Windows or Linux?

We all know the Windows vs Linux war has been on since decades. Great advancements and modernization on both sides have given each of them bounds and leaps. But the question remains-Windows or Linux? And having used seven versions of Windows and also numerous Linux distros for more than a decade, I do feel qualified to answer that question.

I do admit, the first computer I used as a kid was a desktop loaded with Windows 99. And over the years that followed, I have used XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 and even MS-DOS. But it wasn't until a few years ago that I brought Dell Inspiron 1545 and an Ubuntu CD came along with the package and that was when for the first time, I had ever heard of something called Linux. Until then, I had actually thought Windows and Mac OS were the only two operating systems. Of course, that was true right out of the box. But I couldn't believe there was actually a third competitor, and for where I lived, no one was using it. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try. I simply checked out the demo, and by what I saw, I was instantly amazed. Among other features,Ubuntu had these dual workspaces even way back then, and that Windows had none until Windows 10 came along. Who knew there were so many other features in there, and I had been locked out by Windows propaganda. Even though I had this Linux distro, it would be at least another five years until I actually install one on my laptop. The reason? Ubuntu couldn't run .exe files and also I couldn't play any of my games. Well, I wasn't aware of packages like Wine and PlayOnLinux back then, and I regret it. 

For the most part, I did like Windows. I could do pretty much anything on it. But I despised it for one thing - security. In 2010, for the first time, my desktop was attacked by viruses which got downloaded along with a game file. And thats when I realised I couldn't really sit around without an antivirus at all. Windows simply crashed, and I was frantically looking for help. I had to wipe the disks. That was it. Everything gone. I still stuck with Windows because I could do what I usually do and run anything out there. But then came along Windows 8. My God, what a disaster that was. I was totally knocked out by the very look of it. Everything was out of place. The whole UI was changed, and it took me forever to get used to the panels popping up from top-left-right and bottom. I was disgusted. Even after they released Windows 8.1, it still looked crappy. I badly needed an alternative. I had just remembered about Ubuntu, because I had become a XP refugee on my old laptop, because Microsoft had withdrawn support for Windows XP and my dusty old laptop couldn't run any new version of Windows.   So I got a newer version of Ubuntu, and installed it. Ubuntu 14.04 LTS is the one I had got, 64-bit. And surprisingly, it booted up thanks to its modest system requirements. Booting up was really fast, in fact I had never seen such good boot times on Windows - ever! A lot of software came ready in handy. Just what I needed. I found out about Wine and instantly got most of my Windows software working. For whatever didn't I found alternatives. I had a good time with Linux. It had come a long way from being a command based system back in the 90s to having a great GUI. Back in the 90s, only shell wizards could run something like Linux because there wasn't a GUI for it, which is not the case now. Since more than a decade now, Linux has perfected it's GUI compared to their predecessors. And, there was a plethora of Linux distros out there. So I decided to check them out, one by one. At one time, I even had four operating systems all in one hard disk. I tried out so many of them - Linux Mint Cinnamon, Cub Linux(earlier called Chromixium OS because it was a clone of Chrome OS), Parrot Security OS, various derivatives of Ubuntu and other KDE derivatives too. I really don't even remember the number of Linux Distros I tried. I even tried out an x86 project of Android running on PCs named Remix OS, and it too of course had a Linux kernel.

Variety - that's what I found was the most beautiful thing about Linux. And, Linux was invincible against all viruses that were ever made for Windows, and even had a great system to determine threats on the system depending on what's in the file - not just the type of file and the file name, that's what Windows does...what a shame. A while later, in mid-2015, Microsoft released Windows 10, and I just bought a laptop, again a Dell Inspiron 15 3000 series. It came loaded with Windows 10 out of the box. I liked the new material design UI, and looks like Microsoft really put in some work on design this time. Overall, I have to say it was modern - more modern than any predecessor. It supported all the new age software and hardware that I ever wanted. Security had greatly improved thanks to Windows Defender. I really loved it. Honestly, I thought I was going to be with Windows one more time. Well, that didn't happen. And the reason is surely quite ugly.

Thanks to the Microsoft policies, no matter what I did, no matter what privacy setting I tweaked, Windows 10 was still sending my data to Microsoft. I had no idea why Microsoft is so aggressive with wanting all this data, and most importantly - what are they doing with it? You might want to read a post on The Hacker News, where they tested the extent to which Windows puts their users privacy in jeopardy.  So why would I want to take a "free" copy of Windows 10 and be spied upon? I was disgusted once again. I left Windows for good. No more Windows, thats it. Linux on the other hand offered me a real option to take hold of privacy - totally worth it.

I replaced Windows 10 with Ubuntu MATE 16.10. It's a great OS and is in many ways better than Ubuntu itself. And, what about all my Windows software? Well, I have locked Windows 10 out inside my Virtual Machine, and haven't given it permission to use the network. I use it only when I really have to use software like Adobe Photoshop and other things I can't do on Linux. Linux has come a long way people, and whatever you say about it, you'll have to admit that the world's number one gaming platform Steam is built on Linux, and so is our inseparable  Android that's powering our phones. The world's most secure OS isn't Windows - it's the Linux plethora by all means. And as for versatility, Windows is "great" only for the reason that every major corporation out there is making software for Windows by default - all thanks to Microsoft's propaganda I have to say. Oh, and they've got Cortana for extracting your information too. And with respect to crashes, I will give Windows my award for most times crashed. Literally, I have had a solid boot every time I booted into every Linux distro. 

Another thing I didn't like about Windows was customizability. Linux can by default load different themes and being open source, you yourself can change the look of every nook and cranny there is in OS. Too bad we're stuck with only changing colors and wallpapers on Windows. If you want some real customizing to be done you'll have to install some heavy software like Rainmeter. Again, too bad for Windows.

Of course, it is upto an individual to choose as to which OS they would like to use. But they should consider these factors like security, privacy and reliability when it comes to an OS that's going to run your computer for years to come. So considering all the advantages, my final verdict would be - Linux! I changed over and it's been a while now. I have absolutely no regrets. Of course, you can run your version of Windows alongside Linux using the dual boot option. Or you could do it like I did - remove Windows completely and run it inside a virtual machine instead. As a bonus point, I'd like to mention that seeing the capabilities and potential of Linux, Microsoft too has joined the Linux foundation.

Soon I'll be writing a post on how you can run your favourite Windows apps on Linux. I guess so far I have made my contribution to the Windows vs Linux war. Peace out.