I’ve been test-driving a few Linux operating systems (OS) out of curiosity. You all know I’m a proponent of Linux. I absolutely know that 99% of you non-business computer users could switch to Linux and do everything you do now, and do it simpler, faster, and with fewer headaches. More importantly, with far fewer system issues, no spying on your use, no ad tracking, and no surrendering control of your computer to Microsoft.

So...here are my thoughts on three Linus OS for when you’ve finally had enough of Big Brother’s tyranny.

If your computer originally ran Windows 7, look at Zorin 16 Core. Chances are, you might not even know you’d switched to something new except that your machine will run a lot faster and have a whole lot of hard disk space left over. All the basics programs you need are there, from Firefox to Libre Office, plus an email client, utilities, maps, weather, photo manager and editor, calendar, contacts, video and audio players, basic games, and more. Plus a software store where you can find whatever you need to replace most of the bloated Windows programs you use now. Zorin is clean, elegant-looking, and familiar. It’s a great way to transition to Linux. ZORIN

If your computer came with W10, you should by all means look at Linux Mint Cinnamon. The current version is 20.3. It includes everything in Zorin noted above, and lots more. There’s even an app that allows you to watch streaming TV and movies. It’s a Cadillac but it still takes up less disk space and memory than Windows. Again, you’ll feel right at home switching from 10 to Mint. Things are where you expect them, run like you’d expect, and do everything you want. It’s my favorite. MINT

Then there’s MX Linux. This is a mid-weight program that is simply stunningly beautiful. It will not be as familiar to Windows users and is probably not the best choice for a true newbie to Linux, but it is an amazing OS. Give your self a year or so learning Linux before you tackle this one, but when you’re ready, give it a test drive. MX

Now here’s good news: You can test drive any of these (or hundreds more!) at a website called DistroTest. Go there and select an OS. It will load and you can explore it for 30 minutes absolutely free. The OS won’t run as fast or as smoothly as if it were installed on your box, but most functions work. You’ll get to see and actually use the OS of your choice. DISTRO TEST

Zorin and Mint websites have complete installation instructions, from how to create a bootable USB stick with the OS of your choice, to how to test drive the OS in live mode or actually install it. There’s nothing to lose and no risk.

Tag.

Might be the trick for an old slow machine.

I thought this was going to be about the Peanuts comic strip

Yup. Especially Zorin. I'm running it on a laptop that was Windows answer to Chromebooks. It has 4 gigs of memory but only 64 gigs of disk space. Installed, Zorin 16 Core uses less than 12 gigs of disk space and purrs along using under a gig of RAM. And it's lightning fast.

A distro called Linux Lite uses so little resources that I swear it would run on a flashlight - yet it provides internet browsing, an Office suite, and lots more.

Why fool with all that? Just buy an iMax and never look back.

And be saddled with Apple's intrusive monitoring of everything you do, the inability to install anything they don't approve of, and pay through the nose to get anything? Linux is free, private, secure, and does everything most users need.

I just bought a 12-yo Dell laptop with crude resources fro under a hundred dollars. It runs every Linux OS I've loaded (four so far) and runs like a scalded cat.

Thanks, very clear explanation.

Pardon my total ignorance, if a neophyte were to start from scratch, buy a clean new laptop, take it to a techie and have them load Zorin (I was sold the second you mentioned windows 7 similarity)....what laptop would you recommend? The only things I do are, email, internet browsing, an occasional pdf download and print, google earth pro, infrequent ebay and craigslist sales, and a few photos. Keep in mind, I was on a party line just a few years ago, was happy with the bag phone, challenged with the flip phone, and lost with a smartphone. I went to the community college for a beginners/dummy course and the female instructor instantly hated and ridiculed me (I get that a lot) and I dropped out after 2 classes. And there I be.

Damn near any laptop will load and run Zorin, Flint. Get a rufurbed laptop (anything but a Chromebook) with or without an operating system. Your techie guy can install Zorin in half an hour.

