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Operating Systems

What is your main Operating System?

6.1% (3 votes)
0.0% (0 votes)
Thought this might be a nice thread to have now that polls are a thing. Discuss your main operating system here, why you use it, why you dislike or like other O.S.sssss. Or just talk about it in general I dunno.

My current main OS is Windows 7. Until 2014 I used solely XP which ran slow, but at that time I got a new computer that was capable of running 7 so I switched. Recently I got Windows 10 Education for free thanks to my college, but I also kept messing with different Linux distributions to find one that I worked for me and I did. So I have a triple boot of 7, 10 and Linux Mint with the Cinnamon environment.

Since the end of support for Windows 7 is getting closer, I'd thought I'd ask what are all your opinions on each Operating System and, once support ends for 7, if you'd recommend me switch to 10, to Linux or just keep using 7 indefinitely (probably a bad idea).




The rest of the post is reserved mostly for my opinions on these. Read only if you want to.

Windows XP: I have a lot of nostalgia for it, nostalgia I don't have for either 95, 98 or ME. It's incredibly basic nowadays that I'm used to 7's default programs. Luna is kinda neat but I still prefer to use it with custom themes. I remember using a variant of Watercolor for a long time, but an easy one to install is either Royale or Royale Noir. You can clearly notice the lack of the Ribbon UI on Microsoft's own programs, something that I'm a bit too used to due to 7's UI. That said, it's clear that it's obslete in 2019. Trying to even download something using IE6 is nearly impossible, and Android devices are not recognized by default, neither is exFAT or most other modern hardware.

Windows 7: I've been enjoying my time on it quite a bit. There are some nags I have about it, for example the "libraries" are stupid in my opinion and I'd prefer just have stuff point directly to my user folder, but overall it's nice and complete. Also, Aero is pretty and looks really good. Plus, it's also been surprisingly stable. Almost all crashes it had were from hardware issues, I've barely run into any random nonsense crashes.

Linux Mint with Cinnamon: Because it follows Debian's code, most command-line stuff works exactly as you'd think so no surprises there (thankfully). It's also a lot more beginner-friendly and compared to Debian, which is good for me because I'm a noob at Linux. There's also a lot of settings that you can toggle just by browsing the control panel, and the rest just need a few packages or a few edits on the config files themselves, nothing too complicated. Overall, I've been digging it. It's a little bit disappointing how I keep getting stuck using old versions of software such as GIMP, but it was nice that I was able to get Steam and Discord and Thunderbird running.

Windows 10: oh dear lord what did they do to you windows. Okay, I'll get all complaints out of the way first: I hate Metro and I think it's ugly. It's nice that it has a dark theme now, but it's still ugly. I like flat colors, but Metro takes it too far. I'm using a desktop computer, not a phone! Another thing, why are there so many freaking privacy options? Why does Microsoft need to collect all this data all of a sudden? And why do you need to edit the Registry to disable Cortana? And why are some things available on the Settings app, but other are on the control panel, which is styled just like it was on Windows 7? What is this Frankenstein Monster of an O.S.? And don't even get me started on Windows Update.

With that out of the way, I like what they did on some aspects of the UI of Windows 10, such as the notification manager, the network manager, etc. They are a lot simpler now which makes it easier to change basic settings. It also boots up quite quickly, and I don't have any UEFI/quickboot trickery going on either, it's actually legit fast. I also liked how quickly it downloaded all the necessary drivers, I barely had to install anything and it just came with a bunch of stuff right off the bat. That's a huge convenience bonus that isn't there on Windows 7 or on Linux Mint.
I use Artix. (Arch based, but without systemd as the init; it uses OpenRC instead.) I prefer it due to the actual mental stability of the developers, and the fact that OpenRC just sits better with me on all fronts. I also occasionally use Manjaro, which is also Arch based. User-friendliness is generally not something I go for, being fairly well versed in GNU/Linux on most fronts, having used it for practically all my computer-using life. (you still learn something new everyday though) In other words, user-friendliness generally just tends to get in the way. I can't explain this concept very well; just suffice to say that distros that say they're "for power users" are generally what I go in for. #humblebrag? (there are people way more fanatical about this stuff than me btw; I'm certainly not as masterful as some people)

EDIT: yes, I definitely agree that windows 10 is the worst thing since the holocaust
I generally try not to Windows unless it is absolutely necessary. Lunar Magic is the main reason why I even have a dual boot with Windows whatsoever. That's a bad excuse, but the community unfortunately does not yet have an alternative under a free license. Lunar Magic being proprietary software is one of the major downfalls of this community in my opinion; not much that many of us can do about it, except maybe bring a few of us together to try to make a new one; which is not happening any time soon. (or convince FuSoYa to do something? hmm)

On a side note, if anyone hasn't looked at it yet, check This and This

also

hehehehehehe actually it doesn't matter

Windows XP may be obsolete, but it will forever remain in my heart as the best version of Windows I've ever used.
Windows 10 works for people like me, though it often is filled with bloatware.
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Originally posted by TheEvilKingBowser
Windows 10 works for people like me, though it often is filled with bloatware.

