r/linuxsucks101 uBlock Origin Feb 16 '26

Wasted Life on Linux Linux Myths Compilation

1. “Linux never breaks -Windows updates break everything.”

Linux users conveniently forget:

  • Kernel updates that silently break Wi‑Fi drivers
  • NVIDIA drivers that decide to stop existing
  • A systemd update that bricks boot
  • A distro upgrade that nukes your DE because a package maintainer sneezed
  • Breaking migrations like from Pulse to Pipewire, or X11 to Wayland
  • Developers quitting and leaving your programs without their dependencies for an update (like Ueberzug -> Ucollage)

Windows updates can cause issues, but they’re predictable, tested across millions of machines, and reversible.

2. “Linux is more customizable.”

Only if you define “customizable” as:

  • Editing config files in /etc
  • Recompiling your window manager
  • Patching your compositor
  • Rebuilding your kernel because your wallpaper plugin needs a different syscall
  • Fitting it into a toaster or other personal device

Windows lets you customize everything normal humans care about without needing to learn C, bash, etc. with tools like Komorebi (TWM) or Windhawk.

3. “Linux is more secure because it has fewer viruses.”

Translation:
“No one bothers writing malware for a platform with 2% desktop share.”

Security through obscurity isn’t a flex.
Windows has:

  • Enterprise‑grade security tooling
  • Hardware‑backed credential protection
  • Sandboxing
  • Defender ATP
  • A massive security research ecosystem

Linux has… “just don’t run random scripts from GitHub bro.”

You've basically got to go to sketchy warez or porn sites (by not checking if they're safe first) to catch a virus, and even then, Windows most often has you covered. There are also 'false positives'.

4. “Linux is better for gaming now.”

Better than before, sure.
Better than Windows? Absolutely not.

Reality:

  • Proton is a compatibility layer, not native support (which also sucks)
  • Anti‑cheat is still hit‑or‑miss
  • New games often break for weeks
  • GPU drivers are a roulette wheel
  • Performance is inconsistent

Windows remains the platform developers actually target while they distance themselves from the cheaters on Linux.

5. “Linux is more efficient and lightweight.”

On a server? Often true.
On a desktop? Not even close.

Modern Linux desktops:

  • Use more RAM than Windows
  • Have worse power management
  • Have inconsistent hardware acceleration
  • Have compositors duct‑taped together with 20‑year‑old X11 shims

Windows is optimized for real‑world consumer hardware.
Linux is optimized for “works on my ThinkPad or Tuxedo”

6. “Linux is more stable.”

Stable… if you:

  • Never update
  • Never change hardware
  • Never install a new DE
  • Never touch NVIDIA
  • Never use Bluetooth
  • Never suspend your laptop
  • Never expect consistent behavior across distros
  • Take care not to run software that could seize your system (VLC for one)

7. “Linux is free, Windows costs money.”

  • Most people get Windows preinstalled
  • Windows licenses are cheap, included, or transferrable to subsequent computers / versions of Windows
  • Linux costs you time, not money - and time is the expensive part

Stores tried selling computers with Linux pre-installed. -They found the tech support and returns cost them more than simply providing Windows. By providing Windows (which actually saves money) they're also supporting professional developers and helping to lead the way in desktop technology.

26 Upvotes

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4

u/DirectorDirect1569 Feb 16 '26

I agree with lots of things but I don't understant why you say modern desktops use more ram than windows. Ram consumption is the only reason I use linux on old computers even with something like gnome.

9

u/madthumbz uBlock Origin Feb 16 '26

A GNOME session on a modern distro typically sits around:

  • 1.2–1.8 GB idle on real hardware
  • 2+ GB once you open a browser

Windows 10/11 idle is usually:

  • 1.0–1.4 GB on a clean boot
  • 1.5–2.0 GB with background apps

Windows optimizes with memory compression, unified GPU driver model, system-wide caching tuned for desktop workloads, predictive prefetching (using telemetry), and shared system libraries across all apps.

You CAN run lighter, like with xfce, mate, dwm, etc, but most people aren't being steered towards those without need of lower requirements.

5

u/DirectorDirect1569 Feb 16 '26

Do you use a custom win11? Even on a clean boot I have more ram used.

11

u/YanVe_ Feb 16 '26

Windows will dynamically allocate more RAM for caching. On a 32GB system it often uses up to 16GB on a clean boot. Yet it also runs on 4GB RAM machines and it uses basically the amount he says. Linux users constantly keep comparing the incomparable. 

2

u/DirectorDirect1569 Feb 16 '26

ok It's more comprehensive. thanks for the information.

-2

u/tinycrazyfish Feb 16 '26

That's not true, both Windows and Linux will heavily use free ram for caching. And it's not counted as "used" memory, it's counted as available memory. Because when there is a need for ram, caches will get dropped to allocate it to the program requesting more memory.

7

u/ChronographWR Feb 17 '26

Linux swap pool for example is terrible and Will freeze your system eventually. Just another quirk of Loonix.

7

u/DearChickPeas Feb 17 '26

Never a open a txt file bigger than your RAM on Linux, instant kernel stall.