Three Outstanding Linux-Only Applications Outshining Their Windows Counterparts
It’s a common perception that when Windows users switch to Linux, they lament the lack of available applications. However, having utilized Linux for over a decade, I find that returning to Windows also highlights an application gap, both in terms of functionality and quality.
While I’ve previously discussed Linux-exclusive applications that surpass their Windows alternatives, I’ve discovered even more that deserve recognition. Here are three additional Linux-only applications that enhance your computing experience in ways not possible on Windows.
Exploring Flatseal and Warehouse
Gain Total Control Over Your Installed Applications
Flatpaks have gained traction as a popular method for installing applications on Linux, particularly for users of immutable distributions like Fedora Silverblue or Bazzite. Many users source their Linux applications from Flathub, the official Flatpak repository. One significant advantage of Flatpaks is their distribution-agnostic nature; each application operates within a distinct sandbox, giving users detailed control over its permissions. You can dictate what files, devices, and network resources an app can access. Typically, these permissions are managed via the terminal, but graphical applications like Flatseal and Warehouse simplify the process.
Flatseal allows you to monitor and manage permissions for all your Flatpaks. For instance, after installing Discord as a Flatpak, you can use Flatseal to restrict its access to your file system. Similarly, with Super Productivity, a robust offline task management tool, I can permit access to a single directory while blocking its internet access entirely.
Warehouse, on the other hand, is more focused on maintaining your Flatpaks. It enables you to manage remotes, revert to previous versions if an update causes issues, and stop certain apps from automatically updating. My favorite feature, however, is its ability to delete leftover files after uninstalling a Flatpak, helping you reclaim storage space occupied by unnecessary data.
Windows lacks this level of app control. The Settings application offers some options for restricting apps’ access to your microphone or camera, but that’s about it. Users do not enjoy the same fine-grained control over applications’ access to system resources available with Flatpaks on Linux.
Timeshift (or Snapper)
Break Anything and Revert as If It Never Happened
Whether running Windows or Linux, users are susceptible to problematic updates that can disrupt system functionality. However, Linux provides superior tools for addressing these situations. Timeshift is among the most popular options and is available across nearly all Linux distributions. It can automatically create snapshots of your system files based on a set schedule. While you can configure it to include your home directory, it’s usually best to exclude it. This way, rolling back an older snapshot restores only system files, leaving your personal data intact.
Snapper also deserves mention for its enhanced capabilities, especially with Linux distributions that use the Btrfs file system, such as openSUSE or Arch Linux. Utilizing Btrfs’s native copy-on-write feature, Snapper allows for fast and efficient snapshot creation. Furthermore, it integrates with supported bootloaders, enabling you to boot into an older system state from the boot menu if needed. This means you can ensure an older snapshot is functioning before restoring it.
Both Timeshift and Snapper can be set up to automatically create snapshots before system updates or software installations, providing a fallback option if an update causes problems. In contrast, the System Restore feature in Windows is often disabled by default. If it is enabled, it may not consistently create restore points for all updates or installations, and it lacks a method to test restore points before implementation. Although the recent Point-in-time Restore feature is generally seen as more reliable, it remains fairly limited compared to Linux snapshot tools, often creating just one snapshot every 24 hours.
KVM/QEMU and virt-manager
Virtualize Any OS with Near-Native Performance
Virtual machines (VMs) are incredibly useful for testing software and trying different operating systems, allowing for a completely sandboxed environment. Linux excels in this area with KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), which enables Linux to act as a hypervisor, utilizing the CPU’s hardware virtualization features efficiently. Combining it with QEMU, which emulates hardware for VMs, and Virtual Machine Manager (virt-manager) for graphical management, creates a robust virtualization platform. This setup allows users to run most x86 operating systems with performance akin to native, especially with GPU passthrough for gaming.
Windows does support virtualization, yet it lacks the flexibility and power of its Linux counterpart. Hyper-V, the built-in hypervisor for Windows, is restricted to Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions of Windows 11, limiting access for most home users. Additionally, full PCIe GPU passthrough is not supported for desktop VMs on Windows, allowing limited capability compared to KVM/QEMU on Linux. Although users can run Linux apps on Windows via the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), it is more geared toward development tools and can be fraught with issues.
Linux Offers Greater Control Over Your System
Applications like Flatseal, Warehouse, Timeshift, Snapper, KVM/QEMU, and virt-manager provide functionalities that Windows cannot match or offers only in a restricted manner. Although some of these tools require initial setup, dedicating a weekend to configuration can elevate your computer experience beyond what’s possible with Windows.
