I'm being forced for a while to use MS Windows. As it is a small laptop I had a problem installing my favorite Linux distro due to the lack of some drivers and still have it trying other distros (linux). The important thing is I am now wondering what are the relative merits of one and the other.

From the point of view of the general user, all GUIs (99.9999% of users work in the GUI) are alike, call it MS Windows, call macOS. Same visual look, same shortcut keys. For a user like me, who can consider himself final user inta the most general way, these are the things that matter because my needs in space and speed are minimal.

For instance, I was watching youtube, decided to share the video with my sister, I pressed 'share', wrote do you like this? and pressed the 'Send' button. When I had Linux I would have been forced to configure the mail client first (may be because it was slackware). There's something much more important. In non open source OSs, take MS Windows, there is no untidiness. The GUI, and I am forced to speak about Slackware my knowledge about other distros is small, gives example: when in the file manager first key stroke marks the second file name in the window. But if I am saving a page in the web browser, it marks the first.

A bigger untidy thing: suppose you are in the GUI and you press the Caps Lock key so you now type in capitals. Go now to a text console (dev/ttyN): you will be lucky if the text console remembers the state of that key when you had switched to the GUI. If you are at that moment frequently switching between console and GUI you are like to get crazy. So I have some cons for open source distros. On the other side I just happen to find out you can't disable updates in Windows 10! And the updates keep filling the hard disk. Also I've learned that, while in Linux every system behavior is described in a text file, Windows uses special formats for these files, need a special editor they provide. I went over to Linux because I considered Windows hermetic. So here I have pros for open source operating systems. The aim of this post is to get some other pros and cons, knowing there a here people who uses MS Windows.

I last used MSWindows back in 1999, & have been using Linux (& BSD) ever since without any problems.

Your first hurdle to overcome is the way that that one OS worked - Linux/BSD is not MSWindows, MacOS is not MSWindows.

You just need to realise that these OS are different!

As for distros to look at, my preference is AntiX, but you would likely be better served by MX Linux.
http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

Everything is a tradeoff. As Heinlein said, "TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". Consider your related youtube share for a moment. It too is a choice, a matter of tradeoffs. On the Windows side you have convenience. You just click one button, in this case the "Share" button, and it shares... but that function is there whether you want it to be or not. You have opted for convenience over the power to control since you really have no idea just what all that "Share" button does or can do since you didn't configure it as you must in Slackware. Turn over enough such decisions to others and you stagnate and grow weak and worse, utterly dependent.... use a crutch long enough....., right?

Furthermore if you want to look into what that "Share" button does, as but one example, in Windows, it is entirely possible that you will never find out since even Administrator, even with an addon to increase privilege, still leaves MS as the ultimate controller disallowing you access wherever it chooses. You don't own your Windows PC. You lease it.

Must we also discuss security, background processes, forced updates, cryptic error messages, spying even of entire encrypted disks, etc etc etc to list the number of ways you abdicate control when you run Windows vs/ Linux?

It is interesting that you have experience with Slackware since it leaves almost everything up to you, the installer/admin/owner. However once you set it up the way you decide from then on it offers considerable convenience since who knows better than you what you want? It should be obvious that convenience offers powerful seduction since even Linux has derivatives headed in that "convenient" direction. Ultimately the choice is yours. Do you take the Blue Pill or the Red Pill?

I took the Red Pill.

It's not for everybody, some are more suited to the Blue Pill...

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BSD is systemd free
remember Snowden's leaks the U.S. government is spying on everybody it can in violation of the law
well Red Hat is a U.S. government contractor
I'm willing to bet that there is a U.S. government back door built in to systemd

@enorbet cited Heinlein -> Slackware -> Morpheus.

Woah.

Now, what was this thread all about ...

Personally, I prefer colorful language.

And as for me, "there's one of everything" in my office, because I routinely use Windows (ick ...), Linux, and OS/X for different purposes on pretty much a daily basis. For my ordinary personal tasks, I use OS/X, not Windows.

I have nothing of real worth to add to this topic, but your username is awesome.

I suppose I'm getting increasingly redpilled.

Relevant pic attached.

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Lysander, now that I've spat Earl Grey all over my desk, you must share where you found that picture.

I am assuming if you follow the progression upward out of the hole, Slackware is in the clouds with Bob.

OT - ChuangTzu, Speaking of Earl Grey have you ever tried blending Earl Grey and an Orange Pekoe like Constant Comment? Ice that potion and the Smokey Orange concoction is Summertime Nectar of the Gods.

Back on Topic - Well, syg00, I thought it was about wishing for popular, seductive illusions instead of just taking the bridle and mounting up. Oh crap! another allusion! This time to horses and wishes. Oh well it could've been Merle Haggard - Rainbow Stew
Personally I still think the only thing MS could make that doesn't suck is vacuum cleaners. OK OK I won't quote the "polish a turd' reference.

The thing to remember about operating systems is that each is a bit better than the last.

At SOMETHING.

And generally the people use each most have the most difficult time defining what that is.

The answer you require is probably the one only YOU can find, and only after you "play with things a while".

Made a note and will try it.

PS: nah, I'm sure that would be the first vacuum that lacks suction ever, in fact they would market it as a feature called suckless vacuum, it would be an experience, upgrades would cause it to suck more, which would require reboots to have it suckless, damn...turned this into the will not be mentioned init again...sorry guys...

OT and only because it was mentioned, the best thing MS ever made IMO is the USB Optical Trackball mouse. I still use the one I bought when they first came out in 1998 and recently as a few days ago looked at buying another on ebay.

True! I actually use the MS USB Optical Mouse as well, but not the trackball model. But they are good mice.