My Summer of Windows .. It Wasn't So Bad.

Man summer went by fast. I can't believe we're already a few days into October. The year really seemed to of flown by too! Soon enough the holidays will be upon us and a new year will begin! 2020, that number seems pretty wild to someone born in the late 60s.

As some of you may recall I bought a new inexpensive laptop at the beginning of summer and decided to keep the Windows 10 OS on it. I've been a full time Linux user since the demise of Windows 7. For the most part I really love Linux. I'm guessing it's been about 5 years or more since I've used a Windows machine full time. So... Let me tell you a little about the Summer of Windows and my final thoughts on Windows 10.

Being a Linux lover I have to admit it really wasn't that bad. There was actually a lot of things I loved and more than a few things I really didn't like at all. Honestly though, the things I didn't like are the things that make me really love using a linux computer. I like ending things on a positive note so I'll start with the things I disliked.

Forced Updates

God I hated this. Apparently there's no easy way to turn off updates. If Microsoft wants you to update your computer, your getting the update on the next reboot whether you like it or not. On top of that, evertime I got an update I had to spend the better part of an hour reconfiguring my WiFi. I still can't figure out what's going on there exactly.

The forced updates and the networking issues that resulted from it are probably my biggest pet peeves. Being a Linux user I'm used to selecting the packages I want updated and even whether or not I want the update at all. For the most part, if my machine is running fine I just take security updates. This isn't an option in Windows 10.

Spammy Software

This really wasn't an issue but more of another peeve I had with this product. SPAMMY SOFTWARE! It seemed no matter where I found software I wanted or needed, there would always be some added package I didn't want or sneaky checkbox trying sneak in some other program I didn't need. I also found some software or apps with advertisements like on an android device. That was just weird to me. You also have to be very careful about where you're downloading your software from. I do like the trusted sources Linux repositories offer and the lack of spam when installing software.

Lack of Configuration Options

This was my biggest issue and also the reason I'll eventually return to being a full time Linux user. The inability to configure the OS the way I want it. With Linux you can configure and change just about everything on the computer. With Windows, there just isn't an easy way to change most things. Windows sets up and configures everything for you and for the most part this is how it has to stay! I suppose that's a feature to many users but to me it's a deal breaker.

One example of this is the way my keyboard is setup on my computer. If you notice the PgDN, PgUp and End keys are in a terrible place. This isn't really an issue for me till I start coding for some reason. As soon as I start coding I end up fat fingering those buttons repeatedly! The solution I thought would be to shut off or remove those keys from the configuration. As far as I know this just isn't possible with Windows. I did find some software for twenty something dollars that claimed it could do the job for me, but I didn't like that idea at all. This seemed like something that should of been included in the OS for more advanced users. I had one other configuration issue too but I can't remember what it was, so it must not of been that big of a deal.

Now to be fair I'll say this, the configuration in Linux can also be a flaw. The laptop I'm using right now is a cheap Chinese laptop called a Jumper. Honestly, for $150 I couldn't be happier with it. However, the touchpad uses proprietary drivers and I've heard configuring it on a linux system is an absolute nightmare! Most peoples solution was, "Use a usb mouse." Honestly , this was the reason I decided to give Windows a try.

Outside of these few issues, I actually found the experience of using a Windows machine for the summer pleasant!

The Stuff I Liked

I have to admit, being a Linux snob, I didn't think I'd say this but there was a lot to like. I really didn't have a lot of issues with Windows besides the few peeves I just listed. The system ran stable for the most part. There was no "blue screen of death" as we used to call it. I don't think I crashed the computer once. This was really surprising to me.

Windows offers a lot of useful software now too. I found simple screen capture software for videos. Most of the imaging software was acceptable for basic edits. Paint is actually usable now. FOR THE LIFE OF ME THOUGH! WHY WON'T WINDOWS PUT A SPELLCHECK IN NOTEPAD! 30 years later and I still feel like an illiterate simp when I use Notepad.

Another thing that has changed over the years is the amount of open source software that's available for Windows now. I was able to use GiMP for more advanced image editing and LibreOffice for writing and spread sheets. This definitely made my transition to Windows much smoother.

I've heard this isn't a problem for many people but I was never able to share data between my Android phone and Ubuntu Linux. I'd accomplish it eventually, but not without a few headaches. I was surprised to discover that sharing data with my phone on Windows was pretty much plug and play. No problems at all. I liked that a lot.

I think it goes without saying and it's the reason most people use Windows, I did like the ease of use when installing different software and hardware. Everything is pretty much plug and play. That is nice. This isn't always the case with Linux. I remember installing PHP on my Linux laptop and it was a nightmare. I installed NodeJs on my Windows laptop last night and setup a local web server and it was so easy with Windows. Any hardware I installed was also a breeze. I also enjoyed having a printer again. For security reasons I don't run Cups with Linux and therefore opt out of having a printer.

Final Thoughts

I love Linux. It's just a matter of time till I return. I've actually been looking at Google PixelBooks which now come with an option to install Linux Beta. I'm seriously considering giving that a try. Surprisingly though, I think I'm also going to be an avid Windows user. Yes, the experience was pleasant enough that I think I will always have a second computer around running Windows. Frankly some things are just easier on a Windows computer and I found the experience rather enjoyable!

If you've read this far, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this article, I'll be writing a review on the Jumper EZ-Book shortly and also a more in depth article on Windows -vs- Linux. Till next time... Cheers!