Its my understanding that they have the internet on computers now

Thanks Rocky...done deal...the next you hear from me will be a post describing the results of the 9.3, 286 gr H Mantles repeatedly impacting a Chrome laptop. No, it may not be a moose, but I bet it will kill this worthless sonofabitch with it's Pravda program that redirects every political fact search to DNC headquarters.

That’s right, Homer.

I hear ya. I have a Chromebook that I use for travel, because there's no personal data stored on it - and because it's cheap enough to be a throwaway if it's stolen. But I hate using Google or Chrome. Now that I have the Zorin machine, I may just powerwash the Chromebook and give it to the thrift store.

You could do the same, BTW. There's a Powerwash option on Chromebooks that sets everything back to factory and deletes everything of your info. Some poor kid might be delighted to get it.

If you want complete anonymity download Tails, make a bootable USB drive with it and enjoy complete freedom from snooping.

Built a NAS with Linux Lite, its been running for a couple years. They include a very simple to use SAMBA file sharing template that's perfect for a simple cheap home file server.

Cloned a win10 box with a failing HDD yesterday. Micro$oft sucks and HP sucks right along with them. I thought I had been set free of them after I retired but family insists on abusing my good will by dropping off screwed up computers.

Been running Manjaro on an older thinkpad.

Works well.

I don’t run any specialized programs, that seems to be the hiccup for some swapping from windows.

Been using Linux since 2001 or thereabouts. Was Ubuntu up until last year when you (RR) induced me to try Mint. I set that up as dual boot and use Mint 99% of the time. There are a few files that I need on rare occasion and haven't brought them over to the Mint partition, so I go back to Ubuntu to use them.
RB

That's true, but it might be a bit beyond a lot of folk's abilities. I haven't explored it yet, but isn't Tails an Arch-based OS? If so, it's probably a booger to install.

The OS I recommend are either Ubuntu or Debian based and have very simple installation tracks. Arch is for geeks.

tag

Dave, the only thing that kept me from switching to Linux was my absolute desire to use Quicken. I couldn't get an older version of Ubuntu to run it even with the Wine translator of the time. Then, years later, along came Mint. Ta Daaa! Updated Wine ran it perfectly. The only two Windows programs I use now are Quicken and Starr Envelope Printer. Wine and Mint run them just fine. I will never go back.

There are only two areas where Linux is not optimal: running certain Windows programs, and running high-resource games. There are translators for both, such as Wine and Steam, but neither of them run everything. Some things are just too "Windows specific" to carry over. I'm speaking here of non-business apps. Many programs like CAD/CAM and such can't be run on Linux no matter what, and so far there are no free and open source alternatives.

But home users can do almost everything they did before. Maybe with different software, but the important thing is that you can do the job, not whose tool you use to do it. Graphic design, 3D modelling, video and audio editing, photo editing, spreadsheets, writing, and more are either built in or easily installed in Linux.

I'm amazed at the number of relatively powerful and newer computers that people give up on. I expect most of them now are seeing that their box is too old to upgrade to Win 11 so they scrap em.

Found a beast of an HP gamer computer at the recycle center. It has a 6 cpu, 12 core Intel Core I7 and 12 gigs of ram. It needed a hard drive and Linux installed. Works great and it was free!

Here's a cool detail about modern versions of Linux like Rocky is talking about. They install devices and set themselves up every time they start. Which means you can pull the hard drive out of one computer and stick it in another and have it work perfectly.

I used to like and recommend chromebooks but not any more. A high end chromebook can sometimes be erased and have linux installed and work beautifully, but it's pretty technical.

No Rocky Tails is Debian-based and easy to use. for those with a windows based system they can use Rufus to make the bootable USB with or they can Rufus to burn the ISO file. If they want it on a DVD or CD they can burn the ISO file onto that with windows. Instructions Here.

I like booting it best from a USB3 but some may not.

Tails will boot from the usb and leave no traces of your surfing or anything else you do unless you tell it to.

Those not comfortable with doing "techie" things can even buy it preloaded onto a thumb drive off of ebay for cheap.

