The End of 10

In just over four months, on October 14 to be exact, support for Windows 10 is coming to an end. For the past few years, Microsoft has been pushing Windows users to upgrade to Windows 11 in preparation for this finality, and if your computer doesn't make the cut, then to buy a new one. But let's face facts. Computers ain't cheap, and just tossing your old one ain't good for the environment. But what if there were a better way? Actually, there is. It's called desktop Linux.

A campaign is now under way, called End of 10 to help users give their older, but still viable, hardware new life by replacing Windows 10 or older with the desktop Linux distribution of their choice.  End of 10 is focused on connecting users with the resources they need to make the transition to Linux. It does not push users toward any specific Linux distribution (distro), because Linux is always about choice. According to the End of 10 Web site, any computer purchased new since 2010 should be able to run just about any Linux distro and stay up to date for years to come. 

Below are six great reasons, in no particular order, for upgrading an existing computer to Linux instead of replacing it with one that runs Windows 11:

• New life for older hardware--Each new iteration of Windows or Mac OS comes with new, more stringent hardware requirements that not all existing computers can meet. Replacing the existing operating system with a Linux distribution can help keep existing computers running productively for longer, effectively negating manufacturer-imposed expiry dates. 
• Greater privacy--Most operating systems have spyware and adware included at no extra charge, and usually without the ability to opt out. These allow hardware and software manufacturers like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and others to keep tabs on users, monitor their computing activities, in order to better target ads, and essentially commoditize their keystrokes and mouse clicks. With Linux, users are in charge, controlling exactly what is shared.
• More choices--With Windows, Mac OS or ChromeOS, your options for customization are largely limited to what the manufacturer offers you. The  look and feel of the OS are largely locked in before you ever open the box. The exact opposite is true with Linux, which offers a dizzying array of distros and interface options. For many users a huge part of the appeal of Linux is the ability to configure it exactly how you'd like it. After all, it is your computer. 
• No subscriptions required--Commercial software from the likes of Adobe, Microsoft, and others, are increasingly moving toward subscription models that require users to keep paying in order to use the software. Linux distributions and application software are free and open source, meaning whatever you download and install is yours. You don't have to keep paying for it to use it; in fact, you most likely won't have to pay for it at all. You have free use of it in perpetuity, for as long as your hardware can run it.
• It does what you need it to do--The vast majority of computer users only really need a couple of applications: a Web browser, email client, and office productivity suite. All of this is available for Linux, and in many cases is bundled with the operating system. In many cases, titles like Chrome, Firefox, and Thunderbird may be familiar to users, while LibreOffice may be less so, even though it is also available free for Windows and Mac OS. Installing LibreOffice on your existing computer is a great way to become accustomed to it before switching to Linux.
• It's better for the environment--Being forced into frequent hardware upgrades is, quite frankly, a waste of resources. It's much better for the environment to keep your existing computer running and out of the landfill for as long as possible, and with Linux, it can stay up to date for much longer, and will potentially run better with the lighter system requirements of most Linux distributions. And as a bonus. It's also better for you wallet.

In keeping with the End of 10 ethos, I have intentionally kept this discussion distro agnostic. I strongly believe one should choose what's right for them, and thus I am not recommending any particular distro, beyond stating that I have settled in on Linux Mint, which meets my needs quite well, and acknowledging that your mileage may vary. I have discussed this at length in earlier entries, so I do not feel the need to repeat it here. 

That said, I do understand that having such a vast variety can be confusing, and maybe even a bit intimidating for many.  The article "Which Linux Distro Should You Choose: A Complete Guide to Help You Decide" From Linux Start may be helpful, even though I feel it is a bit Ubuntu-centric and gives Linux Mint short shrift. 

As you begin shopping for the perfect desktop Linux distro, it will be helpful to take your top few candidates (at least two) for a test drive. You can do this by downloading and copying them to a bootable USB drive. You can then boot your computer from the USB drive to explore that Linux distro without affecting anything on your computer's internal drive. Use the steps below to get started:

1. Get your computer ready--Before you boot into Linux, you will need to make a couple of changes to your computer's BIOS settings. First, you will need to turn Secure Boot off. This setting on Windows 10 and newer computers prevents it from booting into other operating systems. Second, you will need to change the Boot Order so that USB comes first. 
2.  Get your USB drive ready--One of the easiest ways to create a bootable USB drive is with the Rufus formatting utility. Just plug in the USB drive, launch Rufus, and follow the prompts. You can even let Rufus handle the BIOS changes above and download the desired Linux distro, if you want it to. 
3. Restart your computer--Once you have the ISO file for your desired distro on the USB drive, you're ready to start exploring Linux with a simple restart. At this point, you're running Linux from the USB drive, so things might be a little slower than normal (use a USB 3.0 drive and port for best results) but you're not affecting anything on any other drive. 
4. Install Linux--Once you're satisfied that you've found the right Linux distro for your needs, you're ready to install it on your computer, using the installer application on the desktop. The installation process is usually pretty straightforward. Just follow the prompts and make a few choices along the way. The first choice you will need to make is whether to do a clean install, which will erase your internal drive and install Linux as the only operating system, or make it a dual-boot system, which will create a separate disk partition for Linux and then you will choose your desired operating system on startup. Either way, please make sure you back up any files you want to keep before installing Linux. 

It is important to note that different distros require different levels of setup and configuration after they are installed. One of the reasons I like Linux Mint is it requires minimal setup, and can be done without entering commands in the Terminal. It found my WiFi network automatically, needing only my WPA password to log in, and then found my networked printers and automatically configured them, making the whole process very quick and painless, which was a huge plus in my book.  

It is my sincere hope that this article and the embedded links will help make the option of transitioning your existing computer to Linux a little less intimidating, whether you make the jump now or when support for Windows 10 ends on 14 October. You have four months to explore and try out the available options, and there's no time like the present to get started.