My Experience Using Linux On My Main Laptop
I wanted to talk a little about using Linux on my main laptop for 4 months. I wasn't sure how it'd turn out , but I wanted to run a Linux Desktop on a dedicated machine and give it a fair shake.
It's been awesome. 4 months ago, I bought a Framework 13 with the sole purpose of installing and "daily driving" Linux on one of my most used machines- my Laptop! I use my Laptop as an around the house device, as well as my main work machine. So, what are my thoughts?
It's fun to use! I installed Arch Linux with the Hyprland Window Manager and I've tried to fully customize everything. It was a long setup process, as everything I ever wanted to use had to be installed myself. Everything, literally everything. I had to install my own lock screen, login screen, drivers for every single thing I wanted to have work like fingerprint reader, webcam, audio device drivers and software... Thankfully the Arch Wiki is godlike, as it gave me exact instructions on what to do for the Framework 13.
After the setup, I've been using it pretty much non-stop without major issue. Yes, games work mostly. There are a few exceptions which are annoying, but this isn't my main gaming machine anyway. It's pretty good as an auxiliary gamer if I wanted to use it for that though. It's mostly for everything else. I mostly use the web-browser, but it integrates well with my favorite things like Nextcloud, Obsidian, etc. It's also just beautiful looking, with a fully custom looking setup.
Challenges
Obviously this is a tinkerer setup, as it requires some level of tech competence to keep online. For example, I sometimes take the extremely high risk action of updating everything all at once. This updates everything on the system including the Kernel, all packages, etc. It's pretty nuts. Most of the time there's no issue, but on two different occasions I've broken Hyprland so it will not start on boot. Whoops. I have to boot into a different desktop environment like gnome in order to re-install Hyprland and fix it. Pretty funny.
But the thing is, that experience made me smarter- it has developed my Linux skills and sharpened my ability to handle these dire situations. I feel like I'm ascending to a technical level I didn't think possible, and it's because I took the hard route. The easy route would have been staying with MacOS or Windows, where for better or worse, I'm subjected to the decisions of the companies maintaining them. By forcing myself to using Linux, I've gained a level of freedom over my machine that you just don't get anywhere else.
Was It Worth?
Absolutely for me, yes. I've learned so much. When I decided to use Arch Linux, I knew that I'd have to develop a deeper understanding on how Linux works, and how my machine operates. I'd have to learn about dependancies, how Linux works under the hood, and what I had to do to keep it running. It's been a worthwile experience, and while I've run into constant challenges, I've found solutions to 99% of them. It's been very rewarding.
I think going forward, I will use Linux more and more in my digital life- not less. I don't think I'll be leaving Windows behind anytime soon due to some specific circumstances around gaming, but I think I am definitely at the point where I only need Windows for one specific thing- the games that don't support Linux. I intend on setting up a dual-boot on my main rig when I next upgrade, and from there, I will migrate 90% of my workflow to Linux, only booting into Windows for the specific games which require it.
Microsoft have been taking it in an anti-consumer direction for some time now. Using Linux, I don't worry about telemetry. I am in control of what runs on my machine, and it feels right. Embracing the FOSS ecosystem is liberating. While I don't think I can fully remove Windows until I have feature parity between it and Linux, It seems like every day we are getting closer and closer to that reality.