I've experimented with different Linux distributions since the early nineties. I kept going back to Windoze. I'd even order my copy of the new Windows long before it came out.
Windows XP cured me. Windows XP changed all that, letting them onto MY computer anytime they wanted. Sure, they SAY it's only to check the install, but how do I know that? My first computer with XP came installed with the "Home" version. Since I already owned a store-bought copy of a higher version, I installed it onto that new computer. Then, I tried to install the original that came with the computer onto an older computer. I was told that it wouldn't install because the computer wasn't the same make and model. Consequently, I lost the money I'd spent for that "Home" version.
When I tried Linux again, I forget the distribution, I found it WAS roughly the equivalent of Windows XP. It was FREE, both in cost and in malware. Even program updates were FREE. I was free to put it on any number of computers..It was faster than XP. There was a short learning curve and the word processer wasn't as good as the one with XP. But, then, MS Word did cost extra, so I didn't mind having a slightly inferior one for FREE.
Being a novel writer, I sometimes went back to Windows on another computer when finishing a novel or long story. That was the only downside I noticed. Also, I'm not a gamer, so I didn't notice that aspect.
I was on a dual boot and noticed, quite a while later, that I was never using Windows on that computer, except for an occasional update. So, when needing more space for data, I simply deleted that system.
Right now, I have four computer at home with Windows on only one ... hardly ever using it.
Hvysmker