However, the company said it had found no evidence to date that its Azure platform and AI technologies were used to target or harm people in the Gaza Strip.
I’m sure it’s technically true. Can’t find evidence if you’re not looking for it. Or if you’re actively sabotaging any such efforts. Or if you’ve deliberately created a framework that makes it easy and likely for any ‘evidence’ to disappear.
But all I know about Linux is 1: it’s a cantankerous beast that can smell your fear and lack of computer skills and 2: that’s apparently not true any more?
It is indeed not true anymore. In the year 2025 Linux is easier to use than Windows, and even not too tech savvy 60-year-olds manage just fine. Though you should know ‘Linux’ is not an operating system. When saying ‘Linux’, people most often refer to it as a family of operating systems. Many of which are incredibly user friendly and ready out of the box. And many of which aren’t.
Will my ability to play games be significantly affected compared to Windows?
Short answer: no.
Long answer: only for a handful of online games, e.g. League. If using Steam, there’s virtually nothing you have to do. Epic and GOG are easy to use, but theough third party launchers. Other storefronts/launchers are harder to set up, but all of them work. It should be noted Steam is the only platform with official Linux support. Here is a database of Steam games with info on Linux and Steam Deck compatibility.
Can I mod games as freely and as easily as I do on Windows?
Depends on the game. Overall definitely not ‘as freely and as easily’ as on Windows. For Steam Workshop games, it works just as it does on Windows. For the rest sometimes you need to do a little work, sometimes a lot. Bethesda titles seem to be the most problematic on Linux when it comes to modding.
If a program has no Linux version, is it unusable, or are there workarounds?
Most of the time it is fairly straightforward and works nicely. Some are particularly difficult to get working on Linux, e.g. MS Office, so you might as well forget that.
Can Linux run programs that rely on frameworks like .NET or other Windows-specific libraries?
Yes. There is software specifically for compatibility with Windows’ libraries. While .NET framework you can simply install like you would on Windows. This is in fact needed in order to mod some games.
How do OS updates work in Linux? Is there a “Linux Update” program like what Windows has?
As mentioned at the start, Linux isn’t a single OS, so it highly depends on the specific distribution (OS from the Linux family, in simple terms). Usually you just go to your app store and click on updates. Of course, there are other ways of updating the system and the choice is yours.
How does digital security work on Linux? Is it more vulnerable due to being open source? Is there integrated antivirus software, or will I have to source that myself?
Linux is extremely more secure than Windows. The whole ‘open source leads to vulnerability’ is a myth. There are antiviruses for Linux, but nobody uses them. There is barely any malware targetting Linux, and when you encounter it, most of the time you’ll have to mess up and run it yourself giving it permissions. There are also more security-focused Linux distributions.
Are GPU drivers reliable on Linux?
Nvidia: not really.
AMD and Intel: yes, incredibly reliable.
For AMD and Intel you don’t need any additional drivers, other than the generic drivers that come with the OS. They work perfectly and you can play games right away. For Nvidia you would have to go through the not-so-pleasant process of installing their drivers.
Can Linux (in the case of a misconfiguration or serious failure) potentially damage hardware?
No. This sounds like something somebody who’s never used Linux would say on Reddit. While technically it is possible, just as it is possible on Windows, this is not something you will likely encounter at any point.
And also, what distro might be best for me?
Personally I’d go with Fedora. It’s very easy to use. It looks nice too, kind of like MacOS. By default, that is, since you always have complete freedom to customize how your system looks. My gf, who doesn’t know what a Shift key is, is able to use Fedora just fine. For both gaming and web browsing. This is how simple Linux has gotten in the last years.
Most people will probably recommend Linux Mint. Another great choice for beginners. The UI/UX is very similar to that of Windows. Personally it’s not my favorite, but it’s up to user preference. You definitely can’t go wrong with it.
There is also Pop!_OS, which is similar to Fedora. However, it does include an ISO for systems with Nvidia GPUs, so you don’t have to go through the trouble of installing the drivers.
I’d highly recommend trying one of these. If you like any of them, then just stick to it, and you’ll have a great experience.
From my experience, it’s almost always “Chrome doesn’t have feature x”. It’s the most feature poor browser currently in wide use. The only advantage that comes to mind is web dev tools, which: a) 99% of people don’t care about, because they aren’t web devs. b) Chromium also has, and it’s like the considerably less infuriating twin.
Some people really will desparately do whatever it takes to cling onto Microsoft’s slop, just so they don’t have to spend an hour or two learning something new.
And if you do actually need Windows for a very specific piece of software or one of those 5 online games - okay, fair enough. But we all know the vast majority are just lazy and ignorant.
We are filthy criminals if we pirate one textbook for studies. But when Facebook (Meta) pirates millions of books (anywhere between 30 million and 200 million ebooks, depending on their file size), they are a brilliant and successful business.