I switched from Windows to Linux. Here are the lessons I learned along the way.

I switched from Windows to Linux. Here are the lessons I learned along the way.

People who spend most of their time in front of a computer need to question their basic habits. I’m talking about the operating system they use. The market share for Windows desktop computers is now over 90%!

Everyone uses Windows for different reasons:

• Windows OS (operating system) comes as the default OS on their PC (personal computer).
• Users grew up with different versions of the Windows OS, so it’s difficult to change.
• Most people think Windows is the only alternative for their desktop PC. Aside from the Mac OS, they are not exposed to more alternatives.

I must admit that Windows is well designed and convenient. It allows you to perform many tasks easily and is updated regularly.

But if you’re a Windows user who has little experience with other operating systems, you may not be aware of all your options.

The Windows alternative I’m presenting here is Linux.

Linux is an open-source operating system developed by the community. Linux is Unix-like, which means it’s based on the same principles as other Unix-based systems. Linux is free and has different distributions, for example Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian.

Every distribution has its pros and cons. Each is used for different applications. Linux’s hard disk is considered a lightweight. It’s used in embedded systems, smart home devices, IoT (Internet-of-things), and much more. Android OS is also based on Linux.

As a tech entrepreneur with more than 7 years of experience, I have to say that switching from Windows to Ubuntu has allowed me to become more productive.

I started looking closely at the OS when I noticed that the basic tools I was using did not allow me to make progress for latency. These tools include the Android Studio IDE and an Android simulator running on a Windows machine. I thought it was the hardware. So I upgraded to a Lenovo Y50–70 PC with 16GB of RAM and a 512MB SSD hard drive.

The laptop

After installing the necessary software, I realized I had similar latency issues with my new PC. I expected my new PC to be fast. But it wasn’t. At that point, I changed my strategy.

I realized hardware was not the problem. So I started to conduct research on software. Ubuntu’s distribution of Linux is the most popular distribution for PC users. Ubuntu is available both in a client edition and a server edition. A huge advantage to switching over to Linux is that I am now familiar with Ubuntu. Also, I can use Linux on both my PC and the servers I operate.

I read MANY online resources that debated which OS to use, for example, Linux versus Windows or Windows versus Ubuntu. I realized an OS that fits my needs will make me more productive in the long run.

So I waited for a sign. The sign arrived — it was a virus that forced me to backup all my files and reformat my PC. But this time I was using an Ubuntu operating system. I thought about installing Windows and Ubuntu side-by-side for a soft landing. I’m happy I didn’t. I left Windows because I was committed to Ubuntu. I didn’t want Windows as a fall-back alternative.

Here are the lessons I learned after I switched from Windows to Linux. The lessons are mostly aimed at developers, programmers, and anyone who creates products.

Performance

Thanks to its lightweight architecture, Linux runs faster than both Windows 8.1 and 10. After switching to Linux, I’ve noticed a dramatic improvement in the processing speed of my computer. And I used the same tools as I did on Windows. Linux supports many efficient tools and operates them seamlessly.

Security

Linux is an open-source software. Anyone can contribute code to help enhance the users’ experience with Linux. As well, anyone can add features, fix bugs, reduce security risks, and more.

Large-scale, open-source projects benefit from having many pair of eyes examine them. As such, Linux is more secure than Windows. Instead of installing antiviruses to clean malware, you just have to stick to the recommended repositories. Then you are good to go.

Software development

The terminal in Linux is a wild card. You can do almost anything with it. This includes software installation, application and server configurations, file system management, and much more.

If you are a developer, the terminal is the sweet spot. There is nothing more convenient than running servers, training machine learning models, accessing remote machines, and compiling and running scripts from the same terminal window. It’s a huge productivity booster. By using the terminal, automation becomes a game changer.

Modularity

With Linux, you can easily configure and access your computer, check processes, and manage virtual environments. Because your server will probably be Linux-based, it will be easier to mimic behaviours, use similar software and packages, and automate workflows.

