this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2025
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Linux

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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Why did you switch to Linux? I'd like to hear your story.

Btw I switched (from win11 to arch) because I got bored and wanted a challenge. Thx :3

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[–] JBrickelt963@jlai.lu 1 points 1 week ago

Because open source, like the right to privacy and the diversity it can offer, always has something for everyone.

In the end, W*'s recent choices, such as ReCall, and the intrusions into our privacy, finally convinced me to begin my transition.

Until now, I had been observing opinions for the past five years.

The fact is that I am not a programmer or a specialist in these subjects, just a very small amateur, and Linux has long been off-putting.

Having the time and a computer to experiment is not that easy. But with an old computer, I finally have the opportunity to test Linux Mint... Others will undoubtedly follow.

I always say that to change operating systems, you first have to figure out how to replace proprietary software or applications with open source ones, because most of them are also available on Linux.

That's what I did on my mobile, and now the next step is to choose a custom ROM such as Lineage or /e/OS, etc.

[–] richie_golds@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

I learned how far gaming on Linux had come, so during COVID I decided to try it out. I wiped my Windows 10 installation, and installed Ubuntu on it (later Pop!_OS, then Garuda, and Arch on other machines), and got to work figuring things out. I didn’t know if it’d stick, because I was still unsure of it as I wasn’t sure I’d get all of my games working. But, I got settled within a week, and over time things just got better. At that time I was so used to Windows’ bloat and other… “features” that I became blind to them. After more than five years using Linux, using Windows even for a few minutes is quite the shock!

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

I'd just built my first PC and had no love for Win 3.1 which was rapidly becoming the default. I wanted to keep codíng having come from from Atari STs and had no desire to learn the windows APIs. An OS that came with C compilers by default was higher level than I was used to as I'd been doing 68000 assembler on the ST, but it was still low level enough.

IIt was also similar enough to the Sun IPCs and IPXs that I was using at university.

[–] linuxuser9000@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 1 week ago

Switched from Mac (still on mac hardware via asahi alarm) for more feeedom and not having to deal with gatekeeper

[–] Cyber@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Purely to record / watch TV, films, etc.

I tried Windows Media Center (XP with some tweaks) and it was dire...

Found MythTV and decided I needed to "learn Linux" to get it done.

Now everything (except my work's laptop) is Linux (Arch btw)

Lack of support for Win10. Also, I'm a contrarian who doesn't want to be beholden to the whims of a multinational corporation.

[–] metacolon@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago

I didn't manage to disable accessibility features in Windows anymore, due to a bug I assume

[–] bushvin@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

Why would you assume I switched?

-edit- It appears my comment wasn’t clear… I never used anything else than Linux on my working systems…

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[–] PragmaticOne@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] phpinjected@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 week ago

i switched from ms dos to parabola because im afraid of the nsa getting their hands on my cp files.

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