I have a dozen friends using Linux Mint KDE 64 Bit. They are very happy with it. The updates are easy and the system is solid. All were ex-Windows users and it was easy for them to convert over to Linux.
It was easy for them because I installed the OS for them. It is an easy install and much easier than any Windows install I have done. Only a personal password is required and NO authentication is required.
The beauty of Linux Mint is that I can instal the complete OS with all the important applications on one hard drive and then duplicate that hard drive for other computers. All of the necessary drivers are built in. Linux Mint finds the wireless hardware almost automatically and is a snap to setup. (Try that with Windows and the included wireless setup CD)
Also going from Linux Mint KDE 17 to 17.3 is as easy as one click of the Update Manager. The Update Manager automatically checks for updates and does NOT bug you with Pop Ups. The manager icon merely puts a blue dot in its icon's center when an update is avaliable.
I am sure happy I cut the ties with Microsoft 2 years ago.
Here is a link if you are interested in trying
Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" KDE version.
PS I have installed Linux Mint on about 10 different laptops including 4 Dell 620 Latitudes and it works great.
Update: Linux Mint 17.3 "Rosa" KDE version has all the bells and whistles and is completely customizable. The newer 18.0 version is lacking in many features, in my view.
Good Hunting... from Varmint Al
[[It was easy for them because I installed the OS for them. It is an easy install and much easier than any Windows install I have done.]]
Absolutely it’s easy to install- I can have a linux install from scratch up and running in a little over an hour (coudl go even quicker- but i have several tweaks i do and non standard programs i install which take soem work to get working properly) and have it upgraded/updated in that time frame easily- with windows 7 it takes me literally days of work- days of doign hte tweaks to get it how i like it- the slow as molasses windows updates with many gigs of KB updates to download- reboot etc- plus even gettign hte stupid update to work is a lesson in frustration i n windows 7- then having to secure windows enough to use online fairly safely0- and keeping up with all the virus defenses etc-
Hated all the work that went into maintaining windows- keeping it safe- the horrible days long process of updating in windows updates-
I don’t even bother doing a clone of linux because it’s so quick to just reinstall from scratch- I could do it even quicker if i just went with all defaults- but i do like certain things the way i like them- so i tweak it a bit- and install some programs that take some knowhow and a little time to get installed- I do clean installs, just to keep myself up on what needs to be done as i often forget- wrote most of it down- but there’s still some things i forget- so i just reinstall from scratch fairly often just because it’s so easy and qwuick to do lol-
I do prefer the cinnamon version of mint though- tried the KDE- I like the cinnamon better-