Windows 10's demise nears, but Linux is forever

Come October 14, 2025, Windows 10 support dies. Despite that, more users than ever are using Windows 10 rather than moving to Windows 11.

I can't say that I blame them. Windows 11 sucks almost as much as Vista – remember that stinker? In addition, Windows 11 is less of a desktop operating system than it is a remote Microsoft client equipped with AI-powered Recall, telemetry, and data collection. You may see these as features. I see them as spyware. All this and more is why I use Linux for my primary desktop.

True, I've been using Linux as my desktop for decades now. Before that, I ran Unix as a desktop. When I started, my choice of desktops was not between GNOME or KDE; it was between Csh and the Bourne shell. Bash, today's most popular shell, hadn't even been created yet. In those days, to get work done, you really did need to know how to make simple shell programs. That was a long, long time ago.

Today, anyone smart enough to use Windows, a very low bar indeed, can use desktop Linux.

Take, for example, my own favorite Linux desktop: Linux Mint. I've gotten people in their 70s who wouldn't know a shell command from Excel up and running on Mint without any trouble.

That's because Mint, with its default Cinnamon interface, looks a lot like Windows 7's Aero frontend. It's been years since 7 was retired, but there are a lot of users who still love its look and feel. Heck, there's even a program, StartAllBack, which enables you to reset Windows 11's interface to one that closely resembles Windows 7's desktop.

In addition, these days, it's simple to install Linux applications. You don't need to know package managers such as APT, DNF, or Pacman. No, on Mint, you just find the Install Software icon by searching the menu and then look for the program you want. If you can install programs on your smartphone, you have all the skills you need to install programs on Linux.

Can't live without your Microsoft Office programs? You don't need to leave them behind on Linux. Maybe you should, but that's another column. Instead, all you need to do – read closely now – is 1) Open a web browser on your Linux system; 2) Go to https://www.office.com; 3) Sign in with your Microsoft account; and 4) Start running the web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office apps. That's it. That's all.

If you prefer, there are many great free – not one penny – open source programs. Instead of Office, you can try LibreOffice. You'll find it looks and feels a lot like Office 2003. That's a win in my book. Instead of Edge, Mint and most other Linux distros come with Firefox as their built-in web browser. Or, if you want, you can always install Chrome or a host of other browsers.

As for email, personally, I can't stand Outlook. I'm not alone. On Linux, your best choice is Evolution. Many people prefer Mozilla Thunderbird. The choice is yours. If you really love Outlook – there's no accounting for taste – just sign into Outlook on the web. No sweat, no mess.

Some people say you can't game on Linux. Wrong! So, so wrong! Many Steam games are available on Linux via the Steam Store. For that matter, with the Chrome web browser and the Xbox Game Pass, you can run streaming Xbox games on Linux. That said, if you're really serious about games, why are you on a desktop anyway? Get a PlayStation 5, which runs a customized version of FreeBSD, by the way, or an Xbox Series X. Consoles are better and cheaper for serious gaming anyway [cheaper, yes, but not better, according to our author of The RPG – ed].

Oh, one final software thought. Unlike Windows, where every month a new batch of serious security bugs appears on Patch Tuesday, Linux was built securely. That's not to say that Linux has perfect security. It doesn't. What it does have, though, is essentially no desktop security worries. In all the time I've been running Linux, I've yet to have a single serious security problem.

How safe is it? To the best of my knowledge, there are no Linux antivirus programs available for desktops. There was simply no demand for them.

Still not convinced? Tell you what, go to your local junk shop and buy a cheap computer. Unlike Windows, Linux runs on pretty much anything. For instance, Mint only needs 2 GB of RAM (4 GB recommended), 20 GB of disk space (100 GB recommended), and a graphics card that handles 1024 x 768 resolution. In other words, any PC from the last 20 years or so should do just fine.

Now, I admit shifting your machine from Windows to Linux is the one thing where you need to have some computer smarts. Still, upgrading from Windows 10 to Linux Mint isn't that hard.

If the very idea scares you, try it out first on an aforementioned scrapheap PC. Get two, they're cheap.

