Warning: Linux Evangelizing in 3..2..1..
For anyone who is/may/eventually/has to buy a new PC and have Windows on it (like if Windows 11 obsoletes your current system and will not work with it), I would like to suggest that you don’t donate/throw away your old system immediately. As soon as you’re “done with your old PC” *and it’s trash to you*, try installing Ubuntu (it’s free) on it and give it a chance. I suggest Ubuntu only because it has a “simple/normal” installer and should just work. I’m sure some other Linux users would disagree with me
yes, you’re going to feel like ubuntu sucks because it doesn’t look and act exactly like Windows, but just try it out. Browse the web, check your email, install whatever and try to do your “normal stuff”. Just test the waters of not using Windows. Likely you’ll find that there is something you just have to have that’s only Windows compatible, and that’s good because then you can decide if that’s reason enough you need Windows in some future PC purchase.
If nothing else, it might give you reason to keep your old PC and get more life out of it vs throwing it in the trash.
if you’re not “a computer person” or don’t have the time or care to mess with it, sure don’t give it a try. It’s not for everyone but it may open your eyes to exactly what you need/use that’s Windows only and it might save you some money in the future should it be useful to you.
note: switching away from Windows is not always a walk on the park because “everyone uses Windows”.
you will no longer be part of the 98+%? of people (who all use Windows) and are likely going to have issues with something (like finding out steam will install, but not all steam games you bought support Linux) hence only attempting to try it out on a junk PC you’re no longer going to use for *anything*. In my opinion Windows is more “user friendly” and more “user resilient” for certain things (like finding how to fix PC problems on the internet) so it’s a good choice to keep Windows for someone already using Windows who doesn’t want to mess around with or learn about computers. Linux is for people who are willing to learn something new for (insert reason).
If you're using Ubuntu, just stick with Windows. If you look at any bloated distro using systemd, you are essentially using Windows. True Linux does not have API's and crap between the userland apps and kernel-space. Systemd is as big as the kernel (bigger?), requires apps be re-written for it, does not allow the kernel to do its thing because apps MUST go through systemd to reach the kernel, and is about as secure as a convertible with the top down parked int he middle of The Bronx in NYC. If you look at what systemd does, it literally fits the definition of malware. No thanks.
I have been using Linux since around 1994 or 1995. I build absolutely everything from source, custom-tailored to my system. I use Gentoo (not for newbies) and can do almost anything in Linux. I have experience with Debian, Redhat, Void, Artix, Slackware, SUSE, PCLinuxOS, and some others I forget right now. Of those I used Debian, Redhat, Slackware, and SUSE pre-systemd. I used the others post-systemd, though I did use Gentoo back when it was called Epoch. I may know something about Linux.
That said, any user wishing to leave Windows and the things which make Windows bad should try an actual Linux distro. The easiest one (easier than Ubuntu and one which uses the desktop which Microsoft has been trying to clone for decades) is PCLinuxOS. You can even run it from a DVD or USB stick to try it before you wipe your system and install it. No systemd. Graphical package manager. Even has automatic updates now, though they let you choose whether or not to update, it just tells you there are updates. It is also a far easier transition in that it doesn't use the Gnome desktop, which looks like an Apple clone, and instead uses KDE/Plasma, which is what Microsoft has been imitating forever.
As for Windows, I have used 3.11, 95, 98SE, XP, and 7. Those are by far the best. 8 and 8.1 look like they need to be on a phone or tablet. 10 is just buggy to this day. Forced updates which bluescreen a PC, no control over hardware driver updates, many, many applications which run solid in 7 like to randomly crash in 10 (Ark, Cyberpunk, etc) even on the same hardware. 10 literally records everything you do and transmits it to Microsoft every so often. This does include keystrokes. In fact, this is straight from Microsoft on their "telemetry" software.
- Typed text sent every thirty minutes
- Anything recorded by a microphone
- Transcripts of what you use Cortana for
- Index of all known media files on your PC
- The first 35MB of data after you enable your webcam
- Other telemetry data not specified above
In addition, Windows 10 logs the following data and you can only access and delete it if you do that stupid Microsoft account, which removes your data from your PC and makes it impossible to get back into should you forget the PIN or PW.
- Edge browsing history
- Bing search history
- Location activity (where you go should your system be mobile)
- Cortana's notebook
- Health activity collected by things like Health Vault or Microsoft Band
- Privacy settings across ALL Microsoft products you use
Do you think 11 will be any better? Gentoo records and sends absolutely nothing. While the bad distros like Ubuntu don't send any telemetry data that I know of, systemd does have plenty of back-doors into it. So while I urge you to avoid distros which want to be The Borg (they use systemd), I do urge you to try it out. Most games DO run on Linux with either actual Linux support or via WINE. I am not using 10 and I will not use 11 either.
but that’s my general experience.
