I jumped onboard last weekend. Built my new computer from parts because I couldn't find a system I liked that didn't come with a Windows license, and I refuse to pay for a shitty OS I won't use.
I installed Mint have been happily gaming for just over a week now. I even upgraded my kernel when I came home for lunch one day. That's not something you can say about Windows!
I'd recommend staying with your current distro if you're happy with it!
Linux gang, but I use Windows at work and do a full update ("Please wait... We're working on things...") weekly over lunch due to being trapped in the Windows insider program. It takes about half an hour. Longer than compiling a kernel though.
The pain of this. I have two separate Windows work laptops (one for my employer, one for the firm we work with; data separation fun). The number of times I've booted up the second laptop ready to dive into a meeting or to quickly grab a reference only to be confronted with 15 minutes of that.
Between pestering me to check for updates, pestering me to restart to complete updates, hanging on shutdown to carry out updates, and hanging on startup to finish updates, I feel like I spend an unfeasible amount of time and brainspace thinking about system updates. Why? I've got actual work to do too!
that's awesome, i'd recommend trying out EndeavorOs for your next distro
It's really so much better. I'm going on a year now since I ditched windows and I have to say it's been great and there's nothing I miss about windows.
There is a reason these people get blocked
Everyone says to just keep it at Windows 10 or that Windows 11 is not that bad as that's the majority of people. It's a small group that says to just use Linux, and if you think it's everyone it suggests you are in an echo chamber/don't participate widely enough in various communities.
As a Windows 10 user who tried Win 11, it's super gross. I'm hoping to get my shit together enough to convert to linux this year before Microsoft forces my hand.
If Microsoft forces my hand it'll probably mean a month without gaming and I'll be a sad, sad boy.
Linux gaming is a thing. Lutris and steam are working quite well. In some games I have better performance than windows. That being said not everything is working, some games are not working at all and other games have quite some settings and fiddling until they work. Check protondb where you can see users comments and game compatibility ranking for the games you play. Sometimes I want to go back to windows, but for the last 5 months I've booted windows once or twice.
There is a learning curve and getting used to Linux, but in my opinion it is worth it. If you want to transition from windows don't go with gnome. Start with kde or xfce, or cinnamon.
Every time I've tried to upgrade Windows major versions in place, it's been a terrible experience. And not on potatoes, either!
From XP to Vista, everything broke. This was long enough ago that I don't remember exactly how it broke, just that it made my computer unusable and I had to reinstall from CD. I mean, that makes sense though, right? Vista was terrible. From Vista to 7 (on a different machine), I just did a fresh install.
I skipped 8. After that, my Windows 7 machine (a third machine now) kept begging me to upgrade to 10, so I tried it. But even though Microsoft's own tool told me everything would work just fine, the install was absolutely trash. I was stuck at 1024x768 (on a 16:9 monitor). Performance even with no programs running was so bad—on a machine that could easily run Adobe Premiere and Photoshop simultaneously under Win7—that it took ±30 seconds to open Task Manager. Exactly zero drivers for any USB peripherals worked; I had to dig out my PS/2 keyboard to revert the install.
At this point I must just be out of my mind, because last fall I let Windows 11 install on my Windows 10 computer (a fourth machine). The installation took several hours somehow, and when it was done wifi didn't work. There were a few other annoyances, like stealing back defaults and reverting my Firefox default on every reboot. Being in no mood to deal with the nonsense, I switched back to Windows 10. And guess what? Wifi was still broken. Windows 11 broke network connectivity on Windows 10.
These were all good computers, and I don't do anything particularly odd or unusual with them.
I'm never doing an in-place Windows upgrade again. No way, no how. Not gonna happen.
Ultimately it will all be anecdotal.
I've done plenty of upgrades without issues.
And I've tried Linux and found it abysmal with way too much of the sorts of issues you've mentioned.
So for me Linux is obviously a no go, but I could see why it would appeal perhaps to someone like yourself. Ultimately we are directed by our experiences.
Ultimately it will all be anecdotal.
Oh, for sure. But in any case, their QA isn't as robust as it seems. With only one such experience, it would be bad luck. Maybe even with two. But with multiple, across experiences with few common factors, it seems more like ineptitude; and what else have they missed?
And I've tried Linux and found it abysmal with way too much of the sorts of issues you've mentioned.