Just an FYI Linux will run like a raped ape on new systems, I built a Ubuntu I7 Machine based on a Micro ATX system board and after the bios post it is booted to the password screen in 7-8 seconds.

Oh yeah, boot drive is an SSD.

Linux is a great operating system but requires a bit of tech savy. Apple run linux kernel and is easier for users to transition too from windows.

You can make linux run on about anything x86 based. I used make a living building custom kernels and OS images for oddball systems.

Manjaro is arch based.

Very easy to install.

I run the kde Plasma.

Ummm... 3D Modeling is a design mode of CADCAM. I've got an old laptop running Win7 with a virtual machine and Mint loaded on it. Also have a student copy of MasterCam. One of these days I'll try to load it and see what happens.

Rocky, You sound like Rob Braxman Tech. But I am so far behind that I can barely use the flip phone I inherited from my Mom. I still have a personal need to go the routes you have recommended. Keep on coaching us dinosaurs. You are doing mankind much good. Be Well, RZ.

Yep. I appreciate the coaching too Rocky.

Rocky, thanks for the information and advice. Everything helps us old geezers who are not too computer literate.

L.W.

My MacBook Air has been flawless for years, this in every respect including the kookanista worries.

Very good info and advice. Thanks for posting - most computer users do not have a clue about linux - thus, can be victim to MS, Apple, etc.

Simplicity, safety, ease. Been on Mint for a long time now.

I started playing with Ubuntu LINUXout 2014 with an old throwaway desktop. Within a year or so, I was fairly comfortable with it, and by 2016, I converted my main desktop and laptop to it. I'm writing this from a Dell Optiplex 7040 with a mfg date of 2014, and the latest Unbuntu LINUX distro. I've been on this hardware since 2016 and regularly upgraded the OS as new versions are released.

Rocky is right. His tastes in distros are bit different from mine, but that's just window dressing. His favorite, Mint, is geared towards stability and its close look and feel to Windows. I prefer performance and features. I'm getting all the new updates for my distro, but I could also dial it back if I wanted and maybe get a major upgrade only every 3 years or so. My user experience in non-Windows-like. However, I have learned to like it better. If I wanted, I could install an environment that was more Windows-like, but I've grown to like this one.

One of the big stumbling blocks folks have with LINUX is getting their Windows apps to run. I have several old turds that I find useful, and I spent the early years of my LINUX education working out that problem. I settled on using Q4 Wine. There are several similar WINE frontends. WINE itself is one of the neat features of LINUX. WINE (Wine Is Not and Emulator) is a whole Windows environment. Some of the WINE frontends have preloaded profiles for most Windows software. You just tell it what you're installing and it configures the environment so it will run well. WINE will work with Quicken and CAD software. You just have to do a little Google-Fu to get there.

That is one of the biggest hurdles: recognizing that the answers are right there for you. Unlike asking a question on 24hourcampfire and getting 10 pages of GFY and aleatory ramblings from old pissers, if I have a problem I am trying to sort out, I just go to my web browser search bar and type "UBUNTU How do I install Picasa?" or "UBUNTU How do I change the size of my mouse pointer?" I get page after page of answers, but usually get what I want in the first or second try. If you're asking the question, it's probably been asked before.

That's true, most distros have user groups and forums where help can be found almost instantly. Granted, there are a few sour apples on forums who will tell you you're stupid if you haven't flolixxed the LSMFT varble. But mostly there are good folks who will guide you through the steps to fix your issue.

I think there are something like 782 versions of Linux. The fact is it doesn't really matter a lot which one you choose. As Shaman said, the differences are largely window dressing. The top 10 or 12 are all good, but are configured to emphasize one or two things the others don't. Think of them all as .30-06 rifles. You might want a bolt or a pump, a carbine or a full-length, a walnut stock or synthetic. Get the picture?

The three I featured will serve you well. Zorin and Mint are full-featured, easy to navigate (once you learn a few new terms and file structure), and familiar in look and use. They're also stable, crash-free, and fully supported by development teams. Play around with them on DistroTest and you'll see.

Yes, Window$ 11 will probably make some really good hardware hardware available for cheap!

