LINUX IS FINALLY REPLACING WINDOWS

Since Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 and tried to force everyone to use their appalling spyware system, Windows 11, their past decade of utter bullshit finally seems to be catching up with them.

lt's only this year that the Linux desktop operating systems seem to have finally gone from being geek only - 1-4% of desktop users, to this sudden rapid rise that could mess up the big players - if Windows drops from say 75% down to 50%, while Linux jumps up from 2% to 25% that is really going to shake things up.

In the past Microsoft have rolled out crappy new operating systems and everyone has just "updated" to whatever is put in front of them, even if it is a major step backwards. Like Windows 10 was after Win 7, let alone Win 8 after Win 7. But Win 11 has really created a backlash. It is obvious spyware as well as complete garbage, and many people are not happy. 

I use Linux Mint myself, but I also recommend Linux Zorin.

 

 "Zorin OS, an excellent Linux desktop, reports that its latest release, "Zorin OS 18 has amassed 1 million downloads in just over a month since its release." What makes it especially interesting is that over "78% of these downloads came from Windows" users.

Now, that's got my attention... 780,000 Windows users don't download a 3.5 Gigabyte Linux desktop distribution if they're not giving it serious consideration. Linux desktop fans download different distros all the time. For them, it's a hobby.

For Windows users? You have to think they are considering making the Linux switch.

Many have already been making the leap. By May 2025, StatCounter data showed the Linux desktop had grown from a minute 1.5% global desktop share in 2020 to above 4% in 2024, and was at a new American high of above 5% by 2025"

 https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-people-keep-flocking-to-linux-in-2025-and-its-not-just-to-escape-windows/ 

 

AVOID USING MICROSOFT

This is only the second topic on my privacy page and I can already see that the page is not going to be a logical and orderly progression of ideas, but rather a bunch of responses and reactions to whatever subjects come up.

 

Like the majority of computer users, I had been using Microsoft Windows forever, and only recently stopped, but I don't want to give the impression that Microsoft is the only one to avoid. Apple is full blown spyware as well, as of course is Google.

  

What seems to have really been the final straw is Microsoft's Windows 11. This appalling pile of full on spyware is so bad it has even aggravated non geeks who in the past would have just gone along with whatever crap Microsoft pushed on them.

 

This was my reply to a friend who yesterday asked what sort of computer she should get to replace a Windows 10 PC that was failing. I've had several friends asking similar questions recently, so I thought I'd better do a blog post to try and cover the basics of the current situation

Microsoft have lost the plot. Personally I stopped at Windows 7, and refused to ever use Win 10 to any extent, so I ended up sticking with Win 7 up until 2024, but I was having increasing problems with software that would no longer work on Win 7.

 

So I shifted to using Linux, which took me ages to get used to after 26 years of Microsoft - I prefer it now, but for the first six months I wished I could just go back to Win 7.

Much as I disliked Win 10, that is nothing to my dislike of Win 11, which is badly designed spyware with built in adverts, mainly designed to sell expensive PC's


Microsoft pulled support for Win 10 in October 2025, and have told everyone to get Win 11 which requires an expensive high end computer.


One good thing about that is that there are now thousands of Win 10 PC's going cheap because they won't update to Win 11


They will run fine for at least the next few years, but over time there will be increasing problems with Win 10, like there now is with Win 7.


A good solution is to switch old PC's over to Linux, which runs much better on older PC's because it's better designed software.


The catch is that you will need to learn to use Linux, which for non-geek Windows users is a big change, and to begin with many find difficult. Linux is different to Microsoft.


With Linux literally everything is a choice, while Windows has very little in the way of choices. For example with Windows you can now essentially only choose between switching to Win 11, or continuing to use Win 10.

https://sift666.blogspot.com/p/linux.html

Meanwhile on Linux there are hundreds of different versions (distros) to choose from which initially seems confusing. But it's often less confusing than it first seems.


For an ex Windows user who is not a geek, and just wants a good general purpose operating system, there are two stand out options - Linux Mint or Linux Zorin.

