Or just don't do it! =)
My Windows 8.1 system is running stable as never before. Also keep Murphy's Law in mind: Never touch a running system! :)
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Microsoft threw the first snowball with Windows 8, that was the reason Gabe Newell initiated Steam's support for Linux. By now the snowslide is picking up momentum, with about 2,000+ titles available on Steam for Linux and SteamOS (which is basicly just another flavor of Linux, a distribution).
Engine manufacturers like Unreal Engine and Unity are able to target Linux and this enables developers of all sizes to offer their games on a wider variety of platforms.
If you didn't have games on your mind, I'd argue that Linux has been a valid choice for more than ten years now, it's a full blown feature rich operating system that just plain works most of the time. There is plenty of software available, you just might have to switch from one brand name to an alternative, if they don't have their product ported.
The last two to three years have seen an amazing improvement both in the growth of the games library as well as driver support and further advances in the ease of use.
I have used Linux on and off since the mid 90s, on older hardware, dual booting or as virtual machines and converted to a full Linux environment last year.
Yes, there are some blockbusters that are ignoring this tiny market share, so it sometimes feels like sticking to Nintendo while the newest and greatest titles are coming for Xbox and Playstation. Steam surveys account Linux users for about 1% of the ecosystem, but there are lots of flaws and shortcomings in this statistic. Yet, even if you take that into account and double or triple the number, you're still way below 5%. That is still worse than Nintendo is doing in my analogy.
The biggest blow so far is the flaky to missing official support for cutting edge VR technology. Linux users can still be regarded as techy types, have a tendency to give lots of software a try and provide feedback to the developers. And Linux users are willing to spend some good money on games as well: every Humble Bundle that supports Linux shows a higher profit per bundle accounted to Linux as for Windows or Mac. So Linux enthusiasts should be able and willing to buy pricey VR hardware.
I was hoping for the Steam machines to gain more momentum, but I guess it will take another year or so for Vulkan adoption to pick up speed. This new graphics API rivals DirectX in performance and hypes developers.
My advice: pick a Linux live CD or USB drive and have your computer boot from that to give it a try! Fire up Steam and check how many of the games in your library are supported on Linux and try the performance of a few.
One thing I am still missing here is a way to filter giveaways by operating system ;)
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Though I have been using Linux in some capacity for too many years, including as a desktop OS, there's a big caveat:
Switching to Linux at this point means losing access to 40-60% (possibly more - or less - depending on one's tastes and buying habits) of your Steam library, plus a reduction in performance due to the GPU drivers not being on the same level as Windows'. Wine only does so much, so basically the gaming experience isn't on the same level as Windows'.
There's dual boot but I hate dual booting, always have had.
Given the direction MS seems to be heading, a massive switch to Linux would only be deserved, however gamers are possibly in the worst position among consumers as far as a complete switch is involved.
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No really, it wasn't sarcasm. I do hate dual booting and have a habit of putting my laptop/desktop on hibernation.
Sometimes I get bluescreen with sad smiley face when I restore it to desktop (CRITICAL PROCESS DIED message) because I hibernate my machines like 20 times straight.
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So you don't update the kernel unless a new one is released?
For most average Joes running a desktop-oriented Linux distro, I don't think they would be receiving security fixes less frequently than Windows, unless one makes a point of ignoring them on a regular basis, I'd guess reboot frequency should be about in the ballpark for the two OS's.
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Ha! Admittedly I've stopped reading the changelogs a bunch of years ago (opting for simply updating whatever the package manager says I need to in most instances), but I was content to apply an update for much smaller things, like optimizations or performance tuning.
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-1 for the reason that it (unfortunately) limits your gaming due to incompatibility. There's no love for Linux. :(
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Be careful, you almost sound like one of those Linux "elitists" there. :P
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linux sucks. it's a system for nerds who like to invest time and work into the OS rather than apps and games. and it's so limited ny lack of support in all types of software and hardware. i had my time with linux. but now i'm grown-up and don't want a system anymore that's more a playground than a practical OS.
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Stop right there. If you are talking about OS - then there is almost NO phones with it. Only if you consider Ubuntu Touch, and that's not much. Also, you should say GNU/Linux then.
