I bought a used Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 7 laptop to try Linux and find out if it's right for me.

At the time of writing I'm about a month or more into it.

Why Linux?

For a long time I've been a Mac user. For many reasons, it's been a great choice for me as a developer, as someone who makes music, etc.. I still think Mac is a great option, but I've also always wanted to explore Linux.

I think it started off as wanting to understand computers more, but that wasn't really enough. I hardly ever actually do something because it might be good for me. Certainly not if it requires a ton of effort.

For a while now I've been wanting to decouple my dependency from Apple. My experience being a developer with Mac is to keep installing and adding tools until the thing you're working on just works without cleaning up any messes you made a long the way. What I'm left with is a computer that has so many things installed on it that I can't keep track of it all anymore. It just becomes bloated until I either reset my computer or buy a new one.

Also there are some tools that I want to try that work better (or only work) with Linux. Tools like Firecracker Micro VMs. The developer experience overall just seems to work better on Linux (or matches Mac for the most part).

Ultimately, I want to have more control over what my computer is doing. I want the leanest setup for my needs or at least some better record keeping of what tools I've installed.

I can say already that keeping a lean and organized setup has been empowering.

This isn't the first time I've tried to switch

I actually tried switching to Linux last year when I build a desktop computer for the first time (dual boot Linux and Windows). I started with Manjaro, briefly tried Ubuntu, considered Arch, then ended up on Fedora.

For games (Apex, etc) the Linux setup was great. I rarely had any issues, but in the end my Window was just easier when I wanted to use bluetooth, use an Xbox controller, and use some software that I couldn't get on Linux (I'm looking at you Adobe). So although I have a working Linux desktop, I mostly boot it in Windows these days (sorry!).

For work, I'm still on a Mac

I can't see this changing any time soon. Although my work would permit me to use a Linux setup, I'd have to purchase a computer on my own dime since I have a working laptop already. My M2 Macbook Air works great for work, but if I had to reset it to factory settings then I think it would take me weeks to get back to where I am now. It's one of those if it ain't broke don't fix it situations.

Why not Asahi Linux then?

The Asahi Linux project is creating compatibility with Linux and ARM based Macs. It's a really cool project and I've read many posts of it working great. I just feel that I want to get away from Mac hardware entirely and have a clean break without the option to just switch back to MacOS.

And so..

I hope to post updates of my Linux journey.