### My Background in Tech

I started my career doing regression testing for databases on Linux servers using tools like [Sahi](https://sahipro.com) and VNC. For three years, Linux was my daily workspace.

Later, I transitioned into virtualization — managing hypervisors, storage arrays, and entire datacenter stacks. That stretched into six years of heavy enterprise work.

Then I took a detour. I spent some time on YouTube, dabbled in crypto mining, and explored creative production. But when I returned to IT, it was as a **Linux Systems Administrator**, and that’s when everything changed.

I treated that role like going back to school. I studied Linux religiously. I spent weeks learning **Vim**, editing scripts 4 hours a night until the colon didn’t scare me anymore (though yeah, for quick edits, I still use **Nano**).

Everything just *clicked*. Unix philosophy, pipelines, scripting — it all made sense again.

***

### Why Linux Just *Feels* Better

After going deep into Bash, **PowerShell** and **Command Prompt** felt clunky. Every task on Linux — from file management to package installation — feels fluid.

I no longer `dir`; I `ls -la`. I don’t have to jump through hoops to script something or deal with registry nonsense. Shells like **Zsh** and **Fish** made my workflow almost poetic.

Once you experience that kind of precision and flow, Windows feels like driving with the parking brake on.

***

### Breaking Free from Windows

I had three major dependencies keeping me tied to Windows:

1. Creative software (Adobe Premiere Pro)
2. Hardware (Elgato capture cards, GoXLR)
3. Gaming

Let’s break those down.

***

#### 🎬 Creative Tools

For years, **Adobe Premiere** was the biggest chain holding me back — expensive, bloated, and frankly anti-consumer.

Luckily, alternatives have caught up:

- [**Kdenlive**](https://kdenlive.org/en/) now supports **NVENC** and **QuickSync** acceleration for smooth playback.
- [**DaVinci Resolve**](https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve) runs beautifully on modern Linux systems.
- There’s even a **Premiere-like UI theme** for Kdenlive that makes it trivial to switch.

Advances in hardware encoding (AV1, NVENC, and AMD’s VCE) mean timeline playback on open-source editors is now buttery smooth.

And if you use AI-assisted tools for captioning or upscaling, solutions like [**Stable Diffusion**](https://stability.ai), [**Whisper**](https://github.com/openai/whisper), and [**ComfyUI**](https://github.com/comfyanonymous/ComfyUI) run *faster* natively on Linux.

***

#### 🎙️ Audio and Capture Devices

Capture cards have leveled up. **UVC (USB Video Class)** has become the universal standard, meaning most USB capture devices just *work*. No drivers. No installers.

My **GoXLR** is now fully supported thanks to open-source kernel drivers built directly into modern Linux kernels.

The community even created a full-featured [**GoXLR Web App**](https://github.com/GoXLR-on-Linux) — a browser control panel with GUI sliders, profile import, and channel routing identical to Windows.

That one project alone made my entire stream setup functional again.

***

### 🎮 Gaming on Linux – The Turning Point

Gaming used to be the dealbreaker — until **Valve** dropped the [**Steam Deck**](https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck) in 2022.

That single device forced the Linux gaming ecosystem to mature overnight. Out of necessity, Valve fueled the development of a game-changer:

- [**Proton**](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton) (a compatibility layer built on Wine)
- **Gamescope** for performance scaling
- The **Vulkan** graphics API

Developers don’t even need to build native Linux binaries anymore — Proton translates Windows binaries seamlessly.

Sure, kernel-level anti-cheat games remain an issue (and probably always will), but that’s more of an *ethics* decision at this point. If a game requires kernel hooks, it doesn’t deserve my system access.

The wild part?
I’ve had better **day-one performance** on Linux for titles like *Monster Hunter Wilds*, *Alan Wake 2*, and *The Callisto Protocol* than on Windows.

And when a game doesn’t work right away, I head to [**ProtonDB**](https://www.protondb.com) — which lists user-tested configurations and flags for tweaking games. 99% of the time, a quick Steam launch option solves it.

Secure Boot dual-booting also works great now, as most distros (like Fedora or Garuda) let you import boot keys during install.

