# Issues with Windows
Imagine this situation: you have only 2 minutes to an online quiz. You turn on your laptop. And you are presented with the “Finishing up Windows update” screen. And it says, “it might take several minutes”. How does that sound? It’s definitely not fun and not calming. You would probably be having an anxiety attack. If you are a Windows user, I believe you have gone through a similar situation already—or you will soon. What’s the solution? There are a handful of ones.
# Easy solutions
# Disable auto-update
We can disable auto updates. However, Windows will automatically switch it back on after some time. And it’s not the only issue Windows. Many user data is collected through telemetry on Windows, often without consent. It’s bloated with not-so-quality apps. Ads are placed in the core parts of the operating system. And there are more such features. I believe the point is clear.
# Run a de-bloat script
We can try one of the many Windows de-bloat scripts available on the internet. The script would remove the ads, stop auto-updates, remove bloated apps, and more. However, we must be very careful before using such a script. Extensive research is required to make sure the script works without issues, which might not be ideal for everyone.
# The Hard Solution
Another solution is migrating away from Windows. If your professional life depends on you using Windows, or if you are gamer, you can’t switch away.
If it’s possible, we have 2 choices: macOS or Linux. In the market, Windows, macOS and Linux captures 71.7%, 15.6% and 4% respectively.
# MacOS
MacOS is a paid, proprietary operating system by Apple. It’s stable and sleek. Majority of the software available on Windows, is also available on macOS. However, there are some exceptions such as Xilinx Vivado (FGPA design suite), SolidWorks (a prominent CAD software). macOS comes with Apple laptops and PCs only. Trying to install macOS on non-Apple hardware is illegal. If you can afford a Mac, that’s great!
# Linux
If not, Linux is the next best choice. Linux was initiated by Linus Torvalds and maintained by Linux Foundation. It’s free, open-source, more stable, more secure. It doesn’t have any bloated apps. No telemetry is collected. No ads. It uses less system resources compared to Windows. No automatic updates. It’s less prone to malicious programs. And it’s not backed by a monopoly. Wow! that’s a lot. That’s really a lot for a free software. What does this mean for a normal user? Linux would be a good fit for their day-to-day usage. Linux is even more suited for software engineers. It gives you maximum freedom over your computer.
Another awesome thing about Linux is, it has many flavors—or distributions. There are Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop OS, Fedora, Kali Linux, Arch Linux and more. Each distributions come with different themes, different default apps. The existence of many such flavors is another great reason to switch to Linux. We can customize them to our liking as well.
There’s a catch, as always. Linux is not the best choice for everyone. You may face driver issues. Software like Adbobe suite are not available on Linux. Of course, there are alternatives, but they aren’t as good. Majority of the games are not available either. We can try running games with Wine, a windows emulator.No operating system is perfect. Windows offers unmatched software compatibility and gaming support, and a variety of controversial features. macOS provides a sleek, stable environment but comes with a high cost and limited hardware options. Linux shines as a lean, secure, and customizable one. I believe Linux is ideal for majority of people, though it has compatibility issues to some extent.