Windows 10's demise nears, but Linux is forever

The Register ^ | 28 January 2025 | Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

[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. ®

[Da Coyote]

I will gladly celebrate the end of Microsoft and would love to participate in commanding a squadron to bomb and totally destroy all vestages of that loathsome company. Die, Microsoft, die, and take that toad Gates with you.

[Myrddin]

I ship packages regularly in my business and UPS is windows only

Many of the specialized embedding system programming tools are Windows only. That was the case with the PIC micro-controller compilers. I used many of them for CAN bus projects.

[dagunk]

I buy refurbs from Amazon, usually less that $150. Had to replace the hard drive in one out of five, they’re cheap. They all get the windows wiped anyway.

Loaded Linux Mint on one for wife after having to fix windows one-more-time. Did a backup of her home directory/folder tree to an external drive, uploaded it to the Linux Mint.

To back up the Firefox I did a backup from the bookmarks manager and an import from the bookmarks manager to the replacement machine. Everything transferred, no problems.

Showed her how to get to Firefox and her recipes/pictures/etc files. No further problems with her machine, although she forgets to turn on the printer sometimes (she’s getting better).

Wife is very happy with the performance and trouble-free operation.

I’m on FreeBSD. I like it better and I’m an old command-line dinosaur. I run X so I can have a batch of terminals open. If “command line” makes your eyeballs cage you probably don’t want to go here.

Also have FreeDOS and Borland Turbo C loaded on an ancient laptop.

And I still have my MSDOS 3.3 on 5 1/4” and 3.5” diskettes.

Raspberry Pi4 floating around here too. It’s more a Science Project / toy but it runs fine.

No windows machine here.

[doorgunner69]

I have more than a few expensive old programs like Autocad that will not run on win 10+. Since retireing, will not be paying to upgrade, all of which are really software leases these days.

Can they run on Linux?

[Myrddin]

I had to dump a motherboard that was BIOS boot only. Old hardware. Incapable of the secure boot introduced by Fedora. As a stopgap, I put Ubuntu on the box because it still had BIOS boot capability. That motherboard also failed early under Linux when the onboard Ethernet hardware support was dropped by Linux distros. A USB Ethernet adapter rescued the hardware for a couple years.

[linMcHlp]

Avoid the many Linux OS variations that will stump you.

In order to do that, visit many websites of the many applications that you will use and might use. Study their installation guides for Linux OS.

Example: Brave Browser: https://brave.com/linux/

Compile a list of the Linux OS versions that are the most compatible, in your view, for all such applications.

AVOID FlatPak and Snap.

Study the following guide: Linux Directory Structure and Important Files Paths Explained:
https://www.tecmint.com/linux-directory-structure-and-important-files-paths-explained/

[ShadowAce]

Ignorance doesn't look nice when pretending expertise.

That line jumped at me, too.

However, when looking at the various products, they are for the server. clamAV is for mail servers--not desktops.

At work we run TrendMicro (sucks), but only on our datacenter servers.

I could not find a desktop, consumer-oriented, product.

[Openurmind]

Do you let people you cannot trust access your physical box? If not an antivirus is not really needed. Only a very small number of exploits over the years did not require actual physical hands on and root credentials to install. It has to be rooted.

I have tried Clam AV several times hoping it would get better but it hasn’t. It breaks my machine every time I have installed it.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I buy refurbs from Amazon, usually less that $150.”

I’ve bought many of those, too. They’ve been more dependable than me ones overall.

I think that when someone refurbishes a machine he’s more diligent about quality control than the q.c. of ones popping off a production line.

[doorgunner69]

Same here, 7 on this laptop and the home desktop.

Too many favorite old CAD programs will not run on the new crap.

Dealing with the wife’s 10 and 11 is already a pain I do not need.

[linMcHlp]

Also: the WINE project: https://www.winehq.org/

[Openurmind]

They now have many Linux alternatives to autocad.

https://alternativeto.net/software/autocad/?platform=linux

[roving]

I had no problem with Windows 11.

[Openurmind]

Here is where Microsoft has actually been kind to me. MS breaks MS and then folks just go buy a new computer and give me the almost new old one... lol

First thing Wipe and Linux, good to go...

[ducttape45]

My machines don’t have the resources to do that. They’re all pretty much low end, Gen 6 or older. But that’s ok, I prefer it this way.

[ducttape45]

Or from eBay, if you’re careful

[ducttape45]

Vista was not a bad O/S once they fixed a few of the bugs. It ran just as well as W7.

[eyeamok]

I did that before, too many problems getting all the printers properly recognized in Virtual Box

[Adder]

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

Is that true? I mean a simple Windows user...not some power one...

[Openurmind]

“Is that true? I mean a simple Windows user...not some power one...”

Absolutely, it is as simple as using Windows 7. Especially Linux Mint “Cinnamon”. All the same functions and menus in the same places. It is hard to tell the difference. Same as Win 7, just point and click, drag and drop...