Right, but I think what I'm trying to communicate is, if I'm going to run the risk that I'll have to deal with this nonsense either way, why not at least use an OS which has goals aligned with my own?
Well if you use a shit product you have constantly to fix because something is bothering you, you might as well change to something else.
Your fault.
Yes I agree. This is why I use Windows over Linux because Linux requires too much tinkering....
Thanks?
What smells like copium in here?
? My experience is as valid as anyone else's.
If you can't cope with that then I guess you are the one huffing copium.
If you find a community like that then they are too tech illiterate to be taking advice from
If you have to be on Windows then you have to upgrade
If you can’t upgrade/want a better experience then it’s Linux
There should be no “stay on Windows 10” group because it will be EOL in a year
Eh I'm glad that's for you and you're happy, and I know Lemmy might as well be the Linux fan club, but for me personally?
I've tried to switch to Linux on 2 occasions in the past (mid to late 00s and again in the mid 20-teens) and both times I found the conversion process tedious, the experience within the system to be one that felt like I was constantly fighting the system to accomplish my goals, and ultimately after giving it a few months each time, was absolutely relieved and delighted to finally give it up and go back to Windows each time. I tried at least 4 different flavors as well, so I don't think it was so much that I just happened to not like one specific software, but rather that my primary annoyance was that I just wanted Windows and none of the Linux substitutes were it.
I'm sure a lot of that is simply being used to Windows after using it since the early to mid 90s, and I'm not saying Windows is perfect by any means...but for me at least, even a slightly annoying Windows experience will remain preferable to me over a third attempt to switch to Linux for the foreseeable future.
I just wanted Windows and none of the Linux substitutes were it.
Of course not. At the very least you have to be fed up with Windows before moving elsewhere. If you want Windows, stay with Windows.
You shouldn't continue using Windows 10 after end of life though. Once it doesn't get security patches anymore, it is a time bomb. And since the code base is easily 80-90% the same across versions, new vulnerabilities patched on newer versions are just hints for malware devs making the obsolete version even more likely to be attacked.
I’ve tried to switch to Linux on 2 occasions in the past (mid to late 00s and again in the mid 20-teens)
I’m not saying Windows is perfect by any means…but for me at least, even a slightly annoying Windows experience will remain preferable to me over a third attempt to switch to Linux for the foreseeable future.
To be fair, Linux gaming in the 2015s is not anywhere near as good as it is today in 2024.
I'd honestly say it's worth another try, the third time may be the charm for you.
There’s a reason everyone says “Just use Linux”
I jumped onboard last weekend. Built my new computer from parts because I couldn't find a system I liked that didn't come with a Windows license, and I refuse to pay for a shitty OS I won't use.
I installed Mint have been happily gaming for just over a week now. I even upgraded my kernel when I came home for lunch one day. That's not something you can say about Windows!
I'd recommend staying with your current distro if you're happy with it!
Linux gang, but I use Windows at work and do a full update ("Please wait... We're working on things...") weekly over lunch due to being trapped in the Windows insider program. It takes about half an hour. Longer than compiling a kernel though.
The pain of this. I have two separate Windows work laptops (one for my employer, one for the firm we work with; data separation fun). The number of times I've booted up the second laptop ready to dive into a meeting or to quickly grab a reference only to be confronted with 15 minutes of that.
Between pestering me to check for updates, pestering me to restart to complete updates, hanging on shutdown to carry out updates, and hanging on startup to finish updates, I feel like I spend an unfeasible amount of time and brainspace thinking about system updates. Why? I've got actual work to do too!
that's awesome, i'd recommend trying out EndeavorOs for your next distro
It's really so much better. I'm going on a year now since I ditched windows and I have to say it's been great and there's nothing I miss about windows.
There is a reason these people get blocked
Everyone says to just keep it at Windows 10 or that Windows 11 is not that bad as that's the majority of people. It's a small group that says to just use Linux, and if you think it's everyone it suggests you are in an echo chamber/don't participate widely enough in various communities.
As a Windows 10 user who tried Win 11, it's super gross. I'm hoping to get my shit together enough to convert to linux this year before Microsoft forces my hand.
If Microsoft forces my hand it'll probably mean a month without gaming and I'll be a sad, sad boy.
