Windows 10 EoL is fast approaching, so I thought I’d give Linux a try on some equipment that won’t be able to upgrade to Windows 11. I wanted to see if I will be able to recommend an option to anyone that asks me what they should do with their old PC.
Many years ago I switched to Gentoo Linux to get through collage. I was very anti-MS at the time. I also currently interact with Linux systems regularly although they don’t have a DE and aren’t for general workstation use.
Ubuntu: easy install. Working desktop. Had issues with getting GPU drivers. App Store had apps that would install but not work. The App Store itself kept failing to update itself with an error that it was still running. It couldn’t clear this hurdle after a reboot so I finally killed the process and manually updated from terminal. Overall, can’t recommend this to a normal user.
Mint: easy install. Switching to nvidia drivers worked without issue. App Store had issues with installing some apps due to missing dependencies that it couldn’t install. Some popular apps would install but wouldn’t run. Shutting the laptop closed results in a prompt to shutdown, but never really shuts off. Update process asks me to pick a fast source (why can’t it do this itself?)
Both: installing apps outside of their respective stores is an adventure in terminal instead of a GUI double-click. Secure boot issues. Constant prompt for password instead of a simple PIN or other form of identity verification.
Search results for basic operations require understanding that what works for Ubuntu might not work for Mint.
While I personally could work with either, I don’t see Linux taking any market share from MS or Apple when windows 10 is retired.
100% agree. I hope Cosmic DE can remedy some of those learning curves, but that is a tough ask from a desktop environment .
I mean heck, it took me several months to fully get accustomed to OS X Tiger when I switched from Win XP back in the day.
interesting, TIL! i will definitely look into this. but yeah it does speak volumes that this isn’t even in alpha yet and it’s 2024. specifically hoping the app store and the bluetooth/audio UX are watertight because those are the primary weak points i see for non-power users in GNOME and such.
also doesn’t exactly exude faith that one of their biggest marketing points is… yet another terminal with gpu rendering. hot take: the point of the desktop metaphor has been to bring the user beyond the terminal since 1970. expecting the average user to go back to relying on text commands for daily use should not be on the table if you are developing a desktop environment.
Please have babies.