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content/blog/switching-to-gnu-linux-mentally.md
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synopsis: The mindset shift that produces happy users of GNU/Linux and other Free/Libre and Open Source Software.
imageURL: /img/pexels-ds-stories-9228363_copy.webp
imageAlt: A very cute photo by DS stories on pexels.com of a little pink brain-shaped candle on a light blue background.
mastodon_id: "112615355114722806"
---
[Stallman was right;](https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/06/39219971/edward-snowden-echoes-richard-stallmans-warnings-on-proprietary-software-after-user-says-adode-can-n) in the wake of Microsoft's announcement of its [much-maligned](https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-recall-off-default-security-concerns/) Recall feature and widespread public backlash to the [terms and conditions](https://www.benzinga.com/top-stories/24/06/39209804/it-is-time-to-cancel-adobe-new-photoshop-terms-conditions-spark-outrage-among-professionals) for Adobe Creative Cloud products, it's clear that trust in big tech and the software it produces is rapidly eroding. Under the circumstances, it's no surprise that Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) is seeing an uptick in interest from the public at large. So as ever more average users consider "switching to Linux," it strikes me that while there exist tomes on the technical aspects, there seems to be much less written on the shift in thinking that is part and parcel of every experienced and well-adjusted FLOSS user. So if you're making the switch or know someone who is, here's some advice to make the most of the transition.
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First of all: welcome to GNU/Linux! You've chosen the operating system [that powers](https://www.vrogue.co/post/linux-is-everywhere-infographic) bullet trains, the world's fastest supercomputers, U.S.A. air traffic control, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, and Google, Amazon, and Microsoft's cloud services, [used by](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_adopters) NASA, the People's Liberation Army, the Turkish government, whitehouse.gov, the U.S.A. Department of Defense, France's national police force, ministry of agriculture, and parliament, Iceland's public schools, the Dutch Police Internet Research and Investigation Network, Burlington Coat Factory, Peugeot, DreamWorks Animation, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, and [Stephen Fry.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Linux_adopters#Celebrities)
As you've no doubt inferred by now, GNU/Linux users span from your everyday cat-video viewer to large institutions and organizations where operating system reliability and performance means the difference between life and death. No matter where you are on this spectrum, with a little humility, open-mindedness, and perseverance, I promise that you can find your self every bit as happily at-home with GNU/Linux as you were with whatever OS you've been using up to this point. This may mean giving up a long-trusted piece of software for something new and different, but for many new users the most hard-won battle is a change in mentality.
As you've no doubt inferred by now, GNU/Linux users span from your everyday cat-video viewer to large institutions and organizations where operating system reliability and performance mean the difference between life and death. No matter where you are on this spectrum, with a little humility, open-mindedness, and perseverance, I promise that you can find your self every bit as happily at-home with GNU/Linux as you were with whatever OS you've been using up to this point. This may mean giving up a long-trusted piece of software for something new and different, but for many new users the most hard-won battle is a change in mentality.
## You're not a power-user anymore