I ignored Linux for years because of its reputation, and it's my daily driver now

Published Aug 18, 2026, 1:30 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. It has been about a year now since I made the jump from Windows to Linux, and my biggest regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Sure, it's better that I did eventually make the jump than never making it at all, and I'm glad I found a new home in the world of FOSS operating systems. I think a big reason why I didn't try Linux beforehand was that I was so deeply invested in the reputation people had built for it. Nobody was saying that Linux was bad or evil, but it did come with some assumptions people made about the OS that put me off trying it until I gave it a go. And I discovered that those assumptions were wrong, for the most part. Getting software running on Linux was framed as a real challenge It's really not that difficult When I was using Windows, one thing I thought I knew about Linux was that it was really difficult to get your favorite software running. There was a chance that it never got a Linux version, and if it did, you had to type in hundreds of commands into the terminal to even get it to boot. I saw plenty of memes showing someone in a hacker-like environment, manipulating windows and entering commands, with a caption like "Linux users installing Google Chrome." Windows, I assumed, was the total opposite; you just double-clicked an EXE, and you were good to go. It ended up being partially true. Yes, they got it right that not all of my fave software made the jump over to Linux. However, there were some perfectly fine alternatives that I ended up falling in love with. Installing them was far more of a breeze than the memes made it out to be; big companies would include a Linux download on their main page, while smaller ones could be fetched off Discover. And yes, while you can use the terminal to install software, it's by no means a super-complicated task. Once you learn how to prod your system's repository for the software you want, you can get an app installed with a single line and a few permissions. It's actually a little faster than downloading it from a website. The terminal was positioned as this big scary thing you should never touch It's only big and scary if you're not careful Another piece of reputation Linux had was with the terminal. When using Windows, the Command Prompt tends to keep you from entering a truly devastating command. Linux doesn't have that same restraint, and people would talk about the OS with the assumption that if you made a single typo in a simple command, the entire system would flip out and erase itself. Fortunately, the terminal is not that brutal (though you can make it brutal if you really want to). Yes, if you mess around with the commands and run something you really shouldn't be running, you'll do damage to your system. The key is learning what you shouldn't enter and then sticking to the ones you know are safe. When I first used Linux, I was terrified of the terminal because of its reputation. Now I love it and use it all the time while also being a little bit terrified of it. It's good to have a bit of reverence for the terminal. It keeps you humble. People gave the impression that only nerds could make use of Linux It can be as complex or as easy as you like I think one of the biggest elements of Linux's reputation that put me off so long was that it was pinned as the "nerd's OS." People would frame Windows as the noble, normal operating system that grounded regular people could use. Linux, on the other hand, was for geeks who derived happiness from coding their own bootstrapper over the course of a Saturday. Now, don't get me wrong; Linux is definitely for those kinds of people. If you've ever seen someone set up an Arch Linux install from scratch, it matches the reputation that people give Linux users one-to-one. But that's only if you decide to take that path. If you'd much rather throw an ISO onto a USB stick and install everything from there, you can do that, too. My first ever Linux distro, Linux Mint, taught me that. It, like many other distros, was very easy to install from a USB drive. Distros even come with a "demo mode" that runs off the USB so you can try before you install it. And given how Linux Mint is very familiar and welcoming to ex-Windows users, it proved that regular people can enjoy the world of open-source operating systems without needing to take a Computer Science course. Linux is not what people made it out to be Do these misconceptions stem from even a modicum of truth? Yeah, maybe. Installing some apps can be difficult, running some terminal commands can be dangerous, and some Arch Linux users could program their own GRUB boot entry with nothing but a Speak & Spell. But for the rest of us mere mortals, Linux really isn't too difficult if you pick the correct distro.