In a candid reflection published this week, technology journalist Andrew Cunningham of The Verge detailed his three-month journey after switching his primary desktop computer from Windows to the Linux distribution CachyOS, declaring that he "doesn’t miss Windows at all." Cunningham, who made the switch in January, described the transition as smoother than anticipated, with only minor hiccups that he ultimately found satisfying to resolve. His experience highlights a growing interest among tech enthusiasts in open-source alternatives amid frustrations with Microsoft's operating system updates and interface changes.
Cunningham installed CachyOS, a rolling-release distribution based on Arch Linux, on his desktop without extensive prior research, aiming to use it as his main machine. "Since then I have booted into Windows exactly twice: once to scan a multipage document that wasn’t scanning right in Linux, and once to print a photo for my kids’ school on extremely short notice," he wrote. This limited reliance on his previous setup underscores the viability of Linux for everyday computing, even for someone accustomed to Windows for nearly two decades.
The journalist noted that the initial novelty of Linux quickly faded into normalcy. "It’s not exactly like a less annoying version of Windows, though it is less annoying than Windows, but it’s been a much easier transition than I thought it would be," Cunningham explained. He encountered extra steps for installing some applications, which were sometimes simpler than on Windows and other times more challenging, but overall, the system felt "calmer and more robust."
One of the early issues Cunningham faced involved his HP OfficeJet 8720 printer, a device he humorously called his "nemesis." Despite retaining it, he managed to make it functional on Linux, though not without effort. Hardware-specific quirks also arose, such as with his gaming mouse, which initially only worked within games. "Fortunately, everything that’s gone wrong so far has only gone slightly wrong, like a gaming mouse that only works in games, and most of it has been pretty funny," he recounted.
A standout feature of CachyOS that impressed Cunningham was Snapper, a built-in imaging service that creates snapshots of the operating system before updates, allowing easy rollbacks. However, the default 2GB boot partition filled up quickly with the standard 50 snapshots, prompting a manual resize. "There was only one thing to do: boot back into the live image, shrink my rightmost partition by 2GB, and slide every volume on the disk to the right of the boot partition over by 2GB, one at a time, to make room to expand the boot partition," he described the process. Though tedious, he found it "kinda satisfying in a tactile way." CachyOS has since updated its installer to recommend a 4GB partition.
Networking troubles provided another learning curve. In January, Cunningham's desktop failed to obtain an IP address via Ethernet after waking from sleep unless Wi-Fi was connected first. After weeks of troubleshooting—installing new drivers, toggling IPv6, setting static IPs, and extending DHCP lease times—he traced the issue to an old setting on his Unifi router. "Several years ago, in an effort to get my multigenerational Sonos speakers to play nicely with my Unifi router (it’s a whole thing), I followed some advice on a forum and enabled STP — an older port-scanning protocol — on my networking switch," he revealed. Disabling STP not only fixed the Ethernet problem but also resolved inconsistent visibility of his Sonos Era 100 speaker in the app.
More recent annoyances include intermittent issues with the microphone on his Logitech Brio webcam, which sometimes cuts out mid-sentence during meetings. Cunningham suspects EasyEffects, an audio processing tool he installed, as the culprit but hasn't confirmed it. "This is probably because I installed EasyEffects, but I’m not sure yet," he said. With backup microphones and other devices available, the problem remains tolerable rather than urgent.
On a positive note, patience paid off for some desired features. Cunningham wanted text extraction from screenshots in KDE Plasma, a capability he missed from other systems. "The solution was to wait a week until Cachy updated to Plasma 6.6, which added that feature," he noted, praising the rolling updates of his distribution.
Software adaptations filled gaps left by Windows-exclusive apps. After readers suggested it, Cunningham adopted Zen browser, an open-source alternative to the Arc browser built on Firefox. "Several readers pointed me to Zen, which is basically Arc but open-source and built on Firefox, and it is indeed good enough," he acknowledged. He also installed a Spotify client from the Arch User Repository, set up Git, recompiled firmware for his ZMK number pad, and used Photopea, a web-based Photoshop substitute, for photo editing.
Security considerations led him to skip Howdy, a webcam-based facial recognition tool for Linux. "Windows Hello uses infrared 3D face mapping; by the developer’s own admission, howdy can apparently be fooled by a photo," Cunningham explained, opting instead for password entry. He contrasted this with the robust biometric investments by Microsoft and Apple, noting Linux's reliance on community volunteers as a disadvantage. Fingerprint authentication works well where supported, but his desktop lacks a reader.
Gaming on CachyOS has been largely successful, though Cunningham avoids competitive titles with anti-cheat software. Using his RTX 4070 Super graphics card, he ran Minecraft: Bedrock Edition via MCPE Launcher, Hardspace: Shipbreaker through Heroic Games Launcher, and titles like Esoteric Ebb, Caves of Qud, and Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam without issues. His children enjoyed Minecraft for a few weeks before interest waned.
Hardware upgrades addressed some bugs; he replaced his problematic gaming mouse with a Keychron M5 vertical model, which performs reliably both in and out of games, even supplanting his trackball.
Reflecting on minor frustrations—like occasional sleep failures or language glitches—Cunningham emphasized their rarity. "It’s because those are outliers. It mostly just works, and figuring out how to fix the things that don’t is fun," he wrote. He contrasted this with Windows, where issues often stem from corporate decisions beyond user control, such as Bing integration in the Start menu or app renaming that breaks file associations.
Cunningham attributes his satisfaction to Linux's Unix philosophy of modular, single-purpose tools, likening it to "a box of Lego, rather than an action figure." Skills gained in configuring one aspect transfer to others, fostering a sense of empowerment. "I opted in to this situation; it wasn’t foisted on me," he said, comparing it to choosing to run for enjoyment rather than necessity.
While his Windows laptop remains for work and the Surface Pro's tablet functionality, Cunningham sees no need for Windows on his desktop. His account arrives amid broader discussions on operating system alternatives, as users seek more customizable and less intrusive computing experiences. As Linux distributions mature, personal stories like Cunningham's may encourage more switches, though challenges persist for non-technical users.