TPM 2.0 might be the worst of the hurdles but I'm sure there will be workarounds but how many average users will take the time?

A SSD and a relatively new machine will scream with Linux.

Probably 3/4 of casual users only need a browser and some sort of card game, I've helped a few of my older friends get away from Window$ and they all like it.

If a user has the tech savvy to work around W11's install limitations, they are over-qualified to install Linux.

That's true about most casual users, and that's the audience I'm trying to reach. A familiar system with a decent browser, an office suite, and a game or two is all they need. It's actually all I need, to be honest.

What do you run for anti-virus, firewall, etc with these Linux OS versions? My daughter has a Windows laptop she is using for college and it has slowed to a tortoise pace, she is ready to junk it. Thinking this might take care of her issues.

Mark in GA

I seem to have a complete mental block when it comes to installing Mint, I cannot get it to run no matter what I do wit it. The thumb drive you sent me Rocky loaded and Mint worked one time after it said to remove the drive it would not restart it kept saying it had errors. Just tried to load it again the other day and it won't even start to install, I'm about to give up on the whole Linux idea since I guess I'm just not smart enough to get it to work.

You usually don't need a virus program with Linux. Technically it may be possible for a virus to attack linux but they are extremely rare so far. Virus programs can be installed, but my understanding is they would mostly look for windows viruses.

Most Linux distro's like Ubuntu or Mint come with a basic firewall. Deep under the hood there's a lot of adjustments and settings to lock things down (or mess things up). I have found no need.

Sometimes a slow acting computer is windows going bad. Sometimes it's a slow mechanical hard drive. Linux will act better than windows but the real problem is it needs a new hard drive.

Replacing a desktop hard drive is pretty easy. Laptops vary but are often a pain to change hard drives.

Sounds like the thumb drive went bad, that's all.

You guys have me thinking mint for my laptop.

We recently went to an SSD drive to one of my sons gaming computer. That’s another game changer for quicker response.

In his book “Online!” John Dvorak (American technology columnist), says that “Linux cannot be absolutely immune to viruses. Even if Linux’s non-susceptibility seems to be absolute there is no guaranteeing that tomorrow…someone won’t find a tiny hole to push an elephant through. ”

That is all.

Basically, I forgot about anti-virus worries going to Ubuntu. I've been running now since 2014 with no problems.

I did get my Amazon account and Google account hacked at one point, but that was wholly unrelated. I just changed passwords and it went away.

Mind you, I don't go clicking on everything I see. I'm pretty savvy on not getting nailed.

Bet these folks were or thought they were too.🤣

https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/09/23/bitcoinorg-appears-hacked-by-giveaway-scam/

Bitcoin.org’s website has gone dark after falling victim to an apparent giveaway scam earlier Thursday.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billyb...after-300-billion-crash/?sh=47d35145c74d

Hacked off: Cybercriminals have made off with almost $200 million worth of cryptocurrencies from Cayman Islands-based crypto exchange Bitmart, it was first reported by digital security analysis company Peckshield over the weekend. Representatives of the trading platform initially claimed that the outflows were routine withdrawals, calling hack reports "fake news" in Bitmart's official Telegram channel. Bitmart's CEO then confirmed the hack via Twitter.

And another one fell this week.

https://www.altcoinbuzz.io/cryptocurrency-news/crypto-com-admits-hack-cost-it-about-35-million/

Crypto.com became one of the recent platforms to face an attack from hackers, leaving a number of users with huge losses. Several users called out the exchange to complain about their account’s fraudulent activities. However, it took a few hours for the platform to respond to the calls.

Furthermore, a blockchain security firm, Peckshield, issued an alert tweet, stating that the figures were as high as $15 million. Later in the day, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek said that there were no missing customer funds. He further explained that an investigation was underway to ascertain the level of the damage.

RJL, in hindsight, I should not have made multi-boot USB sticks. Some people could not boot Feren, and some could not boot Mint - seemingly in the order in which I loaded them onto the stick. My app would not let me make a multi-boot with Zorin at all.

