Ready to ditch Windows?

[RealBlackStuff]

Ready to ditch Windows? 5 factors to help you decide between Linux or MacOS.

This Linux distro is so Windows-like, it even comes with Microsoft apps.
Edit 27 December 2024:
ZDNET no longer recommends this Windows-like Linux distro

[TPFanatic]

OK you have me interested in Wubuntu. I'm sure there's a way to use a Chicago, Luna, or Aero skin. That would put me right at home.

I tried Vista and the lack of NVME drivers is messing me up. I'll keep messing around with Vista because nothing beats Windows like Windows, but in the alternative, it's good to know that the Linux world offers common sense alternatives, not just BS like browsing the internet in command line.

[dr_st]

Ready to ditch Windows? 5 factors to help you decide between Linux or MacOS.

You know, these articles you linked to should really come with a disclaimer "author is a certified idiot":

This one is simple: Both Linux and MacOS will be exponentially more reliable than Windows 10. You won't ever have to worry about upgrades going awry -- the OS kernel simply doesn't crash, and should something happen to go wrong, you have all the tools you need to figure out what happened. Windows (in all of its incarnations) cannot touch the reliability of these two operating systems.

[TPFanatic]

so long as they're in America they're allowed to lie which is protected under the 1A. i am not a lawyer i dont practice law

someone could complaint to ZDnet about the blatant wrong-think of the article

https://zdnet.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

it's also possible it's written with the assistance of AI

in any case editorializations exist for nothing more than to garner clicks which they can sell to advertisers to make money, the truth notwithstanding

honestly this is just one of many examples of a person bashing |quote]Micro$haft Winblows[/quote| which happens all the time anywhere and everywhere. I don't think Mircosoft cares what people think since they're getting paid plenty anyway, the opinions of bigoted consumers notwithstanding. For every Linux user, 1000 new Windows user are born every day.

[ZaZ]

Likely not. My fastest computer is pretty similar to the new M4 Mac Mini performance wise and since I probably couldn't make more than $100 selling it, it would be ill-advised to move it to get a Mac. Mac laptops are just more expensive. I paid 15¢ on the dollar for my L14 compared to a new MBA, which offers only slighter better performance, though you'd probably do better used. It'd be even worse for a Pro. When I was looking at Linux machines some time back, they seemed more expensive as they required you to get the best parts. I don't think you'd get a discount on a used box if you plan to run Linux. I run all three OSes and each has their pros/cons.

[755cdxd]

When I was looking at Linux machines some time back, they seemed more expensive as they required you to get the best parts. I don't think you'd get a discount on a used box if you plan to run Linux. I run all three OSes and each has their pros/cons.

What is "Linux machine"?
Man, you just stick a thumb drive into any laptop, that's all.

[ZaZ]

Some manufacturers sell desktops and notebooks with Linux pre-installed.

[SAIYAN48]

IOT LTSC lasts until 2032, so I'll keep that. Maybe Windows 11 or even 12 will be worthwhile by then.

[TPFanatic]

i am literally installing windows XP on a laptop as we speak, and I will pay $200 for a Windows license, before I deal with linux.

[ajkula66]

i am literally installing windows XP on a laptop as we speak, and I will pay $200 for a Windows license, before I deal with linux.

You, good sir, made my day. Thank you.

[755cdxd]

I will pay $200 for a Windows license, before I deal with linux.

You get what you deserve.

[TPFanatic]

Name me one Linux that can do everything the multimillion dollar IBM ThinkPad Rescue And Recovery OEM Factory Preload does, or I’ll make a script to ignore everything you say after 60 days.

[755cdxd]

Name me one Linux that can do everything IBM ThinkPad Rescue And Recovery OEM Factory Preload does.

What are these for? For when your 200$ windows kill itself? Oh, well...

I’ll make a script to ignore everything you say after 60 days.

lol'd

[TPFanatic]

You clearly have no accommodation for argument on the merits so the timeline is truncated to 0 and you're dead to me. Goodbye.

