I started using Linux in March 27, 2026 so it really is the First Month
Why do I Switched?
To be honest, I don’t have a dramatic reason. Windows has its problems, but you can fix many of them with tools like winutil, StartAllBack, FilePilot, and even Massgrave. So it’s not like I was running away from a broken system.
Still, a few things pushed me toward Linux:
- Windows started feeling boring.
- All my apps except one (raddebugger) work on Linux.
- I mostly play single‑player games, and I don’t even touch ultra‑realistic 3D titles.
Which Distro do I pick?
I chose Fedora – specifically Fedora Workstation, which comes with the GNOME desktop environment.
Why Fedora? Linus Torvalds himself says he uses Fedora, and that was good enough for me. And I went with Workstation (GNOME) for a particular reason.
I should come clean: this isn’t my very first time using Linux. I’ve used Linux Mint on an old, weak laptop (worked great until the laptop died – not Mint’s fault). Then I ran Fedora KDE on an HP laptop, which was fine, but after I got a tablet for school, that laptop became a server running Ubuntu Server. So I already had some Linux experience. But this time, I feel like I’m not going back to Windows.
Many desktop environments try to mimic Windows to preserve muscle memory. KDE does this well, but for me, that felt boring. It’s a great DE if you want a familiar feel – I recommend it to people who want a smooth transition. But I wanted something that truly felt like a different operating system. GNOME gives me that.
Using GNOME
I try to keep GNOME as vanilla as possible – not a ton of extensions or heavy tweaks. And you know what? I love it. That might be a hot take, but it’s true.
That said, a few extensions feel essential for me:
- Alphabetical App Grid
- AppIndicator and KStatusNotifier Item
- Caffeine
- Tailscale QS
People often say “GNOME gives you a macOS‑like experience on Linux.” You can certainly make it look like that with extensions, but many users end up disappointed by that comparison. My take: GNOME feels original and unique to Linux. Enjoy it for what it is.
Another thing I appreciate is app consistency. Back when I used KDE, every time I installed an app, its interface looked out of place. After some research, I realized that GNOME apps have much better uniformity. I hate to say it, but many KDE apps feel dated compared to their GNOME counterparts (though Krita and Kdenlive are absolute gems).
Applications (and Flatpaks, And AppImages)
Modern Linux distros offer multiple package formats. Fedora gives you RPM, Flatpak, and AppImage. All are useful, but I follow a simple rule:
- For development tools: use the RPM version (or compile from source).
- For Chromium‑based browsers: use RPM.
- For utility apps: prefer AppImage or Flatpak, depending on what the developer provides (mostly Flatpak).
- For everything else: Flatpak.
I really like AppImages and Flatpaks. Yes, they take up more storage and might be slower (though I never notice a difference), but their reliability makes up for it.
Tip: Use GearLever to manage your AppImages.
Application Support – What Works (and What Doesn’t)
| Application | Status |
|---|---|
| VS Code | Works |
| Sublime Text | Works (GNOME themes look terrible, though) |
| Brave Browser | Works (open source) |
| GIMP | Works (obviously) |
| Krita | Works |
| Kdenlive | Works |
| qBittorrent | Works |
| VLC | Works |
| Microsoft Office | Switched to OnlyOffice |
| raddebugger | Not yet – but there are plans (and a beta version) |
You might wonder why I chose OnlyOffice over LibreOffice. Both are fine, but OnlyOffice’s interface feels more familiar to a former Microsoft Office user. You can theme LibreOffice to look like MS Office, but OnlyOffice looks better out of the box and has saner defaults. So that’s what I use.
As for debugging: right now I’m stuck with VS Code’s debugger, and I genuinely dislike it. I want raddebugger now (especially for debugging game crashes). But it’s fine – I can wait.
Conclusion
One month in, I’m not going back to Windows. This isn’t a dramatic breakup story; Windows still works, and you can make it perfectly usable. But Linux – specifically Fedora Workstation with GNOME – has given me something Windows couldn’t: a fresh, cohesive, and genuinely interesting desktop experience.
The apps I need are there (with one minor exception). The workflow feels deliberate and different, not just a clone of what I already knew. And the package management via RPM, Flatpak, and AppImage, while sometimes storage‑heavy, has been rock‑solid.
If you’re bored with Windows, if you don’t rely on kernel‑level anti‑cheat multiplayer games, and if you’re willing to embrace a different way of interacting with your computer – give Linux a real shot. Try Fedora. Try GNOME without trying to turn it into macOS or Windows. You might be surprised how quickly it starts feeling like home.