Poll:How's That Windows 10 Upgrade Coming Along?

[easysurfer]

What is making you not want to jump ship?

Granted I am probably more of a geek than most people.
I do have a Dell desktop PC running Windows 7 Pro. It is/was for specialized software that I would use on the job and also Microsoft Office 2013.

What makes me want to jump? First, I don't like how Microsoft (MS) does things by pushing big updates and the choice is pretty much their way or the highway. Second, I'm happy with just a stable system and don't need all "improvements" MS wants to add. Read recently that (don't remember exact number) about 70% of people do not want all the changes MS does the OS. Third, the more (bit) I know about Linux, that's both alluring and a challenge.

For me, MS and Windows isn't what I liked in the past. I actually had a similar situation years back when Apple changed from OS 9 to X. My favorite OS of all probably is OS 9 as for ease of use). Thus, I ended up defecting from Mac to Windows XP (my second favorite of all time).

But to change isn't easy as there are some applications that isn't so straightforward (at least to me). I think with Linux, as long as you use an application that's in the software repository, then easy peasy. But when outside, things can get dicey for someone no used to the command line.

 

[broadway]

But to change isn't easy as there are some applications that isn't so straightforward (at least to me).

Which applications are you concerned about?

I use LibreOffice Writer to edit my .doc resume and LibreOffice Calc to edit my spreadsheets.

I use Firefox, Opera, Chrome as my web surfer.

I have Linux Mint running on an Dell Optiplex 3020 in a dual-boot with Windows 7 Pro. I left Windows 7 Pro installed just in case.
Android Studio which is the IDE for programming Android apps runs in Linux Mint. So does the Arduino IDE to program Arduinos.

I have another Dell Optiplex 3020 running Windows 7 Pro exclusively. This is where I installed Visual Studio.

No Quicken.

 

[easysurfer]

Which applications are you concerned about?

I use LibreOffice Writer to edit my .doc resume and LibreOffice Calc to edit my spreadsheets.

I use Firefox, Opera, Chrome as my web surfer.

I have Linux Mint running on an Dell Optiplex 3020 in a dual-boot with Windows 7 Pro. I left Windows 7 Pro installed just in case.
Android Studio which is the IDE for programming Android apps runs in Linux Mint. So does the Arduino IDE to program Arduinos.

I have another Dell Optiplex 3020 running Windows 7 Pro exclusively. This is where I installed Visual Studio.

No Quicken.

So, between the two, the Linux Mint vs the Win 7 Pro, which do you like more?

As for which applications, I'm concerned about? A couple, I'd expect to run in a virtual machine or dual boot or separate computer. Namely, Turbotax and Garmin's lifetime map updates.

Others, the goal is finding a good linux counterpart to what I have in Win. Plus again, to me if the application isn't in a software repository, things can take some more head scratching (at least with my limited knowledge of Linux) to make work. For example, on Win, I sometimes like a to run a program called Shade that is a sandbox program. It's great for testing a program or browsing the web but when done, just clear the sandbox. A popular Linux counterpart is called Firejail. But since isn't in the repository, I tried to install through the command line. Well, that didn't work yesterday using Mint. Had some message that I didn't understand. That's one example that's keeping me on the fence for now. Also, another is finding a good working counterpart too such as a Hide folder utitlity that I do on Win or a folder encrypt application. Sure one can go to command line and type in commands to encrypt, but I'd like to so so as GUI like as in a Windows application.

 

[Dawg52]

Took the first step in getting away from Windows. Received a Lenovo Chromebook today and got it up and running. Using it now. Surfing the web is faster and it all looks pretty much the same as my Acer laptop. In time I will see if I can learn how to use a printer via the cloud. I'm a dumb ass so it will probably be a challenge. But my old Windows 7 machine still runs well so no rush to convert.

Oh yes......the battery life on this thing is amazing. I've been using it for 3+ hours and it shows I have over 12 hours left. Voice search is kind of nice too.

 

[broadway]

So, between the two, the Linux Mint vs the Win 7 Pro, which do you like more?

