your files will still work. It's the software that opens the files that might need to change (e.g. MS Word or Photoshop).
Unless you're talking about filesystems like NTFS and ext4, in which case there is no argument to be made as Linux supports NTFS already. In my experience, it "just works".
What kind of files are you talking about? The vast majority of files will just work once you install an application to handle them. Images, video, audio, etc should all work out of the box on most distro.
"Try to make them compatible" isn't something you should ever have to worry about for files. Files are files, and you don't have to convert them to some other format in order to use them. Rather, you'll just need to install the relevant apps from your distribution's package manager. GIMP handles Photoshop files no problem for instance. No conversion or such, just... Open them like you would on Windows by double clicking.
I can understand. Don't need to switch. It's normal to enjoy what you're used to.
As long as you have your files backed up properly it shouldn't be too difficult. If you don't, I'd be more worried about what happens if one of your drives failed and how you'd retrieve that data.
Then make sure you’re taking backups and follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy at minimum. Backblaze is a great option for Windows users to help with that, since it can back up your whole PC for a fixed cost each month.
There’s no reason to rush to start using Linux. If you’re interested, you can always dip your toes in with something like the Steam Deck or booting from a USB drive