Kerr Avon wrote:If, like me, you've stuck with Windows 7 (either because it does what you need, and you're loathe to change, or any other reason), then what are your plans when this year ends and Microsoft stop supporting Windows 7?
It is a long tread, so I have not read it through. I will just report what I did personally. (not telling anyone what to do)
Back in around some 2016, I read that Win7 were to be discontinued in 2020, and I was given a used yet faster laptop than what I used as my daily driver. So I began researching various Linux distributions. I did however have tons of Linux experiences at that time, as I had tried various Linux distributions over the years, going back as far as 1995. So I knew about some aspect's of Linux. I have even had a tiny bit of real Unix experience, as I had taken courses in Unix, on old school consoles, back in 1995. Basically, I knew what the beast was about. Just not those specific thing. Oh well... Google is your friend as they say.
So I installed Xubuntu on that laptop. Namely 16.04 LTS distribution, and off to the deep end of the pool I went. To me it was quite easy, as not only did I have those years and years of Windows experience (95 to and including 8.1) at that time. Yet I also had experience in MS-Dos (3.3 to 6.22), tiny bit of DR-Dos and tiny bit of IBM-Dos, AmigaOS, Commodore64, BeOS and other platforms. So yeah... It was easy for me to get a hang on things on Linux. Now I am on my second laptop after that Thinkpad that I was given in 2016. The one I am using now is an Thinkpad X220 with 8gb of Ram, and I am using Ubuntu Mate as my daily driver. For my needs, it can do so much more than I need personally. I do web surfing, E-Mail and all sort of stuff with it. And it is quite fluid. I am not making any videoes at all, and I am not doing any heavy tasks such as rendering and stuff. So it suits me quite well.
What about gaming? (Everyone wants to game at some point) For me it is a no brainer. I have a Playstation3 and that is all I need for gaming. Unless it is gaming on computers, and that is what I have my vintage stuff for. Like 286/486/Pentium4, Amiga and Commodore64. To say it short, my gaming need's are well covered. Heck... I even have a Ps2 and a RaspberryPI if I my vintage collection of PC/Amiga/C64 is not enough for me.
If I had to give any advice on Linux, for those that want to go the route that I have taken. Then start by getting a laptop that can be used for a well known and well used Linux distribution. Install it and just jump into the pool. If you go for something like Ubuntu, Xubuntu or Ubuntu Mate, then google "Things to do after ??? installation". Were ??? is replaced by your choice of distro. Then slowly start using it more and more. And if you really need a PC to game on, then keep gaming to Windows10 only. Like, personal information will be handeled by the Linux machine, and the Windows10 machine is for gaming only. That way you avoid getting Microsoft to spy on your stuff, and you avoid the system updating during some important work.
Corporate use? Well... That is for your boss to decide. Keep in mind, that this is how I am going to use my stuff from now on. What everyone else does, is their thing and choice.
As for how I see Windows10... Well... I get annoied by it personally. I find the GUI to be incoherant and rather a big pile of mess. Things are not structured in an ordered way, and why two versions of settings or control panel if you like? There are a giant lack of borders around objects, so I am really having a hard time adjusting to Windows10. Files, personal settings and personal information are not clearly in my face, and I find my self using more time finding stuff when I need to use it, than actually using the system. I must say, that I have never seen any other operating system at all, that have given me so many problems like that. Even WinME and Vista are a better choice in my book.
Don't eat stuff off a 15 year old never cleaned cpu cooler.
Those cakes make you sick....
My blog: http://to9xct.blogspot.dk
My YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brostenen
001100 010010 011110 100001 101101 110011