Windows 10 is getting slashed in October and I don't know what to do.

[randomtangent]

I hate that Microsoft is making these arbitrary requirements, and in the process causing tons of perfectly good machines to get tossed into the trash. Total waste. And for what reason?

Lots of people dislike Windows 10, but I like it. I might just have stockholm syndrome from using it for so long, but also like I said I removed a lot of the BS from it, and it's really solid without all of that. Windows 7 was beautiful, I hope I can customize my future system to resemble its Aero theme.

yea, especially with XFCE (different desktop environemtns lol) you can!

there's many themes for Plasma and XFCE, and probably lots for all the others as well i think. i know there's some for LXQt too so i don't doubt for the others too :P

you can make it look like Windows XP or use a remade Aero theme! it's super customisable

[crazyroostereye]

I generally Discourage the use of any Distro you find, and encourage you to focus on the UI you like. Linux comes with many Interfaces, KDE, Gnome, XFCE, LXQT, Cinnamon, Mate, ... To name a few. You should look for what you want. And then Go with the Distro that supports that Interface. For Example you like Cinnamons Windows esk Design. Well go wit MINT or Ubuntu Cinamon. As that is the thing you are going to Interact the most. The underlying Distro should only be decided on that is easy to install and has a lot of Documentation available (Ubuntu is the Best for that).

With the fear and stress of Switching, there isn't much I can tell you there that is of Help. It is a different OS. With their own quirks and own way of doing things. They are not a Windows drop-in Replacement. If you want to do Linux, you have to learn a lot of new things. All the little tricks you learned while using Windows over the Years will stop working. And you have to relearn all the Quirks and Tricks for Linux. I am a strong proponent that Linux is way more Logical and straight forward with its quirks and that there is less of the esoteric Strings of Characters that decide everything in Linux.

Lastly with the App Support, it's a look-up game. Check what apps work and which won't. Then look for alternative to these apps and start trying them Out (Still on Windows), and then when you feel Comfortable with these Apps. Then consider Switching over Linux. This will make the Trip that much easier. Take it Step by Step from top to bottom.

[nobo]

Melon had really good advice. Often times the biggest problem when switching is the differences in file system, especially if like most people, you're not completely abandoning one OS and you're actually using both at the same time. It gets so messy and it takes a while to learn how to avoid the mess. But yeah, do what he said, and avoid worrying about losing your stuff.

I also think crazyroostereye had good advice, mainly to stop obsessing about every possible distro you could try. You're going to be bombarded by people with strong opinions about distros, and most of those people are newbs. Not to be an ass, but it's just true. When you're new, the biggest thing that will either turn you off or turn you on is the desktop interface which is why I highlight what crazyroostereye said. If you want to be able to stick with Linux long term, you need a desktop interface that you like. And let's say the one you try, you hate it. There are other desktop environments. Try them. you can install multiple DEs on the same OS.

The one that got me into it was KDE. I think it has the most features that a Windows user expects, like a visual process manager, unified settings, etc. But it's maybe not a good pick for a lowend machine.

So the next thing... once you're into Linux, those insufferable people and their distro obsessions are going to comment about your choice of distro and talk about theirs, and you're going to feel this FOMO that maybe you should "hop" to another distro. And I guess if you really want to install your OS over and over and over, then I guess that's your lot in life. There is some amount of trying different things that's acceptable, but the thing no one will tell you is:

It's all the same.

Linux is like an MMO where the starting class you pick is only relevant for the first 10 hours of the game, because after that you can spec into any class that you want.

So instead of hopping distros over and over and over, you should be learning skills like the Linux CLI. (I started here

)

If the first step is to find a GUI that can make the transition bearable, the second step is to master the CLI, which will result in unlimited power.

Also last thing.

If there is a windows program that you just can't figure out how to live without, try to just run it with wine. It will most likely work.

There are cases where excluding windows completely just doesn't make sense: like if you're a music producer or something. When I switched to Linux, I used both at the same time for different things.

[Sudamericat]

My question here is what are exactly your hobbies on your pc? Even if Windows will stop supporting win10, that doesn't mean that is going to be completely obsolete and unused from that exact moment.

Even if installing linux would be advisable and would help navigating the web more safely, The real safety starts on your own. Do you download strange files? There is even people who still runs XP and doesn't get in trouble because they are catious.

My advice is: Install your desired linux distro in a dual boot. That let's yoou choose which operating system you are going to run. If there is some program that only windows has and you don't want to leave it. Then just use both OS.

Edit: Considering the later messages were deleted. I feel the need to clarify that this message didn't have the intention of endorsing the use of Windows XP on any way. It was just an example to say that tau can keep Windows 10 for a while and get used to linux one step at the time. I Repeat. Don't install Windows XP

[crazyroostereye]

My question here is what are exactly your hobbies on your pc? Even if Windows will stop supporting win10, that doesn't mean that is going to be completely obsolete and unused from that exact moment.

Even if installing linux would be advisable and would help navigating the web more safely, The real safety starts on your own. Do you download strange files? There is even people who still runs XP and doesn't get in trouble because they are catious.

My advice is: Install your desired linux distro in a dual boot. That let's yoou choose which operating system you are going to run. If there is some program that only windows has and you don't want to leave it. Then just use both OS.

While Dual Booting is a good first step, it can be a pain in the Ass, especially when doing it on the same Disk. While many Distros manage it for you, your Bootloader could get messed up by Windows and make Linux unavailable.

