28-08-2019, 01:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 28-08-2019, 01:37 PM by Mike Watterson.)
Linux Mint with Mate Desktop.
I got a Lenovo E460 with Win7 just after MS stopped selling Win7. I repartitioned and setup dual boot. After nearly two years I hadn't used the Win7 so removed it to get extra storage and change the NTFS partition that had my data to EXT4. My wife now has also changed her Lenovo to Mint + Mate only but she has a copy of the OS off her older laptop running in the free VM that comes with Mint. She uses that to play scrabble, with instant near instant load time as she only exits the VM without shutting down XP.
I'd already been using many programs on XP for years that are included on Linux. Even Eagle Schematic / PCB. Though I use my old XP copy on WINE as the latest Linux version needs a different Key. Also Linear Tech (now ADI) latest Spice for Windows works fine on WINE. You do have to set some environment variables on some versions of Linux BEFORE installing WINE so as to get the 32bit and 64bit WINE versions, otherwise you get 64bit only WINE which is pointless. I actually have NO 64bit Windows software as I used 32 bit XP till I got 64bit Win7 a couple of years ago (except maybe LTSpice if it's 64bit). The only things I've used that need XP on a VM rather than WINE on Linux are some games, Office 2002, GSP Designworks, GSP DTP and PSP7. However I don't use the last 3 at all, and only the Word 2002 occasionally to check compatibility (not for a year). I did run PSP7 a few times to convert PSP files to Photoshop as The Gimp reads Photoshop fine and the PSP plugin is for a later Corel version of PSP. Apparently Office 2003 (best) and 2007 (2nd best) do install on WINE, but I don't have those. For most people the LibreOffice is superior now, even on Windows, if you learn how its Styles work. Loads of alternates to Visio on Linux which MS has hardly done anything to since they bought it.
I have a workstation with win10 my son uses for games. It has dual boot to Linux. I have a 10" Win10 tablet that's only used as a portable PDF reader (actual ebooks are read on my eink reader).
Mod edit: Off-topic anti-Microsoft ranting removed
I got a Lenovo E460 with Win7 just after MS stopped selling Win7. I repartitioned and setup dual boot. After nearly two years I hadn't used the Win7 so removed it to get extra storage and change the NTFS partition that had my data to EXT4. My wife now has also changed her Lenovo to Mint + Mate only but she has a copy of the OS off her older laptop running in the free VM that comes with Mint. She uses that to play scrabble, with instant near instant load time as she only exits the VM without shutting down XP.
I'd already been using many programs on XP for years that are included on Linux. Even Eagle Schematic / PCB. Though I use my old XP copy on WINE as the latest Linux version needs a different Key. Also Linear Tech (now ADI) latest Spice for Windows works fine on WINE. You do have to set some environment variables on some versions of Linux BEFORE installing WINE so as to get the 32bit and 64bit WINE versions, otherwise you get 64bit only WINE which is pointless. I actually have NO 64bit Windows software as I used 32 bit XP till I got 64bit Win7 a couple of years ago (except maybe LTSpice if it's 64bit). The only things I've used that need XP on a VM rather than WINE on Linux are some games, Office 2002, GSP Designworks, GSP DTP and PSP7. However I don't use the last 3 at all, and only the Word 2002 occasionally to check compatibility (not for a year). I did run PSP7 a few times to convert PSP files to Photoshop as The Gimp reads Photoshop fine and the PSP plugin is for a later Corel version of PSP. Apparently Office 2003 (best) and 2007 (2nd best) do install on WINE, but I don't have those. For most people the LibreOffice is superior now, even on Windows, if you learn how its Styles work. Loads of alternates to Visio on Linux which MS has hardly done anything to since they bought it.
I have a workstation with win10 my son uses for games. It has dual boot to Linux. I have a 10" Win10 tablet that's only used as a portable PDF reader (actual ebooks are read on my eink reader).
Mod edit: Off-topic anti-Microsoft ranting removed
