Options for When Microsoft Discontinues It's Support on Windows XP SP3

You are now officially my hero.

Ain't that the truth!

 

I've been playing with linux for about 9 months and I still don't have the slightest clue which distro is best for me. That's what virtual machines are for, just run them all!

 

I've been playing with it for years, and I still don't know which one is best for me... haha... things are constantly changing. But that's part of the fun of it all..

 

I've tried a few of them on different occasions. It's hard to even figure out which ones to try. Sure, you can look up a given variety and see that it contains this and that, which is little more than mass confusion if you don't know what those different pieces are or how they change from one version to the next. Screenshots do very little to help with choosing a desktop. The names tell you next to nothing. Finding a variant that includes a specific app or feature isn't hard. Finding one that includes or supports everything you want seems about impossible, as does finding one that isn't in a constant state of change for what appears to be no good reasons. I don't want to have to replace the OS every 6 months or each year. I don't want to be constantly getting used to a different desktop scheme or arrangement. I want a stable, consistent OS and a reasonably conventional desktop that doesn't require Gigabytes of RAM or the latest hardware to run decently. I either want the applications I use included or to be available without my having to learn to compile them. IMO, this is where Linux falls short. Unless you're fluent in Linux (for lack of a better way to say it), it's nearly impossible to find, select, and assemble what you need to do what you want. Life is too short to spend that much time replacing something that already works. If Linux wants users, they need to simplify this process and put it in terms the average Windows user can relate to.

 

After trying out literally dozens of distros for years, I've found that I had and have the best luck with ones in the top 10 on Distrowatch.Com. All of these are usually pretty stable. Which one is best for a particular machine can only be discovered by trying a half dozen of them or so. Takes a little time, but eventually you find what you're looking for. I have 2 that work especially well for me on my Asus. Those are openSUSE and PCLinuxOS. But... that could easily change in 6 months or a year.

 

The software center really couldn't be easier. If your program isn't there you can find it online and install it with a .deb, just like windows .exe.

 

Only the geekiest linux users are upgrading every 6 months, and usually it's only so they can complain about the new desktop environment with authority I kid, I kid.

Yeah, there seems to be a weird credo amongst linux developers to never ever leave good enough alone. However, there are long-term support versions that you can choose & use for years. The new LTS ubuntu 12.04 is coming out any day now, and it will be supported until 2017. Meanwhile you can sit back and completely ignore the other 10 new ubuntu releases (and all the other *buntu flavors) that come out between now & then.

 

Much agreed

 

@ noone_particular With the exception of Conical I don't see anyone really pushing for linux to be mainstream. I (and lots of others) don't care if it is mainstream as long as it meets our needs we'll use it, that should be all that matters. If windows meets your needs great! If Mac meets your needs great! They all do the job, they all work well. I don't think any suck or are crap, it's all about priorities and needs. I do encourage you (and anyone else) to try Ubuntu 12.04 though and check out the Software Centre, it has gotten alot easier in the past years and even better in this iteration.

I do this! Update to every update there is. I don't need to worry about systems crashing since I run all my data off an external RAID. System goes down all I have to do is reinstall.

 

Same here. I accept every update for everything pushed at me. No problems so far.