The Grass Really IS Greener: I Left Windows, and I’m Not Coming Back

By The Open Source Outlaw

Hey Steve, watch this!

I’ve been in the technology business for a long time. I’ve installed Windows, supported Windows, repaired Windows, upgraded Windows, and spent more hours than I care to remember trying to figure out why Windows suddenly decided something that worked perfectly yesterday wasn’t going to work today. I’ve defended Microsoft products. I’ve recommended them. I’ve made a living supporting them.

And now?

I’m done.

Not because Windows suddenly became unusable. Not because Microsoft makes terrible software. And certainly not because Linux is perfect. I’m done because I finally reached a point where I can do everything I need to do without Windows.

And here’s the part that might surprise you.

I’m not sacrificing anything to do it.

In fact, I’m enjoying my computers more than I have in years.

Enter ArtCraft

For years, there has been one argument that stopped a lot of people from leaving Windows.

“But what about Microsoft Office?”

And that’s a legitimate question. There have always been alternatives. LibreOffice, OnlyOffice, and several others have done a respectable job of filling that gap. I’ve used them. I’ve recommended them. But let’s be fair. Sometimes an alternative feels like an alternative. It works, but you find yourself adjusting your workflow, looking for a feature, or wishing something behaved just a little more like the program you’ve used for twenty years.

Then along comes ArtCraft.

And suddenly, things are getting interesting.

I’m now using four applications from the ArtCraft family: WordCraft, my replacement for Microsoft Word; DeckCraft, my replacement for PowerPoint; DigitCraft, my replacement for Excel; and PhotoCraft, my replacement for Photoshop.

Now, before somebody starts writing an angry comment, let me say something.

YES, I KNOW THEY ARE STILL IN ALPHA!

I know there are bugs. I know there are features that need work. I know things will change. And I know there are probably a hundred things some power user can do in Microsoft Office that these applications can’t do yet.

But you know what?

THEY WORK!

And I don’t mean they open a file and display something that vaguely resembles what I created. I mean I’m actually using them. To do real work. Every day.

This Isn’t a Laboratory Experiment

I think this is where a lot of technology reviews miss the point. Somebody installs a new application, opens it for fifteen minutes, runs through a checklist of features, discovers three things it doesn’t do, and declares it unsuitable for serious use.

Well, congratulations. You’ve proven it isn’t a perfect clone. But that doesn’t tell me whether I can actually get my work done.

I prepare sermons. I create presentations. I work with documents that have multiple columns and complicated formatting. I manage spreadsheets. I edit images. I create graphics for church services and for this website. These aren’t hypothetical tasks. They’re things I actually need to do.

And on my Ubuntu laptop, I’m doing them.

WordCraft has a focus mode that I absolutely love. I can work on a sermon without a screen full of distractions. My bulletin documents retain their columns, and I can see the boundaries when I need to work inside them. DeckCraft gave me one of those moments when I just sat there and smiled. I opened a PowerPoint presentation containing an embedded video, and the video played automatically, just like it was supposed to. That may not sound like a big deal, but when you’ve spent time trying to get that exact feature working in another Office alternative, it’s a VERY big deal.

PhotoCraft has become my everyday image editor. DigitCraft gives me another option for working with spreadsheets. Are they all feature-for-feature replacements for Microsoft’s applications? No.

But they’re replacing Microsoft in MY workflow.

And that’s what matters.

The Computer That Was Supposed to Be Yesterday’s News

Here’s another part of this story that makes me smile. I’m doing all this on a Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable running Ubuntu. A used computer. Not some shiny new $2,000 laptop with a processor that requires a marketing department to explain why I need it. A perfectly capable machine that still has plenty of life left.

Touchscreen? Works. Tablet mode? Works. Screen rotation? Works. Battery life? Looking pretty good. My music library through Navidrome? Beautiful. My movies and television through Jellyfin? Absolutely. Remote access to my other computers? No problem.

And now I’ve got a collection of applications that handles the office and creative work I need to accomplish. The machine isn’t obsolete. The operating system isn’t holding me back. And the software isn’t preventing me from doing my job.

Somewhere, Steve just dropped his clipboard.

Perfect Is the Enemy of Good Enough

Here’s something I’ve learned after decades in technology. We have become obsessed with having every possible feature, whether we use it or not.