Linux gaming is a thing. Lutris and steam are working quite well. In some games I have better performance than windows. That being said not everything is working, some games are not working at all and other games have quite some settings and fiddling until they work. Check protondb where you can see users comments and game compatibility ranking for the games you play. Sometimes I want to go back to windows, but for the last 5 months I've booted windows once or twice. There is a learning curve and getting used to Linux, but in my opinion it is worth it. If you want to transition from windows don't go with gnome. Start with kde or xfce, or cinnamon.
Every time I've tried to upgrade Windows major versions in place, it's been a terrible experience. And not on potatoes, either!
From XP to Vista, everything broke. This was long enough ago that I don't remember exactly how it broke, just that it made my computer unusable and I had to reinstall from CD. I mean, that makes sense though, right? Vista was terrible. From Vista to 7 (on a different machine), I just did a fresh install.
I skipped 8. After that, my Windows 7 machine (a third machine now) kept begging me to upgrade to 10, so I tried it. But even though Microsoft's own tool told me everything would work just fine, the install was absolutely trash. I was stuck at 1024x768 (on a 16:9 monitor). Performance even with no programs running was so bad—on a machine that could easily run Adobe Premiere and Photoshop simultaneously under Win7—that it took ±30 seconds to open Task Manager. Exactly zero drivers for any USB peripherals worked; I had to dig out my PS/2 keyboard to revert the install.
At this point I must just be out of my mind, because last fall I let Windows 11 install on my Windows 10 computer (a fourth machine). The installation took several hours somehow, and when it was done wifi didn't work. There were a few other annoyances, like stealing back defaults and reverting my Firefox default on every reboot. Being in no mood to deal with the nonsense, I switched back to Windows 10. And guess what? Wifi was still broken. Windows 11 broke network connectivity on Windows 10.
These were all good computers, and I don't do anything particularly odd or unusual with them.
I'm never doing an in-place Windows upgrade again. No way, no how. Not gonna happen.
Ultimately it will all be anecdotal.
I've done plenty of upgrades without issues.
And I've tried Linux and found it abysmal with way too much of the sorts of issues you've mentioned.
So for me Linux is obviously a no go, but I could see why it would appeal perhaps to someone like yourself. Ultimately we are directed by our experiences.
Oh, for sure. But in any case, their QA isn't as robust as it seems. With only one such experience, it would be bad luck. Maybe even with two. But with multiple, across experiences with few common factors, it seems more like ineptitude; and what else have they missed?
Right, but I think what I'm trying to communicate is, if I'm going to run the risk that I'll have to deal with this nonsense either way, why not at least use an OS which has goals aligned with my own?
Well if you use a shit product you have constantly to fix because something is bothering you, you might as well change to something else.
Your fault.
Yes I agree. This is why I use Windows over Linux because Linux requires too much tinkering....
Thanks?
What smells like copium in here?
? My experience is as valid as anyone else's.
If you can't cope with that then I guess you are the one huffing copium.
If you find a community like that then they are too tech illiterate to be taking advice from
If you have to be on Windows then you have to upgrade
If you can’t upgrade/want a better experience then it’s Linux
There should be no “stay on Windows 10” group because it will be EOL in a year
Eh I'm glad that's for you and you're happy, and I know Lemmy might as well be the Linux fan club, but for me personally?
I've tried to switch to Linux on 2 occasions in the past (mid to late 00s and again in the mid 20-teens) and both times I found the conversion process tedious, the experience within the system to be one that felt like I was constantly fighting the system to accomplish my goals, and ultimately after giving it a few months each time, was absolutely relieved and delighted to finally give it up and go back to Windows each time. I tried at least 4 different flavors as well, so I don't think it was so much that I just happened to not like one specific software, but rather that my primary annoyance was that I just wanted Windows and none of the Linux substitutes were it.
I'm sure a lot of that is simply being used to Windows after using it since the early to mid 90s, and I'm not saying Windows is perfect by any means...but for me at least, even a slightly annoying Windows experience will remain preferable to me over a third attempt to switch to Linux for the foreseeable future.
Of course not. At the very least you have to be fed up with Windows before moving elsewhere. If you want Windows, stay with Windows.
You shouldn't continue using Windows 10 after end of life though. Once it doesn't get security patches anymore, it is a time bomb. And since the code base is easily 80-90% the same across versions, new vulnerabilities patched on newer versions are just hints for malware devs making the obsolete version even more likely to be attacked.
To be fair, Linux gaming in the 2015s is not anywhere near as good as it is today in 2024.
I'd honestly say it's worth another try, the third time may be the charm for you.