3w ago

The end of Windows 10 is approaching, so it's time to consider Linux and LibreOffice

blog.documentfoundation.org The end of Windows 10 is approaching, so it's time to consider Linux and LibreOffice - The Document Foundation Blog

The Document Foundation and LibreOffice support the international campaign @endof10 https://endof10.org/ The countdown has begun. On 14 October 2025, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10. This will leave millions of users and organisations with a difficult choice: should they upgrade to Windows...

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I always find it odd that posts like this get any downvotes at all. Like, are people really that in love with Windows and or Microsoft?
- It's because we've seen this post 1000 times
  
  and yet you persist. why?
  (sorry, this is totally a troll)
- It's because LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX
  
  GNU! GNU!
- Because mass recommending Linux to people with absolutely no nuance whatsoever is exactly why Linux users are seen as obnoxious and annoying. Not only does the website make no attempt to properly explain Linux it doesn't clearly outline its usecase. Its the very definition of the Linux user stereotype, blasted right in front of your face, reposted everywhere, and with a simple INSTALL LINUX and EVEYONE CAN INSTALL LINUX.
  
  The first paragraphs on https://endof10.org/ tell you why you should install Linux followed by telling you how to get in touch with someone who can explain things to you and even install it for you. Most of them do it free of charge. I'm not sure how you can improve on that.
  
  Because theyre eithet vauge, blatant lies, or not something people care about:
  No New Hardware, No Licensing Costs
  Most people are willing to buy new hardware, and nobody pays for a Windows key tbh. Even if they did it would be a free upgrade from 10 to 11. Also the terminology is very enterprise focused and objectively some distros (ex REHL) are paid.
  Enhanced Privacy
  Once again not something people strictly care about. In addition if you use Linux exactly like Windows with Chrome, Whatsapp, Discord and other non privacy respecting apps you're not improving your privacy by much.
  Good For The Planet
  The implication that carbon emissions is something an individual can do something about has been objectively disproven. For any meaningful change you need societal change from the top (especially corporations and rich people).
  Community & Professional Support
  Online Linux forums and chats especially for new people can be extremely overwhelming. Especially when a Windows user comes in and asks why something isnt exactly like Windows. Also once again movements like this is why people dont like the Linux community.
  Better User Control
  Most new Linux users not only wont use them but especially in KDE software will actively be overwhelmed by the amount of options and menus. Additionally what this critically leaves out is the fact that more advanced customization requires more skill and experience the more advanced it is. There is a clear skill difference from installing a widget in KDE Plasma to compling and installing a custom kernel.
  Now lets talk about the things they should have mentioned:
  Less commercial software: adobe especially but most professional grade editing software for both video and photo does not support Linux (yes I know Davinchi resolve technically does but the Linux version is so awful you might as well not use it)
  Linux is not Windows or MacOS: Linux does its own thing, sometimes this is good sometimes bad sometimes its highly debatable (and Linux users will debate it). Because of that if you expect to use Linux exactly like Windows you'll get confused and frustrated.
  Package managers: Almost every major DE has a graphical package manager frontend, this is a good thing and should be talked about.
  Desktop Environments: Show what they look like, KDE Plasma and Gnome. It should be explained their differnces and who they're made for.
  Distros: Explain a few of the most common distros and who they're made for. Debian is the most stable but gets few updates, OpenSuse tumbleweed is bleeding edge, Fedora gets updates once every few months, Arch is unstable and not reccomended for beginners, Pop_OS is great for gaming (see ProtonDB for compatibility)
  
  Most people are willing to buy new hardware, and nobody pays for a Windows key tbh.
  Many people are also not willing to buy new hardware. I have several friends where each PC purchase is a massive hit on their budget that requires other things to be sacrificed. And one does pay for a Windows key every time they buy a Windows PC. SIs who sell PCs with Windows as optional offer the Linux PCs for cheaper since you don't have to pay the Windows license fee.
  Even if they did it would be a free upgrade from 10 to 11.
  Depends on the PC, some of them just will not go to 11, in which case you are talking about spending hundreds of dollars to go from Win 10 to Win 11, but $0 to go from Win 10 to Linux.
  Enhanced Privacy
  Once again not something people strictly care about.
  Privacy is exactly what got me and one of my other friends to switch. Many, many people don't like being spied on. And taking reasonable steps to reduce it is very much so within our control.
  The implication that carbon emissions is something an individual can do something about has been objectively disproven.
  Not buying something new and using what you have demonstrably helps. There is no world in which throwing away a perfectly good PC just to manufacture and transport another is somehow better for carbon emissions. Microsoft should not be rewarded for creating so much unnecessary ewaste by encouraging people to go out and buy another Windows PC.
  
