Ask HN: Alternatives to Windows? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Alternatives to Windows?

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I have forced myself to use Mac and Linux some years ago for one month each and always returned to Windows, because it was just more easy to use. The situation with the whole new Windows 11 seems to be too much to handle. What are the alternatives?

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I think easier to use may translate as more familiar. It may be that one month is not long enough to change the habit of a lifetime.

I would suggest getting to the bottom of your frustrations. For example I still use Windows (as well as Ubuntu) as I miss Microsoft Office on Linux.

Identifying the pain points may help with the decision making process.

If usability is what you're looking for, your alternatives are MacOS, or some form of Linux.

From my perspective, the Linux distro called ElementaryOS[1] is the best blend of beautiful out of the box, accessible and usable, and not littered with ads, spyware, or other user-hostile antifeatures.

For other options, many many people do well with MacOS, and so it may be a fine choice.

A higher end Chromebook running ChomeOS might possibly be a choice, if the software you need will run there.

Aside from that your options are few. HaikuOS[2] might someday be a viable option but realistically is not there yet. ReactOS[3] might be something to consider if Windows familiarity would be a plus.

[1]: https://elementary.io

[2]: https://haiku-os.org

[3]: https://reactos.org

Haiku made my 2 GB netbook usable as a desktop, and it was very simple to operate for office tasks, and this was a year ago. Just intuitively I would guess that by Windows 10 EOL in October 2025 it will be a very reasonable choice.

Well you’ve already tried macOS and Linux.

There’s also ChromeOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD and DragonFly BSD. (And numerous different Linux distributions to try out.)

My main problem with Linux/BSD is that the available desktop environments there are, IMHO, too crude. That’s why I prefer macOS. It’s a Unix with a great desktop environment.

OTOH you will never find a perfect operating system. That’s something that just doesn’t exist. Just pick the one you like the most and hate the least.

Also keep in mind that Windows 10 will be supported until 2025-10-14. So you will have over four years to research alternatives. And before that time has come, who knows, maybe there will be other interesting alternatives to choose from.

Don’t sweat it!

BTW, out of curiosity, what was it that you didn’t like about macOS?

Win 11 won't even be available till the end of the year, and much can change by then. Don't panic, and let things play out a bit. It's more than likely that there will be workarounds or adaptations. MS doesn't want to lose a big portion of their customer base.

Thanks, but Im not panicking, I really wish there were a reliable and worthy alternative that I can actually use for work.

When you say "easy to use" are you talking mostly about the desktop UX? Because there are lot of desktops to choose from for Linux. Have you tried MATE[1] or Budgie from Solus[2]? They're both quite nice in different ways

[1]: https://mate-desktop.org/

[2]: https://getsol.us/home/

What is the situation with Windows 11 that is too much to handle?

It seems a lot of CPUs are not supported, regardless of TPM being enabled or not in BIOS, etc, what we should do to trash our laptops?

Edit: Also Windows 10 end of life It's just too soon...

I'll bet Windows 11 will be reasonably usable, and favorite laptop CPUs of today no longer necessarily that great, by October 2025.

That's only 4 years from now. How much faster do you think things are going to be by then? Moore's law means we get more complexity, but more speed isn't really in the cards as long as you're using a Von Neuman architecture.

I suspect this machine I'm using will be fine for a decade or two, unless I drop it. New machines aren't going to be 4 times faster, and cheaper, ever few years, like it was before.

To be honest, I would wait for Windows 11 RTM.

I mean if MS doesn't change the CPU requirements, then it means SP4, SP (2017) and Surface Studio 2 are not supported. Not mentioning millions of perfectly usable PCs out there.

Do you remember more specifically what made you give up on Linux?

individual control/power/freedom + simplicity/ease-of-use... is it possible?

I'd recommend Linux anytime, all the time; but I also have the time and patience to deal with its rough edges; of which there are many. Basically, you have to operate assuming nothing will work out of the box.

Zorin is a very polished Ubuntu based distro with a layout option that is comfortable for windows users.

https://zorinos.com/

Windows 10 is going to be supported for years. You're fine.

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