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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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i dual boot Ubuntu and Windows 10.
Havent had issues much, even done upgrades of each. Ubuntu updates do sometimes trip out Bitlocker and prompt for a recovery key.
I have the same use case. Ubuntu for most things. Windows for gaming only.
I even do this with an eGPU. Ubuntu does well with it using X11 (not wayland) but requires reboots to connect/disconnect the pcie channels. Windows is better at it but struggles with USB enumerations on occaison.
AI stuff works great on Linux (have personally run stable diffusion and large language models). Gaming is generally good but some games don't work on the platform (notably rainbow six, and valorant.)
I've been using Linux as a daily driver for a couple decades. Home and work (before retirement). Unless your work has some fucked up Windows-only requirement, there is no reason Linux won't meet your needs.
I'd suggest Pop!_OS (Ubuntu-based) or Manjaro (Arch-based) as easy-to-pick-up distros with good gaming support out-of-the-box. Mint is nice for beginners as well but I have no idea if you need to tinker to get gaming working well.
I made the permanent switch from Windows four years ago. First to elementary OS but I found it severely lacking for gaming purposes and also for my power user needs. After a year of cursing and banging my head against the wall I switched to Pop!_OS for a couple of years. It was pretty great for everything I needed, including gaming. Except that I had constant problems with updating the proprietary Nvidia drivers to the point I once had to reinstall the entire OS to get my display to show up again. And also a lot of audio problems. It was a huge learning experience though!
I decided to try out Manjaro last summer and have been very happy with it since! I only booted back to Pop twice (just to check and copy some configs) before wiping its drive clean and never looking back. Pretty much everything just seems to work, especially gaming and the Nvidia drivers!
I did just that. As far as I remember at the start I had the urge to use Windows since I got addicted to its interface and functioning after those 15+ years, but building my habit into booting linux (I recommend to set linux to boot by default) made my Windows dependence absolute.
Gaming on linux with Steam is smooth (You need to enable to use proton on all non native games and You are good to go). You can check ProtonDB to see how Your games perform. The only problem is that many online titles with anticheat do not work (mostly due to developers refusing to enable an option to allow proton to run them)
I do not do AI, but at least I know that there's a simple gnome program 'Imaginer' which lets You use stable diffusion and openai so definitely check if that would satisfy Your needs.
You can go Mint, a lot of people recommend it. Trust me as a Fedora fanboy.
If You have an nvidia card (which by steam's statistics I have ~80% chance to say that You have) You should install proprietary drivers after the OS installation process (Unless Mint offers to do it when installing os, but i do not know that).
If You have more questions please do ask them, I will be more than happy to help!
Garuda Linux and then VanillaOS when Orchid is out and you're a little more familiar with the system. :)
Dual-boot is the way to go TBH, especially with a NVME drive, even if you land on Linux as your daily driver
Reboot and switching OS if needed for compatibility is only a 30 second or less process.
Yes exactly. I switched BIOS to load ubuntu, and it's working perfectly! I needed to flip back to windows for some info and it was a breeze to reboot between both.
depending on your needs try WSL2 instead of dual booting. I've been linux or macos for quite a while in daily work as a programmer and kinda dig on WSL2 in Windows, particularly Win11 with the improved terminal. add Docker in the mix and there's nothing you can't do in that kind of environment that you'd be looking to do in a dedicated Linux boot...again dependin on what youre doing i guess.
Can’t have WSL without Windows Pro.
Would rather avoid spending $100 just to enable virtual machines.
You wont know for sure until you try. the main sticking point for gaming on linux is anti-cheat, so if you play a lot of games with that then you may run into some trouble. otherwise ProtonDB is your friend. Most games these days are pretty easy to get up and running.
A lot of AI tools are developed on linux anyway so you shouldn't encounter too many problems there.
Browsers are no problem at all. I recommend Firefox