As for which applications, I'm concerned about? A couple, I'd expect to run in a virtual machine or dual boot or separate computer. Namely, Turbotax and Garmin's lifetime map updates.

Others, the goal is finding a good linux counterpart to what I have in Win. Plus again, to me if the application isn't in a software repository, things can take some more head scratching (at least with my limited knowledge of Linux) to make work. For example, on Win, I sometimes like a to run a program called Shade that is a sandbox program. It's great for testing a program or browsing the web but when done, just clear the sandbox. A popular Linux counterpart is called Firejail. But since isn't in the repository, I tried to install through the command line. Well, that didn't work yesterday using Mint. Had some message that I didn't understand. That's one example that's keeping me on the fence for now. Also, another is finding a good working counterpart too such as a Hide folder utitlity that I do on Win or a folder encrypt application. Sure one can go to command line and type in commands to encrypt, but I'd like to so so as GUI like as in a Windows application.

I like Linux Mint because supposedly Linux has better security.
I use it 99.9% of my time on my computer at home.

I just finished doing a Windows 7 Pro Windows update on the Windows 7 Pro partition. Wasn't too bad this time.

I use AEScrypt to encrypt files. Unfortunately, the GUI for it is broken. It was when I installed Linux Mint. It may have been fixed, but I have stuck with using the command line.

No experience with Firejail.

You can certainly run Turbotax and Garmin in your Windows 7 Pro partition should you decide to dual-boot.

 

[cbo111]

Still have Win-7 on laptop and pic. Can't get motivated. We spend more time on the IPAD and IPhone. Microsoft just seems so primitive.

 

[easysurfer]

I like Linux Mint because supposedly Linux has better security.
I use it 99.9% of my time on my computer at home.

I just finished doing a Windows 7 Pro Windows update on the Windows 7 Pro partition. Wasn't too bad this time.

I use AEScrypt to encrypt files. Unfortunately, the GUI for it is broken. It was when I installed Linux Mint. It may have been fixed, but I have stuck with using the command line.

No experience with Firejail.

You can certainly run Turbotax and Garmin in your Windows 7 Pro partition should you decide to dual-boot.

I'm not ready to jump ship just yet and may never do. But what I end up doing is dabbling a bit, then put aside, then dabble some more. Hopefully get a bit closer in case I end up saying No Mas to Microsoft.

I had Linux Mint on my laptop. As when using, primarily is just to use Teamviewer to connect to my desktop. Now I hardly even bring when traveling as I just check my smart phone for emails, unless gone an extended time.

I'll probably put on Peppermint on the laptop an use that if I like more over Mint.

 

[ejman]

I use linux mint 99% of the time as I installed it in my ancient HP desktop computer when security updates were discontinued for Windows XP. I also have windows 10 on my laptop which installed itself when (I guess) I clicked the wrong button. I find Linux mint on my old desktop to be fast enough to do everything I need to do. My Laptop (win 10) is used occasionally but the forced updates are really annoying. I don't really miss any programs from the windows world. Gnucash works just fine instead of Quicken, Libreoffice does everything I need to do for writing or spreadsheet tasks, Music (Banshee) and picture organizing(Shotwell) and of course, browsers (Chrome,Firefox) work without a hitch. I'm sure there are many specialized programs that require Windows (or Mac) environments but for my simple needs Linux mint works just fine, its completely stable, it politely asks me which updates I want to install and only does them when I tell it to.

 

[broadway]

I'm not ready to jump ship just yet and may never do. But what I end up doing is dabbling a bit, then put aside, then dabble some more. Hopefully get a bit closer in case I end up saying No Mas to Microsoft.

I had Linux Mint on my laptop. As when using, primarily is just to use Teamviewer to connect to my desktop. Now I hardly even bring when traveling as I just check my smart phone for emails, unless gone an extended time.

I'll probably put on Peppermint on the laptop an use that if I like more over Mint.

I don't think of it as either or.

Dual booting gives you both.

 

[easysurfer]

I don't think of it as either or.

Dual booting gives you both.

True. But..then that's two systems to maintain. Kinda like having two cars vs one. Good and bad.

 

[broadway]

True. But..then that's two systems to maintain. Kinda like having two cars vs one. Good and bad.