[RealBlackStuff]

Easy guys!

[RealBlackStuff]

Read this: ZDNET no longer recommends this Windows-like Linux distro (Wubuntu).

[TPFanatic]

Now that's quality Investigative Journalism and Responsibility in action! Love to see it.

And it should come as no surprise that grifters have found a way to capitalize on Linux and customers of Microsoft seeking Windows 11 but "free", "open source", "Linux". I bet that "Power Tools" license is cheaper (read: more compelling to buy) than purchasing a legitimate Windows license. I bet people were actually buying it and that grifter developer was doing just fine thanks to the free marketing of the tech circus, and he will continue to do fine.

Will Microsoft go after him? Probably not. They are based in Brazil and the Hague is useless, their "support" is a WhatsApp chatroom, and they most certainly are not licensed to use Microsoft's trademarked images. Will the circus keep shilling "free", "open source", "Linux"? Ad infinitum.

[Bionicman]

i am literally installing windows XP on a laptop as we speak, and I will pay $200 for a Windows license, before I deal with linux.

In case you haven't tried POP OS, give it a go. Its wonderful and works miracles. OOTB it offers the best of both worlds tiling / stacking / normal DE. Basically with 5 tweaks added after base install and one dconf import for all settings and shortcuts, in 15 minutes it is ready and makes windows look like the stone age.

[TPFanatic]

Thank you for the suggestion.

I have figured out how to install NT6 with EFS and have it fully activated as licensed and featured with Libre Office, USB Connectivity, and effective connection to my Printer within 30 minutes. I will be okay.

[Bionicman]

How do you automate windows settings and list of program installs and shortcuts ? (I mean the equivalent of .bashrc, dconf and gsettings ) ?

[TPFanatic]

i can't answer that because i don't have experience or will to know how to do that since i don't need to do that. reminds me of my retired engineer father who without being paid to have problems to solve figured out how to create problems out of thin air just so he'd have something to program a solution for, which would be fine if the problems didn't include wasting my time and obstructing the progress of my life.

i usually just load a nice Windows installer onto a flash stick, tell Windows to install itself, have sex with the wife, come back in 30 minutes when we're all done, then plug in my archive of warez and install what i want ad hoc. doesn't take much effort and i get a perfectly usable ThinkPad out of the deal.

[arpeas]

I must say I've grown tired of Linux/the open source community in general. There's not *one* thing I can settle on, everything is separated and when a project goes stale for whatever reason HERE COME THE FORKS. It's dumb. I've used Linux for half my life and having so many options always seemed redundant. Possibly the best argument are QT and GTK. Both are a heavy, slow mess and neither will do exactly what you want them to do without spending wasting hours and hours of your life reading man pages, when you find out that said man pages haven't been updated since 2006. You'll then go online and find a forum thread from last year, but oh no! the option has inexplicably changed. And so on and so forth. Just finding proper documentation by itself is a PITA. When was the last time I needed to modify a bloody system text config file in Windows? 2002?(well technically yesterday since I love fiddling with old crap but ANYWAY)

The whole situation is ridiculous. I have nothing against having multiple options, but there should be meaningful differences between those options. As in, being functionally different when compared to each other. For example, I get people who prefer i3wm to a full desktop environment. But why must there be 11 other window managers that have the exact same options and work in the exact same way, but only add, say, features like transparency with unfocused windows, an effect which you can achieve with any WM by just using a compositor? It's duplication of effort, which ultimately leads to time being completely wasted.

My 2nd argument would be init systems, but I think I've expressed enough opinion already. For those unaware though: death threats were issued to an author of systemD, the now most widely used init system in all of Linux. That's all I need to say.

[Bionicman]

Just finding proper documentation by itself is a PITA. When was the last time I needed to modify a bloody system text config file in Windows? 2002?(well technically yesterday since I love fiddling with old crap but ANYWAY)

The whole situation is ridiculous. I have nothing against having multiple options, but there should be meaningful differences between those options. As in, being functionally different when compared to each other. For example, I get people who prefer i3wm to a full desktop environment. But why must there be 11 other window managers that have the exact same options and work in the exact same way, but only add, say, features like transparency with unfocused windows, an effect which you can achieve with any WM by just using a compositor? It's duplication of effort, which ultimately leads to time being completely wasted.

