Using Linux on desktop
I have used Arch on a Thinkpad X1 Carbon (7th gen) with i3 window manager since 2019. It’s mostly fine.
Pros:
- Tiling window managers with keyboard shortcuts are much more efficient than drag-and-drop (floating) window managers like macOS and Windows use.
- Programming is easy, most libraries are built for Linux. No need for third-party package managers like brew.
- Good security; you can set up encryption and firewalls and know that there’s no system telemetry going on. Also, you’re unlikely to get viruses, since the vast majority target Windows and Mac.
Cons:
- Battery life is maybe 80% of advertised amount, but there are tools to optimize this. I haven’t bothered.
- Bluetooth doesn’t work sometimes.
- Some software isn’t available (Photoshop, many video games).
- You’ll need to configure everything manually, including external monitors, wifi, mounting USB drives, etc. There are tools that automate some of these tasks, but you’ll have to install and configure them too (lmao).
- You might encounter arcane system errors if you do something wrong, and occasionally you’ll encounter them through no fault of your own.
The only feature I can’t live without is the tiling window manager. There’s also the fact that my laptop is basically indestructible, and not that expensive to replace if it gets lost or stolen. I don’t anticipate switching my setup any time soon.