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Re:Microsoft keeps adding stuff into Windows we don't need by tiberriver256 on Saturday August 16, 2025 @08:49AM (#44922906)
Maybe this'll be the year everyone moves to Linux!
Re:Microsoft keeps adding stuff into Windows we don't need by trentnix on Saturday August 16, 2025 @09:22AM (#44923180)
I'm pretty sure your comment was sarcastic, but I'll add the anecdote that this is the year I moved to Linux. I've running Linux Mint as my main driver for a few months. For decades I've used Linux on servers or on an extra laptop or as a second OS to boot into as a curiosity.

I was capable enough to be professionally effective with Linux but I stayed on Windows because it was the path of least resistance. I had decades of conditioning and habits built around how Windows worked. Everything was installed and configured and setup and familiar. So I just accepted the nuisance of the injected ads and data harvesting and bloatware because it was the path of least resistance. But despite all that, I finally had enough of Microsoft's shenanigans and resolved I was done.

I used ChatGPT to successfully navigate some of the more esoteric errors, installation headaches, and software setup stumbles I've encountered getting Linux set up. No Wine or VMs either, RhythmBox and LibreOffice and MakeMKV and Steam all work great on Linux. If I need Office I've got the Office web apps. PC game support has gradually improved on Linux. The availability of emulators and Emulation Station means I don't miss my extensive LaunchBox setup that sits on my Windows partition. The end result is a setup that has kept me out of my Windows partition for months at a time.

I don't really care who wins, whatever that means, but Linux is polished and fantastic and performant. I wish I'd made the jump a decade ago.

Re:Microsoft keeps adding stuff into Windows we don't need by zahlman on Saturday August 16, 2025 @10:45AM (#44923907)
> I've running Linux Mint as my main driver for a few months.... I used ChatGPT to successfully navigate some of the more esoteric errors, installation headaches, and software setup stumbles I've encountered getting Linux set up.

Out of interest, any specific issues that stand out in your memory?

Also, you're aware of https://forums.linuxmint.com/, yes?

Re:Microsoft keeps adding stuff into Windows we don't need by trentnix on Saturday August 16, 2025 @11:23AM (#44924245)
There were some odds and ends around partition management that made me hesitate. ChatGPT helped me distill what I wanted to do into a plan that made sense to me.

In terms of issues, getting certain mounts to persist took some time. I had jump back into Windows and change some settings to get Windows to give up control.

I tried to install a few packages, like Emulation Station, that presented some headaches but I worked through it.

I tried installing SpaceDrive and it was a slog that eventually went nowhere. It’s an alpha but after the effort it took to get it running (and still have it not behave correctly), I gave up.

Installing MakeMKV took a small bit of gymnastics, but it works great. Setting up backups didn’t behave as I expected at first, but I figured it out.

I didn’t really have any issues, per se, with Mint. It was a breeze. I’m sure the forums are great, but GPT hit more than it missed and with a lot less latency that forum posts might have.