Working with remote Linux servers

Most servers are Linux-based for reasons that are not listed here. Linux provides tools for developers to operate scalable and secure servers. Therefore, technological entrepreneurs who operate end-to-end applications must master Linux to configure and maintain servers.

Windows use third-party tools like PUTTY to connect and interact with Linux-based servers. This is not so convenient. For example, to copy files with Windows, you need to download another tool.

An advantage of a Linux-based local machine is that it can connect to remote servers with a single command line. This is done in the terminal. Hosts can be stored in a file as well as with SSH keys and usernames. All you have to do to connect with SSH is to type the following command:

And you’re in! No passwords required.

This is an example of the capability a Linux-based local machine has to configure and maintain Linux-based servers. The ability to work via the terminal for both machines is a no-brainer. Most of the popular cloud providers also have command-line-interface (CLIs) for easy integration.

Familiarity with low-level OS principles

Windows implementation is very high level. Developers are rarely exposed to internal issues and to implementations. Linux is the opposite. Configurations have to be implemented by the terminal. This includes editing OS files, adding scheduled tasks, updating software, installing drivers, and more.

When you use Ubuntu, AskUbuntu.com is your friend. You not only learn skills, but you also learn how to solve issues (sometimes the hard way). As well, you learn to monitor your machine for problems, configure different components, and more.

Not everything is perfect, though

• There is a learning curve if you switch to Ubuntu. Some things you didn’t need help with when you used Windows, you might need help when you use Linux. You can use AskUbuntu.com for assistance, though. Expect to experience issues if you have special hardware installed on your computer, for example GPUs.
• Every technological entrepreneur should be a designer with minimal graphic design skills. Unfortunately, Adobe hasn’t released any of its products to Linux users. So it’s impossible to run them directly. The Ubuntu alternative is GIMP. This is a free software and has the basic features for a developer-designer. Despite the disadvantages, I have no regrets about switching. I’m all Ubuntu now and wish I had moved years ago.

Linux is not for everyone. Check to see if it fits your needs before you decide to switch. If you consider yourself either a technological entrepreneur, developer, data scientist, or programmer, you should definitely check out Ubuntu.

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Switching to Ubuntu while keeping files from Windows

How can I switch my personal laptop over to Ubuntu? I don’t want to dual-boot it, just remove the old OS (Windows 10) and install a new one. I also need to keep all my files.

3 Answers 3

I’ll just explain how to keep your files from Windows. All the details about replacing Windows 10 with Ubuntu can be found in other Q&A’s, e.g:

Method 1: external drive (recommended)

1. Copy your files from Windows onto the external drive
   • While you’re at it, you should make a full backup of Windows
2. Replace Windows with Ubuntu
3. Copy your files from the external drive to Ubuntu

Method 2: internal NTFS partition

If you may want to dual-boot Windows later, this might be a better option. Or in the same vein as Ivan’s answer, you could use the NTFS partition as temporary storage, and delete it once you’ve copied the files off of it. (See Ivan’s answer for a few warnings about this option.)

Note that NTFS doesn’t support all the features of Ubuntu (e.g. it doesn’t support the executable bit, which means it is not good for storing Linux programs).

1. In Windows, create an NTFS partition
2. Copy your files to the new partition
3. While installing Ubuntu, choose manual partitioning, and keep the NTFS partition
   • See How to use manual partitioning during installation? for more details
4. Once Ubuntu is installed, mount the NTFS partition to access your files
   • If you want to have the partition auto-mount during boot, you can set this up via config file /etc/fstab (see Adding an entry to fstab) or via GUI Disks (see Is there a program to mount all of my drives automatically?).

Switching to Ubuntu from Windows 8.1

I want to switch to Ubuntu from Windows 8.1. I do not want to dual boot, just Ubuntu!

I have two disks C — system and D- which has my files and pictures.

I wonder if I can keep my D Disc while installing Ubuntu. If I can, how?