Or you could just buy a Linux PC that is all set up and ready to go. Of the big PC names, Dell and Lenovo both offer Linux desktops and laptops. There are several smaller vendors that offer Linux. Some of my favorites include System76 in the States, Slimbook in the EU, ThinkPenguin globally, and Juno Computers in the US and the UK.

So, as the end of Windows 10 closes in, do yourself a favor. Give the Linux desktop a try. I think you'll be glad you did. ®

Crap, I missed this! No I also missed your link! About time someone did that! That is fantastic!

I talked with Clem (head dude) over at the Mint forms about doing that seven years ago... I offered to host it on my server and build a web site that operated just like Cinnamon. All the same CSS menus and everything. But when you go to the apps it just gives a representative home page with a link to the dev source site for that app for more details.

That way folks could check it out and realize linux is no longer just a command line interface. And to see it is just as easy to use as Win 7. But in the end we both agreed it would be quite a bit to maintain because of version and app package changes. I was just too busy with real life to do that at the time.

Anyhow I have tried out about ten different distros now, playing with a new one right now but as a base for a special underground stealth “secure OS” package project (Easy OS). But yep... I have settled on Cinnamon as my go to and preference. It is a GUI Cadillac that always runs good. Why drive a Pontiac Sunbird when you can have a Cadillac for the same cost? :)

Sorry I missed this yesterday. Too busy trying to respect holy ground in Churches.

But yes, I have several external drives that I can switch out and have full Operating Systems to choose from with the boot menu. Some are minimal on USB sticks for just specific purposes so it is isolated from my internal drive.

“but I am not sure if my newer version of UEFI will object to that.”

I’m trying to figure out what that problem is because recently it seems you are not the only one having this problem. “Most” Distros are designed to boot with both Legacy and UEFI with no problems. And normally they do. But recently there seems to be a conflict for some reason. I am going to have to do some homework on it. But I suspect some underhanded OEM/MS lock out agreement game involved with that. I see the UEFI protocol devs are playing with it and requiring extra tools now which should NOT be the case at all.

https://uefi.org/

https://embeddedcomputing.com/technology/security/software-security/understanding-uefi-firmware-update-and-its-vital-role-in-keeping-computing-systems-secure

I need to share an observation my friend. It appears you are warming to the idea of finally trying to make a full switch. If they are even losing you then they have for sure pushed too hard in the wrong direction for sure. But you are not quitting them, they are quitting you by letting you down. They are just pushing folks too far into a corner with their greed, oppression, and abuse. And now the product is getting to the point it doesn’t even function half the time. It is not even an Operating System, it is just a local client and interface to access online subscriptions. May as well just use a tablet and throw the PC away. You can run printers from tablets too. They are crossing the line for most folks...

Unfortunately we can’t have our cake and eat it too. To get rid of the insanity it will require personal sacrifices. There is just no other way around it. For a lot of folks it has come down to a matter of survival. It has come down to the point of even owning and using a computer. A whole lot of folks are going to just drop off and drop out rather than deal with MS. I hope the computer manufacturing industry realizes that MS is about to kill off a whole lot of their market with their irrational illogical over the top greed.

Those who want to keep computing are going to have to make serious sacrifices and put forth some personal effort to stay in the game with Linux. There is now no choice, they are backed into a corner. And this would not be that hard except MS has made it so complicated to use an alternative OS with their bios and firmware agreements with the OEM manufacturers. OEM manufacturers need to ship equipment out that is alternative OS friendly. When you pay good money for a product it should NEVER perpetually belong to MS. It should belong to YOU.

The OEM equipment market better wake up. Why even buy an expensive personal computer when a tablet, bluetooth printer, and addon keyboard is all you need?

I’m trying to figure out what that problem is because recently it seems you are not the only one having this problem.

Actually I do not know if it will be, as I have not tried it.

If they are even losing you then they have for sure pushed too hard in the wrong direction for sure. But you are not quitting them, they are quitting you by letting you down. They are just pushing folks too far into a corner with their greed, oppression, and abuse. And now the product is getting to the point it doesn’t even function half the time. It is not even an Operating System, it is just a local client and interface to access online subscriptions. May as well just use a tablet and throw the PC away. You can run printers from tablets too. They are crossing the line for most folks...

