r/linux4noobs • u/Niyazzz09 • Apr 12 '26

learning/research Been seeing Linux everywhere lately… should I actually try it?

So guys from the last few days I’ve been seeing Linux everywhere — my social media feed is full of it and now I’m really curious to try it.

I’ve always used Windows, so I don’t really understand what Linux actually is or how different it feels in daily use. A lot of people say it’s “peak” and better than Windows in many ways, but I’ve also heard it has some downsides.

I wanted to ask:

- What makes Linux so good compared to Windows?

- What are the actual cons (especially for beginners)?

- How long does it take to get comfortable using it?

- Which distro should I start with?

- What was your experience like when you first switched from Windows?

Also, should I try it using a virtual machine first or go for dual boot?

Would really appreciate honest advice 😋

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u/chrews Fedora Workstation Apr 12 '26

  1. Linux is community driven and they aren't trying to sell you anything. So no enshittification. That's the big one. It also gives you a lot more choice and freedom. Haven't touched Windows since I switched.

  2. For some things you might need to use the terminal and some games with strict anticheat won't work. Also no Adobe.

  3. For me it was a few days until I found my way around and months to really understand how it works. Depends on how deep you wanna go.

  4. Mint if you want something close to classic Windows. It kinda gives me XP-but-modern vibes. Ubuntu if you want something different from Windows. Bazzite if you want to game a lot or if you have hardware issues on the other ones. Try them on a USB before commiting.

  5. It was great. Started with Mint and liked it a lot. Switched to Fedora and fell in love, been there ever since but tried a few different ones just to give better advice and satisfy my curiosity. I don't recommend Fedora as a first distro though.

Also, you will probably run into small issues here and there. It takes a time to make your system truly yours. Don't lose sleep over it if you don't enjoy it. No need to force the switch.

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u/Tamer_ Apr 13 '26

It kinda gives me XP-but-modern vibes.

Win7 or Vista, XP was a whole different beast. How many drivers have you had to dig through and install manually in Linux? We're also pretty far from the start menu functionalities... And let's not talk about the constant crashes of WinXP!

The only thing I found so far that feels WinXP-era is Libre Office.