It’s good to have a rational for your choices. And we know it can’t be because you think Microsoft makes good software that you enjoy using.

Linux is easier to install than Windows. With the new Win11 requirements, Linux is the only choice for PC hardware more than 5yo. And like you say, hardware drivers just work. This used to be Windows major advantage, but now the chance you run into a compatibility issue is about the same for either OS.

OK, but the logical comparison here is not the OS on Switch, Xbox, PlayStation or any generic handheld, it’s to SteamOS, where Windows struggles to compete.

Like everyone else who “chooses” Windows, ROG has surrendered to what’s the default. Never mind that Windows has spent decades to position themselves that way through incentive, obstacle, and plain old coercion.

I don’t expect you to care about Microsoft’s business practices, but you ought to care that they didn’t achieve or maintain their market position by creating good software or giving a tiny shit about user freedom.

I installed Ubuntu back when that was popular, and insisted on having all the graphical bling, like 3d cube that would spin to change desktops. And windows that shook like jello when you moved them.

Of course all this messing around by an amateur did nothing for stability and after 3 or 4 frustrating issues I went back to Windows.

It’s weird that Linux certification requires rote-memorization of commands. The only people who make any effort to memorize commands are newbies and people studding for exams. You will always have access to bash history, man, and --help, even from an offline machine.

Every command I’ve memorized is simply the natural process of repetition. Is that your experience?

There are workarounds to almost every issue you may have. You can run Windows in a VM for software that requires it, or dual boot. M$ Office can be ran in a browser now. There is no reason to buy a license, just DL windows10 direct from M$ and never register, all they do is lock you out of some display options and add a watermark to your desktop.

A paid version of Linux (almost) isn’t a thing. You can buy the install media, you can donate to a foundation, or you can subscribe for support.

If you’re paying for the software, it’s not Linux or your being cheated. That’s weird and I didn’t know that.

There is an unintended benefit to putting an obstacle between people who don’t know how to use the terminal and pasting code into it.

I am a Linux noob as far as the desktop goes. But I’m quite comfortable in the terminal because for years I’ve maintained a home server running Debian. After I install the OS, I unplug the keyboard and monitor and the only way to talk to that box is through SSH.

I went back to Windows10 so I could dual-boot with Secure Boot turned off. My system will dual boot popOS or Debian without issue. Just make sure to install windows first.

The joke is that at Microsoft, this kind of fix is the upstream.

Why would you not want to encrypt your files?

Bitlocker is only as secure as Microsoft is. If someone hacks your account, they’ve got your keys. And Micosoft stores that key in plain text.

Does this affect Windows 10 as well

IDK. 10 has bitlocker, so I’d check.

The control panel dialogue allows you to do this as well. Control Panel > system security > Bitlocker encryption. But it also has the superior option which is to turn it off.

I didn’t loose any data BTW. I had my M$ account info, and a backup besides.

The Windows terminal has some very good commands. ‘ssh username@server’ can log you right into a Linux machine!

The people who call it that just appreciate how easy it is to find.

This argument is 30years out of date. I haven’t installed antivirus software since WindowsXP. And I don’t think it was necessary for an experienced user then.

There was a time when a Linux live CD could dominate a windows install like a porno. But then they started turning on full drive encryption and none of my tricks works anymore :(

There was a long time when a casual user would have been better off on Windows, but I don’t think that’s true anymore, at least not on every distro.

Just as you can use Windows for years and never need Group Policy or Regedit, you can do Linux just the same without terminal.

This is the area where I feel Linux has come the farthest since I became interested in it.