2nd this!
It should also be noted that Windows typically has much more overhead than a GNU/Linux distro. I recently set up Win10/Debian dual boot on a 9-year-old laptop. After some tweaks, a fresh boot into Win10 uses about 750MB RAM out of 1.5GB, while Debian Xfce uses about 150MB.
For anybody considering checking out Linux for the first time, I'd suggest Linux Mint Debian Edition. It uses Debian as a base, rather than Ubuntu. One main benefit of LMDE over the Ubuntu base is rolling upgrades; you shouldn't need to do clean installs just to upgrade the OS. There are other important distinctions, but the user experience remains pretty much the same.
Similarly i have a relatively recent Samsung laptop but with modest specs, even with Kaspersky internet security it boots in less than 10 seconds into Windows 8, most of the time these longer boot come from driver or third party software issues.
Dont get the hate here either, its good on my tablet, will definitely be even better on my phone.
Would love to switch to super safe Linux distro, but not all softs I use are compatible with Linux and it doesnt look they ever will be.
MS on the other hand works to allow native iOS and Android apps run on WinPhone.
Oh and wasnt it that Linux sucked at power management on laptops and have no real distro for touch tablets?
Never had an issue with power management at all… In fact I find Linux far less power hungry and as a result batteries last longer.
And android is a fairly well known version of Linux for touch tablets I think.
I hope this hadn’t been derailed into a windows vs Linux debate, goodness knows there are enough of those on the web, it’s just that Microsoft force unwanted new features on captive audience, so it’s only right that people are aware that there are other options, and that they can reclaim their computers once more!
I know it would be a fast boot, and I have several OS’s on VM’s right now. Due to what I need for applications from working at home (telecommuting) and to learning a few more (see my original post about what I feel are the needed apps.). Not all the apps I need to be able to use have a Linux distro (I do IT for a Hospital that has about 64 different stand alone apps that are all mission critical, aka they go down and very bad things happen). I have over the last few years thought about swapping over for grins and giggels. Then reality kicks me around a bit and I find myself using windows again.
Now I will also state that I have had a machine or two on my home network for a long time that are using any one of a few combinations of Linus distros from red hat, suse, slackware, ubuntu, ect… I do not find them as easy to install (ubuntu being the only exception to that, I have not looked in the last 4-5 years as I find other things that distract me, like flashlights). Finding drivers can be a challenge to say the least. It has gotten better over the last few years, but it is still a OS/software that is not user friendly, easy to maintain for those that I have little or no computer programming or want any.
Then there is software. Since Linux is worldwide still less than 11% user share (that is including Mac OS X) it is going to be hard to say the least to convert the word. Source
The Linux kernel has had its ups and downs related to power consumption. For a while it had a regression that made it a bit more power hungry than before, but it’s more or less resolved now. But apart from the kernel itself, I’ll admit that most distributions of Linux aren’t exactly optimally configured for power management. Fortunately there’s an extremely effective and easy to use solution for power management:
http://linrunner.de/en/tlp/docs/tlp-linux-advanced-power-management.html
Basically it’s just a matter of installing it and enabling it, and it automatically creates an optimal sane configuration for power management that makes it more or less comparable to Windows’ consumption on the same system.
As for touch tablets, no, there’s not a definitive distro to replace Windows or Android on a tablet, mainly because of locked bootloaders and the various idiosyncrasies of the tablet ecosystem. But support for real laptops with touchscreens is very good under Linux, and there are even several open source (Linux compatible) interfaces that are optimized for them.
I’ve used Linux for the past 14 years or so, and I’ve definitely seen my share of hard-to-use, incompatible Linux systems. Fortunately, the hardware ecosystem has become much more homogeneous in recent years, so less variety of [closed] hardware devices to program drivers for is a major boon for Linux. Additionally, support by hardware manufacturers for Linux now ranges from better-than-before to first-class. Some of that stuff is still out of the control of open source developers due to stubborn Windows-only hardware companies, but that’s not really in the realm of control of the Linux developers. As far as the software that is directly coded by the open source community, it has definitely improved drastically in terms of aesthetics, consistent design, and ease of use. I agree that many people are probably still not capable of installing Linux without help, but those same people would probably also have just as much trouble with a Windows installation. (And this isn’t a jab at those people, as strayz mentioned, some people have more important thing to think about, such as flashlights. 
)
I’ve found that as long as one is open-minded and doesn’t insist on a specific software title, there is almost always an equivalent or even superior tool for Linux to get the job done. Sure, you’re not going to find Adobe Illustrator or Microsoft Word for Linux (yet!), but you can definitely accomplish most of the same tasks with native Linux applications. There are of course some glaring exceptions in certain specific fields, but those are few and far between.