 

 
Both of those are from Ireland which is now a hotbed of computer development 


As with all things Linux, every last detail on these operating systems can be customised, although you can just run them on the default settings as they come if you want, and that will work fine too. They are not like Windows where all the defaults are set to spy on you, and need to be changed.

But essentially I think the best option for Windows 10 users wanting to buy a PC in 2025 is to buy a good used Win 10 PC, and to continue using Win 10 for now, but to be aware that in a few years you will probably have to convert it to Linux, so to start learning to use Linux now and gradually get used to it.

A lot of geeks recommend setting up a dual boot PC, often suggesting a combination of both Win 10 and Linux Mint, but I don't like dual boot set ups myself and prefer to keep Linux & Windows totally separate.

So for the initial learning stage I recommend getting a second computer, any half decent 64 bit laptop with a 500gb solid state drive (SSD) will be fine, and that means you can get used to Linux under no pressure. If anything goes horribly wrong you can just start over again.

 

Hundreds of old laptops and PC's are going cheap on Trade Me - here is a typical example, this is a 17" Dell laptop for $199, which would be ideal for setting up with Linux to learn the ropes.

 

I see no future in Win 11 and think Microsoft's appalling spyware will always be best avoided.

This my own Linux Mint PC - Linux uses different programs so instead of Word for example it runs Writer, but they are very similar. More difficult for me was that instead of Photoshop, Linux runs GIMP (Graphical Image Manipulation Program) and that is more of a difference.

 

BUT IT DOES WORK

When I was checking out some Linux links as part of the updates I’m doing to my LINUX PAGE, I revisited a page called "Why Linux is not ready for the desktop" that I first read years ago.

It was written by a geek called Artem S. Tashkinov, who makes a really full on case that Linux doesn’t work as a desktop operating system, and is not suitable as a replacement for Windows.

It is fully researched and well presented. Mr Tashkinov really seems to know his stuff, and I remember when I originally read it I was fully convinced, so I went back to Windows 7.

He updates the page regularly, and has hundreds of people commenting, who mostly agree with him.

But he is wrong.

He is an experienced computer geek who really knows his stuff (an expert), while I am a clueless numpty who often struggles with the basics. So how on earth can I definitively say he is wrong?

Mainly because of one simple fact. For the past year I have used Linux as my desktop operating system every day, on both my PC and Laptop. I used it to replace Windows and it is not only working, it is generally working well.

Here is a screenshot of my Linux desktop operating system happily working well this morning:

He is not the only person online saying Linux doesn’t work and is unsuitable to replace Windows. There are dozens of YouTube videos essentially saying the same thing, but they don’t have all the research to back them up that Mr Tashkinov does.

But I’m certainly not the only person successfully using Linux as a desktop operating system. As of 2025, Linux-based operating systems now exceed 4% of the global desktop market.

There are estimated to be more than two billion PC’s in 2025, so 4% of that is more than 80 million. That means there are literally MILLIONS of people using Linux as their desktop operating system.

As well as all those PC’s, 100% of the top 500 supercomputers in the world are running on Linux in 2025, which tends to confirm that it must have some good points.

I’m not a geek and have no desire to get into arguments with geeks, because using their thinking methods and playing by their rules, they would shred me.

But as far as I’m concerned, if I’m using Linux as my everyday operating system, and millions of other people are as well, then this argument is done and dusted. Linux does work as a desktop operating system, the proof is right there in plain sight.

So how can these geeks claim otherwise? Personally I think they are deliberately ignoring all the millions of instances of it working, and focusing only on when it doesn’t.

However I’m not about to deny that for non geeks fleeing from Windows, Linux often initially doesn’t work very well, so next I’m going to do a post with 10 common mistakes and how to avoid them.

I’ve done multiple installs of Linux, and on some occasions have not been happy with the results, and have had to start over again. But I've found that by sticking to Linux Mint and avoiding some basic mistakes, it's not that hard to avoid most common Linux problems.

