As a long time Linux user, I'm constantly trying to get people to experience all the awesome. For the most part, people are reluctant, but I'm finding that I run into one or more of the following:

It seems pretty clunky

So you've finally installed Linux, most likely Ubuntu as I praise it for it's simplicity and you start bitching about how the UI seems slow. Turns out you installed it on some machine from 1997 that should have been thrown away or donated to someone that's never had a computer to gauge it against. Linux is in fact a modern operating system at this point and does deserve to be ran on modern hardware. Will it run well on older system? Yes it will, but to benchmark it against your $3,000 Macbook Pro is dumb. Install Linux on a modern PC and get modern results.

None of my applications run on Linux

What you probably meant to say is "I'm so old and decrepit that I can't learn new things so I can't acclimate to an environment without some shitty Adobe or Microsoft application". Don't get me wrong, there are some pieces of software that just don't have an equivalent for Linux (*cough* Ableton Live *cough*), but for the most part, everything else has about 10 alternatives and at least a couple of them are better than you're willing to accept. Don't blame Linux if you built your career around a proprietary application, that's your fault.

So I downloaded some source and can't figure out how to install it

You must have forgotten that I recommended Ubuntu for it's ease of one. One such easy to use feature is the Software Center. There seems to be this preconceived notion that to install anything in Linux you have to do it from source. So far from the truth it's not even funny. Even if the software isn't in the repositories, there's a great chance that there are distro packages available (.deb, .rpm, etc). You can usually double-click those packages to install them. The only software I ever compile is something I'm writing / modifying, everything else is a click away.

So yeah, I wish my Linux converts would stop making this harder than it has to be, or at least stop playing into my evangelism and praise the system they are enslaved by.

After a long decision-making process, I've finally settled on an operating system—and to even my surprise, it's costly, proprietary, and a Microsoft product.

Ever since I was introduced to Linux, I've debated whether or not to use it as my default operating system, over Windows. I've switched back and forth countless times, on different machines and with different versions of both Ubuntu and Windows. When this brawl began, I was using Windows XP and Ubuntu 8.04 on an 6-year-old Dell Optiplex desktop. Times have surely changed, and both contenders have released multiple new versions, with Windows at version 7 and Ubuntu up to 10.10. Much has changed in the OS landscape since then, and the comparison is completely different from what it was even 2 years ago.

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Why I Started Using Linux

I used Windows exclusively as a child, and then switched almost entirely to Ubuntu once I became familiar with—and fell in love—the wonders of GNU/Linux. The reasons I switched were all grievances I held with Windows XP, not idealistic motivations. The first was speed. Windows XP ran horribly on my computer, and every other computer I had used. Worse yet, it seemed to get even slower as time went on. Linux, on the other hand, ran snappily, especially on older hardware (which was all I could get my paws on at the time). It wasn't just the system that ran slowly, but the applications as well. Firefox, the most important program on my computer, took over a minute to start on my machine under Windows, compared to seconds on any Linux distribution. OpenOffice outpaced Microsoft Office, as did Banshee, Amarok, and Rhythmbox when compared to iTunes, WinAmp, or Windows Media Player. Even after being forced to reinstall XP multiple times, I realized it was time for a change.

A common reaction to Windows, prior to 7 [wpclipart]

Beyond the reponsiveness of the OS, security was another huge concern. I hadn't yet learned how to use the world's greatest antivirus, Common Sense, and I periodically ran into devastating malware. I never had any information stolen, only corrupted, but the threat of both loomed over every Windows computer I touched. I became almost fearful of using the computer, for fear that a stray link to Keyboard Cat might compromise my system. Antivirus software was incredibly slow, and it seemed that for one to get half-decent protection, my family had to shell out our hard-earned money to companies like Norton or McAfee. Linux was a fundamentally more secure operating system, where modification of system files required explicit user confirmation. In addition, people simply didn't write viruses for Linux. Stability was also a concern. XP seemed to crash on my machine at least once a week, but I had no such problems with any Linux distribution—well, at least all the stable ones.

Debian, the foundation for Ubuntu, uses APT, a very sophisticated system for managing applications installed on a system. Its elegance cannot be overstated, in comparison to the Windows philosophy. Under APT, programs are installed by using a built-in manager to automatically download and install any programs a user requested—all without a single installation wizard, license agreement, or message box. I would never again need to download another 'setup.exe.' Not to mention, every single available application was listed in a massive software repository, which allowed me to discover programs I never knew existed. Because the current version of each application was listed in this repository, a global update manager controlled the installation of updates for every program on the system. Each program handled its own updates under Windows. Even if an application I wanted wasn't in one of the official repositories, chances are the developers maintained their own repository, which I could simply add to Ubuntu's software sources. [Or I could manually download and install software, Windows-style.]

The Ubuntu Software, a very polished GUI on top of the APT system. [WikiMedia]

In the end, however, I was sucked into Linux by the cube. Compiz and its desktop effects were the coolest things I'd ever seen done on a computer. The concept of multiple desktops wasn't just cool-looking, but insanely useful. I could keep my computer organized based on what task I was working on, and quickly switch back and forth between these groups. From the moment I started using it, I was hooked. Even when I occasionally went back to Windows, I found myself accidentally hitting Ctrl-Alt-Right to switch to a new desktop, even though XP offered no such functionality. Wobbly windows, painting fire and water onto the screen, and slick window animations were some of the other effects I fell in love with. Even on a sluggish computer, Compiz seemed to run exceptionally well.

(download)

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This is window management done right.