Actually, aside from warranted equipment upgrades that Linux also benefits from, then after purchasing XP retail (Ebay) years ago, MS upgrades have not cost me anything since for $28 (via New Egg rebate) I upgraded to W/8, which I later free upgraded to 8.1, likewise to W/10, then to W/l1 Pro, all on the Retail channel, while the license passed from 2 or 3 rigs, which is legal (uninstall from one, install on another) due to being on the retail channel. Thank God, and which transfers currently have no limit while MS lasts.

And the issue is that MS seems to be infected with the Chrome mindset, that of imagining that less functions are better, at least as easily accessed, and that a layout should resemble a playground of spread out icons versus compact ones and menus (Linux dstros only seem just a little better, aside from Puppy) which you can add locations and apps to. Thus MS removed the extensive fine tuning appearance of XP, and the multilevel taskbar and the quick launch option, and recently made the right click file explorer to be more like a smart phone (look for tiny icons to click on, or require an extra click to actually access them).

Part of the problem is that most people do not seems to care about greater functionality and enhancements, rather than looking for such, but thank God for coders who work and freely provide solutions to overcome MS minimization and provide for tweaks and enhancements for improved functionality, efficiency, and appearance. See this post with images and links relative to the above.

Yet it seems like the next major update, 24H2, seeks to disallow 3rd party fixes.

Thus I am not driven by some anti-MS spirit, and appreciate what Note that from my experience, then as you know from pat posts, i have not found Linux superior to what I can freely enable and obtain under Windows, but my quests is to find out how i can "fix" Linux as partly expressed in a post below, though that will take much time, which currently I have more of, though that can change quickly.

In short, MS costs me nothing, and would not loose much of anything if i switched from using Windows, but it is the potential loss of tweaks and enhancements for for improved functionality, efficiency, and appearance which the (legally required) MS updates threaten.

And thus I also do not intend to sacrifice the same scope of customization that I presently have by using Linux.

Right now, I may try manjaro kde plasma: review: https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/manjaro-21-2-qonos-plasma.html

Forgot to mention, I will be using lutrix soon- dealing with trying to get photoshop and plug-ins working now- managed to get photoshop running on windows 10- but onky after many days of research, and Adobe lying to me, telling me that it couldn’t be deactivated, and that I would have to upgrade to paid subscription. I found out that if you right click on the desktop icon for photoshop, and choose “open as administrator” that it then allows you to deactivate- contrary to what the “techs” at Adobe insisted.

Anyway, I g9t it running on new computer, so now I can install it on Linux because it is on the dame computer as my windows 10, and it won’t be seen as a 3’rd install attempt (I hope). It will be awhile though before I get to trying it on linux, but excited to try it.

What was that site where windows is only like $20 or so? I gotta find a method to pay for it without using credit card though. Worth a try for the serial number.

I’m not talking about cost. I am talking about pain and suffering caused from mass reverence of an abusive sadistic evil disciple of Satan named Microsoft... I would personally live without it before I support the immorality they practice. But I guess maybe my moral standards are higher than most.

Well, as said, I would hardly refer the work required in turning off telemetry, nor to overcome negative charges of MS updates, and the time and effort involved in enabling the enhancements I desire, as being "pain and suffering," or at least more than what it would take me to bring a Linux distro to parity in this regard.

I also not do find fault with software coders being paid and a company ensuring profits via selling licenses to use their work, vs. obtaining little to no recompense for all their work by it being freely copied (which would be the overall case if not requiring a license enforceable by law, though it seems that MS does not take action against private users who disregard this requirement and use non-activated copies of Windows 10 and 11, which means some limitations in terms of features, options, and personalization and being reminded to activate).

Of course, authors must be always free to provide freeware.

But I do object to being legally required to install MS updates as per its license (though for pro users these can be delayed, and some can be uninstalled, and so far, negative changes can be overcome). And yet, I think that it is reasonable for Telsa to require acceptance of updates for safety issues, and likewise merely security updates should be required, but not supposed unwarranted improvements to the OS. MS license makes not such distinction.