Go to the Mint website and follow their instructions for downloading the current version and making a bootable stick. Format the stick I sent you first. That should cure your issues.

Also in hindsight, I don't much like Feren. I've installed it three times now and it doesn't perform as quickly as others. I was drawn to it because it offers you a choice of eight different browsers to install, but that doesn't make up for its sluggishness.

Where I live, any guy half my age is an over 50% chance he is a software engineer.

A friend whose software engineer son gave him a Linux computer had trouble.
I took a young neigbor software engineer there to help.
What surprised me was how fast the young guy could get around the passwords.


My story is that MY son the software engineer gave me a computer.
When I updated Windows, Microsoft said I had a bootleg copy of the operating system.

Beware of software engineers bearing gifts.

Which is why I said "usually".

Nobody is making guarantees for the future.

Currently viruses and the like as a threat to linux is miniscule in comparison to windows, phishing etc.

Back about 12-15 years ago, I was the system administrator for a meteorology system the Air Force used that operated on Linux/Red Hat. I hated that system with a passion, not because of how it ran, but because no one else in the unit could maintain the darn thing. I was happy the day that administrator rights were pulled from the units and sent to HQ AF Weather. They would then dial into it to maintain it, but I'm sure that is long gone by now.

I have used linux since 1999. Started with Redhat. Did a lot of diddling with other distros, but these days I install Linux Mint and call it a day.

The whole household runs on old/refurb laptops with Mint installed, save for my wife's. She has this Criqet machine for which I could not find linux drivers.

If I feel lke splurging, I will buy a reconditioned used laptop. If I am feeling sporty, I will pick up lappys off craigslist. IBM, Lenovo, and HP business class are best prospects. Not a single computer in the house was bought new.

Some variant of Linux will work for most every home user and most business users.

And like RR showed, linux can run on older/lesser hardware if you choose hte correct distribution.

Mint runs hands-off for me once I install and configure it. I touch the kiddos machines maybe once or twice a year. They run until the hardware breaks. And if you start with quality refurb lenovo business class lappys, that can be a long time.

Starting with used business class laptops allows you to keep hot spares without breaking the bank. For instance, my daughter fell asleep on her laptop and busted the monitor. With the hot spare, I transferred the files (scp) & set up a login on the new laptop, and she was ready to go in under an hour. Faster than they can manage such at work and I work at Big Corp.

TAG

My wife does linex with white text on dark background.

I think it is witchcraft.

Only the swim test can tell.

See if the witch floats.

The problem with anything IT, there is always a word or phrase that stops any interest cold. It seems no-one can write anything IT without including these roadblocks.

I have used them since their introduction, but have no understanding of them and nothing man made can glaze my eyes over faster than trying to read anything IT.
If you are not an IT person, there is nothing more incomprehensible than computers and their technology.
As a subject, I cannot like it, but recognize my hatred and total disrespect is equally or moreso directed at anything Windows.

The caveat is that I am not anti IT and love the technological advances and usage specially in medicine but as a basic consumer who does basic browsing and some word and excel, it is way too complicated and cannot hold my interest.

My wife and I both use Mint, and have almost no issues. There are a few websites that just don't work with it. One of our banking institutions, when we home schooled our grandaughter, for her to take the end of year tests, it had to be Windows. So she keeps an old Win10 just for the rare needs.

I have also run into sites that don't work well with Dissenter browser. So I keep Firefox for those situations, but I hate the monthly FF updates that are about 56megs each. I don't update it very often. But that has nothing to do with Mint.

i've been in IT for 40 years and agree with you. computers/networking, etc takes a whole different level of understanding than almost anything else. i have tried to train older people who wouldn't know a pc from a hole in the ground and it is daunting to even get the basic concepts explained. i grew up with computers but i still remember my first training classes and saying to myself "WTF is this??"

It seems that Firefox is a dying browser, due mostly to their own decisions about things. I switched to Brave about six months ago and am completely happy with it. I did disable the Rewards and Wallet functions immediately, and I disabled the sponsored ads as well. Fortunately, those are easy things to do. I can't think of a website that Brave wouldn't open, but if I find one, I'd open up my de-Googled Chromium browser.

