Windows 10 is close to being dead now, with support ending this year. So why not try out Linux? Instead of getting a whole new system and having to deal with the increasing amount of AI junk and adverts in Windows 11.
This is where the End of 10 campaign has stepped in to get events sorted, and to help more people get into Linux. Considering that Microsoft are still forcing various requirements for Windows 11, that a whole lot of PCs can't do, it makes sense to try and do something about it that doesn't end up resulting in forcing people into buying new hardware.
On their website that have a growing list of places to get direct help, events you can appear at to get help and instructions on downloading and installing Linux. They also list some pretty standard reasons for trying Linux like it being cheaper, there's no adverts, you having more control and so on.
See more on the End of 10 website.
Perhaps something worth sharing to some friends and family that will soon be dealing with this issue.
And hey, with Fedora 42 out now that has KDE Plasma being promoted to a flagship edition status, there's never been a better time to try it out. KDE Plasma is my favourite desktop environment since it has a lot of customization possibilities, but also resembles a more Windows-like UI compared with GNOME. Worth getting some more people you know to give it a shot.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Ehvis 3 hours ago
Kind of a weird campaign to me. People switch to a different OS because they're unhappy. I did way back in 2002. I was annoyed by the direction Windows was taking for several years and at some point I lost faith that it was going to get better and gave up. I knew Linux wasn't perfect, but at least it was my own mess and I could do as I please. I still feel the same today.
But people still on Windows 10 are not necessarily unhappy. They just want to hold on to it and not move to something slightly different. The step from W10 to W11 is not bigger than W95 to W98 was. But the step to Linux would be quite big. I just don't see a "big" exodus from Windows happening. This is not going to get people to give up on things that they can't move over to Linux. That only happens when you are truly "done".
Last edited by Ehvis on 12 May 2025 at 10:40 am UTC
But people still on Windows 10 are not necessarily unhappy. They just want to hold on to it and not move to something slightly different. The step from W10 to W11 is not bigger than W95 to W98 was. But the step to Linux would be quite big. I just don't see a "big" exodus from Windows happening. This is not going to get people to give up on things that they can't move over to Linux. That only happens when you are truly "done".
Last edited by Ehvis on 12 May 2025 at 10:40 am UTC
3 Likes
grigi 3 hours ago
My mum in law is perfectly happy with her W10 system, and she need MS Office for her academic report works as the university in question standardised on MS Office. Performance wise there is nothing wrong with it, mostly she gets annoyed by the popups and targeted advertising. (And twice it auto upgraded to fail and downgrade, which takes hours and hours. I managed to turn that off)
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. if I move her to e.g. Linux and LibreOffice... is she going to be able to do her work?
She's 78, she doesn't want to learn new things right now.
Seriously, that Dell XPS aged incredibly well, it has enough RAM to not feel slow and still has ten hour battery life.
So I'm probably going to try and keep it on W10 for her for a few more years. Somehow.
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. if I move her to e.g. Linux and LibreOffice... is she going to be able to do her work?
She's 78, she doesn't want to learn new things right now.
Seriously, that Dell XPS aged incredibly well, it has enough RAM to not feel slow and still has ten hour battery life.
So I'm probably going to try and keep it on W10 for her for a few more years. Somehow.
2 Likes
Eike 2 hours ago
But people still on Windows 10 are not necessarily unhappy. They just want to hold on to it and not move to something slightly different. The stop from W10 to W11 is not bigger than W95 to W98 was.
Yes, they want to keep it - and so there is a problem.
* They should not keep it due to security reasons. (I fear though many people will ignore this.)
* Windows 11 has higher hardware requirements - for no good reason. (Which is very different from the situation back in '98, when computers did get faster all the time and higher requirements did have a good reason.)
* Many people will be surprised to find that they might need to actually buy the new Windows. The free upgrade from Windows 7/8 does not constitute a Windows 10 licence and thus they might not be able to use it for a free 10-to-11 upgrade.
I'm not saying the big exodus will be happening. But even people happy with Windows do have reasons to change this year.
2 Likes
Pyrate 2 hours ago
Great initiative. It's time for a drastic, future-proof change !
I'm not 78, but I have effortlessly transitioned to using LibreOffice for work. It's feature complete, and would say it's 90-95% identical to MS Office. Also, it doesn't crash and piss me off like MS Office. The single time LibreOffice crashed on me, it politely made me aware of it and saved my work before going ahead with the restart, that was so cute, like it's asking for permission to go ahead and die off so I can instantly restart it snd continue where I left off.
Edit: LibreOffice is also on Windows, so it can be tested before committing to the bigger Linux switch.
When comparing the downsides, I believe one should really consider the bullshit Windows pulls off from time to time like the things you mentioned in your message. Often times I see people downplaying all the crap one would have to put up with on Windows, when complaining about the slight cosmetic differences between Windows and Linux, like those are the end of the world.
Linux (Fedora Kinoite) is one-thousand times a better experience for me doing office work than Windows ever was on my work laptop.
Last edited by Pyrate on 12 May 2025 at 11:26 am UTC
I don't know what I'm supposed to do. if I move her to e.g. Linux and LibreOffice... is she going to be able to do her work?
She's 78, she doesn't want to learn new things right now.
I'm not 78, but I have effortlessly transitioned to using LibreOffice for work. It's feature complete, and would say it's 90-95% identical to MS Office. Also, it doesn't crash and piss me off like MS Office. The single time LibreOffice crashed on me, it politely made me aware of it and saved my work before going ahead with the restart, that was so cute, like it's asking for permission to go ahead and die off so I can instantly restart it snd continue where I left off.
