Posted on 02/01/2014 1:57:57 PM PST by ShadowAce
The Windows XP death clock is ticking away. While Microsoft has extended support for malware protection, do not be fooled -- XP will be officially unsupported on April 8. If Microsoft has its druthers, these XP users will upgrade to Windows 8 and maybe even buy a new computer.
However, there is a problem with this -- the Windows 8 UI is radically different from XP and people do not like change (especially people clinging to an operating system from 2001). Also, they may not need to buy a new computer, because their existing is probably fast enough... for Linux!
Yes, Linux is far less intensive than the arguably bloated Windows. And so, if a user wants a supported operating system that should work well on their existing, but aging hardware, a Linux-based OS may be the best choice. The problem is, what distribution should a user choose? What software is available? No worries, I'm here to help.
Introduction
First things first, what exactly is Linux? Well, technically Linux is a kernel -- not an operating system, but an aspect of one. However, there are operating systems, called distributions, that utilize that kernel. It was invented by a man named Linus Torvalds in 1991. Yes, Linux is hardly new -- it has a long history and a large user and developer base.
It is used in many things such as web servers and even Android phones. Believe it or not, if you own an Android phone, you are already a Linux user and probably didn't even know it -- nice job! Don't confuse this to mean that Linux distributions will run Android apps, they are not exactly compatible.
Why
So, why should you switch from your comfortable Windows XP operating system to a Linux one? Besides Windows XP support ending on April 8, here are some other compelling reasons:
Backup
Before you do anything, I urge you to backup your files -- pictures, documents and anything that is important to you. You can do this a number of ways, but the easiest is to use a fat-formatted flash drive or external hard drive. You can copy the files back once the new operating system is installed
User Interface / Environment
Before you can pick a distribution, you must decide on an environment. You see, many distributions come in various "flavors", which offer different environments or user interfaces. Let's be honest, if you are still on Windows XP, you probably do not like change. With that said, the ideal environment for an XP user would be KDE, Mate or Cinnamon -- all of which resemble the classic Windows Start button philosophy.
However, my suggestion would be the Mate environment. While KDE and Cinnamon are great, they are likely too intensive for an older XP machine. Mate is a lightweight desktop environment that isn't flashy. It is easy to use and a Windows XP user should feel very comfortable with it.
Distribution
So, which distribution do I suggest? Linux Mint 13 LTS Mate. What is nice about this operating system is that it is LTS, meaning Long Term Release. What does that mean? Well, it will be supported until April 2017. This means you will have access to updates and support for many years. You will not be on the bleeding edge, but you will be very stable.
Most importantly, it is based on the popular Ubuntu distribution, which is a rock-solid foundation with access to a lot of software (packages). It is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit processors as well. You can download the operating system and user guide here. Please follow the guide to install it.
Software
OK, so let's assume you've successfully installed Linux Mint by following the user guide. Now what? You want to install Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer right? Not so fast there. All of your favorite Windows programs are not here. Don't panic though, there are plenty of fine alternatives that are not only great, they are free. Yes, you will no longer need to purchase software for your super-cool Linux computer. Below are some suggested programs and the Windows equivalent.
That is just a small sampling of what is available. There is a cornucopia of programs available in the Software Center. This is much like the app store that can be found on modern smartphones. You can search for, install and remove software using this one-stop-shop. This is unlike Windows which makes you search all over the internet, at various sites, to get programs. Not only is that time consuming, it can put you at risk of malware too.
Speaking of malware, Linux can be considered, for the most part, free of things like viruses. While some viruses do exist, they are few and far between. Besides, whenever you install something in Linux, you are prompted for your system password. If you do not know what is being installed, do not enter your password.
Conclusion
So, congratulations, your computer is now supported until 2017 and it cost you nothing. You have a powerful operating system that is chock full of useful software and is less likely to get viruses. You should be proud of yourself. While Microsoft may have lost a Windows sale, you now have extra money in your wallet -- take a loved one out to dinner, courtesy of this BetaNews guide.
If you try it out and like it, Linux can install onto your hard drive alongside Windows. When you turn on the computer it will ask you if you want Windows or Linux.
