Windows 10 has reached end-of-life, and as Microsoft has continued to push unpopular and buggy updates to Windows 11, the urge to switch to Linux has never been higher. This is the Linux distro you should try first.
The problem with switching to Linux
Linux is famously flexible, almost to a fault. If you wanted to rip out entire sections of the operating system and replace it with something of your own, you could do that.
That flexibility applies to nearly everything about Linux operating systems in general. If you’re willing to throw sudo in front of a command, the operating system isn’t going to do much to stop you. Want a new desktop environment? No problem. Accidentally run a command that will delete a huge amount of files that shouldn’t be deleted? Unfortunately, that’s also no problem—unless you try to delete the root directory.
And it isn’t like you can completely avoid the command line, either. Most Linux distros, especially the big ones, have made huge strides towards a more user-friendly experience. Despite those gains, you’re going to eventually need to use the Terminal for something, and there is no shortage of dangerous or bad advice on the internet.
The very openness that makes Linux so appealing to tinkerers also makes wading in for the first time a minefield if you’re not careful.
Fedora Kinoite solves all of those problems.
Immutable distros like Kinoite are safer for everyone
Immutable distros aren’t like most other Linux distros. As the name suggests, immutable distros are extremely difficult or impossible to change accidentally. That means using the wrong command isn’t likely to seriously break your PC in any way, since the operating system itself is safe from tampering.
That exact same feature also offers an additional layer of protection against malware. It is much harder to accidentally execute a malicious script that is going to embed a virus in your operating system when you can’t modify the operating system in the first place.
As one final bonus, immutable operating systems usually get updates in all or nothing format. In other words, when the system attempts to apply an update, it either successfully applies the entire thing or the entire thing gets rolled back. There aren’t half updates that break some things while successfully updating others.
How to Prevent Windows 10 or 11 From Automatically Downloading Updates
Windows 10 and Windows 11 are notorious for their automatic updates.
Apps on Kinoite are more secure, safer, and more reliable
Most operating systems out there use some kind of app store, be it the Google Play Store, the Apple Store, or whichever system comes with your Linux distro. Kinoite takes that familiar setup but throws some important security features into the mix.
Normally, when you install an application to Windows or Linux, files are written all over the place as the program installs itself. Most of the time that isn’t a problem, but on rare occasion, something goes wrong during the installation process. That can result in corruption of the application, which means it won’t run even if it is “installed,” or issues where the newly installed program may interfere with other things you have installed already.
You also regularly run into issues where a program is looking for a dependency that you don’t have. Then you have to stop what you’re doing, install the dependency first, and then go back to installing the original program.
To avoid both of those problems, Kinoite uses Flatpaks. Flatpaks come with most of their dependencies bundled with them, which means you don’t need to worry about downloading obscure dependencies. Additionally, flatpaks are “sandboxed,” which means they won’t interfere with your operating system or any of the other applications on your PC.
Despite those benefits, flatpaks aren’t any harder to install than any other application on Windows. There is a central repository, Flathub, that has a huge range of applications available. Most of the time you only need to click “Install” when you find a program you like. If that doesn’t work, it also has the precise commands you need to copy and paste into the terminal.
Flathub Wants to Be the Ultimate Linux App Store
One app store for everyone.
KDE is the best desktop environment for Windows users
There are dozens of different desktop environments available for Linux, but I’m firmly convinced that the best one for Windows users is KDE Plasma.
The desktop, Start Menu, and taskbar can be configured to look and act almost exactly like the Windows equivalents, whether you want something that resembles Windows 7 or Windows 11.
The default file explorer included with KDE Plasma is Dolphin, which is even more feature-rich and constumizable than File Explorer in Windows.
The Settings app is different from the Settings app present in Windows, but those very differences actually make it the superior option.
Linux has a reputation for being difficult to learn and harder to master, and much of that comes from the occasional need to use the terminal. Kiniote doesn’t completely remove the need for the terminal in some cases, but it does make the terminal safer to use and less likely to cause problems.
Whether you’re new to Linux or a long-time Linux user trying to streamline their experience, an immutable distro is a great place to start.
