People migrate from Windows to Linux for a multitude of different reasons; for me, it was to give my aging PC a second lease on life after the Windows 10 end-of-life date arrives. Yes, I could force an upgrade to Windows 11. Yes, I could extend my Windows 10 security license another year. But I’m not a fan of Windows 11, and I don’t want to be stuck on an operating system that won’t receive any new content updates ever again.
So, I decided to give Linux a try, with the worst-case scenario being that I return, tail between my legs, and grovel at Microsoft’s feet to be let back in. Fortunately, after a few months, that hasn’t happened; I’ve been sticking to Fedora KDE Plasma and really enjoying it. So, here are some features I really like in Fedora KDE Plasma that make me want to use it instead of Windows.
For me, Windows updates are at best boring and at worst, a downgrade. I’m really not a fan of Microsoft pushing Copilot into every area of its ecosystem, and with every iteration, the AI assistant manages to sneak into another area of the operating system. They have Copilot in Notepad, for crying out loud!
I can’t speak with utmost authority, as I’ve only been using Linux for a few months now; however, from what I’ve read and experienced, different Linux distros have different update schedules. Some distros get updates at a glacial pace, which may be boring to some, but makes them ideal for people who prefer to stick with a specific OS version for weeks or months on end. Others are far quicker and are better-suited for people who want the bleeding edge of what Linux can do.
From what I’ve seen, Fedora is in the latter camp. I want to say I see system-based updates every other day, on average. Now, for a Windows user, that sounds like a nightmare; however, Fedora is very polite about how it handles updates. It doesn’t auto-download updates if you don’t want it to, and once it’s done, you’re not nagged to restart. Fedora has somehow created an OS that receives frequent updates without being annoying whatsoever. Microsoft, take notes.
And I haven’t even gotten into the KDE half of Fedora KDE Plasma yet. If you’re unaware, “Fedora” is the distro, and “KDE Plasma” is the optional desktop environment bundled with Fedora. You can get Fedora without KDE, which uses GNOME, but I honestly really like KDE. KDE itself receives updates that introduce new features, so it’s essentially a two-for-one deal when it’s time to update your system.
I can uninstall the apps that the OS came with
I know! It’s wild!
Stop me if I’m talking nonsense: I think people should have the option to uninstall the apps that come pre-installed on their devices. And I don’t mean using a third-party tool or a registry hack; I mean going to the uninstallation page, selecting the app you don’t want, and removing it.
While Fedora KDE Plasma comes with a few apps pre-installed, you can easily remove them if you prefer. There was an email client I wasn’t using that came with the system, and it kept generating dialogue boxes, so I removed it. It felt weird to uninstall a default app, given the years of having to make do with them.
Fedora KDE Plasma does Windows better than Windows
Why use something that’s less effective?
One of the big reasons I dislike Windows 11 is that it scraps features that have been a part of the operating system ecosystem for decades. Worst of all, there’s no real reason why the features are gone. Why can’t you resize the Start menu? Why can’t you move the Taskbar wherever you want? Why can’t you add widgets to the Taskbar? It’s odd.
Fedora KDE Plasma (more specifically, the KDE side) doesn’t have that issue. I can resize the Start menu, move the Taskbar around, and even add custom widgets to the Taskbar. Pretty much all the stuff I got used to in Windows 10 that went missing in Windows 11 persisted in Fedora KDE Plasma, so it feels like it does Windows better than Windows itself.
I think I’ll stay right where I am
What started as an experiment to see if I could wean myself off Windows became my daily driver, and honestly, I don’t want to go back to Windows anymore. Fedora KDE Plasma ticks all the boxes for me, and going back to Windows 10 or upgrading to Windows 11 would feel like a downgrade.