Back to Linux

Again, it has been too long since I posted on this blog. I am still very busy between family, work and my other blog.

I wanted to post a short update on my transition back to linux. For the last 5 or 6 years of so, I have been running Windows on my desktop computers. My servers are still all on Gentoo. But it took me too much time to handle issues on the Linux desktop and time was exactly what I did not have. So, I opted out for Windows. I was also playing multiple games and it was much easier for me to do it on Windows.

I was still doing development and this is something that I do on Linux. With Windows Subsystems for Linux (WSL), I felt I had found the best of both worlds. I did all my development on WSL.

This is not the first time I am transitioning. I used to have Linux on my computers, then Windows again for a while. In 2013, I transitioned back to Linux and then back to Windows for simplicity.

So, what changed? I got fed up with some projects and changes by Microsoft:

1. The idea of Windows Recall is so bad for me that it should never have made it to be a project. If you are not aware, Windows Recall is a feature that takes a screenshot of your desktop every few seconds. The stated goal is to help us remember what we do on our computer and help us troubleshoot. I cannot believe they would implementation such a stupid thing on a computer. This is a disaster for privacy even if implemented properly (and the first implementation was far from proper). I would never run a computer where Windows Recall is enabled. This was never enabled for me because my PC was apparently not Copilot+ rated.

2. Microsoft keeps pushing for AI features into Windows. Over the years, Windows 11 has become steadily worse in my opinion. And now Microsoft is trying to push AI into the OS directly, but nobody wants that. Microsoft should push features the user wants, not force AI on everybody just because this fuels their share price.

3. Recently, it was disclosed that Microsoft is storing Bitlocker recovery keys on their servers. Bitlocker is Microsoft solution for full-disk encryption. But if the keys are stored on their cloud, this kinds of ruins the value of full-disk encryption.

There are other small reasons, but this boils down to the fact that I lost trust in Microsoft.

SO, I moved back to Linux. I pondered going back to Gentoo again, but I simply do not have enough time to tinker with it on a desktop computer where any upgrade takes forever. So, after some research, I decided to go with CachyOS, a distribution based on Arch Linux. I already have experience with Arch Linux. The focus on performance of CachyOS is talking to me. And the reviews I have read have convinced me.

So far, I have converted my laptop and desktop to CachyOS and everything has been very smooth. I am also discovering btrfs which I had never used before, switched to a new bootloader (Limine) and a new desktop environment (KDE Plasma). So, there is a lot to be learned.

Overall, I have found alternatives to every software I was using on WIndows, but one. The only thing I could not do is replace Aida64 which was configuring the LCD display on my ASUS ROG AIO. But this is a small price to pay. Once I upgrade this computer, I will use an AIO that can be configured on Linux.

And this time, I also tried playing games. I rarely have time for gaming, but when I do, I like to have it ready. And I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the two games I am playing (Path of Exile and Satisfactory) are both working perfectly fine on Steam on Linux.

What about you? What OS do you use?

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