  You can also just stay on Windows 10 and get 3rd party security updates. That is a legitimate option that for a lot of people is going to be their best choice.
- Because the people that would or can switch would already switch after it's been posted for the 1000th time. It's not realistic because the vast majority of people simply don't care. People hate windows updates enough as it is, to most average people this is good news.
  
  Not caring is why these corporations have the power they do.
- I downvoted it.
  For starters I've seen this exact post a few times over the past 3 months in this community.
  Secondly, the comments go exactly the same in these threads:
  "linux can do everything, no faults at all, windows sucks"
  "but I use windows for x and y and linux can't do it"
  "how dare you insult linux, you should not be doing x and y, just do it with this app (which is completely inferior)"
  Next, windows does everything I want it to do, I disabled and uninstalled everything I didn't want easily through settings & group policy, and it hasn't bothered me since.
- I imagine the downvotes are backlash against all the people who convince themselves that Linux is the only viable solution regardless of use case or workflow. There are definitely loads of people in the Linux community and the open source community in general who will pick a piece of software and proselytize it with no consideration whatsoever whether it fits someone's actual needs. Like, personally, I like Linux but there are things I need to do that require me to have Windows. For some people this fact is absolutely unacceptable and they simply won't hear it.
  
  What can't you do on Linux that keeps you on Windows or Mac?
  
  photoshop, multiplayer games, excel specific macros, 99% of the accounting programs, drivers wificard soundcards, multimonitor support that doesnt shits itself within 10 seconds...2 years ago i tried mint, ubuntu, manjaro, they all failed.
  
  2 years is a long time. Driver issues are few and far between these days. Multi monitor support has greatly improved as well. I can't help you with your software requirements if you're stuck using proprietary programs like Photoshop. I can tell you that as a professional graphic designer and illustrator the alternatives to "industry standard" software are powerful and arguably better (Inkscape) on the Linux side. It does take time and effort to retrain years of shortcuts and workflow experience, but it's definitely doable.
  Maybe one day when you're feeling adventurous give Linux another shot. I know for a lot of people the ethics of open source vs closed aren't really important, but it's still fun to see what else is out there.
  
  i see now. you just love to be downvoted.
  
  Why? I thought it was a pretty reasonable reply.
  
  Voicemeeter and Virtual Audio Cables for separate audio channels with separate volume controls, macro keys, and easily adjustable toggling between outputs (more easily adjustable and less latency than JACK)
  Eartrumpet for easy and immediate per-program control over audio channels
  FL Studio
  Adobe Premiere
  MX Ergo drivers that have full functionality including remapping and holding down mouse 4 and mouse 5 and toggleable precision mode with LED indicator
  No sudden troubleshooting mid-way through working on projects to break my flow
  A Windows testing environment
  100% compatibility with every game I own
  There may be a few more, but these are the big ones. JACK, at the moment, just isn't a replacement for Voicemeeter and while there are some DAWs for Linux, they're not FL and I don't know if they're compatible with Guitar Rig. I've used OpenShot for video as well, and while it's not terrible it isn't really comparable.
  I'm sure that Linux is a good fit for many users. Personally, as an operating system alone if it weren't for these issues, I'd prefer it. I'd love to be able to do what I need to do and also have a plasma, it's much nicer. But at the moment it isn't a real option without sacrificing things that I actually need. I also really can't be dealing with suddenly needing to sort out how to make a finicky program work at the drop of a hat when I'm in the middle of working on a project.
  I've been dabbling with Linux since the early 00s. I like it and I wish it were a substitute for Windows for my use case, but it isn't. No amount of people being rude and obtuse in threads will change that. Time might, but it hasn't yet.
  
  Ah I see. Pipewire has made audio production a lot easier with far fewer latency issues. I know the FL Studio crowd is pretty diehard, but if you're ever feeling adventurous there's a lot more in the audio space now. I personally use Reaper to record my guitar through my Audient interface and have no issues. I'm not much of a beats and loops guy though so YMMV.
  
