Introduction

First, thank you for reading my first article.

I migrated my Dell G3 laptop from Windows to Linux Mint six months ago in an effort to program more and game less (a struggle I'm sure many of us face).

I have never looked back.

I primarily work with Android devices and on the web. Luckily, Android Studio has a Linux deployment that is never too far behind iOS (which, from the native developers I have spoken to, remains the preferred development environment). Android does run on a Linux Kernel, so developing a familiarity with Linux systems lends a small insight into the background processes that allow our applications to interact with the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL), the interface providing access to hardware components not normally accessible. The overlap is short and perhaps contained to a wider understanding of the operating system.

In short, I moved for personal reasons.

Why Did I Do This to Myself

I describe myself as a rehabilitated serial gamer, and moving to Linux locked my out of a large portion of my Steam library. That said, with Steam Deck and Steam OS, Linux has a much deeper gaming library than I initially expected. By changing operating systems, I reduced my gaming time from 3-4 hours a day to 0.

Now that I am a better user, I could probably start gaming again. The intended effect (kicking my gaming habit) has largely worked, and although I can play games on my machine now, I do not feel the need to! Maybe when I pick up a Steam Deck.

Apart from my personal reasons, I do feel there are definite advantages to moving your machine to Linux (or perhaps dual-booting your machine).

Why You Might Consider Moving to Linux

• Cost. Linux is free and often runs on older hardware better than Windows or iOS. For students on a budget, or in countries where new machines are more difficult to procure, being able to download their distribution of choice free at cost is a powerful reason to migrate.

• Learning. Depending on the distribution, you may find yourself interacting with the terminal on a daily basis just to complete everyday tasks. Familiarity with these commands, even with common file system architectures, makes you a better computer user and developer. For example, a strong understanding of terminal commands gives you strong control of git, an invaluable skill in today's market.

• Customisation. For people like me, who like to customise their working platforms down to the font, learning the different desktop environments and their customisation options is fun. When I first picked up my OS, customising its looks down to my preferences was the first thing I did.

• Open-Source. Related to the above three reasons, Linux is a great way to dive deeper into the world of open-source. For any number of applications, there might be two or three solutions you can select. For example, I tried configuring an Xbox Controller (okay, I did try using Steam. You caught me) which lead me to three different drivers.

Ending Remarks

Would I do it again? Probably, yes.

Would you?