Completely moving away from Windows is definitely an option.
Completely moving away from Windows is definitely an option.
I faced a comparable problem when I moved to Linux a couple of months prior, where Xamarin wasn't available. I used Manjaro as a dual boot and became fond of it, though I can revert if necessary.
If the first thing you're worried about is your ability to run certain Windows software, there is no sane reason not to continue using Windows. Except if you hate yourself that much.
Follow Wendells' instructions for booting from a duel and enabling PCI passthrough. Windows gaming inside a virtual machine is quite straightforward and manageable (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/PCI...h_via_OVMF)
Underi, it's interesting how members approach things. I assume your system got updated after November, but adding a hard drive tray might help. You're able to switch between multiple operating systems without trouble. Trays are affordable at about $15 each, and storage drives are reasonably priced unless you need large capacities. I tend to keep around 500GB, which is straightforward. Mac
Hard drives are affordable, but SSDs come with a higher price tag. Many gamers prefer their operating system on an SSD. Switching to another OS for gaming can be quite inconvenient. I've used those trays in a community college setting; if they're identical, you need a 3.5 or 5.25 bay, and it's true that most PC cases don't have that space.
I've moved to Linux roughly three years ago. As a casual user, it wasn’t a major change, but I found some points worth sharing. Everything began with a Windows setup (common among many people) that stayed at my desk for a while—mostly idle since I lived in the countryside in Germany and had no reliable internet back then. My only updates came by traveling to nearby cities and asking friends to use their connections. Carrying a full-sized desktop PC wasn’t fun, especially when you had to travel by train.
Eventually, someone gave me a used MacBook Air (late 2011). I bought it mainly because I needed to manage around 25 Macs at work and my macOS skills were limited at the time. Time changed things; the company stopped supporting iOS app development a year later, which made me go back to Linux servers. I used Linux at work, macOS at home, and occasionally on my family’s devices. My girlfriend also switched, and I quickly realized there was a MacBook somewhere in our house—something I hadn’t touched in months due to work and life demands.
Eventually, I got it back and decided to install Linux too. It wasn’t overly complicated. Arch Linux works well, and with the extensive AUR repository, you can find solutions for almost any issue. I discovered a program in the AUR that controlled my MacBook’s fan speed—something I had previously thought was handled by the BIOS.
Next, I tried Steam. Although Arch Linux isn’t officially supported, a package in the AUR worked fine. That day, my girlfriend and I rediscovered Skyrim on an old Windows laptop, wondering if it could run on my Linux-MacBook combo. Since there’s no native Linux version, we used Wine—a compatibility layer that improved performance over a virtual machine.
My first attempt with Wine to run Skyrim failed, so I kept searching. PlayOnLinux helped me install Windows apps via Wine, which was a big help. Eventually, after some effort, I managed to launch Skyrim on my Linux-powered MacBook Air. The performance was poor—5 to 15 frames per second at best—but it was enough for the task.
The main takeaway? Linux offers great flexibility and power. Switching to Arch made me realize its potential, especially with community support and tools like AUR. If you love certain games but don’t have a native Linux version, exploring options like PlayOnLinux or Codeweavers CrossOver can be worthwhile.