Posted on 01/28/2025 10:52:19 AM PST by ShadowAce
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.
Boy, is Linux hard or what?
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.
Also, keep in mind that you may not be able to "upgrade" your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11. Microsoft demands that your PC have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and other newer hardware. Linux doesn't care. Linux will run on pretty much anything. So before "the biggest Ctrl-Alt-Delete" in history, you should consider upgrading your out-of-spec Windows 10 machine to Mint.
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. ®
I’m still on Windows 7 for the email. What’s a good Linux for conservatives?
eeeks.... and to think I completely missed Win8, Win9 and now Win10.
If my Win7 goes bonkers, I’ll have to revert to MS-DOS.
I started out on Linux Zorin but was unable to update it for unknown reasons so I also have Linux Mint. The best thing about Linux is it has never slowed down for me. Windows, no matter what I did, kept s l o w i n g down to a crawl. Linux is just as fast now as the day I started. I can't go back.
Pretty much any of them, as you will not be supporting them with your dollars.
Anyone outside of your house probably won't know the details, either.
If you’re seriously into gaming or have a need for high level business computing - go with Linux.
If you’re in the majority of PC users - Get a Chromebook which uses a Linux-based system with a user-friendly interface.
I personally like Fedora (I'm a Red Hat admin), and I also run Pop!_OS at home. Both are developed in the States.
If I could get Quickbooks Pro and UPS to work on Linux, I would never use windows again for anything
UPS?
Remember Vista? My PC is still running Vista. I use it these days as a word processor only, with no internet connection. And even as a word processor it does goofy things.
I’ve thought about moving on to a newer PC, but I’m told that now I can only rent Microsoft Word. On my Vista I own it.
So I’m sticking with my Vista. And with my old, paid-for car, too.
Now's a good time to convert, and get rid of that Vista altogether.
A month ago I installed the latest Mint on an old PC (dual boot) and it runs fine. Very pleased so far.
I first created a bootable USB drive, tried it out that way and then installed it.
I had Vista about 15 years ago and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Then I went to Windows 10 and decided I was madly in love with Vista.
It isn't obvious yet and won't be until about this time next year, what sort of market share Microsoft is risking by this change. They're offering paid support for another year or so but that's only putting the problem off. And it doesn't prevent a repeat - "Hey, Windows 12 is coming out but you're going to have to buy a new infabulator in order to run it and we're pulling support for everything else. Have a nice day." Nope.
That said, I primarily use W10 at present, going back to W7 in order to use older Adobe products, Acrobat 10 and Photoshop CS5 as needed. But when W10 is no longer supported, I have my Linux O/S ready to go.
I ship packages regularly in my business and UPS is windows only
“I’m still on Windows 7 for the email. What’s a good Linux for conservatives?”
It belongs completely to you... So be who you want to be with it. There is nothing political or restrictive in the OS it’s self. It is not like Microsoft who controls everything you do with it. :)
If you want an almost same thing as Win 7 get Mint Cinnamon. As the article states... :)
Have you thought about just running a VM in Linux for that?
A VM running Window inside Linux should take care of those issues for you.
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