Here’s the story. I have (sadly), Windows 10 on a desktop PC and have a paid for version of MS Office from 2020. As I have not paid the Microsoft Office subscription since I bought it, they have finally pulled the plug on all sorts of features (can’t print, can’t open new documents etc).
I use Excel a fair bit and use Word, mostly just letters, but I want to retain similar functionality, without all the backdoors and security loopholes.
I’m looking for any experience to share or advice on:-
a) Partitioning my hard drive with losing all existing data
I’ve been considering moving to linux too, although I haven’t taken that step yet. I am also using windows 10 with no plans to migrate to 11. Here are a couple of thoughts
1 - I’ve heard good things about Linux Mint as a nice easy flavour of linux for windows users. It was the one I was considering a while back. There are instructions on installing it (as well as installing it on your windows machine) here: https://linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/install.html
2 - for an out of the box substitute for Microsoft office, try LibreOffice. Works on windows and linux (no need to change) and is free and very good. I use this instead of excel now
I’ve no knowledge to add but there’s a book Linux in easy steps, a series that has been going for 15+ years and keeps getting updated. The reason I mention this book (aprt from being the only one I’ve bought) is that it has chosen Mint (which it says is based on Ubuntu anyway) for the main illustrations. It says Mint is based on the more popular Ubuntu but is used in the book simply because the desktop more resembles what Windows users are used to.
This last point resonates with me, as one who is more easily thrown than I should be when directed (by a video or book) to a menu to select an option in a particular place which is not there when I get there. As soon as I know what I have to do I stop exploring the system.
If you have explored WIndows/your system to the level that you tend to be able to find something when pointed, even though it’s not where you were directed to, you might be more able to take advantage of the larger user base of Ubuntu. The particular benefit of Mint (along with an integrated book) is likely to be mainly for the likes of me who have tended to resist acquiring ‘unnecessary’ system knowledge.
LibreOffice sounds good thanks for the tip @admin. My reason for wanting to exit MS is not because MS Office but to get away from Microsoft itself, who seem to be showing unnerving interest in surveillance and tracking.
But am I right in thinking that many ordinary MS users of old versions who have picked up MS from wherever over the years will find bits dropping off as MS tries to shake them into upgrading? This might make the escape to Linux a necessary one at some point if you want to escape MS.
My thoughts and sitch sorry if not useful.
Cheers
PS Meant to add that it seems LibreOffice works down to Windows 7; that’s handy as many seem to cling to this version of Windows as being easier to use than its successors.
I’m out of practice and not running any Linux boxes currently. I did have a W10 PC that I partitioned as part of Ubuntu install. Libre Office worked fine on both systems but the HDD of only 256 GB made it a real squeeze.
Linux works better when you have a fair bit of storage (HDD) for the incremental backups. Be generous when partitioning. Oh and the more apps you add the more it gets like a circus act!
So eventually I restored windows and use this for basic admin (WordPad!) and Google apps for various other tasks. When W10 is no longer supported I will run it at risk, with no internet connection. This is to keep things running like Dragon voice recognition and other obsolete but perfectly adequate software.
I confess I already have a second laptop running W11 but use as little other stuff of theirs, Microsoft that is, as possible.)
…What I got stuck on recently was trying to run network attached storage using an old external HDD.
This is a reply to all. Thanks for lots of useful ‘stuff’. You’ve convinced me to (as Nike likes to say), “Just do it”.
Too much stuff about Microsoft to comment on (I hate them with a passion), but the one thing that struck a chord with me was a comment I came across a while back. This is that Bill Gates uses Windows PC’s in “sleep” mode for crypto mining! No idea if it’s real, but think of the many millions of Windows PC’s in sleep at any one time! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and thanks again.
You would know. Mining is very energy and resource hungry. To compare to a car, you would be redlining at idle.
Besides, Billy doesn’t need the cash. He’d have us folding proteins or something for “medicine”. You aren’t safe in any device really. McAfee pointed out that end to end encryption is a joke when the device itself is compromised. Q day will reveal all and it’s getting closer.
