There are countless opinions on this subject; some contributions have attempted to cite measurable criteria to suggest an objective comparison, while others dripped with subjectivity in every sentence. However, unlike the scenario in my teaser image, this is not a single athletic competition but a multi-event contest with countless disciplines—events that, when repeated at different venues, yield vastly different results, and which might turn out differently still if held at the same venue a month later.
I would now like to try to put my own opinion into words and illustrate it with examples. I, too, have my subjective experiences and preferences, but perhaps my thoughts can help you form your own opinion and—ideally—find the right solution for your specific use case. After all, every task a computer is meant to perform requires this balancing act to be carried out anew, and the computer itself alters the underlying parameters.
The most obvious point of contention is the hardware on which the operating system is intended to run. When purchasing a new device, one can choose it based—at least in part—on whether the manufacturer supports the desired operating system for that specific model (including drivers and utilities). However, if the computer is already owned, the situation becomes more complex. I cannot recall any personal experience involving an attempt to run Windows on a device designed for Linux, but the issues are fundamentally similar—with the exception of one point I intend to address later. That said, I do have two examples that illustrate a feasible scenario and a nearly impossible one, respectively.
The case was brought to my attention: an ancient, gifted PC (Windows 7 with Microsoft Office) saved the day, but you were able to get a big tower from your employer that had previously been used as a Windows terminal server. Not suitable for Windows 11 and without an operating system. My objection that Windows 10 would be possible, but that it would no longer receive security patches and would therefore represent an extremely easy target for viruses and worms, with the reference to the not insignificant costs for Windows and Office licenses, made a Linux at least seem possible. But I digress...
It's not a big challenge to run Linux on a former Windows server made up of desktop components (processor and mainboard). A Live Linux also allows the future user to easily try out the system before anything is changed on the computer - even if there is still functional Windows on it. Trying out LibreOffice Calc broke the ice in my case. The Linux Mint installation was completed in a very short time, with LibreOffice already included, which saves a lot of time compared to Windows and Microsoft Office (or LibreOffice). All hardware components were recognized and put into operation automatically. When I hadn't heard anything after 2-3 weeks, I asked how Linux and LibreOffice would work: no complaints!
A few years ago, I bought a gaming laptop. My plan was to set up a dual-boot configuration with Linux Mint first, then gradually migrate my applications and data—or try out alternative software if migration wasn't feasible. I could always boot into Windows, of course—the hardware supports Windows 11, so a switch wasn't strictly necessary—but it was something I wanted to do. Since Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, it includes that distribution's driver manager, allowing me to install the appropriate Nvidia driver for the dedicated graphics card with just a few clicks. At first, switching between the integrated AMD graphics and the dedicated Nvidia GPU seemed to work fine. However, after a few hours, persistent stuttering prompted me to troubleshoot the issue. Applications would pause inexplicably after launching, and navigating between directories in the file manager caused the display to freeze for seconds at a time. Yet, the logs showed nothing unusual. Swapping the Nvidia driver for the Nouveau driver instantly changed the behavior—though I’m not sure why. Afterward, the driver manager promptly offered me a newer Nvidia driver than the one previously marked as "recommended," but by then, I had lost interest in further experimentation.
For those in the know: It’s an Acer Nitro 5 laptop! For those less in the know: Acer offers absolutely no support for any operating system other than Windows. I had to do some research just to get the keyboard backlighting working and eventually track down some scripts on GitHub. It’s a similar story with the Logitech mouse; while it is recognized as an input device, the lack of proper support means it has a habit of surprising me with a dead battery at the most inconvenient moments. Even with the Solaar package, I’m still struggling to get the scroll wheel working properly—though I do at least get low-battery warnings now. And so it went with a lot of little things—nothing major, but very time-consuming—constantly having to tinker with things that used to just work.
Beyond the driver issues, I also struggled with a few applications. Sometimes there are simple solutions—like Bottles—to get something like GOG Galaxy up and running. Other things were surprisingly frustrating; I had expected to be able to swap out Outlook (which I’ve used for years) for Thunderbird. However, I have a rather unconventional network setup where Outlook doesn't store its data files locally but accesses them via a network share. This allows me to access the same mailboxes from different devices, even though many are configured as POP3 accounts that don't leave emails on the server. Thunderbird doesn't handle this well—even when using the same profile directory—which is a shame, as it seems like the perfect tool to bridge the gap between a Windows desktop and a Linux laptop. So, sticking with Outlook it is. But the community has a solution for that, too: WinBoat—a Windows installation running inside a Docker container. It works quite well. Thanks to FreeRDP’s "seamless apps" feature, an Outlook instance set up this way integrates into the desktop just like a native Linux application. That said, you do need your own Windows license, since it is essentially a virtual installation that requires activation. It’s starting to get a bit questionable, though...
After two days of extensive testing—during which everything actually worked quite well—I noticed that the underside of the notebook was getting uncomfortably warm, even though the device wasn't really being pushed hard; I was still just tinkering with it. Although I already had a CPU temperature display on my desktop via Conky, I installed the lm_sensors package as a precaution to get a clearer picture. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to access the notebook's fan control. The claim was that the device didn't have PWM-controlled fans—but I knew better.
There is a solution for everything. The question is whether the effort is justified or if the resulting solution meets the user's needs. Even an Adobe Lightroom installation can be integrated into the Linux desktop using WinBoat. I also mentioned Bootles earlier. KVM can provide virtual machines, and alongside Docker, there are LXC containers for easily maintainable services. Thanks to Valve—with its Steam Deck and the Proton software developed for it—there has long been a solution for Windows-based games that can run some titles even better than on Windows, without any tinkering; however, not every game is compatible. On the other hand, there is an overwhelming variety of applications available for Windows. The real challenge lies in separating the wheat from the chaff.
So, which operating system is better? Well, that depends... There is no single "all-in-one" solution that does everything perfectly. First, you need to clarify some fundamental questions:
There are other questions, of course, but I find it more important to consider whether the answers to the questions raised so far give rise to new ones. Then there are straightforward considerations—such as the cost of additional licenses (as in the first example) or whether an open-source solution might meet the same requirements. In the case of a planned migration, for instance, one could install LibreOffice alongside an existing version of Microsoft Office on Windows; after all, it is often not the technical requirements that complicate a migration, but rather a reluctance to change. Trying things out in a familiar environment can work wonders.
The example of my own notebook highlights yet another issue. Even when the hardware is well-supported, the solutions required to keep specific software running can be extremely resource-intensive. Every additional container—and especially every virtual machine—running in the background consumes more memory and CPU time than a natively running application. Do I have the necessary resources, or can I upgrade them? And are the upgrade costs justified by the intended benefits? Might solutions like these introduce unmanageable complexity? How can these containers and VMs be backed up, and how simple is the process in the end? Can it be automated?
If a requirement cannot be met, perhaps it is simply the wrong distribution? 😈
Even though I generally prefer open software, I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a single "better" operating system. It always comes down to weighing which solution better meets the specific requirements. The important thing is to ask the right questions before making any changes—and not to shy away from revisiting decisions once made if new answers emerge! Feel free to share your thoughts on this topic on the Fediverse.