Meanwhile, though no necessarily obtaining money from users of Linux, yet its Foundation supports LGBTQAI+++

and which seems to be the ideology that prevails in major distros such as Red Hate as it does in the business corporate world.

In 2018 Linus Torvalds signed off on a revamped Code of Conduct which includes "gender identity" and sexual identity and orientation among protected classes, and promotes using "welcoming and inclusive language." And

The [Linux] Foundation encourages edit-a-thons (meet-ups of editors of the website) and members of the LGBTIQ+ community often use these meetings to write about and expand Wikipedia articles on topics relating to sexuality and gender.

There are also many examples of the LGBTIQ+ community embracing the open source ethos. Trans*H4ck, for example, is a non-profit organisation that runs hackathons across the United States that support trans members of the tech industry, and develop new open source projects. A similar organisation, Trans Code, runs events in the UK. Lesbians Who Tech is another US-based organisation that runs hackathons and tech-based events for gay audiences. - https://www.codethink.co.uk/articles/2019/acceptance-strife-and-progress-in-the-lgbtiq-and-open-source-communities/ Yet MS also supports wokeism, thus if MS obtained money from me, in some way I would be contributing to it (as if the case in buying just about anything from the West), while users of Linux need no support anything.

However, I am not driven by an extreme aversion to MS, but by an objective consideration of time and effort relative to desired efficiency and ability.

Thanks for your input.

Let’s get something straight. The only way to get completely rid of “woke” is to give up >ALL< tech period, even phones and digital cards. And MS is in even deeper than most.

It is the culture of tech, and there is absolutely no way to avoid it except to remove yourself from all influences of technology and go live under a rock like a caveman.

So to attach that woke “addon” to Linux is an unfair argument. It is attached to EVERYTHING tech. It is indigenous and inescapable period. So it is NOT a >choice<...

My point was the difference is, Linux is volunteerism, and there is absolutely virtue in this whether it is associated with “woke” or not. They do it just because they like doing it and if someone buys them a cup of coffee for their efforts great. If we don’t fel that is enough then we are welcome to send them more.

MS is corporate greed to the point of even sabotaging their own product to extort consumers into allowing themselves to be abused by the Corporation. They invented the very definition of unfair business practices and customer abuse. And much of the money they make goes towards supporting communist and woke causes around the world. They are trying to help subvert our Free Republic and enslave us with tech, Linux is not... Supporting MS is supporting our own demise.

MS is by far more immoral and dangerous than the Linux world ever will ever be.

I know in Mint the keyboard mapping is an open book. You can do anything you like as long as it is not the same as something else related an apps shortcuts. It is pretty much the same standard app for mapping in most Linux distros.

I have heard that before, but despite searching many forums and asking advice, TMK no one could come up with means to remap the capslock key to copy. Takes me at least 3 times as long to create even a response as this.

However, I have a far more critical problem. After installing and rebooting, and then trying to type in a simple text document (or in the default browser), the a and no keys do not work, among others. Works fine in Windows and on the live version.

I shutdown, and unplugged the keyboard, and plugged in another one in a different USB port.

Searched Internet, say many others having various issues with the keyboard, but no solutions. Since this is such a basic, fundamental critical function, and Google had to somewhat guess what I was searching for, then I went back to Windows. But installing Linux with all unplug except the SSD for installing Linux , worked fine. With no drives installed then it will boot with input needed, as will Windows with all drives plugged in, but to boot Linux I just keep tapping the F11 key, and choose Generic USB drive or something akin to that.

Other thoughts: "Start" menu leaves things hard to find, even choosing "all..." Why should one even have to go there to find "restart, etc.?

Sparse right click menu, lacking "copy to" and "move to" among about 50 others functions, apps and locations that would make things faster.

So I am back in Windows, and since I shutdown 7 browsers with hundreds of tabs. and about 12 documents plus various programs, then I usually do l not reboot for weeks, which is when I would get back to working on Linux.

does this help? https://superuser.com/questions/2194/remap-keys-in-linux

Been there most likely, "Asked 15 years ago," and I am not sure xmodmap is still supported. Years ago I searched a lot, and there were many "try this," yet nothing worked, at last persistently and I went back to work on Windows. However, I vaguely remembered a promising exception from a certain Ace, thank God for him, so I searched for past posts of mine and found it, but we found it did not work past sessions.

