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DaveM

DaveM

Rock & Roll
Supporting Member
I have been using Microsoft Products since the early DOS days and have moved up as the OS has changed, this make a long list of Microsoft OS that I have installed and used. As we all know we now on Windows 11 and this has very strict hardware requirements and unfortunately both my Desktop and Laptop do not meed these requirements despite not being that old. So I am now stuck on Windows 10 unless I purchase better hardware or a new Laptop and that is not going to happen soon. We now read that Microsoft has started working on Windows 12 already so it won't be long when all support for Windows 10 will be stopped.

So there are other options and I for one think moving away from Microsoft might just be the way to go. Over the years it seems that it has just been a money making setup for Microsoft changing versions frequently on all their software. Up until I retired I was very much stuck on Microsoft products as my work system all used these so I always had to remain current on Microsoft products.

I have reached a stage now with my laptop that it is becoming a mission to use it as it now need to spend so much time doing Microsoft things before I can use it. So I am now looking at changing this over to Home - Linux Mint. I have run the laptop on this as a test from a USB installation and that seemed to speed up the laptop to the point where it made Windows 10 look stupid. So right now I am backing up an image of the laptop and will soon be moving that over to Home - Linux Mint

My desktop my now daily used PC is a high end gaming setup so the hardware can handle anything Microsoft has to offer. As it is also a daily used PC unlike my laptop these days it also seem to remain current with Microsoft so for now I will just keep that as it is until the day Windows 10 is no longer supported. At that point I could look at upgrading hardware and see how Windows X works.

Right now I see Microsoft is working on injecting advertisements into Windows 11 and that in itself goes against all I believe in so who know what the future of Microsoft Products will hold.
 
The duties and taxes they pay on Apple products in RSA are ridiculous. It's considered an "American" product and the CCP has bribed the politicians in S.Africa to slap prohibitively high duties on US good so everyone's forced to buy cheap Chinese crap. Last I saw it was like $500 extra on a 13" MacBook and that was several years ago. Windows is "American" too but most Chinese made devices accept Microsoft systems. Apple is proprietary.

On visa runs, I used to walk in iPods and MacBooks for friends down there to spare them the huge extra costs. Super easy. Upon arrival, you just tell the customs people you have extra 2 bottles of booze you need to declare and they simply point you over to the duties cashier. Meanwhile there's 3 brand new undeclared iPods and a 13" MacBook Pro in your carry-on. :cool:
 
The Rand's taking a beating on the dollar right now too. Like 18 and change R to one USD. That's about the highest I've ever seen it.

It'll certainly be good for us down there in a couple weeks when we're there, but that doesn't help those guys out. We take the whole extended fam out to 5-star dinners and it's only around $200. Same spread back here in the US would be like $600+. I've been frequenting RSA for almost 20 years now and it's gotten pretty bad over the last 5. Cape Town looks more like Lagos or Kinshasa these days. If I could, I'd scoop up the whole family crew down there and get them to NC. The problem is not RSA but the USA. To do it legally is practically impossible. Fortunately the in-laws are dual S.African-Portuguese so we're trying to work the Portuguese side of things. Ultimately I may be Portugal-bound. I'm cool with that.

And it's not so much the weak Rand but the salaries down there that are sh-t. People just don't make that much. For example beat cops in S.Africa make about as much as a McDonald's fry cook does in the States. They get issued something like 50-100 pistol rounds to train on per year. Many of them simply sell them to make a few extra bucks.
 
I don't think there's support for Linux anyway? Only issue with Windows 10 support ending would be security patch upgrades. Firewalls and antivirus programme might suffice. Past Windows of mine were never patched/upgraded/latest version because they were, er hmm, not licenced. Never had an issue with a virus. Vanishingly small the likelihood anyone would hack an insignificant individual's computer.

Main issue is new programmes might require latest windows version. However, most programmes for a non-professional wouldn't need the latest version. More likely to have problems running them on Linux than an older Windows?

At least Bill Gates gives his money away, unlike younger tech billionaires.
 
DaveM said:
I have reached a stage now with my laptop that it is becoming a mission to use it as it now need to spend so much time doing Microsoft things before I can use it. So I am now looking at changing this over to Home - Linux Mint. I have run the laptop on this as a test from a USB installation and that seemed to speed up the laptop to the point where it made Windows 10 look stupid. So right now I am backing up an image of the laptop and will soon be moving that over to Home - Linux Mint
Click to expand...
It is a shame M$ is forcing a change upon you. I don't know anything about that version of LINUX, but a change to LINUX is a good idea in general.
 
DaveM said:
. I have run the laptop on this as a test from a USB installation and that seemed to speed up the laptop to the point where it made Windows 10 look stupid
Click to expand...
My Windows 10 is pretty much instaneous. Fairly cheap PC, it has a small solid state disc with Windows installation, large conventional hard disc.
 
Greyfell said:
It is a shame M$ is forcing a change upon you. I don't know anything about that version of LINUX, but a change to LINUX is a good idea in general.
Click to expand...
Think the same. Not going to be upgrading my laptop. It’s not that old and still functional. Used to have Linux on my older computers as they outgrew DOS.
 
What about some of the programs that came with your windows package, were they all lost or could you migrate them over? Connectivity and peripheral setup, was that pretty automatic?
 
The biggest was MS Office but Linux has the free version that is 100% compatible to MS Office. I have most of my main programs on my desktop but most of them also have the Linux free compatible version that I could use. For mail I used Thunderbird Mail and it really works well. I was at one time thinking of dropping Outlook for my mail and using this instead.

My biggest thing I would need to look at if I move my desktop over is the support on all the games I play but I hear they also run fine on Linux with a bit of setting up.
 
DaveM said:
The biggest was MS Office but Linux has the free version that is 100% compatible to MS Office. I have most of my main programs on my desktop but most of them also have the Linux free compatible version that I could use. For mail I used Thunderbird Mail and it really works well. I was at one time thinking of dropping Outlook for my mail and using this instead.

My biggest thing I would need to look at if I move my desktop over is the support on all the games I play but I hear they also run fine on Linux with a bit of setting up.
Click to expand...
Does it install without over writing the Windows, like a dual boot?
 

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