If browsing privacy isn't vital to someone, there's Vivaldi, Opera, regular Chromium, or even (gag) Chrome, besides Firefox. Most Linux distros still come with Firefox as the default. When I test a distro, I'll open FF and sync it just to get all my bookmarks and stuff loaded up, and then load Brave to import them. Brave also has a sync function, but I have to enter a 24-word key to use it. Simpler to just import from FF.

LOL! I love this. Its funny to ME because it happened to me, and I was "poor" at the time(damn women) and I had to figure out a solution. So I read and read and read. Never took a class on the subject but now its so easy for me to hack a motherboard bios and windows once installed is activated permanently on MS servers. Or download an ISO and rip telemetry and all other useless junk(MS Store, etc) out creating a minimal OS just for me(or anyone else that slips a few $$ and wanted something one off at the time). Good side money lol.

Now linux thats a different story. Actually frustrates the hell out of me. Only use form of Debian headless on Raspberry Pi to run pihole and block...all sorts of stuff. Just had some files corrupt during an update and had to do a fresh install of Dietpi and ill be damned id get almost finished and go to reboot and the sob would fault on boot(something with kernel on the fresh OS is only thing I can think of). Tried 3 times and said screw it, went and reflashed the backup from 2021 and then updated everything from there. Perfect. But had me so damn pissed! A fresh install bad?!?! Even tried using another repository for downloads during install and never boot. GRRR!!! Give me Windows any day!!!

No offense intended, but that may have well been ancient Hebrew. As a near 30 year computer user, I understood and learned nothing from it. That examples my point with anything IT. It is utterly foreign language and it wrongly assumes that it is general knowledge withe the consumer and it never has been.

When I ran companies I issued instruction for IT to gather information and output reports daily as email attachments. That worked much more effectively that expecting a whole admin to execute search and learn every morning to function. It doesn't need to be complicated and for some reason, IT loves complication.

Ok....giving props for that one !

No offense taken. Takes a certain kind of person to want to know, whether its career, hobby, necessity or laziness. I grew up in the automotive business. What did I know about computers or networking? Not a damn thing. But when the issue I had arose I thought why the hell cant I do this? Geeks can do it and they cant rebuild a trans or setup a rear...so I read. Ive always been this way. One time my old man wanted me to help build a shed. We were slow at the shop so he started things off and told me what to do. I just did it. Since we were slow at work back then I looked for extra work. Ended up BSing my way into roofing. Never roofed before, just threw some shingles on a shed lol. Got to the 1st job site and im like f*~k! This aint no shed LOL. But I watched the other guys and just followed along. Did that for 3 years and went back to the shop. I just pick up on schit quick.

Most people dont want to be bothered...like me and linux. I just need to know enough to limp through with my pihole setup and be done with it.

At different times at different jobs I have had a software engineer to work with.

I draw flow charts to communicate.

I draw schematics with lines right up to their microprocessor pins.


When I was young I flunked out of classes in music, French, French again, Latin, ... but in computer programming classes I bought other student's programs.

You can do that with Windows. Even if you didnt "debloat" Windows, your surfing habits can be "hidden" with incognito mode in certain browsers.

Ya know thats what kind of bothers me when folks look to linux as some sort of protection from malware, spyware...government ..anyone.... big problem with the software prospective. What you do on your pc leaves your pc. Your ISP might not know what you did exactly but they know where you went. You can change DNS servers, VPN, etc etc... theres no perfect solution and the OS on your system is actually not the best solution.

Actually, id say using Tor network could cause major problems. Criminals love it because of the perceived anonymity, and law enforcement knows it. Cyber teams key in on it. I feel more comfortable in a much bigger group of criminals than on a network where im on the same node as some pedos sharing child porn. But hey thats just me.

I think you're right about Tor.

You can make a portable Window$ disk. I've had Micro$oft decide to do that while cloning a failing HDD and then spent more time than I'll admit to unphugging that.