1 Answer 1

You can do keep the D: partition. Here’s how it works:

• Select «Something Else» when being prompted to choose whether to remove Windows, to set up a dual boot or — something else
• Remove your Windows partition (it’s probably /dev/sda1 , but check first)
• Create a new partition (preferrable EXT4)on the new empty space. Leave a empty area which as much space as you have RAM. (If you want SWAP)
• Set the mount point of the created partition to / . This will be the partition where Ubuntu will get installed.
• Create a new SWAP partition in the empty space as big as your RAM. (optional, but recommended)
• Make sure the device for bootloader installation (bottom) is the same as you where you created the partitions (should be /dev/sda )
• Click Install now

However, you should always make a backup of your files before installing new systems or formatting/partitioning a harddisk. Things can always go wrong.

And please notice that you won’t be able to execute any scripts or programs from a NTFS partition, for it doesn’t support Linux’ file permissions.

How would a local government make the switch from Windows to Ubuntu?

I work in a municipal government where Windows is used throughout our institution. People use computers in our institution mainly for browsing the internet and using MS Excel or Word. I was thinking of suggesting that we change to a GNU/Linux operating system, such as Ubuntu. (Primarily because I think the annual license costs for using Microsoft systems takes a big cut out of the municipal government’s budget.)

Can a large organization switch from Windows to Ubuntu? (Is it feasible, will it save money and how can I demonstrate this?)

P.S. One concern people in my institution have raised is that we need secure operating systems and that Ubuntu is not safe enough. They think that because Ubuntu is open-source then it is not safe enough?

13 Answers 13

Sensible organizations don’t choose their computer systems because of the cost of the operating system. They choose them because the system supports the business operation at an acceptably low level of risk.

If you compare the potential cost of disrupting the business to the cost of continuing to run Windows, quite likely the cost of Windows licenses doesn’t even show up on the radar. I would expect an average-sized municipal government organization could incur costs of millions of dollars/pounds/[insert your currency here] per day from an organization-wide IT disruption that took more than a few minutes to fix.

If you want to make a case for change, forget about computer based technical arguments, and grand philosophical propositions about the evils of closed systems and the delights of open ones. Leave that sort of thing to people like Richard Stallman. Make a business case instead!

And don’t forget to include the costs (financial, disruption, temporary loss of productivity, additional support required, etc, etc) of retraining every computer user in the organization to work with new systems and software that most of them may never have even heard of, let alone used, and will see no good reason for «change just for the sake of change».

The above is not meant to be «anti change» or «pro Microsoft.» It’s just being realistic about how an organization works — and that is something which many IT staff seem completely ignorant about.

This is a critical issue to Linux and Ubuntu as a whole, see bug No1

The 2 issues are:

1. Because our government, health care systems, military, and schools should not train our people and children to be dependent of any corporation to function and alternates to Microsoft and Apple must exist period.

1. I side with GNU / FSF on this issue, in the digital age people have the right to examine, modify, and distribute the software that runs on their hardware.

Our mission is to preserve, protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and redistribute computer software, and to defend the rights of Free Software users.

This does not mean free as in free beer, people are free to charge for modification, distribution, and support of such code it means free as in the freedom to examine, modify, and fix (source) code without being dependent on such support systems.

Nor does it mean that I agree with everything Stallman/GNU/FSF proclaims, but I agree with the fundamental philosophy of GNU/FSF .

The «problem» is that our social systems are dependent on Microsoft and you can not ask schools / health care / business / government to stop functioning for the FSF philosophy, but you can make them aware they do have alternates and ask them to support such alternates.

Chromium, Libre/Openoffice, Firefox, and other open source options do exist so why not try them and consider paying to support them same as they use and support their current corporations.

Open source communities need to develop alternates to the systems our society uses and the most glaring deficiencies, IMO, are business and professional related apps, accounting, photography, digital processing, medical records, and voice recognition technology. It is sad my Android phone has better voice recognition out of the box than Linux desktops.

My current employer is in fact using Chrome and Open Office on windows rather than IE and Microsoft Office so it is a work in progress but a step in the right direction.

Migration

Migrating to Linux is no different than migrating to any other OS, including windows 10. I do not know any business that simply rolls out Windows 10, or any other OS without prep.

