Boy, I comment sometimes that I have “used Linux for ages”. And I was looking at some past journal entries and found some from 2001 where I was complaining about Linux. I am not positive, but it may have been from my first time using it, or trying to. I mostly was just bitching about how Windows was better and Linux sucks.
It’s kind of funny how far I have come there, I run Linux probably more than Windows. If Fortnite ranin Linux I probably wouldn’t run Windows at all. It seems like a dumb reason but games have been a big reason I still use Windows. Of course, the problem is, it’s not JUST Fortnite, it’s Fortnite, and sometimes Forza, and sometimes Overwatch, and sometimes Minecraft, and any number of other titles sometimes.
But I also run Linux, daily. I have Mint as the only OS on my laptop, a home server running Ubuntu, and a webserver running Ubuntu. And that doesn’t even get into Raspberry Pis, the Synology, Android phones, or hell, Windows Subsystem for Linux. I’ve just been constantly adding new layers to what I am doing with them as well. I’ve got Docker containers and SSH tunnels and File shares out the ass. It’s just, frankly, much better for always on, automated tasks, hosting shit.
The only thing Windows has is games, and increasingly it’s getting enshitified to a point where it may not even be worth nothing with for games either. Not to mention that a lot of games run on Linux these days, either directly compatible, or through layers like Proton.
I mostly bring all this up because it’s a funny contrast to this little write up I did in 2001, which I am adding here at the end.
Welcome to the world of the “1337”. A world full of confusing completely useless “How To FAQS” and almost worthless Operating Systems. We have decided that being 1337 is not nearly worth the trouble it takes to install such a cumbersome piece of shit system. Especially when said system won’t be able to run Diablo 2 or Half Life, or SIMS, or pretty much ANYTHING should we manage to get it installed. Anything I really want to do in Linux I can already do with Windows anyways. I can get free compilers for any language for Windows, hell I went out recently and got a free C/C++ compiler fairly easily. Or maybe I want to customize the look of my desktop. Or perhaps your preference is in a new interface.
Ok, I suppose you are already saying “but that’s not free!” Well fuck you leech, if you’re going to insist on it being free then I’m sure there is a crack out there for it. Trust me, navigating through pop ups and warez pages is about a thousand times easier than trying to figure out what options you need to install to get your hardware configured properly or what the 5 million text input commands for Linux do.
The ultimate problem is of course it’s not “user friendly”. It’s perpetuated that way because those that use and promote Linux like to feel “special” because they can do it and you can’t. Sure you can do more with your computer than they can, but hey, why go for easy use and functionality when you can have an elitist attitude. Sure Linux users argue that they can do anything a Windows user can, but when you get right down to it, the OS requires so much customizing only a handful of those people can ACTUALLY make good on their threats. This being because they have spent all their waking time making minor tweaks and fixes.
Why this sudden hatred? Well I only lost a hard drive to the thing. Almost lost the whole computer. Luckily I can feel good knowing I know enough about DOS and Windows that I could keep the computer from dying completely. I mean sure Windows crashes from time to time but it’s never talked a whole fucking drive with it. And generally I’ll get frequent crashes in Windows and then after a bit of fairly easy tweaking and reconfiguring I can go for months without a crash. Give me minor regular maintenance over full time daily overhauling anyway.
I’d like to end here by not turning into the “Devil’s Advocate” so to speak and bashing Windows. I’ve found that generally overall it has a few glitches but then so does everything. Generally the bugs go away. Plus it comes free with pretty much any computer you buy from a store. So hey, if you want easy to use, with lots of power, and minor glitches, go for Windows. If you want hard to install, confusing to understand, cryptic to work with, go for Linux. Just make sure you don’t use your main computer as the test machine, chances are you’ll fuck it up.
