[SOLVED] go back to windows?

[sickpig]

biannual update for new converts who might stumble upon this post

i had asked the titular question here partly to myself but largely to this community.
the answer, after roughly 6 months give or take, i haven't logged into windows even once. i was able to satisfy all my computing needs with Debian, not only personal but even enterprise.

since then i installed a replica of the running system onto my work laptop for uniformity. m able to seamlessly work on linux even better if i might add as compared to windows. but hey this was never a hate post about windows.

I had genuinely asked if i would have to go back to windows and i got the answer

NEVER

[1510-user]

Just my 2 cents here.

Ever since the fall of XP, I never went back to Windows, out of sheer princple, and the direction Windows had taken. I had Windows 7 installed on my old gaming rig untill I had recently sold it as I have grown out of it.

However, in the years I've switched to Linux, the amount of times I've ended up pulling out my hair to get one simple thing sorted (in windows a simple point and click would solve) drove me INSANE. The amount of times I broke Linux by Google searching my problem and copy/pasting what I found into terminal, was ridiculous (proceeded by having to reinstall the OS.) And most Windows users who switched to Linux would tell you the same thing. Eventually I settled on just excepting what Linux is and left it alone, otherwise another reinstall is heading my way. This is the truth however not a bad one.

And the realitiy is, there was always that ONE time I couldn't get something needed to work, and desperatly needed a windows installation, or VM to sort it.

So I set up my own personal system with two hard drives to solve this problem. On one, I installed Windows 7, and the other my daily Linux driver. So far, I've only had to use Windows twice but that was only after exhuasting all my other options and restarting the PC to boot Windows out of frustration.

PS: The one thing Windows always got correct was its ease of use, its point-n-clickability for all the things you needed, and hid the things you didn't. The sad part is, they got it right all the way back in 1995, and its taken most Linux distro's almost 20 years to catch up, but its getting there Even things like right clicking on the taskbar to open Task Manager/System Monitor. The little things, you know? Only Windows users would understand, haha

[1510-user]

2. A software you like it doesn't exist on GNU and the alternatives aren't at the same level (for example Adobe CC).
3. All the people your are in contact use M$ Office and you LibreOffice and your files have always the layout broken in M$ Office.

I felt the need for adobe pdf reader but then found foxit. it is better than adobe pdf in many aspects.

Also the issue of office doc compatibility but i just use O365 office online and anyway i have a win laptop for office work.

But for personal use am very happy with Deb, it lets me do so much more.

For the record the latest LibreOffice now allows you to set default saves with .docx, so you can just use LO instead

[sickpig]

Even things like right clicking on the taskbar to open Task Manager/System Monitor. The little things, you know? Only Windows users would understand, haha

yup its got a learning curve but then it sets u free. for my initial 2 months i read the wiki and faq then read all the posts in 'how to' section, quite informative. once u learn the ropes it becomes actually easier than windows. and its a bottomless pit u can continue learning if u wish. or settle in with your new system and admire how resource efficient it is compared to windows.

[sickpig]

For the record the latest LibreOffice now allows you to set default saves with .docx, so you can just use LO instead

thanks for sharing, but i found a nifty chrome extension which allows me to directly open locally saved ms office docs in google office web apps. it works offline as well. no need for LO or any other office suite. Just chrome browser and this extension sorts my office needs.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... gdpimamgkj

[CwF]

Yah... Just built a new XP box, all handy downs, dual socket top clock beast. Modded the bios to keep it under control and nearly silent, threw on an image to a spare ssd, fired it up, and it rocks, yep didn't install anything. Amazing how well that works. My last industrial Q35 XP was taken out in a storm, along with a monitor also on the dirty power line, so I kinda need a new one even though a VM filled in for the few missing months just fine.

As far going back, I already reverted to a flip phone. Maybe if I get one of those cheap Walmart android tablets for the one thing my XP's won't do, there isn't any more I need. But then, I've found that I like gnumeric, the closest I get to 'office'. And the deb version d2x-rebirth is better than any OS choice. And my deb antenna tivo seems pretty flawless, so I'll stick with debian also, then I can forgo that android crap. As long as Firefox stays true on Debian then I'll be here. When that goes, I'm going offline.

[sickpig]

Firefox announced a premium browser a couple days ago, not sure who is going to pay especially when free ones are around
Amazon fire hd tabs are not bad, Android based and inexpensive but will have to side load Google playstore as its not there by default. Or use fdroid

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Firefox announced a premium browser a couple days ago, not sure who is going to pay especially when free ones are around

Firefox Premium is the name Mozilla are giving to their new range of paid-for services that will be offered as an add-on to the browser, which will remain free (as in beer).

To stay on-topic: I have Win10 installed but I don't use it. Ever.