I still more or less prefer 7 the most but currently use 10. I hate the forced updates and restarting your computer whenever it feels like (setting a date can only lead to it being forgotten) is just one thing I think should be stopped.

I have tried Linux and even Ubuntu but that came with its own bag of gripes and annoyances.

I like Windows 7 more, and I still get on it when I have the occasion. But I use XP most of the time.
Currently, I have to go through Win10's inconveniences at the worst times and forced restarts and losing unsaved (and/or temporary) work. Letting you only restart and apply updates at any other point you'd like to would be a good idea, other than setting a time you're likely to forget about, but of course M$ wouldn't think of it...
I tried Linux before, but I can't get through it that much, sorry Linux Mint... You're a pretty good alternative, but most of the software (cough games) I do stuff in and I'm used to requires Windows...
I didn't find Win8.1 as bad as others did; for me it showed M$ learned from some of their mistakes, at least letting us select to go directly to desktop after startup, (partially?) disable the bar thing on the right, and I don't remember what else. I still don't enjoy the removing of Aero that much, so I changed back to Win7 a bit after trying it. I might go to Win8.1 after I will have enough from Win10 on this computer.
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C'mon, man, I try my best.
これは「なにか」ですわ
SAN値!ピンチ!
Currently using Manjaro XFCE, a Linux distro based on Arch. Simple to install, easy on the eyes (no unnecessary eye-candy junk), no noticeable bloat and, most important of all, works right out the box. I was considering giving Arch a test run, but since Manjaro has been working so well for me, I might as well forget the idea. Manjaro users also have access to the AUR (Arch User Repository), which is a plus, most of the time.

I dual-booted it alongside Windows 10, because I occasionally play a game or two and I don't feel like installing Wine. I suppose I'll now use Win10 for Lunar Magic as well.
I've basically been using Windows 10 for the past three years or so and... it's a mixed bag. I like the flat themes and such, but I hate how there's so much bloatware that I don't need and I find it pretty buggy overall. I probably would go back to Windows 7 if it wasn't only a few months away from being unsupported.

I've dualbooted Linux Mint a few times before, and while I like it a lot (even more than Windows 10), unfortunately I don't find myself using it because one, None of my USB wireless dongles work with it and two, I still play a lot of Windows-only games and even with WINE I don't really feel like Linux takes advantage of my hardware.
On my desktop, I dual-boot Ubuntu MATE 18.04 (yeah, boomer choice, I grew up on Gnome 2 and it's the most familiar DE) and Windows 7 with SharpEnviro to get some of that Gnome 2 feel into Windows. On my laptop, I currently use a BionicPup live usb, but once my hard drive arrives, I'll probably switch that out to Windows XP.
https://youtu.be/0ywmm1nq3Wo
my family's 2011 Dell Inspiron 620 desktop computer is running Windows 7 Ultimate edition and my brother's Sony VAIO laptop is also running Windows 7 but his is the home premium edition.

I may upgrade the OS on the Dell Inspiron computer from Win7 to Win10 by the end of 2019. But my bro's Sony laptop will continue to run Win7, even after past the Jan. 14, 2020 "end of support" date.

But my bedroom PC (an old 2008 HP Pavilion media center PC) is currently running Windows 10 LTSC 2019, which is almost bloatware free and never gets feature upgrades.
i have a laptop with dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu. kind of basic, yeah, but i don't really feel like diving too much into the ocean of distros which are out there, and i can't get windows 10 to run well in a virtual machine, so this'll have to do for now.
I actually use Ubuntu 18.04 LTS at my main operating system, and it's dual-booted with Windows 10 on the chance I have to use Windows for something because it won't work in Ubuntu, or my Windows XP VM within Ubuntu.

I do everything I can to not have to use Windows 10 but it's there on that chance I need it.
I was actually setting up a Windows 10 VM the other day and the OOBE made me question the future. Seriously, do I look like I care about OneDrive, Microsoft account (I seriously couldn't make an offline account), I don't care about viewing my Android pictures on Windows, I don't care about find my device, I don't care about sending data to Microsoft, I don't care about sending device data to Microsoft, I don't care if Microsoft wants to know my loction, I just want Windows 10, how hard can that be? What sucks is that OOBEOUTRO died and I couldn't finish the OOBE, so after all that I tried to use audit mode to skip the OOBE but now Windows just seems to hang when I boot it up.