Good to hear that Linux has improved on that.
I remember I was excited to hear about Ubuntu’s project of unified OS for all 3, pc, tablets and phones, but its been rather quiet on that front.
That and the fact that Ubuntu is always running with user as root or smthn?
The unified OS thing is basically ready, and they’ve even shipped some devices in Europe:
http://www.ubuntu.com/phone/devices
Personally, I don’t think it will ever take off. But they do provide a very nice interface for desktop and laptop computers.
About the root user thing, no, Ubuntu doesn’t run with the root user. To the contrary, the root user is actually disabled for logins on Ubuntu. You’re probably thinking of Puppy Linux. As far as security goes, Ubuntu is really, really secure, and is definitely an enterprise grade OS. Of course this isn’t exclusive to Ubuntu, a lot of other Linux distributions are also very secure.
K, thanks, might have mixed them up !
I have Windows 8.1. I have been disappointed that it is no longer windows oriented. It wants to use the whole screen, as though it were on a tablet or cell phone.
I have not tried Windows 10 because it is usually not a good idea to use a new operating system on an old computer. Somebody’s law says that software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster. That is an exaggeration, but newer software is designed for newer hardware.
I have tried to switch to Ubuntu Linux once, but I had a problem with a missing driver. Microsoft figures that they already have the computer market sewed up so they can design new versions to compete on tablets.
Leaps and bounds farther than it used to be is correct, ready for prime time? I still say no. Until there is a consistent set of standards for all apps across the platform it is going to look jankey(yes that is a technical term) no mater who is programming because there is no unified standard.
As far as having to have certain software titles, that is what has to be done, again industry standard. If you use Libreoffice and person “B” uses Open office, person “C” is using word perfect, and I am using MS Office. What are the odds that the first two are not going to translate well to the third that is then going to be presenting a $15 million dollar medical proposal. I only say this as I have seen this done, someone tells a smaller CEO that he can save a company $5,000 by going with open office and then no one can get professional looking documents from that company. Next thing that company is loosing business from a simple save someone some cash stance. So again, if you are running a business or sending them your Resume, do you want to use a industry standard that is formatted and using fonts that everyone can read when you are looking for a job? Personally I stack the odds in my favor as I have been a contractor for 12ish years now, with very little down time.
Don’t get me wrong I really like the idea of a free OS and software, but there are just too many variables to be used for the really real word. Yes there are some great coders that are head and shoulders above everyone, but like religion you have to find what works for you. Do I like paying MS every time I build a new computer? Not really but then again I might want to play a few games or have to do a bit of telecommuting from the local coffee shop or ordering some lunch at the plaza.
It has never been a case of can Linux do it, but can Linux do it and be compatible with the other 90% of the world? (The answer is yes if you are using a web browser and Citrix environment. 
) Other than that it seems 90% of the time Most OS’s can not play well together (Don’t even get me started on trying to get OS X running on an enterprise environment with out causing a string of problems for the machine or the mapping of drives.)
I agree that consistent design is very desirable, and open source software still has a long way to go in this department. But I don’t really think the Windows ecosystem does a very good job of this either. Many Windows apps are stylized and don’t match the rest of the Windows visual theme, especially the enterprisey ones that a lot of people really depend on for specific fields of work.
In the specific case of Microsoft Office compatibility, I think it’s a matter of not using the right tool for the job. LibreOffice is every bit as capable as MS Office of producing professional looking documents, although it would require some training to break employees of certain bad habits that they’ve developed over the years of using MS Office (especially in the case of Word docs). And once the document is created, I firmly believe that Word docs (or LibreOffice/ODF files for that matter) should not be used as a means for distributing documents. The digital equivalent of a printed resumé or brochure is a PDF file, which offers perfect fidelity across all systems, including embedding uncommon fonts. Even between different versions of MS Office and between different versions of LibreOffice there are small quirks that can mess up formatting and/or complex spreadsheets.
As for creation of most other content, the tool that is used is just a means to an end, which is most commonly a PDF doc, vector image, raster image file, music, video, or HTML file. The consumer or viewer of that content won’t care what it’s created with as long as it works.
I also try to be pragmatic, and I’m not opposed to running MS Office in Wine or running some piece of necessary Windows software in a virtual machine, but I’ve also seen companies insist on a specific piece of sub-optimal software to their own detriment, because it’s all they know.