As soon as Linux is running on more than a fraction of total boxes then the malware dudes will decide its worth the effort to write their nasty code for opensource OS.

Google "tor network arrests" "tor exit node porn" or "tor exit relay arrest" ... the criminals are already there.

I have implied in the past that Linux was immune to malware and such, but that was out of exuberance. It's not true, of course.

The fact is that it simply isn't targeted yet. Total users amount to just over 1% of all computer systems. Almost all of it is open source, meaning it would be difficult if not impossible for bad guys to hide anything in the code - too many smart people looking at it. So your system is certainly safe as you install it. After that, all bets are off. The usual rules for avoiding malware will serve you even better running Linux.

If you do get infected, it is no great task to simply wipe and re-install from a clean *.iso download.

Ya, no offense. I understand your intentions. I like your enthusiasm

The world is going crazy, especially the tech world. Linux attacks up 35% last year. No ones safe anymore really.


https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/linux-malware-sees-35-percent-growth-during-2021/

Windows incognito is nothing like tails. Tails uses Tor which in turn uses a minimum of three relays to hide you and everything you do, when in incognito mode you still leave traces on your hard drive and the internet, Tor completely hides you.

Here's a link on how it works.

Here.

I know exactly how it works. And no, Tor does not completely hide you. Matter of fact, as I stated above I believe it makes you more vulnerable. But hey, im just a nobody with trust issues. LOL.

Regardless, I predict that next year or two will see a surge in new Linux users. Windows 11 will be the reason. For one thing, there will be millions of computers that can't be loaded (infected would be a better word) with W11 but are still perfectly usable with Linux. For another, there will be thousands of users who finally tire of Microsoft's tyranny, outrageous fees, and security holes. For 90% of non-business users, Linux solves all those issues.

Been using linux for many years, Fedora, Red Hat, Ubuntu, Puppy, Suse and for the past several years Mint. I have installed mint on several friends lap tops that the local computer guru's told them were outdated and worthless. Since none of the friends played 3d computer games or managed large spread sheets Mint worked great for them. Main thing is to decide what you really use a computer for. I checked operations that really require a stable system use some form of Linux.

Ok it is all very interesting but I'm a complete no nothing about this stuff. I'm running a Dell Latitude E6410 from 2009. I has Intel(R) 2.53GHz Core(TM) i5 CPU 2.53 GHz, Installed memory 4.00 GB (3.80Usable) 64 Bit operating system. Can I run Zorin Lite on this? Next question (remember I'm completely un-knowledgeable) what happens to all the programs I've got loaded, basic Windows Office etc. and Avast Software. Do they stay on the computer and I just run them or how does that work. I really appreciate your help.

Frank, that 'pooter will run Zorin Lite or Core, or Mint just fine.

None of your Windows software will remain when you install Linux. Your drive will be wiped clean. However, the good news is that you will get a full Office package in the installation that is fully compatible with the MS version - and you won't need Avast.

Before you install Linux, transfer EVERYTHING you need to keep to an outside drive. Use copy and paste, not Backup. Move your Document, Photos, Videos, Music, etc entire folders to simplify things. Also export your bookmarks to that drive. Move it or lose it.

Don't bother with moving Windows software. You'll find equivalent software included. There are ways to get some Windows software to run under Linux, but chances are the packages that come with Zorin or Mint will allow you to do the work you did with the old programs.

Go HERE and run either Zorin Core or Linux Mint. Look at the software included and see for yourself.

Mint wasn’t bad, we will see about Zorin, just about done with a usb.

Thanks Rocky that clears up a lot. I already have most stuff on two external drives. I'll transfer the rest next week and see how it goes. Thanks again.

Swifty, when you finish looking at Zorin, take a peek at MX. It's not for the brand newbie, but it's quite the OS.

Didn’t like MX much, giving LMDE 4 Debbie a go on an old 32 bit test system. Let ya know in a week or 2.

Ha Rocky, LMDE4 really looks interesting but found out if you use Yumi multiboot it pooches the install. Fuggs things up but good.