10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by Valsodar »

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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by wgummage »

I kicked Windows out the door two or three years back when I "converted" an old Toshiba lap top running Windows XL. It worked fine under Linux Fedora (although it did lose sound). This was a beaten up lap top which my office got rid of after deleting the Windows OS.

I switched to Apple (iMac) after Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP. The Apple environment is very difficult to get used to after the relative flexibility of Windows! And of course the updating policies they now follow make for built in obsolescence. My iMac is 2011 vintage and is no longer upgradeable!

More recently I converted my Dell Inspiron 1525 (64 bit) Vista laptop to Linux Mint. Strangely this machine had been sold with 32 bit Vista. It now runs 10 times faster than the iMac!! (Which isn't surprising). What really impressed me was how fast the installation of Linus Mint OS and all the supported software (including LibreOffice) was. About 15-20 mins. Windows XP takes at least TWO DAYS to reinstall the OS and Office. I know - I have done it.

In some respects it is a learning curve but well worth it. I am very impressed with the level of support given when I post queries - impressive! I am currently looking at the LibreOffice version of Excel 2016 for the Mac because it has a macro language built in. Microsoft removed VBA from the 2016 version of Excel and I need it.

You could say I'm hooked...
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by vansloneker »

Like GS3 I'm not so much of a black and white view, it's great that people have a choice. Both Windows and Linux have their advantages and their quirks.

Even Windows 10 can run on old hardware. I recently got a 10 year old laptop in where they managed to have installed W10 on. And it worked! But sloooow. You really need a lot of patience running that one...

I have the impression Windows 10 is more of an interpretor than an operating system. At many times it is busy with itself and not serving the user.

One big turnoff for me is, on Windows versions after XP you cannot have a narrow vertical taskbar. It will be at least 3 times the size of the earlier narrow taskbar. And I don't want that, so much precious display space wasted. And it looks ugly and ridiculous.
In ancient times with Windows 98 I discovered lots of elements that are displayed could be customized to your preferences, although very few people seem to be aware of this or even apply custom settings. I always had the idea the standard XP look with huge icons and descriptions was made for retarded people.

Since for particular tasks I need Windows, on one of my systems I had put Windows 10 on a SSD so that it would run reasonably. Guess what? I rarely used it, so I have decided I am going to move Mint to the SSD, either as dual boot with Windows, or move Windows to the regular HD.

I can say that on most of my systems now I have Mint as the primary booting operating system.
Apart from the taskbar other issues I have with Windows 10 is that in general you are no longer in control. Microsoft controls it. It takes a lot of effort and hacking to get at least some of the control back.
But still it can happen that without any consent many gigs are downloaded over your internet connection onto your SSD. Then al the gigs are moved and exchanged with former gigs so in total an awful lot of gigs are used of the lifespan of your precious SSD.

It is not just Microsoft, it is the world of today where the individual person is less and less respected and of importance, and it's all about the big powers, the big money, the big commercial interests. The world of today is ruled by egoism, aggression and selfishness.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by Pierre »

Make that Eleven Reasons:

"Microsoft has paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), the latest version of the Windows 10 operating system, which Microsoft released this week, on Tuesday, October 2.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft ... sion-1809/
and
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/windows-10-oc ... 03551.html
In a support document updated today, October 6, the Redmond-based OS maker said it took this decision after users complained that v1809 had deleted files after the update.".. .. ..
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by catweazel »

Pierre wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:11 am Make that Eleven Reasons:

"Microsoft has paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), the latest version of the Windows 10 operating system, which Microsoft released this week, on Tuesday, October 2.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft ... sion-1809/
In a support document updated today, October 6, the Redmond-based OS maker said it took this decision after users complained that v1809 had deleted files after the update.".
It isn't the first time they've done that. The article says Microsoft had similar issues with the April 2018 update.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by AZgl1800 »

MsSloth has had to hold off on many updates during their long trial of trying to make a working OS.

and they have had to backup, and repair a lot of broken OSs along the way, inFamous repairs, like when the updates are applied, and you get that "PC must reboot now" the last thing you see is that screen, or just a solid blue screen of death....

forced power down, reboot was the only way out.
I can remember loosing a lot of hours back about 10 years ago, having to completely rebuild my HP laptop from scratch..... I had committed the mortal sin of forgetting to create a Rescue Disk immediately after taking the wrappers off the box with a new machine. took a couple years, but that one bit me hard.
Cost me $25 and a week of waiting for HP to mail out a Rescue Disk for that model before that laptop was usable again.... at the time, my HighSpeedInternet was about 1.5mbps, those Security Updates took a week to get done.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by lsemmens »

Problem here, is, we're all preaching to the converted. This thread, and all who participate (me included) should have this conversation on a Windwoes forum.
I wonder how long before some one had us shut down if we did that.....;)
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by BenTrabetere »

Pierre wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:11 am Make that Eleven Reasons:

"Microsoft has paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) ... after users complained that v1809 had deleted files after the update."
Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? Look at all that disk space the update created for you. :roll:

(looking for Apple to roll out this feature with the next iOS update)
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by DAMIEN1307 »

hi Isemmens...you said,
should have this conversation on a Windwoes forum.
, been there, done that on win 10 forum...it got me a life time ban just for posting it...lol...they really have no sense of humour...lol...DAMIEN
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by shawnhcorey »

lsemmens wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 10:26 am Problem here, is, we're all preaching to the converted. This thread, and all who participate (me included) should have this conversation on a Windwoes forum.
I wonder how long before some one had us shut down if we did that.....;)
Nobody likes to hear they made a bad purchase. That's rubbing salt in the wound.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by vansloneker »

I never saved anything important in 'my documents', only used and use it as a temporary. Always put it in a safe place.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by AZgl1800 »

vansloneker wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 3:11 pm I never saved anything important in 'my documents', only used and use it as a temporary. Always put it in a safe place.
My Documents is the most Unsafe place ever designed for storing anything.
MS Sloth throws it away if the OS fails and has to be reinstalled.

