Why More People Are Leaving Windows 11 for Linux

From Commodore to Windows 11, A Long Journey

My computing journey began with the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128. Later they were replaced by what was then proudly called an IBM-compatible PC, running MS-DOS and accompanied by what felt like a 400-page Microsoft manual.

Then came Windows 3.11, not a real operating system, but a graphical interface running on top of MS-DOS.

After that:
Windows 95,
Windows 98,
Windows 98 SE (arguably the best of its time),
Windows NT,
Windows 2000,
and Windows XP.

Anyone who used those versions probably remembers the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.”

In my opinion, the golden era peaked with Windows 7.
Windows 8 was a disaster.
Windows 10 was solid and introduced fast boot.
And now we have Windows 11.

My Early Linux Experiments

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I experimented with Linux for the first time.

Back then, distributions like Red Hat Linux and Debian required heavy terminal use. No polished graphical interface. It felt like going back to DOS, except now it was called “the terminal.”

With limited time and a steep learning curve, Project Linux v1 was abandoned.

Later I tried SUSE Linux and Fedora Linux, which offered graphical environments. They were promising, but I couldn’t get my internet connection working due to proprietary hardware from my ISP. Project Linux v2 ended the same way.

I even experimented with FreeBSD for a home web server. Terminal-only again. Interesting, but short-lived.

Governments and Companies Are Switching

What caught my attention recently is that it’s no longer just hobbyists switching to Linux.

The city of Munich has a long history of migrating parts of its administration to Linux. Even parts of the Government of Denmark have moved toward open-source solutions.

Small businesses are reconsidering subscription costs. Larger organizations are looking at digital sovereignty and cost control. Microsoft’s push toward subscription-based ecosystems and hardware requirements is accelerating the shift.

The Windows 11 Frustration

My desktop PC came with Windows 10 and was declared “not compatible” with Windows 11 because my CPU was one generation too old.

According to Microsoft, I should have recycled perfectly working hardware, at least, this is how I look at it.

Instead, I bypassed the compatibility check and installed Windows 11 anyway. It has been running flawlessly for over half a year.

That raised a serious question:
Was the limitation technical, or strategic?

Add to that:

• Advertisements in the operating system
• Preinstalled “bloatware”
• Forced updates
• Increasing subscription pressure for Microsoft 365

It feels less like owning software, and more like renting an ecosystem.

Reviving a 10+ Year-Old PC with Linux Mint

The real turning point came with my daughter’s old Windows 8 dell desktop. It took nearly an hour to boot. Another hour to start Minecraft or even basic applications.

After backing up her files (which took almost a week), I discovered Linux Mint.

I downloaded the ISO, flashed it using balenaEtcher, disabled Secure Boot in BIOS, and installed Mint, wiping the entire hard drive, including recovery partitions.

The result?

• Fast startup
• Working Wi-Fi immediately
• No driver drama
• Minecraft runs smoothly
• No waiting an hour

A 10+ year-old machine became usable again.

LibreOffice vs Microsoft Office

Linux Mint comes with LibreOffice preinstalled.

It handles documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without subscription fees. Files can be shared with schools or businesses using Microsoft Office, and they open without problems in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, or Excel.

For many users, that’s more than enough.

Is Microsoft Digging Its Own Grave?

In the late 90s, we jokingly called them “Micro$oft.”

Today, the joke feels less like satire and more like business strategy.

Forcing hardware upgrades.
Embedding ads into the OS.
Subscription-based productivity tools.

Meanwhile, Linux distributions are:

• Free
• Stable
• Lightweight
• Respectful of user control

Why recycle a perfectly working PC after five years?

Why push users toward unnecessary upgrades?

My conclusion: Microsoft may be accelerating its own decline, not because Linux suddenly became better (because it always has been), but because users are finally reconsidering what they truly need.

And sometimes, all it takes is reviving an old dell desktop to realize that freedom still exists.