I never want to use Windows 10, but I'll have to because Windows 8.1 dies soon as well. Or I could just switch to another operating system.
Hello.
With Windows 10 it is possibly to make an offline account BUT you can not be connected to the internet when you start the setup or else Windows will no allow it. It calls it a Temporary account and makes it sound like it will be unusable once you setup an "authentic" account once you have internet but it'll still work.

Microsoft is also kind of migrating it's OS to a new format called Windows Core OS which will become the new base for all system types with the first OS under the core being Windows 10X. This new system is build for "dual screen computers" which is already supported by Windows however it'll add additional functionality like being able to have an extended taskbar across both monitors and other things.

Only thing I'm not looking forwards to is it'll probably be a new paid upgrade so you don't just get it free if you already have Windows 10 but what can you do it's microsoft.
I've used Windows, macOS, and a few different varieties of Linux, and here are my general thoughts.

Windows XP: My favourite version of Windows due to its simplicity. I found it the most straightforward and yet still competent. Having said that, it was also pretty limited (it lasted well into the Windows 8 era, let's be honest) in terms of modern connectivity features.

Windows 7: Yuck, I hated the Aero look, I disliked how cluttered the OS felt in general, I found the changes made to Windows Explorer made it harder to read with too much of a colour gradient and lack of drop-shadowing, and...yeah, I won't go on about the appearance. It was functional and did what it set out to do, and that's fine, but...I don't know, I just disliked this.

Windows 10: I think that while Windows 8 and 8.1 were sleek and good for touchscreen displays, they tended not to exceed in most other areas, like ease of use. Windows 10 combined everything into a more workable whole. The restoration of the Start Menu, the fact that Metro apps no longer have to take up the entire screen for no good reason, and the Edge browswer (which in my mind is miles better than Internet Explorer) come together to make the OS something I use at home as my secondary system.

macOS: This used to be my main OS until a few years ago, and I still use it to write music because I feel GarageBand and Logic Pro superior to other DAWs. The OS itself has in my mind been easier to use and more functional than Windows for years (although I think modern macOS and Windows 10 are eqaully good). The ability to connect to other Apple devices (which, realistically, one would probably own if one owns a Mac) so easily, the Unix underpinnings creating compatibility with Wine and other Linux functions, and the ease of app and software updates make macOS something I would go back to easily.

Linux: Thi sis my primary system (I keep Windows 10 on a separate partition in case I want to play games). I have tried tons of different distros in the Debian and Fedora family and am currently using Kubuntu. I like the ubiquity of Debian OSes and how accessible solutions to problems are (if a command would fix something on one OS, it might fix it on another). As for Fedora, well, although I am intrigued by the rolling-release system, I found Fedora needed a lot more work to get going in terms of software or even basic display drivers. In my humble opinion, Fedora is so tied up in the FOSS philosophy that basic, proprietary or non-FOSS repositories or software sources that include things like NVIDIA display drivers - Bumblebee for example - are excluded and have to be manually added - which I think is dumb, although I accept that my viewpoint on this may not be all that popular.
Originally posted by Ninja Boy
With Windows 10 it is possibly to make an offline account BUT you can not be connected to the internet when you start the setup or else Windows will no allow it. It calls it a Temporary account and makes it sound like it will be unusable once you setup an "authentic" account once you have internet but it'll still work.

Um... There actually is a button for making an offline account. It's called "add to domain" (or something like that) and it shows up when it asks you to enter a microsoft account.
There's no need to disconnect the internet to do this... I don't know why this rumor is so common.
It's not a rumor for a while Microsoft didn't have that button so I'm not sure when that got added.
I have a virtual machine that runs Windows XP, but I've already put my vote for Windows 7. What do I do?
Hello.
I use Windows 8.1 but I might be changing to Windows 10 if I get a new PC.

My current tower is too small to just upgrade.
HackPortsASM"Uploader"

Originally posted by I don't know a good name.
I have a virtual machine that runs Windows XP, but I've already put my vote for Windows 7. What do I do?

You can choose another OS and then click on change vote. I just did it for myself, actually. Changed it from Windows 7 to Linux (Debian-based). Unless you have multiple OS installed, in which case, you should pick your main one (the one you use the most).

For posterity's sake, I did make this thread because I was wondering what OS I should use. At the end of the day, Windows 10 successfully made me switch to Linux, and I've been using Linux Mint w/ Cinnamon D.E. for a while now. I really like it! And Steam Play's Proton has been pretty nice to me as far as gaming goes, so I'm happy. I have Windows 10 installed as well but I'm using it less and less and less...

I can't count how many BASIC issues I've had with Windows 10 that I didn't have with Windows 7 nor Linux. USB Mouse will randomly stop working, Wi-Fi router will randomly stop working, other random piece of hardware will stop working, etc. And every time, it's not actually the hardware that's at fault, all that's necessary is for me to reboot the system and voila, everything's back in order. *sigh*