And given the choice I made recently, it was interesting to see a link to this article pop up in my feed tonight (it may have been the prompt for this post). Perhaps we've reached one of those watershed moments and soon more people will do the same. Time will tell.

www.theverge.com/tech/823337/...

I'm very happy with where things have landed and am sure this represents the future for me. Would it work for you? Well, that depends. It's probably the case that for the average PC user, Linux is not straightforward, but if you're a tinkerer who likes a challenge, give it a go.

Of course, there are proprietary applications for which there is no Linux equivalent. So I've turned my operating model on its head: Rather than running Windows with Linux in a VM, now I'm running Linux on the desktop and only spinning up a Windows instance when I have a specific need to do so.

Apps wise, there are certainly things to get used to. But the challenge of adaptation is not insurmountable. In almost every case, the functionality I had in Windows has been replicated using comparable apps on Linux, though it helps being adventurous and comfortable with the CLI.

I've run various flavours of Linux in VMs for many years, so there was nothing unfamiliar to me once I was up and running. But performance wise, a VM instance is just a teaser; on bare metal it's on another level. Everything feels light, response and smooth, with not an ounce of bloat in sight.

I had baulked at nuking my W11 install in case Linux ended up not being workable in my use case. But then I remembered that I had a spare NVMe SSD that would suit my laptop, so I quickly swapped out the SSD and blasted Kubuntu onto the replacement.

For many years I've run Linux in VMs but W11 on the desktop. About a month back, I decided enough was enough and finally installed Linux on bare metal (Kubuntu, please don't hate me). Now I have Linux on the desktop and W11 in a VM in case I need it. I'm asking myself, why I didn't do this sooner?

I can guarantee it won't be there forever. What it will look like in the medium term future is the question. But I have confidence that the Bureau know there is a need for detail and that they have a plan for making this available, even if those products have to look a a bit different.

It mostly seems to be a case of learning where everything is now. The site has a new front end for the average user, but the technical stuff is still there if you're adventurous. Interestingly, all the detailed products are still hosted on the old site, so a lot of my bookmarks still work.

Why can't I like this more than once?

4/4: To be clear, I'm not nuking my Windows install just yet, but that day is getting closer. Rather than playing with Linux in VMs and using Windows for core business, perhaps a better model is Linux on the desktop and Windows in a VM only when required. That has a nice feel to it, so stay tuned...

3/4: And I can still do almost everything I did before on W11. Giving up the MS365 Office suite will be hard, but the online PWA versions are maturing and will fill a gap when I need them. The best part: no AI being forced down your throat via the OS or apps where that tech has no business being.

2/4: I would have thought that this config would be slow and glitchy, but it's been anything but. I'd go as far as saying it's more snappy than Windows, even when running over USB. That goes to show how light and efficient Linux can be compared to W11. (obviously I won't run it this way long term)

Whether it be wind or fire, it feels like someone, somewhere is going to have a bad day today.

Also, a tree fell on a bus at Katoomba Falls early this afternoon (nobody was harmed). The wind was particularly wild around lunchtime in Katoomba.