Ever puzzled what you are lacking by sticking to Home windows and never making an attempt out Linux? As a twin booter, I leap between Linux and Home windows day-after-day, and I discover Linux way more feature-rich in comparison with Home windows.

I take advantage of Linux for my personal projects and Home windows for my skilled obligations. This places me in a singular place the place I get to do the identical duties in two alternative ways—and, from my private expertise, I discover the Linux manner superior. Listed here are the seven the reason why!

7

A Clear and Advert-Free Working System

Home windows 11 has advertisements enabled by default. There are random app solutions within the Begin Menu, Workplace 365 and OneDrive promotions within the Settings, and promotional textual content on the lock display. And whilst you can disable most Windows 11 ads, it isn’t a really intuitive and simple course of.

Linux distributions, in contrast, supply a clear, distraction-free atmosphere proper out of the field. Once I open the applying menu on my Garuda Linux setup, I see solely what I’ve put in—no promoted apps, no sponsored content material, simply my instruments organized how I would like them. This ad-free expertise provides me a clear interface that not solely helps me keep away from unintentional clicks and give attention to my work but additionally provides me a better sense of possession over my computing expertise.

The irony is that I paid for Home windows, whereas most Linux distros are free. But, it is the free choice that treats me with extra respect by not making an attempt to promote me one thing each few clicks.

6

Full Management Over the Taskbar

Home windows 11’s taskbar is a major step again from Home windows 10 by way of customization. For causes I can’t fathom, Microsoft eliminated the power to maneuver the taskbar to totally different edges of the display. Should you favor your taskbar to the edges (as many ultrawide monitor customers do), you are merely out of luck.

On Linux, I can place the taskbar anyplace—high, backside, left, or proper. In some desktop environments like KDE Plasma, I may even have a number of panels in numerous places serving totally different features. My private setup has a skinny panel on the high for system data and one on the backside for purposes—functioning as a Dock.

Moreover, it isn’t simply restricted to the place of the taskbar. I even have management over each side of the taskbar—its dimension, transparency, habits, contents, and even the way it responds once I hover over totally different components. This stage of customization permits me to create a workflow that completely matches how I need to work together with my pc.

With Home windows 11, you’ll be able to technically get this stage of management, however it is advisable to make numerous tweaks and edits, making the method tougher than it must be.

5

Superior Digital Desktop Configurations

Virtual desktops assist set up workflows by creating separate areas for various duties. Whereas Windows 11’s virtual desktop functionality has improved in comparison with earlier variations, it nonetheless falls in need of what Linux gives.

For example, GNOME has the Actions Overview function which places digital desktops (known as Workspaces) entrance and heart of the entire person expertise. It gives a complete view of all home windows open on all of your present digital desktops. You can even open new digital desktops, transfer apps between them, and launch apps onto particular digital desktops. You not solely get a chook’s-eye view of your whole workflow, however a fast approach to make tweaks on the fly.

Then you’ve got KDE Plasma. It would not provide you with an Actions Overview, nevertheless it permits you to organize digital desktops in a grid format. You possibly can have desktops organized each horizontally and vertically, making a matrix of digital desktops for various classes of duties. You can even scroll on the desktop itself to cycle between areas, or use a dedicated widget (Pager widget) for clean transitions between desktops.

These superior configurations make activity switching and workspace group way more intuitive in Linux, and I discover myself reaching for these options in futility when utilizing Home windows 11.

4

KDE Actions: Multitasking on Steroids

KDE Activities is maybe probably the most highly effective workflow administration software I’ve encountered in any working system, and it is one thing I sorely miss when utilizing Home windows.

Actions are like digital desktops on steroids. Every Exercise can have its personal set of desktop widgets, wallpapers, panel configurations, and even totally different units of default purposes. You possibly can create separate Actions for writing, programming, and gaming, every with instruments and layouts optimized for that particular activity.

I personally have three separate Actions for Analysis, Writing, and Staff Communications. This enables me to give attention to one workflow at a time and minimizes the scope for distractions.

Now, on Home windows 11, the closest you will get to KDE Actions is by setting up different Windows user accounts for various workflows. However this provides numerous friction between switching workflows. Within the case of KDE Plasma, switching Actions is so simple as switching desktop environments.

Widgets are extremely helpful instruments for monitoring system data, checking calendar appointments, or protecting monitor of to-do lists—all at a look. Windows 11 does have widgets, however they’re tucked away inside a separate panel that it is advisable to click on to entry, making them far much less helpful than they may very well be.

On Linux, significantly with KDE Plasma, I can place widgets straight on my desktop or embed them in panels. I’ve widgets to indicate my to-do checklist, calendar, Downloads folder, and system sources proper on the desktop. Whereas my panel all the time has widgets to indicate the climate, clipboard supervisor, and digital desktop switcher.

This speedy entry to data saves numerous clicks all through the day and retains necessary data seen with out having to modify purposes or open menus. It is a small factor that makes a giant distinction in day-to-day productiveness.

If you would like, you’ll be able to add widgets to Home windows utilizing Rainmeter.

2

Decrease Useful resource Consumption

No matter what Windows 11’s minimum system requirements say, in my expertise, a Home windows PC wants not less than a quad-core CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an SSD to carry out easily. Give half this configuration to a Linux distro and it’ll fly!

I’ve efficiently run Ubuntu off an HDD on a dual-core system utilizing 8 GB RAM and nonetheless acquired a clean computing expertise! And that is Ubuntu, one of many heavier Linux distros. There are distros like Lubuntu or Linux Mint Xfce that may breathe life into techniques with specs that Home windows 11 will refuse to even entertain.

Moreover, Linux installations usually require much less cupboard space. A full-featured Linux desktop can comfortably slot in 20 GB, whereas Home windows 11 wants considerably extra only for the working system. This effectivity means extra sources can be found for the work I am really doing, moderately than being consumed by the working system.

1

A Higher Terminal Expertise

Not everybody makes use of the terminal, and also you don’t even need to know how to use the terminal to be able to use modern-day Linux desktops. That mentioned, the terminal is a robust software and if you know the way to make use of it, you will get round your pc way more effectively.

I actually am at present studying different terminal commands and shell scripting to turn into extra productive with my pc, and I’ve discovered the Linux terminal is much extra highly effective and user-friendly in comparison with the Home windows terminal.

The very first thing that involves thoughts is that the Linux terminal outputs are a lot simpler to learn and perceive in comparison with what I get on Home windows. Moreover, Linux permits me to string a number of instructions collectively, which is an especially productive approach to do sure duties.

I suppose it is sensible once you consider that the Linux terminal was designed with on a regular basis use in thoughts, whereas the Home windows terminal was put in place for infrequent troubleshooting.

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And there you’ve got it, seven cool options that you simply get on free Linux distros however not on Microsoft’s premium OS. That mentioned, in all equity, I am unable to name Linux excellent both, or else I would not be dual booting.

The explanation I would like to make use of Home windows 11 is to entry some skilled apps, primarily Rize, Asana, and the Notion Calendar amongst others. That mentioned, I can nonetheless entry these Home windows apps (albeit as web apps) on Linux. Nonetheless, the options I discussed are simply not obtainable on Home windows—giving Linux the win in my e book.