And if you are talking about kernel - then yes, most phones have linux kernel. But kernel is not an OS, you know?
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We need to establish a fine line between working OS for daily use and special use.
I've spent many hours working on Linux-related stuffs and still can't find myself working or playing games on Linux.
But for email / file servers (not application servers, as I use Windows server with SQL for that) or security appliances, there's no way I'd use Windows. I would have a nightmare if I had to use any Microsoft-related (not just Windows) for my company's main router or firewall.
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you have a point. but the guy is asking whether or not to install windows on his private desktop machine. i think it's safe to say that we can ignore anything else in this particular discussion. that includes those super-specialized, dumbed down OSs for phones with a linux kernel, that ambidot was suddenly talking about. ;)
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Hundreds? You mean my tiny steam library have more games that ALL LINUX USERS? Whoa, I'm cool.
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no; there are 2000+ linux games on Steam.
But you said hundreds. You lied to me!!!
no, because you don't use linux
I have it on my server. Working fine. That's the place where linux should be.
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No. I use things as they should be used. I'm not a kid to wear pants on my head. I'm not installing GNU/Linux on desktop for the very same reason.
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Well, this time you are right. I'd like to be a kid. That's cool.
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you are not able to use the majority of Steam games.
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But I want to play games... Like, all of them. Specially the AAA ones.
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And for god's sake, do NOT accept the default settings at any point. Always go into the detailed settings and check EVERYTHING. Windows 10 is not your OS, it's Microsoft's way of making your PC their distribution platform. They do NOT have your best interests in mind, only their own. Make sure you go into it with your eyes open.
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IMO it's better than 7, but, you need to spend about a day configuring it and personalizing it.
I also highly recommend purchasing PinMore, which provides functionality that should be standard, but somehow isn't. (AKA microsoft has the worst designers on the planet)
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Recently I'm having lag problems, with my CS:GO in windows 10, that I never had before.
I'm still not sure about what is the problem, my computer haven't changed so I believe i'ts a driver problem.
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I wouldn't upgrade unless you want to play some of the few games that require windows 10, otherwise it's obsolete and older titles might have problems. Personally im not upgrading until im forced to, to play a game or use some software, which propably wont be anytime in the next 2 years since I can't run those win10 only games anyway.
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I have some older titles that run better on Windows 10 than they did on Windows 7.
I haven't had any software have "problems" on Windows 10. YMMV.
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think about the games you play mostly and plan to play in future
check on their compatibility with windows 10
consider whether you're happy staying with windows 10 until the next time MS make a similar offer and/or release a new Windows (although remember that the Rule means the next one will be awful and the one AFTER that will be the good one)
then make an informed decision :)
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Not unless you need it. Win10 is MS's attempt to make PCs a distribution platform for their app store, so they can cream 30% of every sale like Apple does. They need it to be ubiquitous for that to work. No dev is going to accept a horrible deal with a monopoly distributor if it only has 20% market share.
In short, Windows 10 isn't here to help you, it's to herd you into a direction so you become Microsoft's pawn in their attempt to become a service provider (which really is a way of saying, pay monthly instead of once). They failed at it with "software protection" so they're trying it with a desktop OS.
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+1
that is what I did...Win 10 homegroup sharing is very buggy at the moment
to continue to use the PCs as I was used to, I had to come back to 7
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Just do like I did, Install Win10 on the second drive. For me Win7 is for daily use and Win10 is mainly for DX12 exclusives.
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Windows 10 is faster than windows 7 was on my PC. I love it! Statistically games run a tad bit better frame wise than 7 did. I'd say do it in an instant.
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Sorry to break it but Win10 is just a modified version of Win7 with lots of useless apps and no way to completely remove them all. And performance is the same. If DX12 never existed i;ll never would have installed Win10 on my second drive ever.
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Ok please show me any kind of proves like charts or videos pictures ect about it. If you can't it never existed.
