When replacing Windows 7 PC: Should you switch to Windows 10 or Mac?

[jonnyhillow]

been reading posts....heres my take: keep win7 and set up a dual boot with linux mint. yeah, i know, linux, bah, humbug... but heres my experience...i love win7 and love my privacy so just dont like the path microsoft is going down. so i downloaded linux mint, burned it and installed it as a dual boot with win7. been slowly playing with it...i use Palemoon browser as i didnt like the ugly interface of the new firefox. palemoon works perfectly in linux mint. and i have it set up to look exactly like windows. it is faster in linux as most things are. but i think the cool thing with linux is that while you are in it, you can go to the files and folders you have in windows easily...open them or copy them...so easy. linux has come a long way and its just as fast and just as easy as windows...just takes a little learning. if you have a question all you do is google it and you have your answer right now. my email works the same, my movie and tv downloads work the same. my stock market stuff works the same..so i will be keeping win7 and playing with and learning linux. i keep my windows updates just turned off..and always run windows sandboxed. i do a macrium backup once a week (5min) and keep three images of it....i am online 7-8 hours a day and do everything and go everywhere...and never have any problems. i am not a nerd and am 72. i still value my privacy but so many younger people just dont think that it matters... good luck to all

Yeah, i love Linux mint as well , very easy and fast . It's a very different generation today and giving as much information about yourself as possible to total strangers is the popular thing to do lol, i think it's nuts myself.


PS: You don't give off a "nerd" like vibe to me so i would have to agree you are definitely not "nerd" material . Thats a good thing imo but some chicks are drawn to "nerds" , it's been scientifically proven , mind boggling i know , i just don't understand it .

 

[michael diemer]

Another excellent Linux system that is user-friendly and very similar to W7 is Zorin. It has the advantage of being newer. I have heard people call Mint a bit dated. Personally I like and use both, but prefer Zorin. It just works.

 

[jonnyhillow]

Another excellent Linux system that is user-friendly and very similar to W7 is Zorin. It has the advantage of being newer. I have heard people call Mint a bit dated. Personally I like and use both, but prefer Zorin. It just works.

Did not know this , thank you Sir.

In your opinion is Linux more popular than Ubuntu?

 

[plodr]

is Linux more popular than Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a "flavor" of linux. So your question would be like asking is Ford more popular than cars.

I've been using LXLE Desktop and like it very much. (it's good on older hardware. I have a 7" eeepc from 2007 with a 4GB, yes that is 4GB hard drive!) I can't install any new linux so I run distros live with persistence from a stick. What makes this netbook great is that it is easy to travel with. I have movies stored on an sd card in the slot so if I don't have free wifi, I can watch movies or read a book on the device.

 

[whs]

Most Linux distros are Ubuntu derivatives. So there is a bit of Ubuntu in every house. I personally like Mint Mate - and it is not dated at all. But Zorin is nice for people who do not want to make too many extra settings.

 

[jonnyhillow]

Thank you gentlemen .

 

[groze]

Here is a good list but some are defunct and some are just rescue disk. Doesn't included Zorin though

List of Linux distributions

 

[whs]

Yeah, that list is too generic.

 

[michael diemer]

Many people feel that Ubuntu is getting to be too much like Microsoft, in that it tracks you. You can install a different desktop environment, like Cinnamon, and the tracking supposedly goes away. But the Unity DE that is the Ubuntu default definitely tracks you.

In my opinion, Zorin is leaner than Mint, which is why it seems to work better, at least on my computer. But Mint is way more popular, second only to Ubuntu in the Linux world. The Zorin forum is small, but the responses are quick. and as has been said, all three of these OS's are so similar that what you read on one forum almost always applies to the others.

 

[whs]

You are right on Zorin. I had the same experience. And the people on the Zorin forum are charming.

Anf pfff for the unity desktop. Who wants that.

 

[groze]

Many people feel that is getting to be too much like Microsoft, in that it tracks you. You can install a different desktop environment, like Cinnamon, and the tracking supposedly goes away. But the Unity DE that is the Ubuntu default definitely tracks you.

In my opinion, Zorin is leaner than Mint, which is why it seems to work better, at least on my computer. But Mint is way more popular, second only to Ubuntu in the Linux world. The Zorin forum is small, but the responses are quick. and as has been said, all three of these OS's are so similar that what you read on one forum almost always applies to the others.

I never heard that about Ubuntu. It really wasn't that bad. Just your searches were going through Amazon that is all. They just forgot to warn you and fixed that later with an update. That is one reason Linux Mint & other distro were formed. One EULA I am not sure about is OpenSuse Gnome desktop but I haven't studied enough to make an opinion.

 

[michael diemer]

If Apple wants to make some money off the Windows 10 debacle, they should make their OS available to PC's. I would buy it so I can run music software that I can't run om Linux. I think lots of other folks would buy it too. If they don't, Linux will be the only alternative, unless you bite the bullet and buy a Mac.

 

[whs]

This is another very good option. And don't be afraid. Mint does not bite.

​Why switch to Windows 10 or a Mac when you can use Linux Mint 17.3 instead? | ZDNet

 

[whs]

I like Mint and Zorin. Maybe you can start with those.

 

[whs]

You should stay away from Unity. I like Mate.

 

[lehnerus2000]

DistroWatch

But Mint is way more popular, second only to Ubuntu in the Linux world.

According to DistroWatch, Linux Mint has been the most popular Linux Distro from 2011 onwards (most page hits).

IMO, this is the result of Ubuntu forcing Unity on users.

You should stay away from Unity. I like Mate.

IMO, Unity is awful.

When Ubuntu 10.04 couldn't cope with a new ATI graphics card I installed, I had to find a new Linux Distro (in 2013).

I didn't replace Ubuntu 10.04 with Ubuntu 12.10 because of Unity.
I swapped to Linux Mint.

 

[whs]

Exactly, I used Ubuntu for 5 years but when Unity came up I went with Mint.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Dedoimedo

Here's Dedoimedo's article on Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa (Xfce version):
Linux Mint 17.3 Rosa Xfce - Absolutely fantastic

He had issues trying to clean install LM17.3 MATE, but the in-place upgrade was almost glitch free.

I created a LM17.3 MATE VM last week (no issues).
It took ~5 minutes to complete the install (ISO & VM on HDDs, network disconnected). :shock:

 

[Jody Thornton]

I use an old XP-era notebook (Dell D610) with Precise Puppy Linux v5.7.1. Great for browsing with SeaMonkey, email, and Gnumeric and AbiWord for office stuff. Cute little OS. I have the fonts set up (menus with bold Helvetica) so the desktop looks like OS/2 2x and 3x.

 

[Lee]

I have been using a Mac since 1987, and see no reason to change. . .I run Seven In Boot camp on a 2009 iMac 27', and run win 10 on a 2015 iMac 27" 5K (Sweet). I see no reason to buy a standard PC when the mac can be used as one either in Boot Camp, or using a VM. . .