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The end of Windows 10 is approaching, so it's time to consider Linux and LibreOffice (blog.documentfoundation.org)

submitted 1 month ago by throws_lemy@lemmy.nz to c/linux@programming.dev

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The countdown has begun. On 14 October 2025, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10. This will leave millions of users and organisations with a difficult choice: should they upgrade to Windows 11, or completely rethink their work environment?

The good news? You don’t have to follow Microsoft’s upgrade path. There is a better option that puts control back in the hands of users, institutions, and public bodies: Linux and LibreOffice. Together, these two programmes offer a powerful, privacy-friendly and future-proof alternative to the Windows + Microsoft 365 ecosystem.

The move to Windows 11 isn’t just about security updates. It increases dependence on Microsoft through aggressive cloud integration, forcing users to adopt Microsoft accounts and services. It also leads to higher costs due to subscription and licensing models, and reduces control over how your computer works and how your data is managed. Furthermore, new hardware requirements will render millions of perfectly good PCs obsolete.

This is a turning point. It is not just a milestone in a product’s life cycle. It is a crossroads.

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[–] Emotional_Ice@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (8 children)

I'm thinking about switching. A couple of weekends ago I had Mint on a flashdrive and tried out a bit.

I'm worried about compatibility with games as I'm a Steam user and whatever launcher that game requires sometimes.

Should I just do it? Just do a brand new install but on Linux? Which distro should I use that would be good for gaming?

Other than gaming, everything else I do is just everyday browsing on reddit/lemmy, YouTube, email, etc.

edit: so I was finally able to get Mint installed on another drive. I had a hard time with Bazzite as it would get an error after validation using balenaEtcher, where it would say the flash drive is read only and unable to be formatted. Tried multiple times, then went out and got a new flash drive and the same thing happened. Finally I just used Mint, where it also got the same error after validation, but I was able to access the drive and boot from it 🤷‍♂️

The next hurdle was getting the second monitor to work, where I thought just installing the Nvidia driver would be fine, but after some trial and error with upgrading the kernel from 6.8 to 6.11, then eventually something about MOC that I had to import the key, then it finallybworked. I also downgraded back to kernel 6.8.

I think my next step is to see if I can get Steam games working that are Windows only. Getting Wine installed and opening Notepad++ exe with that was easy and I was surprised that it just works.

[–] Truscape@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago

My decision was to install Linux Mint first on my work laptop and not my main gaming rig, so I would have the ability to switch between both OS's as needed, and have a fallback machine if either failed.

ProtonDB (Compatibility Database) should be your friend in checking what works and what doesn't, and for the most part, Windows games "just work", no need to even toggle a setting (unless you count forcing Proton instead of a native Linux port).

If you have software that is critical to your daily life on windows (Photoshop, Autodesk, VR software, anti-cheat heavy games), you dont need to jump ship on your main hardware. There are ways to get support after October 15th (Through IOT LTSC versions of windows 10, but you'll have to find a way to get it).

All of your other use cases would be perfectly served by any Linux distro, the Interstellar Lemmy client even has a convenient flatpack for a 1-click install.

Check ProtonDB first (you can even log in to view all your library at once). If everything you would want to play works, go for it! If not everything works currently, I'd recommend getting your hands on IOT LTSC win10, and use a spare device to get familiar with Linux distros.

There's no one "gaming" Linux distro that will work, but I personally just use Linux Mint because it is ol' reliable for me - intuitive enough GUI, but just as configurable as anything else. You do miss out on some of the more bleeding edge stuff that distros such as Arch and Bazzite get, but unless you are using very new hardware, I'm not sure if it would be necessary.

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