Why I switched to Linux

• 🔊 This article contains soundboard, be mindful of your volume.

While Windows is the regular/ popular choice which works for everything and every app, what made me switch over to the penguin you might ask? Here’s my story.

Around a year ago, I started being more aware about my privacy online and searched for ways to keep myself a bit more private — using a VPN to be protected by trackers, switching from gmail over to proton, switching into the proton enviroment from the Google one, and changing my browser/ search engine.

⚙️ So, where did all go wrong?

Little by little, I would start to notice privacy hazards on the Windows operating system by some features; like for example “recall” which takes a picture of your entire screen every 5 seconds, without you even knowing. To disable recall, I had to dig a bit inside the terminal which required a tutorial, and it bothered me because I knew not many people would get in the hassle of digging enough in the terminal to close this feature. It was basically complicated on purpose.

During that time, the AI epidemic had also taken it’s toll and started crawling into every app that existed; eventually crawling into Windows 11 as well, which was the final straw for me. I already had spent time disabling Windows bloat and AI features, only to have more.

🐧 How I met Linux.

A lot of online users were already switching for the same reasons as me and recommended Linux as the alternative, since Linux had also undergone major changes into a much more visually workable operating system, rather than how it used to be (a terminal only, no user interface). I searched about switching to Mint and asked a tech-savvy friend regarding my apps and obviously games — since gaming on Linux used TO BE A JOKE!

Ladies and Gentlemen, as of 2025, Steam made the Proton compatibility layer which allows Windows games to run on Linux and let you play without problems. EVEN BETTER YET: Linux desktops looked polished and offered a similar experience comparable to Windows but without the bloat, so it just turned out your computer would also perform better!

Shoutout to that same tech-savvy friend who helped me transfer all my files and let me dual boot to Linux Mint. I decided to keep Windows just in case I need it for any apps or games that might not have a Linux version.

📁 The aftermath.

I found Linux as if I found God. It might sound a bit excessive (and you’re probably right) but I now have my mind in peace and free from all the Windows updates or thoughts about it’s privacy hazards. I’ve been using Mint constantly now on a daily basis with little to no problems at all, doing all things like work, study and games. All in all, my computer performs like a charm!

Using that dreaded terminal is not a big deal after all since you are mostly covered from the UI; but there are some benefits like quickly downloading or deleting your apps with a few commands.

Or simply using the terminal because it gives you the cool factor and makes you feel like this:

💌 End of article. Thank you for reading! 💌