One PC.

Boot into Windows 7. Update.

Boot into Linux Mint. Update.

I don't see the problem.

 

[easysurfer]

One PC.

Boot into Windows 7. Update.

Boot into Linux Mint. Update.

I don't see the problem.

I'm probably just being lazy hoping for an all in one solution .

For the time being, I do plan on using Linux for the laptop though to avoid the interruptive Windows 10 updates.

 

[target2019]

I've always looked at various OS's as an opportunity to place more experience in my bag of tricks. Sometimes it requires a lot of up-front experimentation, searches, etc. But there is always a reward of some kind.

 

[easysurfer]

I like Linux Mint because supposedly Linux has better security.
I use it 99.9% of my time on my computer at home.

I just finished doing a Windows 7 Pro Windows update on the Windows 7 Pro partition. Wasn't too bad this time.

I use AEScrypt to encrypt files. Unfortunately, the GUI for it is broken. It was when I installed Linux Mint. It may have been fixed, but I have stuck with using the command line.

No experience with Firejail.

You can certainly run Turbotax and Garmin in your Windows 7 Pro partition should you decide to dual-boot.

Played around a bit the past several days. I went ahead and installed Peppermint OS 7 as my linux distro on my laptop. (I also have a separate HD on my laptop with Win 10). I really link Peppermint.

Did play a bit also with AEScrypt and was able to get that to encrypt some test file. Also, just set up VeraCrypt (VC) on my Win desktop to encrypt private data like my finances. Had been using something that encrypts at folder and file level, bit not containers, like with VC. VC also has a linux version, so someday if I do switch from Win, the change should be easier.

 

[Totoro]

Well, went dual boot Linux Mint yesterday.

Will probably be a while before I completely switch over, at least we´re on our way

It´s still not novice proof though. As a small example: I have a high resolution display (2160p) and as a result tiny unreadable text. Took me a good hour to figure out how to fix it. Same thing with getting my keyboard backlight to work.

None of it was earth shattering difficult, but no way a 'normal person' can figure this stuff out.

Next up is getting my fan under control .. (vs. constantly at max speed) .. hopefully fixed when I get new video drivers in.

 

[easysurfer]

I'm still sticking with Win 7 for the time being but dabble when I can in Linux.

Just biding my time and having a wait and see on Win 10:

Microsoft hasn’t officially committed to a ship date for Windows 10’s Creators Update, but evidence suggests it could reach Insiders as soon as the end of March. Given how the last major Windows 10 update went, however, we’re feeling equal parts eagerness—and caution.

Our caution stems from what happened when Windows 10’s Anniversary Update launched last August. A swarm of bugs came with it, including a login freeze, as well as a more serious issue that crashed webcams. Third-party security firms, like McAfee, warned that their products might not be compatible. Consumers and businesses certainly don’t want a repeat.

Windows 10 Creators Update could ship March 31, and we're already worried about bugs | PCWorld

 

[W2R]

Stories like this make me glad that I didn't try to become a W10 "Insider". To me that's essentially volunteering to be a beta tester almost.

For me, the Anniversary Update took forever to download and install, but once it was in place and I had re-checked my settings, I don't remember having any difficulties. Here's what I said about it back then:

My laptop came with Windows 10 pre-installed, back in the summer of 2015. Windows 10 has its plusses and minuses, but overall I like it.

The Anniversary Update was OK. I felt like the download and installation took forever, but then I had read online that it would take at least that long. I don't love or hate the AU, in comparison with the pre-AU Windows 10. It's sort of blah, IMO.

So gosh, I had less trouble with it than some fancy-schmancy W10 reviewer? Maybe it was the Windows Insider version that had all those bugs he referred to. Anyway, I'm not worried about the next big update very much.

 

[GrayHare]

I'd like to see OS developers such as Microsoft keep each major OS alive for a longer period. An example from a different industry is Boeing. Though Boeing's first 737 rolled out during the 1960s, the plane's basic design is still supported, with parts available, and even brand new tweaked 737s are still sold. Lots of people like Windows ___ (fill in the blank with your favorite edition), so why not similarly keep it supported and available for longer? People who really want a different OS experience can switch to the "747" or "757" etc. model, while the popular "737" continues for those who like it.