Seems like the other Messages from nobo and Sudamericat were deleted. So ill say it for everyone. Don't use EOL (End of Life) Software, security and safety only start with you, when your base has Up-to-date Security. EOL software does not. While it will probably take a while for Major Vulnerabilities to start popping up with Win10. It is still highly recommended to not use Win10 after the EOL date. I know people don't like change or Updating, and I get that. But it's not only a Risk to you, but everyone in your Network. So be careful and considered.

[TheFrugalGamer]

One thing I'd like to throw in there is that if you're able to get enough RAM (at least 16GB), you can always keep Windows in a VM, which sort of gives you the best of both worlds. I do this because, while I use Linux at home, I'm unable to do any work-related stuff in that OS, so I have a Win10 VM on my PC for whenever I need to do work. It's helped in other areas as well, because I have an old media HDD that was formatted as NTFS originally in a Windows system, and Linux absolutely hates talking to it. Instead of wrestling with it every time I need to add new media, I just connect it to my WinVM and working with it there is easy.

Of course you can always do it the other way too--run Linux in a VM until you're comfortable with it, and try different distros until you find the one you like. It's way easier than dual boot, and you can run multiple at the same time, which makes switching easier.

[tau888]

Hi, sorry for not replying for a little while. First off, thank you to everybody who has responded and given me advice. I am reading all of it and taking it into consideration. I have some good news.

The other day I installed Linux Mint on an old MacBook in my house that wasn't being used. The laptop instantly ran better and I have been testing the OS on there, and I really like it so far. I'm probably going to pick Mint as my distro. My only issue with it is that while the Steam compatibility is really nice to have, it isn't 100%. Not a huge issue, as nearly all of the games I play were available one there.

I've been hearing that Ubuntu has more Steam compatibility but I don't know if it's true or not. I do want to try Ubuntu on some other machine in the near future. I would like to customize Ubuntu to have a DE similar to Mint if that's possible.

[randomtangent]

Hi, sorry for not replying for a little while. First off, thank you to everybody who has responded and given me advice. I am reading all of it and taking it into consideration. I have some good news.

The other day I installed Linux Mint on an old MacBook in my house that wasn't being used. The laptop instantly ran better and I have been testing the OS on there, and I really like it so far. I'm probably going to pick Mint as my distro. My only issue with it is that while the Steam compatibility is really nice to have, it isn't 100%. Not a huge issue, as nearly all of the games I play were available one there.

I've been hearing that Ubuntu has more Steam compatibility but I don't know if it's true or not. I do want to try Ubuntu on some other machine in the near future. I would like to customize Ubuntu to have a DE similar to Mint if that's possible.

oh yea!

by default Mint uses Cinnamon, and Ubuntu uses GNOME by default.
you can switch the DE to be Cinnamon on Ubuntu as well :D you usually use a command in the terminal to do so.
similar to

Code

sudo apt install <desktop-environment-package>

edit: there's also Ubuntu Cinnamon as well

[arcus]

My only issue with it is that while the Steam compatibility is really nice to have, it isn't 100%. Not a huge issue, as nearly all of the games I play were available one there.

Have you enabled Proton/Steam Play? By default Steam doesn't have it enabled.

Go into Steam > Settings > Compatibility and make sure "Enable Steam Play for all other titles" is enabled.

I've been hearing that Ubuntu has more Steam compatibility but I don't know if it's true or not.

Slightly true, but it's rarely an issue. In short, some devs focus their Linux versions for Ubuntu, so it might rely on things that aren't installed by default on other distros. Mint is based off Ubuntu so you shouldn't have any issues, and even if you did, it shouldn't be hard to fix.

[crazyroostereye]

I've been hearing that Ubuntu has more Steam compatibility but I don't know if it's true or not. I do want to try Ubuntu on some other machine in the near future. I would like to customize Ubuntu to have a DE similar to Mint if that's possible.

As arcus already said, It is sligthtly true. And vary Rare. I think I havent encountered a case where a game would have run better on Ubuntu then on my System. What can happen is that the Game ships a Linux build that is Broken or has other Issues. In which case playing the game via Proton, Steams Windows compatibility system, often works.

A Resource I recommend when wanting to play games on Linux is ProtonDB. It's a Site where people write Reviews how well they worked on Linux. And gives them a rating based upon that. You can find a lot of useful tips for fixing certain Issues with some Games.

[BlazingCobaltX]

Well okay, this thread made it clear that I cannot continue to use W10 after its EoL date. Very unfortunate. I remembered that Windows is not open source and that users can't juist build something on top of it like you can do with Android.

My issue is mostly compatibility with other Windows users. In particular, I've been dealing with a lot of video/audio file transfers and production. I did see Davinci Resolve was available on Linux, but idk yet about Ableton Live and all the VSTs that I use. Frankly, I don't know if I want to do a whole migration, but at the very least I got the message that I quickly need to find an alternative to W10. Worst case I will give in and migrate to W11.

EDIT: Ah yeah, I remember now being a bit weirded out by Linux blanket kicking out all their Russian maintainers... Any updates on that situation?

[AY38910]

Linux NOW!
Now, more serioualy, Ubuntu ans Mint are *very* good alternatives to Windows for newbie users, even more so with Wine.

[crazyroostereye]

EDIT: Ah yeah, I remember now being a bit weirded out by Linux blanket kicking out all their Russian maintainers... Any updates on that situation?

It was a mixture out of Linus Torvalds personal Believes, as he is Finnish, and well Russia and Finland aren't on best terms. Also because of US Sanctions on Russia, of which these Maintainers were hit. Basically to prevent any Lawsuits or Issues with the US they removed many Russian maintainers until they can proof they weren't with the Russian Government affiliated.

But yeah it is a difficult Situation, to really grasp the ramification of it.

Here is an Article about it: https://news.itsfoss.com/russian-linux-maintainers-geopolitics/