this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2023
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    submitted 1 year ago by Linuxmemed to c/linuxmemes
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    [–] heliumlake 10 points 1 year ago

    I'll try to answer as best I can.

    Windows is a proprietary operating system. This means you are unable to view the source code and have to trust Microsoft that it isn't doing anything malicious. This goes with any proprietary program you purchase or otherwise use. Trusting Microsoft is however a tall order. They have a notoriously terrible track record when in comes to privacy. Telemetry, keyloggers, injecting ads in to the desktop, etc. For someone like me who values privacy and is concerned with commercial creep in to my personal spaces, this is intolerable.

    Conversely, any Linux distro is comprised of primarily free software. This means a majority of the operating system has been viewed and audited by many people, and any privacy concerns or exploits will be brought to attention sooner than later. Linux has a fundamentally different design and political philosophy than Windows. Contrary to its name, Windows is the black box you can't peer into and Linux lays all out to bare. Should you need a program to do something particular to your use-case, and it is free and open source, you may make those modifications with no legal repercussions. Depending on the license, you might even be able to share those modifications with other people so they might benefit as well. It's essentially the spirit of sharing vs. competition. Linux is a community of people wanting to make great software for others to use. Windows is a commercial product designed to lock you in to a cycle of consumption for the benefit of Microsoft, and Microsoft only. If you willingly give them your data for the sake of your own convenience, they will sell it.

    For your use-case, Linux Mint sounds like a great place to start. VS Code is available on Linux, and is super easy to install on Ubuntu/Debian-based distros like Mint. I'm not sure about Vegas, but despite what I wrote previously, there is nothing wrong with using an operating system for a tool you need as long as you accept the conditions that will come with it. YouTube can be viewed on any platform easily, and Steam has come a long way with proton for gaming on Linux. I personally use macOS for audio production because the tools I need are there, but use Linux for the bulk of my computing needs.

    Ultimately, which operating system you use is a personal decision. I'm not going to tell you to use something you don't want or need. I just hope you look in to whether open source software can meet your needs for your use and consider what you are agreeing to when you use commercial operating systems.

    I hope this was helpful, and I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!