***

### My Distros and Setup

Currently, I run:

- 🧠 **Garuda Linux**  *(Arch-based)* for daily work — custom kernels, performance tuning, and full control.
- 🎮 **Bazzite OS**  *(Fedora immutable distro)* for gaming — stable, seamless updates, AppImage management, and a built-in [**Bazaar Store**](https://bazzite.gg).

For most gamers switching over, **Bazzite** or **Nobara** are perfect.
For those who love control, Garuda or Arch variants are paradise.

Flatpaks and AppImages have made software management cleaner than ever, and the isolation means even heavy users can’t “break” their systems easily.

***

### Modern Linux (2025)

In 2025, Linux finally *feels* unified.

- **Wayland** now offers smooth rendering, better HDR, and perfect multi-monitor support.
- **PipeWire** has completely overhauled Linux audio — no more Jack/PulseAudio nightmares.
- **OBS Studio** runs natively with full encoder support.
- And AI tools like [**Ollama**](https://ollama.com) make running large language models locally effortless.

The open-source community fixed everything I used to complain about — and then went further.

***

### Final Thoughts

I’ve been *100% Linux* across all devices for over a month now, and I haven’t missed Windows even once.

Everything is faster.
More open.
And completely under my control.

The community is thriving, security is transparent, and creativity is no longer gated by closed ecosystems.

What used to feel impossible is now second nature.

**Linux isn’t the alternative anymore — it’s the upgrade.** 🐧💪

***

## About the Author

I'm the host of [Son of a Tech](https://www.youtube.com/@SonofaTech), a YouTube channel focused on open-source, hardware, Linux, and the future of decentralized technology.
Whether you’re into mining, gaming, or just building better systems, you’re welcome in the community.

***

## Recommended Distros \& Resources

- [Garuda Linux](https://garudalinux.org) (great for customization \& performance)
- [Bazzite OS](https://bazzite.gg) (immutable, plug-and-play gaming)
- [Nobara Project](https://nobaraproject.org/) (Fedora-based, pre-tuned for gaming/creators)
- [ProtonDB](https://protondb.com) (crowdsourced Linux gaming support)
- [Level1Techs Forums](https://forum.level1techs.com/) (active Linux support community)

***

*Questions, feedback, or your own Linux journey? Drop a reply below or reach out on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@SonofaTech) — I’d love to hear your story!*
<span style="display:none">[^1]</span>

<div align="center">⁂</div>

[^1]: https://www.youtube.com/@SonofaTech

Absolute Path

An "absolute path" on a Linux computer is like a full address for a specific file or folder. Just like how you need a full address to know where to send a letter, a computer needs a full address to know where to find a file or folder. An absolute path starts with the "root" folder, which is the very topmost folder on the computer, and then gives the complete list of all the other folders you need to go through to get to the file or folder you want.

To navigate to the topmost directory in linux type use the command “cd /”

Relative Path

A "relative path" on a Linux computer is like giving directions to a friend to find a toy at your house. Instead of giving the full address of your house, you can just tell them where to find the toy by saying things like "go in the front door, then go up the stairs, then turn left, then go into my room and it's on the shelf." A relative path on a computer works the same way. It tells the computer where to find a file or folder by giving directions starting from where you are right now in the file system, instead of starting from the very top. It makes it easier for you to navigate around the computer, because you don't have to remember the full address for everything.

To find what directory you are currently in use the command “pwd”

man Command

The "man" command in Linux is short for "manual." It is a command that you can use to read the manual pages for different programs and tools on your Linux computer. Manual pages are like instructions or a user guide for a program, that tells you what the program does, how to use it, and what the different options and commands are. When you type "man" followed by the name of a program, the manual page for that program will be displayed on the screen for you to read.

To find all of the different options for ls command use the command “man ls” 

cd Command

The "cd" command in Linux is used to change the current directory. The "current directory" is like the folder that you are currently inside of on your computer. When you open a terminal window, you are automatically in a specific folder, and you can use the "cd" command to move around to different folders on your computer.