If you have been using linux half your life you probably know how to do most stuff without looking at documentation anyway. While I agree that there is a lot of redundancy in having so many forks, I guess that's part of having the freedom to do "that one thing differently" and this has generated some progress overall. Not everything out there is well made, but because so much of it was created, tested, used, some progress has been made and Linux as a whole looks better now than it has ever been. However, I have to disagree on the "modifying bloody windows txt config file" argument. Windows in my opinion has much more bugs and issues in general. Its just that people are used to them. Yeah, I have to edit 10 config file in linux, but it mostly works and it can be done easily or even automated, while in windows I have to go click hunting in submenus. Don't see the big difference in regedit vs config file, except that often the windows way is even more convoluted. If people use more linux and support developers it will become a better environment, so it is up to each person. How much are they willing give up comfort ? it is what it is.

[TPFanatic]

The vast majority of reasonable people, common people, the working class, and professionals do not have time, will, or interest to mess with a buggy product. Linux is inherently chaos. Windows is a piece of [censored] too of their own doing but they’ll hold your hand if you pay for it. That’s their business model and it works, obviously, see microsoft stock.

Apple is actually driving innovation and making things easier for people. I’ve bought in and my life has improved substantially and quantifiably since acquiring a used iPhone SE. Tim Apple knows what customers want and he gives it to them. Microsoft on the contrary has no idea what’s going on and flip flops between copying Apple and trying to trick people into buying [censored] no one wants. This is Communism, Globalism, and the reason Jesus and Martin Luther got pee'd off.

Linux doesn’t have a business model, so it’s not worth anything. This is classic schoolyard Anarchy and enslavement of script kiddies by ephebophiles like Stallman.

[arpeas]

Just finding proper documentation by itself is a PITA. When was the last time I needed to modify a bloody system text config file in Windows? 2002?(well technically yesterday since I love fiddling with old crap but ANYWAY)

The whole situation is ridiculous. I have nothing against having multiple options, but there should be meaningful differences between those options. As in, being functionally different when compared to each other. For example, I get people who prefer i3wm to a full desktop environment. But why must there be 11 other window managers that have the exact same options and work in the exact same way, but only add, say, features like transparency with unfocused windows, an effect which you can achieve with any WM by just using a compositor? It's duplication of effort, which ultimately leads to time being completely wasted.

If you have been using linux half your life you probably know how to do most stuff without looking at documentation anyway. While I agree that there is a lot of redundancy in having so many forks, I guess that's part of having the freedom to do "that one thing differently" and this has generated some progress overall. Not everything out there is well made, but because so much of it was created, tested, used, some progress has been made and Linux as a whole looks better now than it has ever been. However, I have to disagree on the "modifying bloody windows txt config file" argument. Windows in my opinion has much more bugs and issues in general. Its just that people are used to them. Yeah, I have to edit 10 config file in linux, but it mostly works and it can be done easily or even automated, while in windows I have to go click hunting in submenus. Don't see the big difference in regedit vs config file, except that often the windows way is even more convoluted. If people use more linux and support developers it will become a better environment, so it is up to each person. How much are they willing give up comfort ? it is what it is.

I get why people prefer Linux to Windows, I mean I was one of them for half my life But now I've gotten a bit sick of fiddling around with my system and want something that mostly just works, with a UI I'm familiar with, and it's why I use the LTSC version of Windows 10. And It'll stay that way till 2032, at which point I'll probably move to FreeBSD or any BSD for that matter. I partially agree with you on the amount of bugs in Windows compared to Linux, Microsoft practically never introduces bugs they already fixed before, but in Linuxland it happens from time to time. In my experience both are guilty of being at least somewhat buggy, it's just that with Linux it depends on what particular system configuration you have going on.