Want to be done with MS for good

My goal is to never use a Microsoft product ever again, if possible. I have been researching this on and off for a few years. But easier said then done, since MS has monopolized the market. Now I am unable to use Windows Update. I have spent an inordinate amount of time trying to fix it. I'm sick of it, and I don't like the way they do business. When my current anti-virus license expires, I want to try a free or lower cost OS.

I was looking at Ubuntu. It looks like it might suit my needs for office application, email, Internet access, and photos. It's free, so I guess it's worth a try. I've been waiting it out for awhile to see how the other operating systems would evolve.

Any thoughts on alternative operating systems? I'm serious about this. I want Microsoft out of my life.

Hi,

I have been running (K)ubuntu for almost 10 years now (since 2003). I have a valid and working Windows7 install on the same machine, but I very rarely use it (I used it last week and before that around Christmas). You will have to face the fact that most software developers cater to the purchasable OS and every now and then there will be no other option than to boot Windows if you need to run a specific program (and not a program that does things similarily). This is mostly true for games, which usually don't run on any type of Linux and for some service providers that have developed their own software. As an example, I like to make photobooks, to have a physical memory of meetings and trips that I did. I found someone online that does awesome prints, however their software for the layout of the books only works on Windows. Since there is no standardised format for submitting photobooks and since there is no big public demand to have a program that will work with just this website and no other, there's no open source alternative and I have to use windows to make my books.
However if you look at something more general like "I want to edit my pictures" or "I want to be able to read docx files" there are plenty of alternatives on Linux that can do it. They work a bit differently, they may not have all the same featurse as the Windows counterpiece, but they work and usually they work well.

Before making a switch, I would suggest to install Ubuntu along side Windows you already have and give it a try. That way you can test it and decide whether it works for you without loosing access to an OS you already know.

I have also requested your topic be moved into the Linux-forum, as this should expose it to more people running free OS that can give you an insight on their experience with linux.

regards myrti

Hi,


For free security - try avast from www.avast.com.Though they say antivirus is not that strong,stil I am using it from last 2 years and I did not get any problems.After downloading avast register for the same for 1 year license.It is free.You have enter email address and they send product key in email for 1 year license.

sky if you go with ubuntu i would install the xfce desktop. easy to use and very stable. avg is another good anti-virus and so is bit-defender(free version).

I've been using linux since 1997. I went cold turkey 5-6 months after I first installed it.

Believe me, it's a whole lot easier than it used to be. The first live CDs didn't even come out until Knoppix did it in 2000 or 2001. Now (compared to when I started) it's unbelievably easy to use and maintain.

I mostly use live media now myself. Laziness has set it. There's a lot to choose from. But I stick pretty much with the Debian line (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Mepis, etc). After awhile you find you can change what's installed and be about where you were in a couple of hours or less. (I use a lot of customization, so it takes me slightly longer than most people to get everything I want back on the machine if I reinstall. But my settings are always ready to go.)

My Netbook is Ubuntu-only, and has been for the two years that I've had it. Boots up fast, never had a problem. Office applications are great, and free -- I use OpenOffice (Libre Office is available, and another great, free alternative). I use Firefox for the web and Thunderbird for email -- great, no problems. I use Calibre to manage ebooks. Skype is proprietary, but works great. I use Audacity to edit audio files, VLC as my overall media player (there are lots), etc.

My desktop computer runs Windows XP. I keep Windows because there are two programs I use that don't really have Linux alternatives. My friends and family know that I "like music" so I get occasional Itunes cards -- Itunes doesn't have a Linux version. Also, as good as Audacity is, I have a much more powerful program that's Windows-only. (I use Avast! anti-virus, MalwareBytes Pro anti-malware, Secunia to find outdated programs that pose a security risk, and ZoneAlarm free firewall -- and a great deal of caution!)

No problem exchanging Microsoft Word and Excel files with OpenOffice. No problem exchanging Calibre libraries. No problem exchanging audio, video or photo files. No problem exchanging data on flash drives or managing my MP3 players (but some MP3 players require special programs that might not have Linux counterparts), etc.

No special anti-virus or anti-malware programs needed for Ubuntu -- viruses and malware are possible for Linux, but much more difficult to pull off, and not enough of a user base to really justify it.

If I didn't need these two programs I'd drop Windows like the time bomb it is.



I use Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. You might also look into Linux Mint and other distros -- they're free to try, and then free to stick with!

Cool. I already use Firefox, Thunderbird, and VLC. I tried Avast a couple years ago, and the download tried to load a virus on my PC. I am definitely going to run Ubuntu in tandem with Windows 7. My software needs are not all that great, and I'm not a gamer. So I'm predicting I can run about 90% Ubuntu. In time, I might be able to completely wean myself off MS. I guess I made a good decision buying a 250GB hard drive.

By the way an adviser from this website helped me fix my windows update problem. MS support would have ended up telling me to reformat or re-install the OS.

I used Windows Millenium for three years. Horrible! I had so much grief with that OS. That experience alone has really colored my attitude towards MS

Thanks for all the great input. I'll post again when I install Ubuntu or other alternative OS.

Ubuntu is your solution. Latest version Ubuntu 12.04 LTS has everything you would want.
Personally, I cannot ditch Windows because I need it for work. But for home use, I am using only Ubuntu.
Just ask questions here if you run into any problems

Have a look into PCLinuxOS

My goal is to never use a Microsoft product ever again . . . I'm serious about this. I want Microsoft out of my life.

Your goal is achievable and laudable. If I can do it, so can you! Give CrunchBang "statler" xfce a go. If that does not suit you, try SolusOS, which runs Gnome as it should be. I favor the former for its lightness and support and it comes with what I use.
Both are good, practical Debian-based distros.

BTW, I think they're both from the UK.


Aside:
Shuck Firefox, use Chromium {Adobe will not support linux (Feb 22 news), FF is leaving linux out of its store (recent news) -- little choice but Google, making its Chrome look good, too, in the mid-term}

Where did you get the notion that Firefox is stopping their linux support? That is simply wrong. Regarding Adobe, there's plenty of open source alternatives to adobe's flash player from gnash to swfdec. There's no real need to use Adobe's version at all.

Also Adobe is not dropping linux support, but the support for the netscape plugin, which is different. If it were dropping it's linux support you would also not be able to use it in Chromium...

myrti

Time will tell

A lot of people seem to be claiming that Adobe is about to quickly ditch flash for non Chromium browsers in Linux.

Quote....

'Adobe will continue to provide security updates to non-Pepper distributions of Flash Player 11.2 on Linux for five years from its release'

Source

A lot can change in five years.

Have to throw my two cents in. I use Kubuntu 12.04 on a couple machines and love it. I have Windows XP and 7 on a few machines, as well, because of services that we use at home like netflix .

Just had another Windows machine start acting funny today. My kids use it all the time, so I'm guessing it's got malware problems, and of course this isn't the first time. This kind of thing happens way too much on Windows machines. This particular machine is going Linux today!

Like the others above have said, keep a windows partition, but definately take the plunge. Ubuntu/Kubuntu is a great distro to start with.

Cheers!

rjh58

I would like to say that Both Ubuntu and Microsoft come with required Technical Support.Ubuntu installation is easier and faster. There are Free upgrades available every 6 months. It is an open source operating system, free to download and install.Microsoft has its own features and Ubuntu has its own.The choice is your's.But i still suggest for Ubuntu.
Thanks