STARTING OVER AGAIN

SIFT LINUX PAGE UPDATE

 

 To help people making the switch to Linux I started compiling my Linux posts into a SIFT LINUX PAGE back in 2024, but it became a jumbled mess and needed a tidy up. So I decided to start over again and make it all as simple as possible. 

One way to simplify things is to have a list of links back to original posts rather than trying to copy and paste them all into one big page.

LINUX POSTS ON THIS BLOG (newest at top) 

 AM I AN IDIOT? - Self doubts about my geek skills 

BTW I USE ARCH - Some memes to troll Linux Arch geeks

WHICH LINUX DISTRO? - I really only recommend two, either Mint or Zorin

ONLINE PRIVACY - A few ways to keep hold of a bit of privacy

TESTING OUT FOSS - There is masses of Free Open Source Software (FOSS)

LINUX NEEDS MORE FILE BROWSERS - My issues with Linux file browsers

RETURNING TO LINUX - Why I quit Windows & moved to Linux

LINUX MISINFORMATION -  Yes, even Linux reviews are full of lies 

 

My Linux info is not aimed at geeks, it's for people who have been using Windows or Apple computers, and want to move to Linux in search of privacy and security, or for ethical reasons.

As with most subjects, with Linux there is far too much complexity and misinformation online, and that is often just confusing rather than helpful.

An ever increasing number of people are now asking about Linux. In the past this was mainly just an idle curiosity, but now they are seriously looking for an alternative to Windows or Apple. 

Linux was originally aimed mainly at geeks and was fairly difficult for regular computer users to come to terms with. When I first tried Linux Ubuntu in 2010, after about a month I gave up and went back to Windows XP.

Back in 2010 I did a page about Linux "LINUX A n00b goes for a test drive" which is still online, but despite having had a quick update in 2016, it's mostly out of date now.

With the benefit of hindsight, Windows XP was actually a pretty good operating system, as were Windows 2000 and Windows 7. But things have really changed since those days, and Microsoft are no longer even trying to hide their evil intentions.

For me Windows ended with Windows 7. Windows 11 is full on spyware and Microsoft is clearly aiming to build an AI operating system monitoring everything you do, meanwhile Apple is moving in the same direction, so sooner or later I think anyone who wants any privacy on a computer will have to move to Linux 

These days, some of the Linux Operating systems (Distros) are pretty good, as they have been slowly progressing, while Windows has been relentlessly going backwards since Windows 7.  

Like many people I had been complaining for years about Microsoft, but there reached a point where I had to admit that I had no future with Microsoft, so would need to do whatever it took to move on. 

(This is a screenshot of my desktop, and it's pretty cool really - It's Linux Mint which is my favourite Linux distro)

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and ramped up their efforts to push the even more appalling Windows 11, with its built in advertising, and full blown spyware (Recall) taking constant screenshots of your desktop and sending them back to Microsoft. 

I'm expecting that even non security minded Windows users are finally going to start having issues with this level of spying.

SOME HANDY LINUX LINKS (sorted alphabetically) 

 A n00b goes for a test drive - My own original page about Linux from 2010

Distrowatch - A great introduction and overview of Linux distros

Libre Office - My pick for best replacement for Microsoft Office 

Linux Mint - My own daily driver & favourite distro

Linux Zorin - A stylish & highly recommended distro

TECMINT - Information about Linux stuff

A LINE IN THE SAND

This month (September 2025) really has been a step too far for me. Pretty much every day there has been some new fudporn story to warn us that we are all totally screwed. 

We may well all be totally screwed, one way or another, but even I can see that going on about it every day is probably not going to prevent anything bad happening.

A big give away is that the very same entities that are trying to screw us over are providing most of the information revealing how we are about to be screwed.

Today I want to say "enough is enough" to fudporn, and change my own focus to solutions rather than problems. 

I have no idea if I will successfully manage to do this, because admittedly after 27 years of researching and blogging about "conspiracies" I've become very much habituated to focusing on that side of things. 

