I have been using linux full time for 2 years now, from using Windows and mostly playing games and before that i have dabbled with Linux Distros but not really stuck around using them.
However my first gripes with Windows started quite long ago in XP to be exact, when there was a security hole in Internet Explorer which was used edit settings for Internet connections, me using predominately Firefox.
This bothered me to no end having a insecure program editing something as vital as a internet connection properties which i didn't use anyway when there was a better product around suited better for my usage and needs.
The issue was fixed and i went on using it as before but the essential idea of how not do something lingered around in the back of my mind.
Until Windows 8 and later 10, this did not sit well with me it was not how i felt a computer should look and behave,
the final straw was the Windows 10 reveal and how it turned out to work how the automatic updates worked, telemetry (spyware?), stuff automatically installing which i don't use, touch screenified gui, settings reverting for non explicable reason.
Looking at the title you probably realize this is where things changed
Started out when i bought a Thinkpad X220T and installed Ubuntu on when i got it, used that for about 6 months not really using my main desktop during that time, comfortable.
I might should've add that this isn't the first time for me using Ubuntu
After something in neighborhood of 6 months i decided to install a Distro on my desktop computer, dug out a unused hard-drive and after some deciding i installed Antergos for being a tad lazy.
So why a Arch based Distribution? Well first off i am quite a technically minded person
or enthusiast, i don't mind tinkering with stuff and i wanted to setup my desktop to my liking.
On the other hand i have noticed that stuff in Ubuntu tend to be out dated and missing features since it is a Version based distro that generally doesn't update stuff unless it has to, in term to keep it stable for large scale roll outs and what not.
Arch is a rolling distro which means that there is always an update to programs and the Kernel *whether it is necessary or not, also it has very low level installation process that ensures you can install it exactly like you want without needing to rely on a GUI installer to figure you out.
And no i have not had that many issues due to yesterdays updates
Right now i'm using "vanilla Arch" on my desktop and Antergos on my laptop.
Why am i using Antergos on my X220? It was the second time the Wireless network card stopped working in Ubuntu so you see why it had to go ...right?
Why did it stay around?
First, it is my install and it is setup how i want to use it and it gets update all the time, even on really old computers.
It stays out of the way.
Also it is very easy to setup and configure it to my liking, with all these different options you get from it being a modular operating system, i can decide between i like this look or not, whether i want a Desktop Enviroment that works like on other popular operating systems or i want something more "unique" one, my first thought is a so called Tiling window manager that is used mainly via keyboard presses.
And it could be setup once likes this in theory forever since it isn't depending on what the current market deems something look and behave like.
In reality it might not but as long as you use one of the more popular ones among enthusiast it might be, as long as somebody wants to update and maintain it, of course also use it.
Because most of the stuff in this ecosystem is Open Source you can always edit, read, understand and compile yourself it will mostly never vanish into thin air with the next revision of your "operating system".
So in reality it is yours, your operating system through and through it just depends how willing and boldly you want to get into it.
And as a side effect i now have a use of this never used thing call CAPS LOCK which i never used before unless i accidentally pressed it, now i use it to switch between keyboard mappings, since i have keyboards with an US layout and mainly use another
What is Linux?
Linux is a kernel which is Open Source under an GPL license that makes it so you can read the code for it, edit and compile it yourself for your own uses, but also share your changes with others who might have the same needs or issues.
A kernel is the first step for building a usable computer in the ways we use them in our daily life, it is the step where electrical currents (and so on) to allow programs and hardware communicate with each other without needing to rearrange the wiring yourself.
Since we only have the Kernel it essentially allows for "software defined" usage of the computer, how do we arrive to moving files, editing and deleting files?
That is when we arrive at the GNU toolchain and programs such as mv, cp, cd etc which are move, copy and change directory. These are the common CLI/Command Line/Terminal commands for using and editing files, when editing text you need a text editor and the most common in entry to the Linux ecosystem is nano which is easy to to use when
There is also VI which is standard among *nix system,
which later on been forked and improved to Vi IMproved = VIM that is quite popular these days with a lot of additions make it easier to use.
Side notes
i have been babbling on long enough about this so ll just end it here before it turns into a two in one
Luke smith have this nice video where they talk about the side effects of using Linux instead
Luke smiths video
He also got videos on how he set up his desktop.