IT Does the IT department have someone who knows the new OS ? If not they will need to train or hire someone who does. For Linux I suggest someone who is RHEL certified or similar. I have never seen a business roll out an OS the IT department is not intimately familiar with. Windows 7/8/10 was «under consideration» for many many years and many businesses remained and still remain on windows 2000 rather than migrating. Migrating to windows 10 is not as simple as claimed by the pro windows posts here and certainly was not in any way overnight.

Hardware. All OS, windows included, have hardware requirements. Many of the problems here, on this site, and other support channels are hardware related. Business does not purchase hardware with no OS installed and then struggle to install windows, track down the drivers, etc, they purchase hardware with windows pre-installed or they purchase windows compatible hardware nand generally contract out hardware support. They need to do the same with Linux, purchase computers with RHEL / Ubuntu pre-installed and contract out support with RHEL or Canonical, same as they do with Microsoft.

What software is needed ?

• Linux can run some software and most if not all servers needed.
• Desktop software that is no problem would include «desktop» functions such as web browsing, email (many email servers have web interfaces similar to gmail), word processing (Liibreoffice is similar enouhg to word and it is rare an end user would need something that can not be done in Libreoffice. Biggest problem with libreoffice is converting documents), PDFs are fine, etc.
• Server side Linux works just fine as well. Linux can easily handle most if not all servers including web servers, ftp, mail servers, file servers, active directory, virtualization, etc.
• Specialized software — Linux struggles with certain specialized software for example voice recognition, digital image processing (Photoshop), accounting (Linux just does not have a program to manage accounts receivable and payroll), video editing, music studio. Linux has programs that do some of these features but for the most part not up to par with Windows.
• Propriety software — Many business use propriety software that is either specifically written for them or is not available on Linux. generally these are database driven apps such as medical records or accounting apps. Although there may be some attempts on the linux side, such as http://www.open-emr.org/ , generally they are not on par because business has not spent the millions on them they have the closed source options. https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/are-electronic-medical-records-worth-the-costs-of-implementation/ . 5 physician practice spend more than 200,000 in the first 60 days for a EMR. The reason I started this post with philosophy is we need to divert the funds spent on propriety software to open source. As it is now, the fact of the matter is most if not all of these propriety specialized applications want to lock business into long term contracts and more often than not there is no way to convert from one system to another.
• I just used an EMR as an example as I am guessing people are going to understand that example better than others. Imagine the type of database amazon.com uses to track users on the web site, inventory, shipping, suppliers, reviews of products, etc of all they offer.

Training — They need to train the help desk and support staff same as with any other OS. No business would roll out windows 10 without training the support staff.

Implementation. No business rolls out windows 10 overnight as suggested by some of the windows supporters here. Doing so would cripple the business. You would roll out linux similarly , a certain quota of machines starting with the simple tasks and progressing to the more complex tasks in a measured step wise fashion with the old system to fall back to. Many businesses have a limited number of «power users» more or less beta test and then help train. Again, using an EMR as an example, an office of 5 physicians may have one of the 5 start using the new EMR on one or two encounters a day, falling back to the old if there are problems. Over days or months they would migrate to the new EMR and then bring the other 4 up to speed on the new much faster. No business would migrate to a new OS, including windows 10, or a new large software application, like an EMR, overnight and the suggestions of many posts here from windows supporters are frankly unrealistic and not the way business does things.

Government

Government is going to go through a similar process but much slower and more drawn out. Look at how they handle any large scale project, there will be meetings, analysis, political whims, pilot programs, migration plans, funding crisis, etc.

Schools

Schools and Universities need to teach out children and young adults open source solutions when available. This will obviously take longer, but as a parent I can tell you the schools my children attend have zero tolerance for open source OS and open source programs. Try submitting a paper in anything other than a .doc or .docx, lol . At least universities are starting to teach open source. Hopefully with bash on windows, firefox, libreoffice, and other successful open source options the migration will be easier moving forward.