Occasionally, I meet regular readers of this column. Some express that they often find it difficult to grasp the concepts discussed. This puts me in a tricky situation—if I simplify too much, the column loses its utility. Meanwhile, some readers, particularly scientists and engineers, become frustrated when I attempt to clarify a difficult concept and fail to maintain technical accuracy. Comparisons and analogies only carry us so far.
With this challenge in mind, I dive into the icy waters of Lake of the Woods, just before it is restocked with game fish. Many of you are understandably upset with Microsoft for compelling you to migrate to Windows 11, which may necessitate buying a new PC.
You have several alternatives:
Thanks to a reader’s suggestion, I will share my experience with Linux. I am using a 13-year-old Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1, which was the top laptop of its generation. It originally came with Windows 7, and after some time, I upgraded it to Windows 10. However, it lacks the necessary hardware to easily run Windows 11, although I could have forced it to do so.
Instead, I opted for the Mint distribution (distro) of Linux, specifically selecting the "cinnamon" installation. Mint and Ubuntu are designed for users who are new to Linux, with Mint being based on Ubuntu. The installation instructions for Mint are clear but might be intimidating for beginners.
Once I followed the straightforward steps, Mint installed without a hitch. It initially resembles an unfinished version of Windows, leaving it up to you to customize the desktop to your liking. This requires a bit more effort than organizing a Windows desktop. Windows typically provides everything necessary out of the box, while with Linux, you have to download software from a vast free Linux catalog. Most programs created for Windows don’t have Linux versions.
For instance, instead of Microsoft Office, you can download LibreOffice or OnlyOffice. Having extensive experience with LibreOffice, I can say it’s as user-friendly and powerful as Microsoft Office, and it can save and read files in Microsoft formats.
Most web browsers, including Chrome and Firefox, offer Linux versions. If you select Chrome, there’s an extension available for reading Kindle books, as there is no dedicated Kindle app for Linux. Nevertheless, a solid general eBook reader called Calibre is available. Thunderbird and Evolution are two popular email clients for Linux, with many others available as well.
For image editing, GIMP and Pinta serve as alternatives to Photoshop, unless you are heavily into photography, in which case Photoshop might be necessary. Additionally, the open-source audio editing program Audacity runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. For videos, VLC media player supports virtually every format across all three operating systems.
At this point, Linux confidently declares its strengths, echoing Irving Berlin’s sentiment, “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.” However, it may require a bit more effort to set up than its Windows counterpart.
Most Linux distros promise a five-year lifespan, which is both updatable and renewable at no cost or need for a new PC. Moreover, Linux does not spy on you and report information back to any central authority. For those who prioritize privacy, choosing Linux makes sense. That said, if you use Chrome, it will report back to Google—there’s always a catch.
By switching to Linux, you can enjoy a more private and resource-efficient experience.
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