• To find current directory start with the command “pwd”

• To move to the upmost directory in linux type the command “cd /”

• To move to the home directory of currently logged in user type the command “cd ~”

• To move up one folder in the system type the command “cd ..”

• To move to a folder using absolute path you must type in the full path of the desired location. For example to move into the home directory of the currently logged in user with absolute path type the command “cd /home/username”

• To navigate to a directory from the current directory via relative path type the command “cd ‘directory-name’”

• Relative path does not use the “/” in front of the path name. If you are moving to a directory that is held within another directory you will use the command “cd ‘directoryname1/directoryname2’”

ls Command

The "ls" command in Linux is used to list the files and folders in a directory. When you run the "ls" command, it will show you the names of all the files and folders that are inside the current directory.

• To find all the options for the command use the command “man ls”

• The most common options used with ls is l - long list format, t - newest first and r - reverse order while sorting and looks like this "ls -ltr"

wc Command

The "wc" command in Linux is short for "word count." It is a command that you can use to count the number of lines, words, and characters in a text file. In addition it will could the number of files in a directory using the pipe command.

• To find all the options for wc use the command “man wc”

• To display the amount of words in a text file use the command “wc -w filename”

• To find the amount of files and directories in a directory you will need to use a pipe command. In this case is will look like this “ls | wc -l”

more and less Commands

The "more" command in Linux is used to display the contents of a text file one page at a time. When you run the "more" command followed by the name of a text file, it will show you the first page of the file, and then pause. You can then press the spacebar to see the next page, or press "q" to quit and exit. 

The “less” command is just the more command in reverse but allows for you to go up and down with pgUP and pgDOWN buttons on the keyboard.

• Change directory to the upmost directory with the command “cd /” 

• To view the contents of the directory page by page type the command “ls -ltr | more”

• To view the contents of the directory in reverse order page by page with the ability to move up and down use the command “ls -ltr | less” to quit press q

grep Command

The "grep" command in Linux is used to search for a specific text pattern in a file or a group of files. "grep" stands for "global regular expression print." It searches for a specific string of characters, called a regular expression, within a file or a group of files and returns the lines that contain that expression.

• To find a users details in the passwd file type the command “cat /etc/passwd | grep user”

• To see what port the ssh service is running on you can use the command “sudo lsof -i -P -n | grep sshd”

Become a Supporter

Access Ubuntu Server

1. Connect Through Hyper-V - Allows init level access for troubleshooting and root pw reset

1. Open Hyper-V Manager

2. Right Click Virtual Machine

3. Login with username and password

4. Confirm Successful Login

2. SSH Terminal Access - Remote Run Level Access

   1. Windows Powershell SSH Access

      1. Obtain IP from hyper-v console with command ip a

2. Confirm SSH service is running with command systemctl status sshd

3. Confirm port 22 is listening with command sudo lsof -i -P -n | grep sshd

4. Check if firewall is enabled with command sudo ufw status

5. Open Manage Optional Features

6. Search for OpenSSH and install

7. Search and Open Powershell

8. Connect To Your Ubuntu Server By Using The Command ssh [username]@[ip address]

9. Type yes then press enter and enter your password and press enter

10. Confirm you are connected to the correct machine with command hostname

11. Confirm which user you are connected with command whoami

12. Find the current directory you are working in with command pwd

13. Use Up and Down Arrow Keys to cycle through previous commands

2. Putty SSH Access - Most common tool for ssh access on windows

   1. Download and install putty from https://putty.org/

   2. Obtain IP from hyper-v console with command ip a

3. Confirm SSH service is running with command systemctl status sshd

4. Confirm port 22 is listening with command sudo lsof -i -P -n | grep sshd

5. Check if firewall is enabled with command sudo ufw status

6. Open Putty 

7. Enter Server IP, Name Your Server and Click Save

8. Click Open to Connect to Server

9. Login to Server

10. Confirm you are connect to the correct server with command hostname

11. Confirm you are connected with the correct user with command whoami

12. Check your starting directory before beginning work with command pwd

Congratulations you have learned how to connect to your linux server and performed the login best practices. Remember to always confirm you are connected to the correct machine with the correct user and in the correct directory before beginning work. 

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