So I continued using Ubuntu, even when I moved onto a Dell Inspiron laptop. I tinkered and tweaked every system setting I could find, until I had Ubuntu running exactly as I wanted. Sure, there was a fairly significant learning curve, and I managed to destroy my system and reinstall Ubuntu at least 10 times before I was done, but in the end, it was worth it. The only problem that remained was that my Windows programs simply could not run under a Unix-based OS. Even this wasn't a major concern. Almost every application had an official Linux port or a suitable open-source replacement. Even on Windows, I continued to use some of these free programs over what I had traditionally used—e.g. OpenOffice. When Microsoft released Vista, its half-baked successor to XP, I became completely convinced. Windows wasn't getting any better, and free software was where I should remain. For eighteen months, I was Ubuntu-only.

Why I Switched Back to Windows

Microsoft, it seems, got the message that I and many like me had been sending. Starting with Internet Explorer, they began to realize that small, free, and open-source operations could compete with them, and win. Free browsers like Firefox and Opera gained popularity, and eventually so did Linux-based operating systems, to a lesser degree. As it watched the market shares of Windows and IE decline, Microsoft must have realized that it needed to step up its game. In 2009, they responded with Windows 7. It promised increased security, a beautiful Aero interface, graphical window switching, greatly improved performance and stability, and a totally redesigned taskbar. I soon purchased a very powerful Dell desktop preloaded with Windows 7, and although I set up a dual-boot with Windows and Ubuntu, I gradually used Windows more and more.

It seemed that every single one of my complaints about XP and even Vista had been addressed by Microsoft. Windows 7 was blazing fast. Even if the fundamental nature of the OS tended to cause the system to slow down over time, I had since learned the tricks to keeping Windows running like new—CCleaner, msconfig, and automatic defragmentation. In fact, thanks to increasing GPU acceleration in everyday applications, Windows tended to run faster on more powerful hardware, which was now at my disposal.

Free antivirus solutions, such as Avira, Avast, and even Microsoft Security Essentials offered better protection than most of the paid options, with minimal decreases in performance. Even if a virus somehow managed to get into my system, Windows 7's UAC feature, much like Linux, ensured that no program could change system files without explicit user permission. Combine that with new security features like disabling autorun on flash drives, and an improved sense of how to stay safe online, and the threat of malware all but vanished. Windows 7 was also much more stable than XP or Vista. In over a year of use, I have run into only two system crashes.

Windows 7's new features were very appealing. Although it was not as flashy as Compiz, the Aero user interface was more elegant than what GNOME or KDE could offer. The newly redesigned taskbar was the best-designed window management system I had ever come across. Other features like Aero Peek and Aero Snap increased the usability even more. All tolled, Windows 7 offered a better user experience than Linux could.

(download)

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In the end, it was the applications that convinced me to use Windows. Although there were open-source alternatives to almost every program I used, there remained a few key applications that could not be replaced. Photoshop was the biggest holdout. The GIMP is widely considered to be the best available Linux photo editing program, yet its features just couldn't compare to Photoshop's capabilities. Microsoft Office, though almost matched by OpenOffice, offered OneNote, a note-taking program that no open-source or web-based alternative could match. I could run these applications in a virtual machine quite easily—or through WINE—but only by sacrificing speed, hard disk space, and convenience. To me, it just wasn't worth it. Then there were the games. Once I got my hands on powerful hardware, the endless supply of PC games was a huge factor in my decision. 3D games for Linux did exist, but in minute numbers, and using a technology (OpenGL) that was much less powerful than the proprietary DirectX.

The reasons I migrated back to Windows did not rest solely with the Microsoft side of the equation. From the start, Ubuntu had been a challenge to get working. Video, audio, and network drivers were sometimes a nightmare to set up, and if an open-source driver had not been written for the hardware in your computer, you were SOL when it came to using any Linux distro. Even when drivers existed, they often refused to install, or their use impaired another part of the system (e.g. proprietary nVidia drivers ruling out the use of the Plymouth boot splash). Though all administrative operations were strictly password-protected, it was all to easy to irreparably destroy or cripple your system. I won't get into the gory details, but there have been many occasions on which I was forced to reinstall Ubuntu, where it wasn't my lack of understanding that prevented the system from being recovered. The practice of constantly backing up my home folder and a list of all installed packages became a necessary chore. Granted, I fooled around with my system more than anyone should, but an OS shouldn't be that easy to break.

I never explicitly decided to switch back to Windows, but as time went one, I started using Windows more and more, instead of my beloved Ubuntu. After using 7 exclusively for months, I deleted my Ubuntu partition.

Why I Will Never Give Up on Linux

There is no doubt that Linux is a fundamentally faster, more secure, and more secure operating system, due to features such as the monolithic kernel. The APT system for software installation and management is more efficient and elegant than what Windows can offer, and virtual desktops still haven't been perfected under 7, even through third-party applications. It is, at its core, a better product than Microsoft's Windows. Even the philosophy behind Linux is more admirable, and the open-source and free software movements are certainly worth supporting. Not t mention, you can't argue with the price. 

I follow and support the work of Canonical and the Ubuntu community, and I'm inspired by the progress they've made with Unity and other projects. However, these programs just aren't ready for mainstream use. To get the best features out of Ubuntu, one must commit to using development versions of the OS, which are at times so unstable that using them is incredibly frustrating. The entire Linux ecosystem is a quickly changing landscape, and although it is the site of great innovation, Linux just isn't ready for mainstream desktop usage. That is why I chose to use Windows as my primary OS. But I will never give up on Linux entirely, and I plan to always keep it around in some form or another. I am sure that Linux will be complete someday, and with enough corporate support, perhaps the available applications, drivers, and users will continue to grow. Linux already dominates the webserver market, and all signs point to growth on more consumer fronts. It is only a matter of time.

Ryan O'Shea