[Kevan]

[StuBeeDoo]

A small update.........

I wiped the hard drive on the laptop I was having trouble with, and installed Zorin 17.3.  I liked the experience of the new OS that much that I've also installed it on my main laptop.  However, on that one I've had to set it up as a dual-boot with Windoze 8.1, because I have a couple of programs that aren't compatible with Zorin.  As I won't be running Windoze online it should last a bit longer.  Eventually, I will bin Windoze altogether.

The installation process was fairly straightforward, and it didn't take too long to find my way around the system.

[Kevan]

Not for many years... windows vista era

[Johnno]

I've been using Microsoft products all my IT life - ie since about 1996.  I guess I'm not the only member here who has or does.

[snip] 

Recently I've read of someone using Linux.  To be honest I didn't understand a lot of the language, but it seems to be a case of "install it and forget it".  No forced updates to deal with - or learn to live with.  But is it useable enough for a technophobe?  I bricked a laptop years ago and don't want to risk doing it again.

As an IT person you should know better than not installing updates... that behaviour is cause for instant dismissal under security implications. 

As for 8.1 omg man... move on up to W10 at minimum all the garbage that some useless coder added into 8 and 8.1 is simply stupid and only that person showing what they can't do, code. New is good only if it is implemented correctly. As an IT person myself I completely refused to rollout W8 and W8.1 due to the garbage coding, I went back to W7, wited until W10 came out and have been happy again having a stable computer and software platform. 

Hell, I'd love to be using MS-DOS 3 and Desqview but that technology has been superseded and killed off by full blown Windows OS. 

As for moving over to another OS good luck with that as support will be extremely limited on forums such as this, you will need to head on over to several Linux forums for assistance, another huge PITA for something that should be simple. I do know Linux is NOT a 'install and forget' OS.

You essentially need to be a coder to utilise Linux to it's fullest, can you code? Yes? No? Do you want to spend dozens of hours learning to code? 

Good luck with the project

[Gordon Steadman]

I have ten fingers and ten toes which means I can count to twenty. The idea of sodding about with computer coding makes me wish to creep into my cave and hibernate.

Much as I miss Steve Jobs and his attention to detail, I'll stick with my Macs ta. Even with some of the dubious decisions they have made lately (AI etc - it can be switched off) I'd rather treat my computer as white goods that just switch on and do what I need without knowing how they work. I have enough trouble with electric motors in slot cars.

[DPJ]

If you’re on a MAC and want to run another OS, the absolute simplest way is to purchase Parallels Desktop.

[JasonB]

I'm very tempted to try Linux. 

Having mostly switched to multi platform software it feels like now might be the right time. 

The only software I would really miss would be Ultimate Racer for the track designs, but to be honest UR hasn't been updated in a while and the plans to make it multi platform and genuinely 3D seem to have stalled or lost their way.

I have a couple of old laptops lying around, I might give Linux a try

[Gordon Steadman]

If you’re on a MAC and want to run another OS, the absolute simplest way is to purchase Parallels Desktop.

I'm one of those strange people that like MacOS. I have only ever owned Macs and they work the way my brain has adapted to the whole thing. I had to use Windows at work and couldn't understand why anyone would choose to run it. Later systems have just tried to become more Maclike as far as I can see. I see no point in me trying Linux now.