The original post: /r/linux by /u/tmp2810 on 2024-09-29 15:07:54.

Hi, I’m a sysadmin, programmer, and I’ve been working in IT for 15 years. I know very well when to use Linux and when to use Windows in my work, but at home, everything is different.

I suppose there’s no real answer to my problem, but I just wanted to vent a bit by writing it down. I’ve been working in IT for 15 years, and for about 12 of those, I’ve been using Linux daily. First for work, then it became part of my home setup. Since then, I’ve been constantly going back and forth between Linux and Windows at home. Sometimes Windows sticks around a bit longer, other times Linux does, but every 3 to 6 months, I end up thinking: “Screw it, I’m going to wipe my PC and stick with OS that seems like it’ll make my life easier at that moment.”

Believe me, I know about dual booting, and honestly, that’s how my setup is now (Win11 + Deb12). But the truth is, it’s annoying because while 50% of the time I’m on my PC working or experimenting with Linux, the other 50% is spent on music production and gaming (especially online games with anti-cheat). It just becomes a hassle to switch back and forth between the two OSs daily. Sometimes I just want to play a quick game and get back to work, or other times I’m recording a song and want to use Vim to write something! (Yes, I know I can use Neovim on Windows, but it was the best example I could think of, haha!).

My Windows 11 is, of course, set up with Chris Titus’ Windows Toolbox, but it still REALLY BOTHERS me where Windows is heading, with all its horrible privacy and telemetry nightmares. Honestly, this has become part of my core principles as a person, and it’s something I care about deeply. I’m also a firm believer in FOSS, and I love the work the community does on various projects. I’m genuinely a Linux fanboy, and the terminal is the most comfortable place for me to be. Linux behaves the way I think a PC should behave!

But that’s the thing. Sometimes I’m using Linux and get really frustrated by how quickly I can’t access the tools I need for creativity and entertainment. And when I’m on Windows, I feel a kind of guilt, like I’m betraying my own principles by using something I find awful (I’m being very honest here).

I understand that, in the end, these are just tools, and what matters is getting the job done. But as someone who has lived with computers since childhood and they’re such an important part of my life, this is a deep thought and an ongoing internal debate for me.

I just wanted to share, and if anyone has an opinion, I’d love to hear it. Again, maybe I don’t need a technical solution, just to hear other experiences or philosophical takes on the matter.

Thanks :)