Edit: LibreOffice is also on Windows, so it can be tested before committing to the bigger Linux switch.
When comparing the downsides, I believe one should really consider the bullshit Windows pulls off from time to time like the things you mentioned in your message. Often times I see people downplaying all the crap one would have to put up with on Windows, when complaining about the slight cosmetic differences between Windows and Linux, like those are the end of the world.
Linux (Fedora Kinoite) is one-thousand times a better experience for me doing office work than Windows ever was on my work laptop.
Last edited by Pyrate on 12 May 2025 at 11:26 am UTC
2 Likes
Cybolic 1 hour ago
Concerning switching to LibreOffice from MS Office, I can add that my partner had a similar stipulation at her job, that all employees had to use MS Office. However, since there was no mandate as to which version they had to use, files were (surprisingly, really) often incompatible between versions and she eventually switched to LibreOffice, despite not officially being allowed to. There hasn't been a single case of file version incompatibility since she switched.
Now, obviously this is just one experience, and incompatibilities may be a real concern in other instances, but it is certainly possible for LibreOffice to be a better MS Office than MS Office.
I echo @Pyrate's suggestion: try it out on Windows and see if it's a viable alternative, at least then you'll know if fully switching to Linux is a possibility.
Now, obviously this is just one experience, and incompatibilities may be a real concern in other instances, but it is certainly possible for LibreOffice to be a better MS Office than MS Office.
I echo @Pyrate's suggestion: try it out on Windows and see if it's a viable alternative, at least then you'll know if fully switching to Linux is a possibility.
2 Likes
Corben 47 minutes ago
These campaigns or call to action happen with every discontinuation of support of a windows version.
It might cause a small spike, then it'll go back to the snafu state.
The situation can be improved for sure, yet we are in a lucky state. Since I started to use Linux when studying and even fully switched to Linux whe Proton was released, a lot has improved. Devices and driver support, usability and for sure games support.
The reasons for switching are still the same to most people, when they realize they want to switch. Be it hardware support that Linux can still run on, while the latest Windows version doesn't. Or cost, or freedom, or curiosity or the fact that the computer feels like being yours again.
The recent PewDiePie video¹ was nice to watch, yet all the arguments he mentioned why he switched (and so should others) are the same arguments as ever. Yet great to see how he appreciates Linux and all the stuff he can do with it.
I'm quite happy to be able to play way more games than I have time, can enjoy VR and do all my work stuff on Linux. Still things have to improve, a normal user will have to put quite some effort into getting everything to work as they want it are overwhelmed with all the options etc. Valve is doing a great part with giving one solution to one problem, gaming on Linux via Steam Deck/Steam OS. This is what Microsoft and Apple does on the Desktop and their devices, and it seems to be a successful method.
¹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVI_smLgTY0
It might cause a small spike, then it'll go back to the snafu state.
The situation can be improved for sure, yet we are in a lucky state. Since I started to use Linux when studying and even fully switched to Linux whe Proton was released, a lot has improved. Devices and driver support, usability and for sure games support.
The reasons for switching are still the same to most people, when they realize they want to switch. Be it hardware support that Linux can still run on, while the latest Windows version doesn't. Or cost, or freedom, or curiosity or the fact that the computer feels like being yours again.
The recent PewDiePie video¹ was nice to watch, yet all the arguments he mentioned why he switched (and so should others) are the same arguments as ever. Yet great to see how he appreciates Linux and all the stuff he can do with it.
I'm quite happy to be able to play way more games than I have time, can enjoy VR and do all my work stuff on Linux. Still things have to improve, a normal user will have to put quite some effort into getting everything to work as they want it are overwhelmed with all the options etc. Valve is doing a great part with giving one solution to one problem, gaming on Linux via Steam Deck/Steam OS. This is what Microsoft and Apple does on the Desktop and their devices, and it seems to be a successful method.
¹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVI_smLgTY0
0 Likes
Eike 35 minutes ago
The recent PewDiePie video¹ was nice to watch, yet all the arguments he mentioned why he switched (and so should others) are the same arguments as ever. Yet great to see how he appreciates Linux and all the stuff he can do with it.
Thanks for sharing!
PewDiePie posting about Linux, this should be quite big in the gaming community?!?
0 Likes
elmapul 25 minutes ago
that sound like a great campaing, but it most likely will fail, we had install parties for years and the marketshare havent moved too much.
i know its different now with proton and etc but i dont think that will be enough, one of the biggest issue, i saw a lot of people try linux and give up in the past, its not just installing, instaling is just the first step we need to ensure that they will stay on linux, we have to provide helpdesk until people learn how to take care of thenselves to not need helpdesk anymore and to teach others as well, that is the biggest challenge, otherwise we will just make a lot of people hate linux.
even if we dont manage to convert people to linux, at least we have to make sure they are wiling to give a second chance for it in the future, when things improve and the issues they had that made then give up were probabaly already adressed .
i know its different now with proton and etc but i dont think that will be enough, one of the biggest issue, i saw a lot of people try linux and give up in the past, its not just installing, instaling is just the first step we need to ensure that they will stay on linux, we have to provide helpdesk until people learn how to take care of thenselves to not need helpdesk anymore and to teach others as well, that is the biggest challenge, otherwise we will just make a lot of people hate linux.
even if we dont manage to convert people to linux, at least we have to make sure they are wiling to give a second chance for it in the future, when things improve and the issues they had that made then give up were probabaly already adressed .
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