Why I went back to using Windows
Bye bye Summer break, Hello (online) school again
I really enjoyed my time discovering and using Linux, after I first switched to it 2 months ago. It’s a long story. At first, I considered if it was possible to use Linux exclusively for school.
Why I like Linux
I love how clean the system feels. I love how no app or service is forced upon me. I love that there are many distros, desktop environments, and window managers which I can freely try and find a workflow that suits me.
I also enjoy how CPU usage is lower and doesn’t fluctuate as much as on Windows. Idle RAM usage is always lower, from below 400MB in Fedora i3 Spin to about 2GB in Pop!_OS, which is the highest I got. In comparison, the Windows 11 Beta I am running now has idle RAM usage for 4GB! And my computer only has 8GB of RAM.
Linux was also great system to learn how computers work, and is great for development work, where most web apps are ultimately deployed in.
Why I can’t use it exclusively
However, there are apps that I need for school that just aren’t on Linux. One of them is Lockdown Browser, which is required for any quizzes or exams taken online! >:(
Then, there is Microsoft Office which is plain annoying. The course that I am studying doesn’t require advanced features of Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, yet, some assignments have to be formatted in Microsoft Word. I tried workarounds like using the online version of Microsoft Office 365 or open source alternatives like Libre Office, but both mess up the formatting.
Finally, video conferencing apps like Zoom and Cisco WebEx don’t work as well on Linux as they do on Windows. The Linux version of Zoom is crippled by the poorer virtual background algorithm and Cisco WebEx had a weird issue where I can only type on character at a time in the password field before seeing a “wrong password entered” field.
Truthfully, I feel that most of these issues are avoidable — that the school could set up workflows that are more cross-platform, compatible with Windows, MacOS and Linux. Maybe I should tell them?
Why I don’t want to Dual Boot
The simple reason is that it is too inconvenient. I wan to be able to access all my files at once and settle down with a single workflow. So back to Windows I go. You know, I hesitated and switched back and forth for a while, as I really didn’t like Windows 10. It felt bloated and ugly visually and sonically.
What I like about Windows (11 Beta)
Design
In my opinion, the Microsoft Design Team has outdone themselves here. To me, Windows 11 has the most visually beautiful interface out there. Animations and visuals are subtle and calm. Ever since Windows Phone 7 (R.I.P.), I have been missing beautiful design from Microsoft. Years waiting and being disappointed by the rollout of Fluent Design is finally 3/4 over. If the team can keep it up and continue aiming for a cohesive and thoughtful experience (such as integrating old menus and functionality in the new settings app), we will see something special. By the way, is the design language still known as Fluent Design? Anyone from Microsoft Design, please, I wanna know.
I know many people appreciate, but are not affected by design as much as me. I guess I am shallow in that regard. But I love it. It’s not a macOS clone. All in all, you have to use and see it for yourself. Bravo. I’m so happy about this. It also makes me less sad switching back to Windows. In fact I’m praying that this beta is stable enough that I don’t have to rollback to Windows 10 for schoolwork.
App and Driver Support
While using Linux, I had to settle for downgraded laptop speakers. I am using a Dell XPS 13, and it shipped with Waves MaxxAudio driver installed. It was unavailable in Linux and as a result, my speakers sound worse. In addition, there was no official biometric unlock option. I was able to enjoy these luxury features in Windows.
Sensible Workflow
While not really customisable out of the box, the default window snapping and keyboard shortcuts in Windows are decent. In Windows 11, virtual desktops with customisable wallpapers are simply great, and the more flexible window snapping presets as well as snap groups are useful features. The team at Microsoft really did their homework here.
Windows Subsystem for Linux
WSL2 is great. I can easily compile and run C code. I can use Git. I can do Linux things. Yes, WSL2 is great. Big thumbs up to the team who worked so hard for this.
What I don’t like about Windows = Services and Apps being forced upon me
Why am I not able to uninstall Cortana, Microsoft Teams, and disable the Widgets plane entirely? I mean, sometimes I can, but they reinstall themselves. Why must I sign in to a Microsoft account to use Windows properly? Microsoft Edge is nice but the default settings with News and Bing, as well as the settings menu, is horrendous. What makes it worse is how Windows keeps trying to force me to use Edge in the settings menu! This really leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Windows claims to make me productive, yet I feel like I have to fight with the operating system. And believe me, I don’t want to!
A minor niggle is the number of terminals there are in Windows, all which I rarely use, but are still necessary for some action or another. Command Prompt, PowerShell, Bash (if WSL is used) and Git Bash (if not)… and while Windows Terminal is nice, I still can’t uninstall the others. I’m sure many would wish for a single terminal to rule them all.
Conclusion
Wow, that was a lot. Overall, I switched back to Windows because I had to. But I like Windows. I am just worried that Windows 11 has just skin-deep beauty, hiding dubious motives (such as privacy) and an operating system that is still fragmented and somewhat ugly under a beautiful interface. I do not mean to undermine the developers’ work. Features like WSL2, relentless support and innovation in touch and supporting devices of different form factors, Android App support, Microsoft Garage projects and countless of improvements that I wouldn’t be able to understand as an end-user are not easy and shows dedication, hard work and achievement. For now, I hope to further enjoy my stay with Windows, and look forward to the official release of 11.
For now, I’ll consider this a home.
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