The only reason it's still there is because I'm so tight and I've already paid for it.

[golinux]

To stay on-topic: I have Win10 installed but I don't use it. Ever.

The only reason it's still there is because I'm so tight and I've already paid for it.

Used to be you could get a refund if you bought it preinstalled but never used it.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

^ No, that's not possible, sadly.

I can return the laptop and get a full refund if I don't want the operating system but I can't get a refund for the OS itself.

I could have bought a Clevo without Win10 preinstalled but I really like ThinkPads so I made a Faustian Pact with Lenovo

[CwF]

Maybe I can escape the windows ridicule since XP left us, and I stayed. Since I never pursued 7+ I'm not guilty of feeding them. My XP's do what they do like they are new. Walking away from that is like abandoning a perfect classic car because it doesn't have airbags and abs.

I do use browser vm's, and xp vm's if needed all tucked away in a debian box. I'm grateful for the level of excellence that provides, better than airbags and abs with the ejection capsule and all.

Months ago I was pissed that no browser in debian worked on a tax site. The very browser that did the business prior was no longer approved. I thought this idiocy was over when they moved away from their silverlight phase. So I use a stamp. I wonder when that will stop working.

[sickpig]

m equally perplexed, i have to attend a webex meeting next week and shite cisco doesn't seem to have native support for linux
they have got web logins for the meetings but tbh i have never tried them
we will find out next week

[Head_on_a_Stick]

^ Try a Windows VM.

It works extremely well under QEMU/KVM, guest drivers here: https://www.linux-kvm.org/page/WindowsGuestDrivers

[sickpig]

i have access to commercial licence for VMware Horizon DAAS, lets me run any number of desktops from just a browser tab, quite memory efficient
but still would prefer to just be able to access it through my current setup without a VM
lets see i will first try their web login if it doest work, take a dump on their comment section to make them know in no uncertain terms that linux access is needed

[Head_on_a_Stick]

Well I've just broken my Windows system

I added a second (spinning rust) drive to my laptop then cloned the main drive over and deleted the partitions holding Win10 on the original drive — it didn't work (unsurprisingly) and restoring the partitions didn't make Windows boot again so it looks like it's gone for good now.

[sarcasm]I'm soooo sad [/sarcasm]

[Wheelerof4te]

^Oh noes, what are you gonna do now? How are you going to play your favorite games?

[Head_on_a_Stick]

How are you going to play your favorite games?

In Debian buster. With a 15% higher framerate 'cos the Windows AMD drivers suck

I'm copying the contents of the spinning rust drive back onto the SSD as I type this, that might fix things but I'm not really that bothered tbh.

[wizard10000]

There are only two things I do that still require Windows; work with Visio drawings in their native format and the spousal unit and I both have Garmin GPS in our cars and you can't run the Garmin updater in Linux.

The wife runs Windows so I can update the Garmins that way and I have a work Windows 10 VDI that has Visio and VMware View client seems to work just fine in Linux.

[Head_on_a_Stick]

@wizard10000: didn't you used to be an MVP? What persuaded you to leave the MS ecosystem?

[wizard10000]

@wizard10000: didn't you used to be an MVP? What persuaded you to leave the MS ecosystem?

Why yes, yes, I did

I did a couple years as an MS-MVP specializing in desktop operating systems. I got dropped from the program for nonparticipation in my third? year; my wife at the time got very ill - to be fair to Microsoft I never told them she was sick and I'm sure they would have kept me if I'd told them so. I just didn't have the bandwidth to continue with the program.

For those what don't know the MVP program is a group of 600 (or at least it used to be 600) IT professionals who provided support to end users through various channels (I was pretty active in Usenet back then). Got to attend a shindig in Redmond every year, got a couple hundred bucks a year in the MS company store (I still have a Microsoft-logo magic 8-ball) and an MSDN subscription.

Not sure I told folks here but I did get the stinkeye from Steve Ballmer at an MVP function in Redmond a bunch of years ago. This was right before Windows XP launch and we were listening to a presentation on Windows Product Activation (WPA). When they let us ask questions at the end of the presentation I asked if MS was going to lower the price of Windows since all those previously-pirated versions of Windows were now gonna be legit, the price of piracy was already factored into Windows and the additional registrations WPA brought in were pure profit

I got a round of applause from the MVPs in attendance, a "we haven't set the price of Windows yet" from the podium and a dirty look from Steve on the sidelines

I also did some time as a beta tester for Microsoft Games; there were only 500 of those at the time. I'd say I was pretty thoroughly indoctrinated

I still work in Windows but having dabbled in Linux for years I decided to quit paying the MS tax in 2008. When MS Vista and Office 2010 came out I decided to switch to Linux full-time and haven't looked back