I always use separate folders
c:\DATA
c:\INSTALLS
etc...

and those are backed up in real time via AlwaySync https://allwaysync.com/
super easy to configure, can sync bi-lateral or just one way... I prefer 1-way, as that allows me to delete stuff off the PC, but still have the original for a year from now when I suddenly remember it again.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by DAMIEN1307 »

i teach my teenage linux students to store everything...docs, music, pics etc., to USBs and keep only the OS on hard drive and play everything else direct off the USB...they never lose a thing and if they do mess up, all we have to do is re-install the OS if they messed up bad enough...windows users would do themselves a favour if only they could also be trained to do this, that way when their systems bork, puke etc. on every update or upgrade, they wouldnt be losing their crap yet again as they are once again doing this week with M$ "latest and greatest" 1809 upgrade...lol...DAMIEN
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by BG405 »

I've been using separate partitions for data and cache etc. for a long time before I switched to Linux. Never liked the "Windows way" of putting EVERYTHING in "My Documents", especially as most of the stuff it stores there by default isn't actually a "Document" at all.

Lumping all user data in with the OS is asking for problems, especially with NTFS & the inevitable fragmentation. User data should always be kept separate from the operating system files, it just makes sense.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by shawnhcorey »

I make a backup every week. If fact, it's doing it now as I write. Remember: he who laughs last just made a backup. :D

I also have /home/ in a separate partition so I can do a complete reinstall without losing data.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by Pierre »

Pierre wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:11 am Make that Eleven Reasons:

"Microsoft has paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) ... after users complained that v1809 had deleted files after the update."
and it turns out, that this issue was Known About for Three Months:
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/window ... ty-problem
Microsoft Has A Software Quality Problem :lol:
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and DO LOOK at those Unanswered Topics - - you may be able to answer some!.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by catweazel »

Pierre wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 1:27 am
Pierre wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 6:11 am Make that Eleven Reasons:

"Microsoft has paused the rollout of Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) ... after users complained that v1809 had deleted files after the update."
and it turns out, that this issue was Known About for Three Months:
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/window ... ty-problem
Microsoft Has A Software Quality Problem :lol:
The word 'quality' is incongruous in that sentence.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by Asusucks »

GS3 wrote: Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:50 pm My view:
  1. Disk space
    Well, yes, maybe... so what? Disk space is so plentiful and cheap these days that it hardly deserves much consideration. I do not understand people who spend hours troubleshooting dual boot from one disk. I just have two totally separate hard disks, one with Windows, one with Linux.
  2. Memory Consumption
    I use so little in any case that, also, just not a consideration.
  3. Updates
    Well, I have been surprised by the great number of updates for LM. Hardly a day goes by without some updates. On the other hand I decide when to download and install and they give little to no trouble.
  4. Security
    I have had Windows since 3.1 and never run any antivirus and never had any malware. Never. Call it luck or call it being careful.
  5. Linux is customisable
    Well, so is Windows. Maybe Linux is more customisable but for a non-expert like me I am glad if it even just works. I would say that maybe Linux is more customisable but that Windows is more easily customisable.
  6. Free Applications
    There are plenty of free SW for windows too. Probable more than for Linux.
  7. Support for older hardware
    I have plenty of old HW. I just run old SW on it. I am running WIN XP on most of my machines and Win 7 on the newest ones. I am determined to not run anything newer than that.
  8. Linux is free
    True. Free but (I am struggling to avoid the "you get what you pay for") Windows is much more complete and "polished". There are very basic problems with Linux which I find unthinkable in Windows. I have never paid directly for a Windows license. I suppose I paid when I bought the machines but the amount cannot be that great given what I paid for the machines. I would gladly pay some dollars for a Linux which had many of the problems ironed out.
  9. Support
    There are more Windows answers online which makes sense because there are many, many more Windows users. Generally I have always found information and solutions or workarounds.
  10. Privacy
    To me this is the paramount issue which outweighs all the others and that is why I am using Linux and trying to use it more.
Let us not fool ourselves, most of Windows has GUI's to configure things and is much easier for the non-expert user but Linux requires arcane, esoteric command line instructions which are a turn-off.

If we want to promote Linux I believe the best way is not to just blindly proclaim that it is better but to make it really more user-friendly and to iron out the many wrinkles.

Just my humble opinion.
Hay there Bill. So cool that you are posting here ( surprising also ) but I have to tell you, windows 10 is a huge mess.
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by vansloneker »

I had to do a Windows re-install on one particular system, and I am sorry I did. Installed the April Update.
After -or maybe due to- a thorough cleaning, tiles from the start menu would not get away. Returned after every logon. Apparently a damaged user profile.
So had to make a new account and start over.

What is infuriating, it won't allow me to set my default applications like 7Zip and Irfan View. No matter what I do to remove it: Paint3D keeps returning. This is even worse as the Windows Image Viewer!

Looks like I will have to return to the Creators Update and block all update and upgrade options...
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Re: 10 Reasons to Replace Windows with Linux

Post by AZgl1800 »

and just wait, Windows 12 is going to be released very soon now...
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