Why Linux can’t save you from the “Windows-first” software world
Why Linux can’t save you from the “Windows-first” software world
https://www.howtogeek.com/linux-cant-save-you-from-windows/
Publish Date: 2026-02-26 09:30:00
Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com
Desktop Linux is doing better than it ever has before, partly because of missteps by Microsoft in the development of Windows and partly because of the work in the Linux community over the years to turn it into a serious competitor for everyday computer users.
But, like a cheesy slasher movie stalker, everywhere you look, there’s a glimpse of Windows. No matter how deep into the Linux world you go, you can’t get away from it completely.
You can install Linux, but you can’t uninstall years of Windows muscle memory
Unless you’ve traveled an atypical path in your PC journey, chances are that Windows is the graphical operating system you’re most familiar with. Even when you’re using GNOME or KDE Plasma, you probably still think of the button you click to open the primary menu as the “Start” button. Windows conventions still feel like the norm, and it’s probably one of the biggest sources of friction when you come over to Linux from Windows.
It’s why people think of Linux as being more “difficult” than Windows when, objectively, they are both very similar when it comes to user-friendliness for day-to-day computer work. If something like Ubuntu was your first operating system experience, it would be WIndows that seems strange and difficult from that frame of reference.
The apps you actually need still orbit Windows
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