Why in the world anyone would want Linux to look like Windows is beyond me. Particularly Windows Classic — that staid old theme that came bundled with Windows XP and attempted to look like the old Windows 2000 desktop.

And yet, thanks to the WordPress.com backend (credit where credit is due 🙄 ), I can tell you with half shock and half embarrassment that the screenshots that get the most traffic are ones of a Windows Classic theme knockoff I created about a year ago. And still fine-tune now and again.

It’s ugly, it’s boring, it’s dull and it’s hackneyed. But it’s also amazingly fast, light as air and easy to set up, given you have a few configurations and about an hour of your time.

I’ve put this on everything from Pentium Classics to dual core Intel machines and without fail, it runs quick and light and never disappoints. I even had a friend over to my house about a week ago, and I was asked when I had started using Windows again.

So it must be a little convincing, at least. I’ve built this in Arch Linux, Crux Linux, Ubuntu, Debian … and if there are others out there with the same software available, I’m sure it can be done on them too.

Linux is beautiful and clean and fast and creative — just about everything Windows isn’t. So try it if you must — it’s not that great and it’ll probably be disappointing, but so was Windows. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😉

P.S.: I do not suggest using this as a trick to push someone into using Linux. Convert through desire, not through subterfuge, friends. … 😀