People will tell you that you can’t replace Photoshop because some obscure professional feature isn’t available in the alternative. Okay. Do YOU use that feature? They’ll tell you that you can’t replace Excel because some enormous corporate spreadsheet uses complicated macros. Okay. Do YOU use those macros? They’ll tell you that you can’t replace PowerPoint because it has some advanced animation capability. Okay. When was the last time YOU needed it?

I’m not saying those features aren’t important to somebody. They absolutely are. But I am saying we have allowed other people’s requirements to determine what we think WE need. And that makes absolutely no sense.

If you need a particular Windows application for your job, use it. I’m not going to criticize you for that. But if you can accomplish everything you need with another application, why keep paying for software, accepting restrictions, and putting up with decisions made by somebody else? Especially when the alternative might actually be more enjoyable?

And Then There’s Freedom

This is really what Open Source Outlaw has been about from the beginning. Ownership. Control. Choice.

I don’t want an operating system constantly encouraging me to sign into another account. I don’t want every application trying to sell me a subscription. I don’t want my computer becoming a billboard for somebody else’s services. And I certainly don’t want to be told that perfectly functional hardware is no longer good enough because somebody decided it doesn’t meet an arbitrary set of requirements.

I want to turn on my computer and use it. That’s it. And here’s the amazing part. That’s exactly what I’m doing.

I have my files. I have my applications. I have my music, photographs, movies, documents, and presentations. My data is mine. My computer is mine. And I get to decide what runs on it.

Use the cloud. Don’t let the cloud use you.

Let’s Be Fair to Microsoft

I want to be clear about something. Microsoft Office is excellent software. Word is incredibly powerful. Excel is practically an industry unto itself. PowerPoint is a remarkably capable presentation tool. And Windows remains necessary in many environments.

I know that better than most. I work in enterprise IT. I understand why organizations depend on these products, and I understand that changing platforms isn’t always simple. But there’s a difference between something being necessary and something being familiar.

For a long time, I thought Windows was necessary for my personal computing. Turns out, it was mostly familiar. And once I stopped assuming I needed it, I discovered that I really didn’t.

A Word to the ArtCraft Developers

Keep going. Seriously. What you’re building matters.

I know these applications are young. I know there’s a mountain of work ahead. I know people will compare every button, every menu, and every missing feature to applications that have enjoyed decades of development and enormous corporate budgets.

Don’t let that discourage you.

Because there’s a guy in Alabama who is sitting here using your software on a Linux laptop, preparing church materials, working with documents, editing photographs, and having an absolute blast doing it.

You didn’t just give me another set of applications to try. You helped remove one of the last reasons I had to keep Windows around.

That’s a pretty big accomplishment.

The Grass Really IS Greener

I’ve heard the expression all my life. “The grass is always greener on the other side.” Usually, it’s a warning. What looks better from a distance might not be so wonderful once you get there.

Well, I’ve crossed over.

I’ve installed Ubuntu. I’ve built my own servers. I’ve moved my photographs, music, and media into systems I control. I’ve found alternatives to the applications I depended on for years. And now, thanks in part to ArtCraft, I’ve moved my everyday office and creative work over too.

Is everything perfect? NO! Do I occasionally have to figure something out? YES! Are there still features I would like to see improved? ABSOLUTELY!

But am I getting my work done?

YOU BET I AM!

And am I having fun doing it? More than I’ve had in years.

I’m not suggesting everybody should uninstall Windows tomorrow. I’m not pretending there aren’t legitimate reasons to use Microsoft products. I’m simply telling you something that I wish more people understood.

YOU CAN LEAVE WINDOWS.

You don’t have to wait until Linux is perfect. You don’t have to wait until every alternative has every feature. You don’t have to buy a new computer. And you don’t have to keep doing something just because that’s the way you’ve always done it.

Try something different. Give it a real chance. You might discover that the thing you thought you couldn’t live without wasn’t quite as necessary as you believed.

As for me? I’m sitting here with my Ubuntu laptop, my ArtCraft applications, and a big smile on my face.

Windows is in the rearview mirror. Steve is probably still looking for his clipboard.

And the Outlaw?

THE OUTLAW RIDES!

Because sometimes the grass really IS greener on the other side.

And this time, I own the lawn.

— The Open Source Outlaw

Don’t be a Steve.