This is why I always recommend Mepis Linux. It may not be the hottest Distro according to "Distrowatch.com", but it consistantly boots across a wide variety of hardware setups and has always been the most stable and easiest to configure versions of Linux I have run over the past several years. It is available on a bootable disc which you can run as many times as you wish to determine if you think you can use it as a suitable operating system on your particular hardware setup, and will not touch your existing setup at all while it runs. Then, when you install it, it will run so much faster than off of the live disc you will be amazed at how fast and efficient it is. Pdf files, MS Office files, various Media (jpg, bmp, avi, mp4) files, even spreadsheet files are all there so you do not have to spend countless more amounts to be able to simply access the critical files you need to work with, and simply do what you need to do without needing to constantly worry about looking for the latest "update" to ensure continued access to the data you need.
No need to pay over one hundred dollars every couple of years to obtain the "latest" newest version of a monolithic Operating System just to make certain that you can continue to use your existing computer setup.
Stable, runs on many different hardware setups, and few if any threats of malware to worry about. More and more, this OS is beginning to become something for us to think about as time goes by.
And with good reason.
lol!
The year of Linux is upon us, right?
No.
Even the really lame attempt at associating Linux with conservatism fails to take into account that the fee market has rejected Linux as an viable alternative to Windows every year for the entire time it’s been around.
however it sounds very Utopian socialist when you look at the whole “M$” is evil trope that is central to the “free open source” movement.
that’s fine.
I’ve used Linux in the past, and realized that I value my free time more than fixing 1990s style issues like getting printers and video drivers to make my computer work, or looking for software repositories, or dealing with Kernal panics, or have to edit x.org files.
Yeah, I know, I can just dual/tri boot one hard drive, but I prefer to keep them all on their own separate hard drives. I use W7 most of the time but I wanted an XP disk with all the latest patches for sake of having it, and also hoping that Microsoft will realize their error and continue to support it.
It is possible, though I will say that it is probably not functional right "out of the box." There will be some configuration by you in order to accomplish it.
Can it convert windows files with Lynux programs for example word docs, excell?
Yes. You can try out LibreOffice now as il it,as it runs on Windows also. Install it and open some of your more questionable files and see if it works. That will give you more confidence in moving ahead.
Also, can I then share with computers still using windows?
Yes. I use a Linux (no Windows installed on it anywhere) machine at work. It's connected to the AD network, and no one outside of my department knows I run Linux.
Yeah? What market are you watching? Every time I turn around I see another company or government switching over. It dominates the supercomputer market, and dwarfs Windows in the tablet market.
So while the market hasnt turned to Linux overnight, like you seem to expect us to think it will, it s moving in that direction.
What can you do if you HAVE to use Windows® based applications? Are you out of luck?
I do a lot of developing of industrial control systems using PLCs and HMIs from various vendors; Allen-Bradley, Omron, Siemens, AutomationDirect and others. All of the development environments utilize Windows O/S (in various flavors).
Inasmuch as I would love to give Windows the old heave ho, unless and until I can use Linux to run these applications, Linux is little more than a plaything to me.
“One nice thing about Linux is that you don’t have to install it to try it out.”
THANKS! I like that. I will study Linux and try that.
Yeah, if you hang around Slashdot all day you would think that everyone is using it.
Then you look at the actual numbers and you are still trailing OSX
” It dominates the supercomputer market, and dwarfs Windows in the tablet market.”
Because supercomputers = everyday users?
And no Android =/= Linux anymore than OSX is Linux.
“Oh, but they use the same underpinnings...”
Oh but they dont run the same software, and are virtually incomparable.
“So while the market hasnt turned to Linux overnight”
Overnight is coming on to their 20th or so year.
Heh, not sure what you mean.
That sounds like a win for you both!
Actually linux has better support for old Windows programs than Win7/8.
My company has a cloud of 46k+ VM’s running RHEL. That’s a minimum of $13.8 million of revenue a year for RedHat.
Dude, Crunchbang. It screams.
WOW is all i can say. the reason i ask is i work for a small medicare healthplan and we are still on winXP and will be for a while yet as our claims software is not used on win7 or so IT told me.
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