  Does it have separate audio channels and input/output controls with volume sliders and hotkeys? That would still leave a few other issues, but progress is progress and I do like to keep myself aware of the options so that I'll know when it finally ticks all the boxes.
  
  I use pipewire with Ardour and Neural DSP VSTs (over wine) with zero issues on EndeavourOS. I really hadn't expected that. Now, I generally just use this stuff to not have to buy many physical pedals so I rarely do recording, but that has worked as well.
  You seem to be way more advanced than me in that regard, so I can't say if it would work for you, but it was so much easier and better than when I tried the same thing years ago. I'd suspect that GuitarRig works as well, though I haven't tried. I may just do so this weekend, but can't promise.
  I have GuitarPro running with wine as well.
  
  I'm not sure I understand the question. Pipewire is the audio server, replacing Pulse. It does have frontends that allow routing from different devices, channels, software etc and distributions that are using Pipewire now have interface elements that allow you to control application use of audio devices. I'm not sure I answered your question at all lol.
- It's getting downvoted because it's not realistic.
  
  I thought so too, largely on the basis of some very bad experiences with ubuntu-based distributions (they seem to hate my bog-standard RTX3060 GPU for whatever reason), but in frustration I tried one last time to install a linux distro and went with something based on fedora and it has 95% just worked, it's been great. I haven't booted up windows in almost 3 weeks, all my games work (battle.net was a bit of a pain to get working), the proprietary windows software I use for work runs great in wine, etc. I'm at the point now where I'm transferring all my files off of NTFS partitions and reformatting them to btrfs and integrating them into the linux filesystem, cause I'm done with windows forever to the greatest possible extent that I can be.
  
  I am greatful that Ubuntu ended up bringing the Linux desktop into the general publics eye, but at the same time out of all of the popular distro's today, I firmly believe there is always a better choice than Ubuntu for any user, new or veteran. It's just a pity that they are the most well known to people who aren't familiar with Linux while not being good at anything, although basically any Linux distro feels like fresh air when compared to the Microsoft experience.
  
  Agreed. New users often either go Ubuntu or Linux Mint because they're well known, but really aren't the best options out there anymore.
  
  Why is that? What's the problem with ubuntu? I mean ubuntu-based distros seem to hate my bog-standard RTX3060 GPU for some reason, but besides that. I'm pretty happy with nobara tho, and wouldn't switch back to ubuntu even if I knew it'd work with my GPU.
  
  You just hit both of my points,
  Newer hardware has compatibility issues due to Ubuntu's slower update cycle
  2.ubuntu doesn't do anything particularly better than any other distro, the marketing pitch normally ends up being "we're Linux, and we've done it a while" because there isn't any feature that makes it stand out so they advertise on their stability which isn't that much more pronounced in comparison to a fedora or debian based distro.
  What's the problem with ubuntu?
  In general I wouldn't say it has a problem, it does what it says it will do, it's just that it's distinct features are quickly becoming the standard or obsolete.
  
  Fair enough. Personally my hardware isn't that new; the GPU is 3-4 years old at this point, the rest of the PC is ~5 years old so you would think even the latest LTS which is only a year or two old would support it. shrug
  But yeah I'm liking nobara's rapid update cycle so far, though I haven't tried to change GPU drivers with it yet, so I suppose I will reserve a tiny amount of judgement until I have to do that. ;)
  
  my main gripe with Ubuntu right now is the way they are forcing snaps into my system under the covers. if i wanted to install a snap, i would be using snap install instead of apt install. forcing a snap install when i use apt install is just total fuckery. fortunately i only have to use ubuntu at work; home is fedora and alma
  
  Hm, yeah that is definitely a weird thing to do, I'm using nobara (fedora) and it has the app center for snap and flatpost for flatpaks plus dnf for the package manager.
  
  Nvidia Linux drivers are still kinda iffy these days but so are the Windows ones too
  
  It was definitely a Ubuntu thing - Pop, 2 version of Ubuntu, and Mint all failed at various points when dealing with GPU drivers, but I'm using closed-source nvidia drivers on the same GPU in Nobara (Fedora) without issue. Though I guess I haven't tried updating it yet, but all my hardware accelerated games work as they should.

190 comments