Linux for Windows Users? There’s No Such Thing!

linuxiac ^ | 27 March 2025 | Bobby Borisov

[kosciusko51]

There is now nothing windows can do that Linux cannot also do.

Except run software that is only supported on Windows.

[Openurmind]

I agree, going from windows to Linux is no worse than going from Win XP or Win 7 to Vista or Win 10. Those were learning curves too. In fact it could be less, a Win XP or Win & user will be flying along right away with Linux Mint.

[isthisnickcool]

Circa 1990—-

Me: You are building a unix clone?

Linus: Yes

[bobbo666]

No. You are an Apple fanboy and the lack of attention to the machine’s decline is that you have gotten older and can no longer tell.

:)

[Openurmind]

“A default install of Windows will 95% of what people want without the person ever having to dig into the guts and configure stuff they’ve never heard of. They don’t want an OS to be passionate about, they just want to click icons and run software.”

And that is exactly what you get with the modern Linux distros. They are all just point and click GUI interfaces. The only time you would ever need to “dig” is if you really really want to do advanced techy stuff.

[The Louiswu]

You funny!

[Openurmind]

“but I’m still sticking with Windows for now because of a game I play.”

And there it is... There is always “that one game” no one can live without no matter how bad windows gets.

[discostu]

Then the Linux fans should change the narrative. Instead of saying “there’s no such thing” say “it’s already there”. Of course that’s hard thing for fans of anything to say, because they’re fans and want to dig into what makes it different.

[dayglored]

Hi ShadowAce,

What an odd article. You would think by now people who are even the least bit interested in computers (as opposed to mobiles for selfies and TikTok) would know that:

• If you are non-technical, and all you do on the computer is run a browser and maybe an email client, then you will find that Linux and Windows are essentially the same except for some minor UI differences.

• But if you are technical, and your work on the computer involves a command-line shell, writing software, managing other computers, etc., then Linux and Windows are radically different, and require very different mindsets to operate effectively in both environments.

I am very technical, and operate in THREE environments: Linux, Windows, and MacOS, all day and evening long, at work and at home. No big deal -- You get used to switching mindsets, and it eventually becomes almost seamless, even doing highly technical work. Humans are adaptive creatures.

For your average non-technical Windows user, who is thinking about trying Linux or switching to it, probably 90% will only notice some superficial UI differences, and otherwise if it runs their browser they won't care.

[dayglored]

Windows and Linux ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Thanks to ShadowAce for the ping!

[Myrddin]

I was an HDOS and CP/M user in 1980. The chief architect of HDOS was hired away to Microsoft. The concept of tree structured filesystems and mountable devices was instilled into MSDOS as a consequence. UNIX at PacBell on the 3B20/S was my daily driver by 1983. All command line on VT100 terminals. It was a development environment. Shells, C and C++. Yup...a perk of being inside the Bell System. Primitive, but useful. Xenix arrived at home in 1983 then the office in later 1984. HP-UX and SCO Xenix at the office. UNIX-1100 on the UNISYS 11/92 mainframe. It was 1985 before I saw the first Windows on a PC. I started attending UseNIX to meet others in the UNIX industry. Linus Torvalds was just starting to experiment with operating systems derived from books published by Tannenbaum. Minix. It was a long road with much collaboration as Linus fashioned his new OS after the pattern of UNIX. I tried his stuff out in 1991. It was a nice start. The advent of the GNU C compiler from Richard Stallman around 1985 was a big step forward. C language with prototype headers. Lots of defects were detected and corrected with the more strict compiler. That was a big win for Linus and the Linux collaboration community.

Linux and UNIX are commodity operating systems now. Excellent for the server side. Linux with X Windows derived GUI interfaces is great and convenient. Not fully as functional as Windows. As a long time UNIX/Linux developer, I prefer Windows as my desktop machine and UNIX/Linux as my backend server environment. Tools suited for a specific purpose.

[linMcHlp]

bkmk

[aquila48]

What a pile of useless crap.

The guy has no appreciation for the concept of “user friendly” and “intuitive”.

He seems to take joy out of going back to using command lines interface.

It’s torture and only the ultra geek get off on it. 99% of the people could care less about the OS. It’s the functionality and ease of use of the apps they interact with daily that matters.

And there are some very Windows like Linux distros that are quite good. I use Mint, and I have a hard time noticing the differences, except when I shut down and reboot, Mint is much faster.

[Openurmind]

“Except run software that is only supported on Windows.”

And that is true. But there is a Linux replacement for just about everything Windows now. And the new version of the Wine app will indeed run a lot of Windows apps in Linux.

[kosciusko51]

Unfortunately for me, some of the software I need for work doesn’t have a Linux replacement.

[Carriage Hill]

</smile>

[Tell It Right]

Excellent points. For me a deciding factor is the IDE. MS's Visual Studio set a high standard and for a long time it ran only on Windows. Eventually it would allow target apps on other environments. And also they made versions of the IDE itself running on MAC OS, but I think they discontinued that recently.

I'm now quasi-retired and my work machines I remote into are both Windows and Linux. But my personal laptop is Windows largely so I can run Visual Studio and SQL Server Express to make it easier to develop C# apps for personal reasons. (i.e. downloading market data and analyzing it to possibly optimize my portfolio, and generate graphs for my financial small group to answer questions like what happens if I invest in a market downturn, or studying my solar inverter telemetry to see if I should change settings on them, etc.)

[MikelTackNailer]

This is a good time to thank Microsoft Corporation for unintentionally promoting Linux through their years of shoddy code built upon shoddy code, constant security breaches, mandatory updates, upgrades and overall greed. Way to go team!

Special Short Bus Trophy for whoever thought Windows 8 was an improvement over 7.

[Myrddin]

He seems to take joy out of going back to using command lines interface.

I'm part of the generation that built the operating systems and today's current interfaces. The command line is where all of the work gets done. The raw underpinnings of the GUI and network interfaces is very detailed. The current generation are appliance operators. They don't comprehend the details under the covers. If the appliances break, who will rebuild from first principles? GUI Windows and Linux are built for appliance operators. Nice productivity enhancers, but no substitute for understanding how the environment works.

[martin_fierro]