For me it is important due to stiff arthritic typo-fingers, and as I do a lot of cut and paste, and do not want to take even more time then I often do typing replies on forums, etc. I must lift up my hand for each letter and try to land on the correct key, but about every fourth letter is wrong unless I am very slow. And I also hot key a lot of things. Thank God for AutoHotKey.

However, as described above, since working keyboards do ot work (no a or n keys) on my new Manjaro KDE Plasma (once installed), then that put a full stop to trying it out.

Maybe it will get fixed.

“TMK no one could come up with means to remap the capslock key to copy.”

Because you are probably the only one in the world that uses it... The keyboard letter keys not working sounds like a glitch.

What I am finding is that some kernels and distros work better than others and on different machine hardware. And this is why I stick with Mint cinnamon, it has always driven the hardware correctly except for Mint 19 which had some issues with printers. Mint Devs spend more time and effort to make sure things work than other distros do.

And I don’t know about that distro, but Mint will let you swap out kernels with others. Sometimes an older kernel will work better with your particular hardware. I am using Mint 20.0 with kernel 5.4.0-26 And it has found and drives all my hardware and finds printers fine. Sometimes newer is not always better when it come to kernels. You sometimes have to find the right combination for your particular machine. But once you have it you never have to look back, it will be stable as a rock.

But you may have ended up with a bad download. This happens, I have had it happen many times and had to re-download again from a different mirror. I have had it happen because I was trying to do other stuff on the net while it was downloading it. So anymore I just start the download and walk away until it is done.

“Other thoughts: “Start” menu leaves things hard to find, even choosing “all...” Why should one even have to go there to find “restart, etc.?”

That menu system was designed back when windows XP and Windows 7 were the most popular OS. So it is set up to work just like Win 7/XP and it stuck. That is exactly how Windows 7 and XP menus worked. That is the Linux replacement for the “start” menu in 7 and XP. So it is retro in how it works. It works like windows did before Win vista and 10 screwed it up.

“Sparse right click menu, lacking “copy to” and “move to” among about 50 others functions, apps and locations that would make things faster.”

That is your particular distro. Mint has those options in the right click menu along with many more extra features most do not have. Now I don’t know about that distro. but in Mint you can right click your most used apps listings in the menu and send a launch icon onto your panel (tool tray) so they are handy all the time for you in your bottom panel.

“but to boot Linux I just keep tapping the F11 key, and choose Generic USB drive or something akin to that.”

Yes, if you leave windows as your primary internal OS you will have to use that boot menu to boot from any other drives. I have to do that too when I boot to something external. But... You know you can go set the boot order in your bios to go look for that external drive first to boot from first. If it “sees” it plugged in then it will just boot from that first automatically. If it is not present then it goes on to boot from the next option you have in the boot list. You will have to have that external plugging in when you set the bios boot order.

I am going to once again reiterate that you “should” have much better luck with Mint Cinnamon... I have tried about ten now and always end up going back because it is always stable and always works. If you had Cinnamon I have all the tips and tricks for you. It will even let you make GUI launchers for command line apps instead of having to use the terminal.

If you want the most customizable distro it is Mint Cinnamon. Because the Cinnamon is based on the Gnome desktop. Everything customizable about Gnome is built into Cinnamon. One thing to remember in all this is that it is not windows, so you cannot expect it to be windows... It is a whole new spouse you are going to have to learn to deal with if you divorce the old one. Sacrifices and compromises have to be made for the new spouse.

But I have never had letter keys not work and the support have no clue how to fix it. That would make me already worried about that Distro going forward... That means someone is not on top of stuff like they should be. Or like I say you ended up with a bad download and might have to try it again fresh. Could even be it lost something from the live CD to the drive when installing it to the drive. It happens. It can happen with any software download or install as you know.

I know one thing. I wish they would move away from .iso files and installs. It is an obsolete protocol. It is much easier to just copy an OS image file over to a drive formatted as bootable and go... No “install” step even needed. Then we would not have to worry about unplugging other drives to be safe. We would absolutely know it is copied to the correct target drive without any accidents.

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