You might be a Linux user and not even know it yet. It happened to me: I was a Windows user for years, but was doing all kinds of things that should have taught me I'm a Linux user at heart. Only when I switched did all these things make sense to me.

Wondering if you're a secret Linux user? Here are the warning signs, see if they apply to you.

You Constantly Tweak The Windows Interface

You're about to get started on your work, but then you notice…something…that's not quite right. Maybe you're not happy with your custom Windows 8 theme, or maybe it's how the start menu you added to Windows 8 looks.

Whatever it is, you just can't seem to stop customizing Windows to your needs. You enjoy it, and it relaxes you.

And that's great, but if you really want to get tweaking you should check out Linux.

Seriously: there are tons of different desktop environments for you to look into, all unique in their own way and all with plenty of customization options.

Each makes your system's GUI look and behave completely differently, and one of them is probably just right for you.

And this isn't even mentioning the hundreds of themes out there you can find for basically every one of these alternative desktops. It's a tweaker's dream.

If you love trying out new things, you're going to love hopping from one environment to the other as you search for something perfect. Switching to Linux means unlocking the ability to make your desktop look and behave pretty much any way you can imagine.

You Only Use Free Software

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There's nothing wrong with paying for software – you just don't like doing it. It's why you try to find free alternatives to every major piece of software out there. Even better: you don't feel like you're missing out on anything.

Check out our list of the best Linux software, though, and you'll quickly realize you've been using a lot of it already. Most of your software is waiting for you on Linux, so why not give it a shot?

You Constantly Try Out New Software

There's a lot of great free software out there, and you just want to try all of it. What's the best email client? What about music players?

If you're on Windows or a Mac, installing all of your options can take a while. You need to download packages, then go through the installation processes for each.

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Enter Linux. Way before the app store, major Linux distributions offered a one-stop shop for finding and installing software. If you're curious about music players, you can install 10 different music players just by clicking "Install" 10 times – that's it. Or, if that takes too long for your tastes, you can get everything to install by typing a single command. Updates for all programs are handled in one central place, so you'll never have 5 "Updates are waiting" notifications at the same time ever again.

It's called a package manager, and once you switch to Linux you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Seriously.

You Actually Use The Command Prompt

If you're a Windows user, and actually open the Command Prompt from time to time, you should probably give Linux a shot. Sure: PowerShell adds quite a bit of functionality to Windows, but it's hard to match Linux when it comes to commands.

Read up on essential Linux commands, then jump in. If text-based interfaces are something you enjoy, there's a lot of great software you can install on Linux that will empower you even more.

You Basically Only Play Indie Games

If Linux has an achilles heal, it's gaming – unless you're mostly into indie titles. Thanks in part of The Humble Indie Bundle being offered on all three major desktop platforms, almost every prominent indie game from the last decade or so has found its way to Linux.

If those, and the occasional emulator, make up the bulk of your gaming then Linux is a natural fit. They won't be your only option, of course: some higher profiles games do come out on Linux. But almost all indie titles do.

You Want More Control

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You're furious every time you notice something about your computer you can't control. From updates that install without your permission to settings you seemingly can't change.

Linux is waiting for you. There's a way to tweak how pretty much everything behaves, if you're willing to put in the time.

You've Read This Entire Article

If you took the time to read all this, you're a Linux user already – no one else would be interested in all this. If you haven't installed Linux yet, you should. Check out our list of the best Linux distros and get started.

As for the rest of you: what other signs are there that someone should be using Linux? Let's compile even more in the comments below, okay?

Image Credits: man using a computer Via Shutterstock