So, Im Ditching Windows And Moving Fully To Linux...

[yello]

And that is exactly why I ditched Linux after a six month trial, I just want an operating system not a hobby. Fine if you like that sort of thing, but for most computer users it would be a non starter.

Oh yes, I agree absolutely. Understandably, most folk just want their computers to 'just work', I get that. In fairness, linux 'just works' too and you only need to get used to the difference, and - depending on the distro you choose - the difference can be less than you might think.

I'm a bit of a geek, a 'hacker' (and thanks to @DCBassman , I can call myself that with a clear conscience!) so messing around at that level is my idea of fun!

 

[DCBassman]

It has to be said that Linux has its own share of 'gotchas', even for easy distros like Mint. Wife's laptop runs Mint 19, which is written from a different code repository than 20, so when time comes to upgrade to a later version, it will be, relatively, a pig of a job. In-code upgrades are as simple as the others are hard. Every system has its downsides.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Microsoft: Windows 10 is the last Windows you'll ever need
Also Microsoft: Here's Windows 11

I've run Linux on a laptop for 10 years. Even when its hard drive failed that wasn't the end of it, as I was able to mount a RAM drive, export all my files and finish my day's work on a computer without a storage device.

If it had been Windows it would have BSOD'd and I'd have lost everything.

I may be tempted to finally make the switch for my main rig, which is only Windows because of gaming.
For those programs with no native linux binaries, Wine has come on in leaps and bounds.

Give it a go. Steam with the Proton compatibility tool has everything i want running. Proton is a game changer for Linux if you're a gamer.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Good on you: give us an update post in a month or so to let us know your transition experience.

I am considering a move to Linux. What enrages me most is software such as MS Office which assumes it knows what you want to do better than you do yourself. Try deleting pre-set formats in MS Word and you will see what I mean. There may be a way to do it but I have never found it. Up to about Word 5 it was a very useful program. Since the Windows versions came along, word-processing with it has become like trying to paint a landscape wearing red-tinted lenses and a patch over one eye. As a Mac user, I have not used any MS programs on my own machines for many years now but am occasionally obliged to use them elsewhere. Mac is still good but, even there, the 'I know what you want' attitude crops up in places. Linux beckons.

Today was my first full day without Windows and so far ive missed nothing. Of course, this was in effect a planned move having had a distro installed for some time, but for sure, i'll give updates as i go.

 

[dodgy]

Maybe 2022 really is the year of Linux on the desktop.

 

[mustang1]

If you fell asleep reading that headline, this thread is not for you...

So, after 26 years of using Windows
_ stuff deleted _
So i've moved onto Pop!OS I've been impressed with the speed in which there are bug fixes and security patches, which are normally distributed daily.
_ more stuff deleted _

Eh what? Daily bug fixes? It must be very buggy then...

 

[mustang1]

I tried the Linux route a while back and may do so again soon.

Ps: for the security and privacy thing, you will probably have to give up on Google and umpteen other things too. And use a VPN and what's that thing called when you can hide your IP and all that stuff? Wow I cannot remember much about computers any more...

 

[dodgy]

Bet this thread turns into a "you should use the OS I use, you're all wrong".

 

[HMS_Dave]

Eh what? Daily bug fixes? It must be very buggy then...

All software has bugs. As software gets released and updated, it's inevitable that an operating system will develop bugs. The speed in which they are rectified is very important. I personally haven't experienced any bugs myself, but more expert users, who delve deep may.

 

[HMS_Dave]

Bet this thread turns into a "you should use the OS I use, you're all wrong".

Well I hope for my part, I have and will report my experiences. I hope nobody tells others they are wrong because they use their computers how they want and need to.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I lost interest in the technical side of computers more than 25 years ago, after once being a programmer, and got less and less knowledgeable about anything other than the applications I needed for my work and leisure. I continued to use Windows for another 10 years in self-employment getting more and more fed-up about glitches, the new versions and the hoops I had to get through to update it. I finally loaded (or got my son to load) Ubuntu on my laptop and desktop 15 years ago and it has been great. Updates can be scheduled more easily and quickly imo, even by someone like me who has no interest in how the operating system works.
I have recently bought a new laptop which came with Windows and my son set it up as a dual partition with Ubuntu. For a while I used Windows to familiarise myself with it and to see how it felt, but I have now gone back to Ubuntu. The only time I used Windows this year was to update my satnav, which was tricky on Ubuntu.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I've tried installing Linux three times with three different versions on two different computers: every time it crashed, froze or just refused to load properly.

So I went back to the Evil Empire: at least it works.

 

[Rusty Nails]

I've tried installing Linux three times with three different versions on two different computers: every time it crashed, froze or just refused to load properly.

So I went back to the Evil Empire: at least it works.

Have you had the covid jabs? Bill Gates is controlling you.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Have you had the covid jabs? Bill Gates is controlling you.

Unfortunately the third attempt was several years ago...

I wish I could get Linux to work because I feel the same about Windows as others here.

 

[CharlesF]

This is an interesting thread for a dyed-in-the-wool Windows user.

I did a quick search “What is the best Linux for a Windows user?” and each result suggested a different one.

What do the experts on here thin?

I just want it to work without too much intervention. I know there will be many changes, but I don’t want to fiddle around too much.