Transcription
My friend spent $1,000 on a new laptop, while I spent $50 fixing my old one, and now it runs faster than brand new $1,000 machines. Uh, thank you, Linux. Yes, man. It's just because of Linux. Don't worry. In this video, I'll show you how it's possible. Watch it till the end.
Okay, so let me tell you the full story here. 2 months ago, I had this old 2011 iMac just sitting in my room collecting dust. You know the type, right? Companies tell you it's too old and obsolete and basically worthless. Apple stopped supporting it years ago. No more updates, nothing. They basically want you to throw it away and buy something new.
But here's the thing that really bothered me: that the computer itself wasn't broken. The screen was still beautiful. The keyboard worked perfectly fine. Everything was physically okay. It just didn't have software that would run on it anymore. And that's when I started thinking, why should a perfectly good machine be useless just because one company decided to stop supporting it?
That's when I discovered Linux Mint. And honestly, it completely changed how I look at technology.
What actually happened when I installed Linux? So, I downloaded Linux Mint, which by the way is completely free, and I installed it on that old iMac. The installation took maybe 10 minutes, and the moment I booted it up for the first time, I was shocked. This computer that Apple had basically declared dead was suddenly running smoother than I remembered it ever running, even when it was brand new. Applications opened instantly. The system was responsive. Everything just worked. And I'm not exaggerating here. It genuinely felt faster than my friend's brand new Windows laptop that cost him over $1,000.
That's when it hit me. The problem was never the hardware. The problem was that modern operating systems like Windows and Mac OS have become so bloated and heavy that they need tons of resources just to run basic tasks. But Linux is different. Linux is lightweight, efficient, and actually respects your hardware instead of demanding that you constantly upgrade.
Now, let me be completely honest with you about why I went down this path because I think it's important to understand the real reasons. The first thing that really pushed me towards Linux was this whole privacy situation. You know how when you're using Windows, your computer is constantly doing things in the background, even when you're not using it? Open Task Manager on Windows and you'll see dozens of processes running. The honest truth is, you have no idea what most of them are doing. Were they sending your data somewhere? You genuinely don't know because Microsoft doesn't let you see under the hood. With Linux, everything is transparent. Nothing runs unless you tell it to run. There are no mysterious background processes eating up your resources and potentially sending your data to servers you don't control.
The second reason is planned obsolescence. Big companies deliberately design products to become obsolete, so you have to keep buying new ones. Windows 11 won't run on millions of perfectly functioning computers just because Microsoft decided those computers are too old. But the hardware isn't too old. Companies just want to force people to buy new machines. Linux proves that old hardware is still powerful. And here's something that really proves my point. I recently picked up a 27in iMac from 2013 for just $50. I installed Linux on it and now it's my main workstation. Try finding any decent computer for $50 anywhere else. You can't. But with Linux, old hardware becomes useful again.
The third reason is honestly the most surprising. Linux is actually fun to use. It respects you as a user. You're in control of your computer, not the other way around. And experimenting with different versions of Linux is genuinely enjoyable. If you don't like one version, you just install a different one. Takes maybe 20 minutes and you get to experience a completely different system.
After that first success with the iMac, I started reviving multiple old Macs, different MacBooks, that 2013 iMac, even a 2009 model, and all of them run beautifully on Linux. Every single one of these computers was either collecting dust or cost less than what you'd spend on a nice dinner. And now they're all productive machines that I use regularly. And another shocking thing is that I'm using completely free professional software for all my creative work. There's this video editing program called Caden Live that's open-source and free, and it's genuinely powerful. Then there's Creda for graphic design. These aren't cheap knockoffs. These are full-featured professional tools that cost absolutely nothing.
The community that nobody talks about now. I want to talk about something that completely surprised me. Before I started using Linux, I had this stereotype in my head about Linux users being these really technical gatekeeping types who would make fun of beginners. I was completely wrong. Every time I needed help, the Linux community guided me without gatekeeping.
So, after 2 months of daily driving Linux, I've learned some important lessons. Linux takes patience. You'll run into problems that seem impossible to solve, but there's almost always a solution. Don't burn yourself out trying to fix everything in one night. Pace yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help because the Linux community wants you to succeed. I'm 2 months in and I'm still learning new things every single day. And honestly, that's part of what makes it interesting.
I'm not stopping here. I'm planning to build my first server, go completely open source with all my software, and create a comprehensive beginner's guide to Linux from a beginner's perspective. Not an expert guide, but a fellow beginner sharing what worked and what didn't.
Windows 10 support officially ended in October 2025. Microsoft is pushing everyone to Windows 11, but it has strict hardware requirements that millions of perfectly good computers don't meet. So, your choices are either spend hundreds or thousands on a new computer or install Linux for free.
Look, I'm not asking you to commit to anything permanent. Just try something completely risk-free. Drop a comment and tell me, do you have old hardware sitting around? What frustrates you about your current system? Ask any questions you have. I'll answer every single one because two months ago I was exactly where you are now. If you're going to try Linux this weekend, let me know. And if you want to follow my Linux journey, hit subscribe.
And listen viewers, before we wrap up, I have some exciting news to share. This channel is about to get monetized, and it's all thanks to your incredible support. I'm thinking of creating a short 2 to 3 minute video where I open up about the journey so far, future plans, and some behind-the-scenes insights. If that sounds interesting to you, drop a comment below and let me know what you'd like to hear about.