I Asked Gemini Why My Linux Computer Feels Peaceful

Curious about what it would say, I asked Google Gemini “Why does it feel so much more quiet/peaceful when I’m using my Linux computer compared to if I use one like my Mac or even when I’ve used Windows in the past?”

I know I shouldn’t be, but I was surprised by its answer:

That “quiet” feeling isn’t just in your head—it is a byproduct of fundamentally different design philosophies. Windows and macOS are designed as services that want to engage you, whereas most Linux desktop environments are designed as tools that wait for you.

Gemini then broke down a few, specific, reasoned examples. It covered common ones like building your own environment on Linux vs. having it built for you, and the increase of ‘Dark Patterns’ due to monetization on other OSes. These were fine, but I think my favorite statement was simply the concluding summary:

That “peace” you feel is the absence of a billion-dollar company trying to “optimize your engagement” while you’re just trying to write code or browse the web.

Probably the smartest thing I’ve ever seen Gemini say.

Don’t worry though. It immediately followed that gem with the following question:

Would you like to know how to further “silence” your COSMIC environment, such as disabling workspace animations or fine-tuning notification “Do Not Disturb” settings?

Eager for engagement, and apparently oblivious to its own role in the ‘Dark Patterns’ it had just thoroughly described above.