Why I am using Windows 11 these days
Update Januray 31, 2024
Since writing the article, I have installed Ubuntu on my ASUS Zephyrus G15 because I use it mostly for generating images with Automatic1111 and other AI-powered software.
Original article:
A few weeks ago, I bought a new ASUS Zephyrus G15 laptop which came with Windows 10 Pro. After removing some of the bloat, I installed Blender in order to check out the powerful RTX 3080 graphics card. Specifically, I rendered the classroom scene to create a benchmark which would help me to understand the performance differences between Windows and Linux.
Spoiler alert! Windows 10 Pro was faster then Fedora 36 and the rest of this article is about me investigation what else Windows can do better then Linux.
As you know, there are countless Windows 11 reviews which criticize Microsoft’s latest edition in every way possible. The hypocrisy is mind boggling. Almost everyone expresses disgust about the mandatory Microsoft account in order to create the admin account. A few minutes into the review they casually mention to log in to Steam to play games and even worse, many of them have a Mac book close by. They have no problem registering an Apple ID but Microsoft is evil for requiring essentially the same altaugh there are “still” ways around it.
My use of computers
Again, to understand my statement that I will use more Windows and less Linux is not based on yesterday’s experience but rather on 30 years of creating digital content.
In the early 90s, I bought my first computer which was an Atari 1040 because it had an built-in MIDI port. The only software I used back then was called Final Cut which came with a ring binder filled with instructions and looked like this.
Because of the complexity, I switched my then home recording studio from the Atari platform to a sophisticated Roland workstation/keyboard which had recording and editing software built in.
By the mid 90s, I bought my first Windows computer which came with the 3.1 version of the operating system and yes, I was part of the crowd who stood in line (long line) to buy Windows 95. Those were exciting times and once Windows 98 arrived, I once again incorporated a PC into my home recording studio which had grown quite a bit since the Atari days.
Windows 98 was well accepted but did not work well with my Layla audio interface. This resulted in many crashes and to make a long story short, left a negative impression which still stays with me to this day. By the late 90s, I became interested in web design and when I discovered RedHat Linux, it was love at first site.
20+ years ago, building a PC was cheaper and in order to take advantage of Blender 0.9x, I’ve built a powerful dual CPU workstation which run Debian. Linux just worked and before long, I installed it on all of my computers. I never played any games but enjoyed making them with the Blender Game engine and chatting about the process in the Blender IRC channel. Remember IRC?
2009 was an exciting year. While working for a Vancouver-based printing company, I bought an iMac and over the next five years, developed a handful of music apps under the Little Composers brand which were available on iTunes. All in all, I enjoyed working with OS X but the all-in-one design proved to be unreliable and my iMac had to go in for repairs twice. Because of that, I switched back to using PCs running Linux only and life was good.
Zephyrus G15 laptop
About two months ago, I treated myself to a little luxury and bought an ASUS Zephyrus G15 laptop from Amazon which is an amazing machine. After installing Linux on the Zephyrus, I realized that the hardware is simply too new and for the time being, Windows 10 Pro will have to do.
So now I was back to actually having a computer on my home network which runs the Microsoft operating system. To test the powerful new hardware, I’ve installed Unreal Engine 5 which blew my mind.
I always knew that the Windows ecosystem has many software titles which weren’t available for Linux. But Unreal Engine and 3D Coat are a big deal, big enough to once more make me give Windows a second chance.
After using the Laptop and Windows 10 Pro for a few weeks, I registered with Microsoft to get the insider build of Windows 11 which I installed on my Dell workstation, temporarily (or so I thought) replacing Linux.
Conclusion
Both, Windows and Linux have come a long way. The latest version of Windows is a step in the right direction and I believe that I am not the only one who has noticed. What say you?