But starting right now, I'm going to have a crack at switching my focus. This blog post is intended to be my line in the sand!

Here is an example: Microsoft have been spying on us for decades, and Windows 11 is a completely crappy operating system, as well as being full on spyware. 

 

At the start of this year I switched to using Linux full time on my PC & laptop. Now I'm a Linux user, free from Microsoft, and have recently been helping some of my friends to switch over as well.

This is a screenshot of my desktop, and it's pretty cool really. Like many people I had been complaining for years about how Microsoft has been going backwards since Windows 7, but there reached a point where I had to admit to myself that I had no future with Microsoft, so would need to do whatever it took to move on. 

(My desktop - This is Linux Mint which is my favourite Linux distro)

BTW I USE ARCH

LOL - I don't really use Arch, I only said that to troll some Linux geeks. In reality I wouldn't even be able to install Arch, and I actually use Mint. But geeks can be such plonkers sometimes, after looking at a bunch of Linux forums yesterday to solve some tech problems, I needed to post some memes today.

 

BTW I Use Arch is a catchphrase used to make fun of the type of person who feels superior because they use a more difficult Linux distribution. Memes about ArchLinux users being nerds have appeared online as early as 2011 and are likely inspired by troubleshooting posts by Arch users trying to maintain the OS. The memes became increasingly popularized on Linux-based subreddits around 2018.

 

WHICH LINUX DISTRO?

I've recently had some more friends asking about switching to Linux, as the great exodus from Windows 11 spyware begins.

Searching for info online, they encounter Linux geeks who make everything more confusing by saying things like "There are more than 600 Linux distros, and here are the top 10 beginner distros you should consider".

But these are ex-Windows users, so they don't want 10 options, they just want one operating system that works. For Windows users who want a good Linux operating system to replace Windows, here are the two best options in my opinion - Mint or Zorin.  

I use Mint myself - https://linuxmint.com/ - I like it because it looks like a modern version of Windows 7, but with dark mode and a bunch of other upgrades.

Here is a screenshot of my desktop, but pretty much everything can be changed, it's all about personal preferences. 

Zorin - https://zorin.com/os/  - is often recommended for ex Mac users and people who want a more modern Windows 11 look, but the Mac version (where it looks like a Mac) requires paying for the pro license (cost NZ$90 one off) - the free version is fine but it looks more like Windows 10.

Having such an easy way to switch between desktop layouts is a really cool idea - no other distro has quite set this up so well - but Zorin have taken a lot of flack for charging for the Pro version, because it sort of goes against Linux principles -  https://zorin.com/os/pro/ - I think it's fair enough because their free version has everything that is actually needed, just not all the extras. 

Both those distros come from Ireland - Ireland is now considered one of the most tech savvy countries in the world - it's odd how these things work out!

Another big advantage of Linux is that pretty much any hardware will do:

Linux has much lower requirements than Windows or Apple - pretty much anything that is 64 bit will work - some distros even have 32 bit versions for really old computers - but the two I'm recommending here - Mint or Zorin, don't make 32 bit versions, so just make sure it's 64 bit laptop or PC you are using - anything less than 10 years old shouldn't be a problem.

 But no system is perfect - whatever you decide to do on a computer there are always issues, and they always seem to take ages to sort out - there is a myth online that switching to Linux can be easy - people say things like "My mum switched to using a Linux laptop and she never had any problems" I suspect they set everything up for her, and she only uses the browser. 

As well as getting used to the new operating system, you also have to learn so much new stuff it can be overwhelming - for example if you are used to Photoshop you have to learn to use Gimp instead - everything is similar, but a bit different. But Gimp is free while Photoshop costs NZ$44.50 a month, so there is that extra incentive.

There are multiple free options in Linux to replace any Windows software, and it's easy to install them using the software manager, but each choice usually requires trying several out and choosing which one you like best, and then getting used to using it. So all this takes time & effort.