 

[W2R]

Well, went dual boot Linux Mint yesterday.

Will probably be a while before I completely switch over, at least we´re on our way

It´s still not novice proof though. As a small example: I have a high resolution display (2160p) and as a result tiny unreadable text. Took me a good hour to figure out how to fix it. Same thing with getting my keyboard backlight to work.

None of it was earth shattering difficult, but no way a 'normal person' can figure this stuff out.

Next up is getting my fan under control .. (vs. constantly at max speed) .. hopefully fixed when I get new video drivers in.

Linux doesn't sound as easy to deal with as one might wish. That's disappointing. Good luck with your fan.

 

[broadway]

Well, went dual boot Linux Mint yesterday.

Will probably be a while before I completely switch over, at least we´re on our way

It´s still not novice proof though. As a small example: I have a high resolution display (2160p) and as a result tiny unreadable text. Took me a good hour to figure out how to fix it. Same thing with getting my keyboard backlight to work.

None of it was earth shattering difficult, but no way a 'normal person' can figure this stuff out.

Next up is getting my fan under control .. (vs. constantly at max speed) .. hopefully fixed when I get new video drivers in.

How many "novices" have 2160p displays?

I consider that to be advanced even in Windows world!

 

[broadway]

Linux doesn't sound as easy to deal with as one might wish. That's disappointing. Good luck with your fan.

He has an advanced system and advanced expectations. Do you have the need to change fan speeds?

Compare your requirements to his.

He is advanced in Windows and will need to acquire the knowledge for Linux just as he had to for Windows.

 

[W2R]

He is has an advanced system and advanced expectations. Do you have the need to change fan speeds?

Compare your requirements to his.

Yes, they sound more or less comparable although his is much nicer, I'm sure. I'm having fan problems too, which is why I am interested to hear about his outcome. But we weren't talking about MY system, we were talking about his (and yours, apparently).

 

[JoeWras]

Based on discussion here, I tried Mint on some old iron last night.

I have to say the distros have come along. Very nice. But it asked a few questions during install that I know would totally befuddle any non-tech people.

Still, things have come along a lot and I'm going to try to use this just for fun. What I liked about Mint was youtube worked out of the box. This was one of the real frustrations with older distros -- you had to load your own codec. Way too advanced for most people.

As for the fan: I don't know. I had to replace my controllable fan with a one-speed since the old one broke. Old iron.

But since this is really old iron, it is slow. So I discovered the "Puppy" distro which I'm probably going to use just on this old box. I have some environmental sensors that will work fine in a very bare environment. The "tahr-Puppy" distro was surprisingly featured and extremely slim. Definitely for tech people only. (If you don't know what vfat, ext3, ext4 are, stay away.)

But now I'm going into distro-babble, something I complained about earlier.

 

[ERD50]

He has an advanced system and advanced expectations. Do you have the need to change fan speeds?

Compare your requirements to his.

He is advanced in Windows and will need to acquire the knowledge for Linux just as he had to for Windows.

Yes, sometimes a Linux install will need a little 'tweaking' to accommodate some of the different versions of hardware out there.

I've mostly avoided this by doing a bit of googling on a system before I buy it, so I understand if there are any issues, and if the fix is simple. Typically no issues for main stream hardware, but if you are converting an existing system, especially one that is less main stream, there might be some adjustments. Power control (like the fan speed) is one of those areas that sometimes need tweaking.

Often nothing more than a copy/paste into an existing configuration text file with examples to walk you through it. But it's possible (rare) that some hardware is just not supported.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

...What I liked about Mint was youtube worked out of the box. This was one of the real frustrations with older distros -- you had to load your own codec. Way too advanced for most people. ...

I'm pretty sure that for years now (at least since the 2012 release?), loading those codecs has been easy-peasy for any user. I don't even have any notes on it, I'm pretty sure it either asks at install, or the first time it encounters that problem, it asks if you want them installed. You just click "Yes", and it does the job for you.

-ERD50