An OS By Any Other Name…
Welcome to part 2 of my experiment to see whether Microsoft’s end of support for Windows 10 means the end of the line for an otherwise good laptop that can’t run Windows 11, or whether there is a viable alternative. So if we can’t run Windows 11, then what? When you think of computer operating systems, what comes to mind? For most people, Windows and Mac OS. Some may say Chrome OS or Linux. While there are actually many others, most of these are either experimental or niche operating systems, and while some are very cool and or nostalgic, most aren’t to fit the bill for day to day use. For this experiment, I’ve elected to go with Linux. Choosing a computer operating system can be a highly subjective exercise, and I want to stress that these are my personal opinions. Others may differ and that’s just fine. :-). I’ve chosen Linux for the following reasons:
1. It’s widely available, and runs on a wide variety of hardware
2. The hardware requirements are usually modest compared to Windows.
3. There is a large pool of open source software to choose from
Some may wonder why I didn’t choose Chrome OS, and the reason is simple: If you have a computer (Windows/Mac or Linux), and the Chrome browser, you essentially have chrome OS. The browser IS the OS. Further, most laptops which the hardware to run Windows 10 have more horsepower that most Chromebooks. Therefore, going with a version of Linux and choosing Chrome, or a Chrome compatible browser, gives you both.
Unlike Windows and Mac OS, there are dozens of different implementations of Linux. Some are tailored to specific uses or designed to run in specific environments. For our purposes, I wanted something that would be familiar to the average computer user, which a fairly gentle learning curve. Ubuntu has long been viewed as a user friendly Linux implementation, but I’ve chosen to go with MINT. We’ll discuss why in the next post.