Of course, I’m not trying to convince you to switch away from Windows if it works for you. That’s great if you can get your work done on it with minimal hassle. My point is just that a lot of individuals and even entire companies often suffer with some really bad software just because it’s the status quo or because they are familiar with it. And when the alternatives don’t work it’s often just a matter of taking a step back and re-analyzing what the final goal really is and what options exist to achieve it. I don’t use open source just because it’s free of cost, but because I’m genuinely happy for the most part with the relative ease of producing high quality work without being married to a specific tool or software company’s way of doing stuff.
interesting.
Pirated/illegal software aside - I really don’t like where this is going. Now Microsoft will control your pc for you? Lame.
I know this started with Vista, it seems they have stepped it up with W10.
Yeah I rolled back my main laptop to Windows 7. Speed and overall usability increased 10x.
Windows 10 as a functional OS was not bad. It was 1000x better than Win8/8.1, however as was said, it felt like Windows 7 with a bad UI skin and everything you need moved to where you cant find it without Cortana’s help, and doubtful whether or not she’ll assist.
BUT, and this is a big BUT, add in all the privacy issues and the conditions of the EULA… and I’m out. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be willing to try it longer. I’m in IT, so it is inevitable that I will have to work with it mainstream on a daily basis… but I can delay that for quite some time.
My wife is more PO’d about Windows 10 and all of the “antics” than I am. I’m fairly certain she will do one of two things: buy a Macbook, have me install Linux Mint on her laptop.
Upgraded home pc, and my two laptops to windows 10, and SSD's.
Overall I'm pleased with the results - more so the ssd upgrade - and don't think I will be rolling back to windows 7.
Have run into one problem, which is that my MS Office is no longer valid. Going to see what I can do about that, because spending $500+ on licenses is not really an option. (At home I don't really even need it, so may have to go to something else instead.)
There is a simplified feel to windows 10, that is at the same time frustrating in making it hard to find some settings and features. For example, the option to prevent your computer from distributing updates to others is "hidden" in such a way that I doubt most users will ever uncheck it.
On the plus side, it appears that just about anything that ran on 8/8.1 will run on 10.
I do think people are greatly overreacting to the privacy issue. Don't really see the problem, at least not compared to the kind of data collected by say google, if you bother to spend a few minutes going through the options uninstalling the live tiles, and killing cortana.
Wouldn't even mind using the cortana options, but I hate that it has to always be on.
Hmm, havent checked my Office 2013 on tablet that recently updated to Win10, will check to make sure that I havent lost my precious office suite, given that they have made it into subscription based feature with yearly payments. It came free with tablet so it was win-win purchase :D! Now they only give out one year Office 365 for free with Win 8.1 devices, however they will stop doing so with Win10 for the most part.
Also, had a BSOD reboot problem today with my laptop, looks like 3rd party maintenance software was causing the issue, removed it and its all fine so far.
I did notice that one particular 3rd party software is impossible to uninstal from my computer, it gives me an error during uninstalation wizard that its not supported in this version. I presume it means this version of windows and vendor doesnt have neither Win8, nor Win10 version of it which kind of sucks for a Vista designed machine to be left out(ThinkPad).
So yeah, in my case, Lenovo dont give a crap about updating their whole Vista/Win7 ThinkPad lineup’s drivers and utilities to Win8/Win10, thus I can neither upgrade any of them, nor it allows to uninstal some of them! That sucks, Lenovo! Hopefully its just a matter of time for them!
You could revert back to W7 uninstall, and then upgrade again. Would take quite a bit of time though. Personally I'd just delete the files and clean out the registry after.
The W10 upgrade does definitely have some bugs to be worked out. For example on my older laptop wifi stopped working... had to reinstall 8.1 drivers to get it to work again.
Oh yeah, wifi, it suddenly stopped working on my tablet, rebooting in device driver helped for the first time, for the second time I had to reinstall Intel drivers which fixed the issue.
Regarding reverting back to Win7 - I deliberately chose not to save Win7 thus such option is not available on my computers and Im OK with it.
However, because its impossible to uninstall few components from apps list, I couldnt delete couple of drivers and other files, because they were in use by Windows and it looks like they will remain so until either MS issues some update to recognize said software and allow for its removal or Lenovo releases Win10 versions and I simply ugrade.
Talking about Thinkpad Power Manager and its driver in particular. I cant neither delete Power Manager driver, nor app, thus I now have Power Manager gauge running on the taskbar which displays blank battery and cant be neither stopped from loading during startup, nor exited when its running :D!