Using Linux in 2026 is more viable than you may think. Although the operating system (OS) has powered much of the world's servers for decades, it remains a severely unpopular choice for desktop and laptop systems. This is largely down to game and app support on Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS, which have traditionally offered superior experiences to Linux. That's no longer the case, and many Linux distributions (distros) are more polished than commercial operating systems. If you're coming from Windows, here are a few things that will surprise you to learn about Linux.

You don't need to touch the CLI

Though I recommend you do

Contrary to what the media would have you believe, you don't need to touch the command-line interface (CLI) in Linux. Sure, there are instances where you may need to run a command or two, but it's possible to install a Linux distro and never touch the terminal. Like macOS and Windows, the development of Linux has allowed the OS to come a long way and mature greatly. It's now possible for anyone without much technical expertise to set up and use a Linux-powered PC without much trouble.

The community is incredibly helpful with plenty of resources available for learning just about everything there is to know about Linux. Pick a user-friendly distro such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint, and you're already well on your way to building a powerful (and free!) PC. Plenty of apps and services support Linux, and if there's no official offering on the platform — looking at you, Adobe Photoshop — free alternatives can take their spot. I much rather use GIMP and Darktable) over Photoshop these days.

Proton makes gaming a reality

Play all your favorite games

Linux used to suck at gaming. I would always have to dual-boot Windows with a Linux distro just to have Microsoft's OS at the ready should I wish to enjoy a few hours in virtual worlds. That's no longer required thanks to the wonderful set of tools known as Proton. Developed by Valve for the Steam Deck, the company inadvertently created the greatest thing to happen to Linux since the ext file system. With Proton, you can install and play most games through Steam without having to jump through any hoops.

Click install, wait for Steam to download the game files, and hit play when it's ready. The game will load up and run as it would on Windows, so long as there's some degree of support through Proton. ProtonDB is a community-run website devoted to reviewing how Windows games play through Proton, providing each title with a rating. If you already own a Steam Deck, all the games you can enjoy on the portable gaming handheld will run on your Linux-powered desktop, but better with all the extra horsepower.

Everything just works

No, really. Everything works!

I recall a time when it was easy to run into OS-breaking issues with Linux. You would make a few changes, run some software that bloated the installation and sucked up any remaining RAM, and it was more disjointed than it is today. Linux is completely different now, and distros have been able to mature to the point where it's possible to completely customize a distro and its desktop environment (DE) without breaking everything because you don't happen to have a computer science degree.

I've been running Hyprland through Arch Linux and have had a blast customizing it on my laptop, improving productivity with a sleek interface to boot. Gnome is one of the more popular DEs and is used by Ubuntu among others because of its reliability and simplistic design. A Linux install with Gnome will even give macOS a run for its money on looks. There's so much choice available that everyone can have the opportunity to craft their own operating system, allowing their PC to look unique on the inside, outside, and on-screen.

Linux powers most of the world's servers

It's everywhere around you

Linux is a stable OS used to run complex systems, such as web servers and database clusters. When you're next browsing a website, streaming some media, or playing an online game, there's a good chance you're passing through and using Linux-powered hardware. This also makes it great for running a PC, be it a desktop or laptop. It can also run on a variety of hardware. While Apple and Microsoft set strict requirements on their latest OS versions, you can usually get some Linux distro to run on old hardware.

Modern distros are rock-solid, as are all the packages and dependencies they rely on. Having much of it open-source for community verification and development allows for improvements and quick bug fixes to be implemented. If you encounter any problems along the way, there's a better chance it'll be patched sooner.

It's free and open-source

No payment today, tomorrow, ever

To use macOS, you need to purchase a Mac from Apple. For Windows, you can technically use it for free, but to make the most of the OS as Microsoft intends you to do, you'll need to fork out for a license. Linux is free. Some distros have commercial licenses for the code and features they build on top of the underlying foundation, but the Linux kernel and everything that comes with it are available for free. It's why you can frequently hop between Linux distros, using Ubuntu one week and Fedora the next.

Linux and most of the stuff that runs on top is also open-source, meaning everyone (including yourself) can check through the code, flag issues and bugs, and even recommend improvements. Countless communities are working on improving free and open-source software (FOSS), so if you're a budding coder and want to lend a hand with projects, Linux is a great place to start. And if you don't have the time to learn to code, you can simply enjoy the results of all this hard work with flawless software support.

Give Linux a go today

The best part about some Linux distros is the live environment. This allows you to boot up the Linux distro without affecting your existing Windows installation. Everything is loaded from the USB drive to RAM, and the OS runs as normal, outside of being slightly sluggish with slower transfer speeds of the USB drive. But you can spend hours here navigating around the OS, seeing how everything works, and even install an app or two to see how you can complete the same daily tasks you use your Windows PC for.