AM I AN IDIOT? - Self doubts about my geek skills
BTW I USE ARCH - Some memes to troll Linux Arch geeks
WHICH LINUX DISTRO? - I really only recommend two, either Mint or Zorin
ONLINE PRIVACY - A few ways to keep hold of a bit of privacy
TESTING OUT FOSS - There is masses of Free Open Source Software (FOSS)
LINUX NEEDS MORE FILE BROWSERS - My issues with Linux file browsers
RETURNING TO LINUX - Why I quit Windows & moved to Linux
LINUX MISINFORMATION - Yes, even Linux reviews are full of lies
My Linux info is not aimed at geeks, it's for people who have
been using Windows or Apple computers, and want to move to Linux in
search of privacy and security, or for ethical reasons.
As with most subjects, with Linux
there is far too much complexity and misinformation online, and that is
often just confusing rather than helpful.
An
ever increasing number of people are now asking about Linux. In the
past this was mainly just an idle curiosity, but now they are seriously
looking for an alternative to Windows or Apple.
Linux
was originally aimed mainly at geeks and was fairly difficult for
regular computer users to come to terms with. When I first tried Linux Ubuntu
in 2010, after about a month I gave up and went back to Windows XP.
Back in 2010 I did a page about Linux "LINUX A n00b goes for a test drive" which is still online, but despite having had a quick update in 2016, it's mostly out of date now.
With
the benefit of hindsight, Windows XP was actually a pretty good
operating system, as were Windows 2000 and Windows 7. But things have
really changed since those days, and Microsoft are no longer even trying
to hide their evil intentions.
For
me Windows ended with Windows 7. Windows 11 is full on spyware and
Microsoft is clearly aiming to build an AI operating system monitoring
everything you do, meanwhile Apple is moving in the same direction, so
sooner or later I think anyone who wants any privacy on a computer will
have to move to Linux
These
days, some of the Linux Operating systems (Distros) are pretty good, as
they have been slowly progressing, while Windows has been relentlessly
going backwards since Windows 7.
Like many people I
had been complaining for years about Microsoft, but there reached a point where I had to
admit that I had no future with Microsoft, so would need to do
whatever it took to move on.
(This is a screenshot of my desktop, and it's pretty cool really - It's Linux Mint which is my favourite Linux distro) Microsoft
ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and ramped up their efforts to
push the even more appalling Windows 11, with its built in advertising,
and full blown spyware (Recall) taking constant screenshots of your
desktop and sending them back to Microsoft.
I'm
expecting that even non security minded Windows users are finally
going to start having issues with this level of spying.
SOME HANDY LINUX LINKS (sorted alphabetically)
A n00b goes for a test drive - My own original page about Linux from 2010
Distrowatch - A great introduction and overview of Linux distros
Libre Office - My pick for best replacement for Microsoft Office
Linux Mint - My own daily driver & favourite distro
Linux Zorin - A stylish & highly recommended distro
TECMINT - Information about Linux stuff