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Yeah, I upgraded my old 7 to 10 and I don't regret it even a bit. If you want me to elaborate on this, just ask. :)
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The only major issue that everyone has had with Windows 10 is essentially "I don't like change". It's completely stable, and you can easily disable all the telemetry and stuff. The only actual "issue" I've had is disabling Windows Update, because Windows 10 isn't obeying Group Policy, but that's it.
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You can't disable all the telemetry, on any version up to and including Enterprise. And the biggest issue for anything up to and including Pro is that Microsoft controls the updates. Microsoft can (and regularly does) uninstall apps that it decides shouldn't be there, and it can add features or make massive changes.
Essentially, you're giving Microsoft complete control over your computer in return for use of their OS.
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I misspoke a bit. While you can't disable all of it, it is possible to block it out with a firewall. There was some lists on MDL that list all the applications to block access to (I won't link this here). My biggest issue is that apparently on Pro it doesn't obey Group Policy when it comes to Automatic Updates, but I've got an Enterprise license through my old workplace, so I don't really have any issues at all.
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Correct. According to Microsoft, "Pro" isn't a business OS. Any "real" business should be using Enterprise.
It's an absurd situation really. They're moving the goalposts into the stands and sometimes out of the entire stadium.
Overall I'm entirely too suspicious of Microsoft; they're ramming this so hard down people's throats that there's a distinct feeling of "Wait, what's wrong with this that you need me to have it so badly".
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I believe it to be due to a lack of information on customers compared to others. Have you ever taken a look to see the information that Android transmits to Google, or that Siri records for Apple? It's no worse than what Microsoft is doing, in my opinion, it's just Windows is much more widely used and the information is much more out in the open because of this.
I'm not okay with telemetry. I'd tell any living person anything they want to know about me, but a machine can go fuck itself. The most you can really do in Windows 10 Pro is hide their crappy applications, I've got an application that works off of Choco and some scripting that I run on every OS I install, it takes care of a majority of the telemetry, application installs, and hiding every single Metro App.
I've seen a performance increase with some of my applications in comparison to prior Windows variants due to how Windows 10 is handling application switching. Quite a few of my friends are happy with it, and they're nowhere near the tech savvy sort. I'd say although it has a lot of potentially negative content, it's still worth the upgrade if you can control it or are unconcerned.
Of course, if you completely disable User Account Control (Not recommended) it'll break all of them. It can be nice, but sadly the Calculator and such are part of them as well now.
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Turning off UAC (the biggest pox on users who know what they're doing since, well, anything) breaks (among other things) the calculator app?
Hah. Add that to the growing list of ridiculous bullshit that Microsoft has foisted on us. It just gets worse and worse.
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Yup! It breaks all Metro Apps except for "Settings". So the Picture Viewer, Calculator, everything! I've never understood why people want to disable UAC; Sure, it causes its' fair share of issues, but most of them can be mitigated and avoided... I like my calculator app!
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Sorry to break it but I need to add this, Let's start with the privacy on Win10, Microsoft haves a keylogger spy, ask for your location, spy on your cam hear voice ect. People will say I can disable it but why is there to begin with?? Microsoft also used my Microsoft account and have uploaded my desktop background and God knows what else without asking me a thing. Also you have heard about driver crashes? Disks errors ect I had some of those... If you like that kind of changes is ok, but not for me. I have Win10 on my second drive mainly for DX12, just like I said before but what I failed to say is that I had to format 2 times my disk just because Win10 had some nasty disk errors. Also I encrypt my sensitive info on my other drives just because I don't trust Win10 ways and if they continue with this nonsense I'll never will. Still using it just for some DX12 Gaming with Driver crashes... yay Win10 is the best!??
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Wooo for the google results... I'm hesitating too to move to w10 and it seriously turns me cold.
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I think this would count as sensationalism, both searches are biased....
I'm happy with windows 10, at least 10 classmates are too.
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Sorry to break it to you, but software on any Windows (and other OS's) can and does send tons of stuff already, and can access your hardware without your control. The main difference with Windows 10 is that you actually have a measure of control over it. And yes, by default Windows 10 sends more stuff, but most people still have, for example, auto-complete in their web searches, which sense everything you type, and any software can listen to your mic at will.
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Been thinking about updating from Windows 7 for some time,
thoughts?
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