I have upgraded two computers from Windows 10 Pro to Windows 11 Pro using the Flyby app - https://github.com/builtbybel/Flyby11 . It was a fairly painless process, but I would suggest reading the instructions carefully in order to select the "in-place upgrade" of your PC. This option keeps all of your existing software and drivers. You will still need to manually remove the "bloatware" pieces of Windows 11 that you don't need - but that's not difficult. The computers which I upgraded each had 32 GB of RAM and TPM 1.2 (not the TPM 2.0 which is required for a standard upgrade to work.) For older or slower PCs, the performance on Windows 11 will be painfully slow - I'm not going to update my laptop with 4GB of memory. One more thing - my updates via Flyby did not require new Windows activation codes. And of course, back up all your important files before upgrading - just in case you fat-finger something. W3DQS
There are many paths to the magical Windows wonderland. "setupprep.exe /product server" and the 24H2 iso from MS worked fine with me.
From a non-tech, non-geek, simple user point of view, I hate Windows 10. When it first arrived, in the same way a fatherless baby with physical deformities and a sub 50 IQ pops out, I bought a brand new laptop for work. It didn't have to be great as I only wanted Microsoft office, so I went with a middle of the road, not cheap, not wallet breaking, laptop. Then it tried to update. Five hours later, my screaming at it falling on deaf internal microphone, the useless lump of junk was still updating. I unplugged it, threw it across the room, then went out and bought a Samsung Tab S5 with the keyboard case. Bye bye Microsoft. I stuck with the Android tablet as my main machine for some years before I started on Chromebooks. I have a small Windows 11 laptop, but only because I have one specific task that Google's suite can't manage. I hate the 11 machine as well, but not as much as the 10 laptop.
The point is, Microsoft shouldn't be able to. In fact, users should be able to turn updates off permanently, and stop all uploads to Microsoft.
Slow because of the speed of their vintage CPU, not because of XP -- it was designed for that era. Windows 10 or 11 run slower, as they are more bloated. But the point is true -- old OSs don't stop working; they just stop getting updates. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you are using them at home behind a firewall anyway. Servers facing the public are a different story but while Windows Server does exist and uses the same kernel, Linux is probably a more popular server anyway; that's what its strength is. You can, in the Pro versions. I update when and if I want. The Home versions don't give you that option. Turning off the uploads is a bit tricker as there are multiple places to turn to, but there are guides and programs to help. I think Windows 7 was their high point for quality (not a high bar, to be sure). I had one desktop machine using Windows 7 that I left running for over six months without a reboot, which an update would have required. I never crashed in that time; eventually I figured it was time to do an update, but in Windows 7 it was much, much easier to control than in 10 or 11. I do not like the update process in 10, which does not easily let you select what to update (like antivirus) and what not to (stuff that requires a reboot). So my antivirus goes out of date all the time because I don't want to have to reboot and lose my work in progress.
This is why I don't use Windows unless I have to. That and the computer slows down to the speed of a 90 year old on a highway when it downloads the updates I don't want. I would take it totally offline, but that means having 2 machines on my desk. One that works for everything except adding audio and video to PowerPoint presentations, and a pain in the posterior Windows computer. I would switch to Google slides for everything, but the internet is a bit up and down so I have to run presentations locally. Sadly, Google slides won't run audio and video offline. I really need something that does so I can get rid of Windows. Post sent using a Chromebook.
In addition to "Linux Lite", there's another distribution called "Zorin" that looks and operates very much like Windows, so it would be an easy transition for previous Windows users: https://zorin.com/os/
I would go 100% Linux tomorrow - if I could find native Linux applications to cover all my needs. But I can't... I want something of the quality and functionality of MS Office and I want good quality ham radio applications with the quality and functionality of Win4ICOM, Win4Yaesu, SDR Uno, Log4OM, DX Atlas etc. And I want development environments equivalent to Visual Studio. I have used Open Office and Libre Office - they are poor competitors to MS Office. My work PC ran Kubuntu until recently and I tried out all the Linux compatible ham radio applications - it is necessary to keep the calendar open on your desk to remind yourself that we are in 2025 rather than 1995... I use applications, not operating systems - I choose the applications that meet my needs, then install the operating system that best supports them. Martin (G8FXC)
I agree with you on many of your points, except that I haven't found anything that MS Office will do that Libre Office won't do just as well, or better. The problem is, like most of the other applications you cited, the majority of people use software that is written only for Windows because Windows was installed on their off-the-shelf computer when they bought it, and software authors write their applications for Windows because the majority of computers have Windows as the pre-installed OS. It's a vicious cycle, but it won't be broken until more users are motivated to migrate away from Windows. Making excuses and "going with the flow" won't change anything, we need to support the alternatives to Windows and Apple, then the software developers will start to write their applications for Linux. Windows has already lost a fair percentage of its market share, if we start using Linux more often, that trend will continue. When there is an increasing demand for Linux applications and a declining demand for Windows software, the developers will shift their focus to writing for Linux. I keep one Windows computer for the reason that you cited, it runs my ham radio related applications. For everything else, I use Linux exclusively, it does everything else better than Windows, and, more importantly, it DOESN'T collect and report massive amounts of user data, sell or share my user data with 3rd parties, annoy me with unwanted ads and offers, be a vector for 3rd party ads, act as a storefront to entice me to buy crap that I don't want or need, try to force me to save my files to "the cloud" (which means that it's on someone else's computer, subject to their whims), interrupt my usage with a glacially slow forced "update", etc., etc., etc. You do what you want to do Martin, the advice that's being offered here is for those who WANT to get away from Windows, and to make that transition as smooth and easy as possible.
"except that I haven't found anything that MS Office will do that Libre Office won't do just as well, or better." I guess no software development? Libre Office has a very rudimentary implementation of VBA that's basically a kludge. Just typing letters, etc, just doing arithmetic formulas then Libre Office is probably fine. However, need a software solution and Libre Office just isn't "up to the task".
How do you get the manufacturers to offer their software on the Linux O/S? Communication companies in particular like Yaesu, Kenwood, and ICOM. Adobe, and a dozen others. Clamoring for it from those companies isn't going to change their minds and start support for Linux. Stopping customer support of Windows based software isn't going to do it. For in the meantime, with your Linux based system, what do you do for the aps you need while companies that support Windows ignore you? MS would have to lose a large majority of users to get software developer's attention. A few percentage points isn't going to sway them. You're right. It is a vicious cycle that is going to be near impossible to break. Developers do not stand to make a lot of money currently for users of Linux and their bottom line is all that matters.
I'm sure that you're right, I'm certainly not a "power user" of any office suite, I have no need to do anything beyond the basics. But I would guess that Libre Office would be sufficient for the vast majority of users.
Anything on the PC I have to do more than once I write a program/application/api, etc to automate things. Work smart, not hard.
