I have been puttering with Linux for many years, mainly because I get so sick of Microsoft telling me to buy a new computer every year just to run their latest OS. I can state with 100% assurance I will NEVER have a computer with Windows 8. Anyway, I test out a lot of the Linux systems (called distros) for the one that will allow me to leave Windows forever. Sadly, none exist as some programs that I have to use only run in Windows (Turbotax is one).
This being said, I use Linux for 99% of the things I do on a computer. All of my computers are dual boot with Windows 7 and Linux and I boot Linux 99% of the time. I use Chrome and Firefox as browsers, VLC to play videos - just like I did in Windows. The best part is my computer boots in less than 30 seconds each and every time.
I'll bet there are some ODT folks still running Windows XP as I recently read that 29% of computer users still do. Be aware that Microsoft no longer supports XP so future updates will not happen. If you're running XP, you likely are not running it on a computer that could run Windows 8 either. I've been using a new distro for the past week that I really like, called MX-14. It's small, fast, stable and just plain works. Here's their site so you can look it over:
http://www.mepiscommunity.org/mx
I've tested it on 5 different laptops ranging from a 6 year old clunker to a modern gaming machine and everything works out of the box. If you're tired of the Windows hassle, give Linux and MX-14 a look...
This being said, I use Linux for 99% of the things I do on a computer. All of my computers are dual boot with Windows 7 and Linux and I boot Linux 99% of the time. I use Chrome and Firefox as browsers, VLC to play videos - just like I did in Windows. The best part is my computer boots in less than 30 seconds each and every time.
I'll bet there are some ODT folks still running Windows XP as I recently read that 29% of computer users still do. Be aware that Microsoft no longer supports XP so future updates will not happen. If you're running XP, you likely are not running it on a computer that could run Windows 8 either. I've been using a new distro for the past week that I really like, called MX-14. It's small, fast, stable and just plain works. Here's their site so you can look it over:
http://www.mepiscommunity.org/mx
I've tested it on 5 different laptops ranging from a 6 year old clunker to a modern gaming machine and everything works out of the box. If you're tired of the Windows hassle, give Linux and MX-14 a look...
