The last Linux I used was PClos and Suse, but that was many years ago. I kind of liked PClos and I may download the new Full Monty.Check out WHS tutorials on Linux Mint Mate, I did and it is really good. I will not be going in the new UI direction. If we get more of the same I WILL be using 7 until 2020 (I have good eyesight) and then Linux running Windows in a virtual machine. Linux mint mate boots in a FLASH.....
https://www.sevenforums.com/chillout-...-tutorial.html
About me: Worked in IT since 1995, IBM Trained, Cisco Trained. Am not a "fanboy".
Am still running Windows XP on all the laptops & desktops my wife and I own. They are all dual-booting LINUX (Fedora) and WinXP, to be precise. Have had the same Hotmail account since before Hotmail was bought by Microsoft.
I've had lots of experience with:
DOS 3.3
DOS 5.0
DOS 6.1
Windows 3.0/3.1
Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups
Windows NT 4.0
Windows 95
Windows 95b/c
Windows 98/98SE
Windows Millennium Edition [a.k.a.: "Major Error"]
Windows 2000
Windows Server 2000/SBS 2K
Windows XP
Windows Server 2003/SBS 2K3
Windows Vista
Windows Small Business Server 2008
Windows 7
Don't even get me started on UNIX/LINUX distros and versions I'm experienced with.
Microsoft® has made some real gems and some real stinkers of operating systems. High on my list are 3.1 (excluding 3.11), 95b/c, 98SE, XP, 2008, & 7. The bottom of the barrel are ME & Vista. I'll reserve my opinion on Windows 8 for after I've actually experienced it for long enough to know it well.
I will offer this... Microsoft's products are generally over-priced and if they had their way, everyone would use Microsoft products exclusively. Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Office. Microsoft Money. Microsoft Mouse. Microsoft Keyboard. Microsoft X-Box. Microsoft (insert product here).
So, "Can Microsoft Force us to Windows 8"? They'll probably try to force us to 8 (until such time as "9" is released). Will they? I doubt that they'll succeed. They had to extend the support of WinXP due to outcries of John Q. Public (and all the enterprise customers who's in-house-produced custom software would not run properly on Vista).
Microsoft will try to coerce/force us to every new product they put out. Some sheeple will quickly embrace everything which comes out of Redmond. Some people will actually use Microsoft's new products before praising or deriding said products. Other sheeple will hate on Microsoft regardless of the merits (or lack thereof) of the products.
Me, personally, I think Microsoft is too big, they over-price their products, and about one out of every three operating systems they release is a major stinker. I'll probably migrate to Windows 7 when I get (or build) my next computer. I will not spend money on Windows 8 until I have had to fix issues with it on clients' computers and I know just how much of a delight or pain it really is for myself.
Microsoft will try to force us to Windows 8. They'll try. They're trying.
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