Alt text: Trojan Horse meme, Steam Deck bringing Linux to Windows gamers
this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
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I'm a power user, I don't even want to upgrade or have to reinstall because of how much shit I've gone through to get it to this point. Easily a decade old install and very active use. I would lose so much random stuff if I ever had to upgrade or switch. Windows is shit and Microsoft are total bastards for that, there's no denying it. But for me, it is not so simple as one being better or worse. Maybe if I were in a stage to switch I'd consider it, but still windows is not without its own offerings/positives.
Slowly switching may be an option for you. You could always dual boot a Linux distro alongside your current Windows install.
Then once you have Linux running with all your apps, etc, you can see what you're missing from your Windows install and if you can move stuff over, etc.
You could even try it in a VM, see if you can set it up in a VM to how you like first before doing the whole install, may or may not be a bit easier (easier in the sense that you can directly compare whatever you do on Windows with the Linux install in a vm).
Why would they want to switch to Linux if Windows works for them?
It takes a lot of effort
They don't have to, I was simply providing a solution to a problem they don't have.
If they want to, but can't because of they decade old configurations, this solution could ease the process or allow them to figure out if it's even a possibility.
Basically just letting them know they can try it without destructing their existing Windows setup.
That's a totally valid path. Which I kinda already do. I have a few distros that I either vm or use as repair/emergency spaces because they're different and so reliable. Oh what's that? The index of my os drive is corrupted because I did something stupid? UBUNTU TIME.
But honestly, the amount of pirated software that I've gotten to work and all my sql databases and workstation software and licences that work are things that I probably can't get again. There's so much stuff. Like I have an installation of postman with almost a decade of just temporarily saved api settings, or that all of my vsts are all setup nearly exactly as I want, or that my Firefox has the css and extensions and settings in those extensions set. That stuff just doesn't sync.
I could maybe go through and methodically cut out each and every thing, but chances are, you really can't, it won't translate, and I'll forget all kinds of stuff. I'm honestly panicking about losing windows 10 at the end of this year. I REALLY don't want to switch to windows 11 and deeply deeply hate Microsoft for taking back their word that windows 10 would be the last windows. I'll never forgive them for that, even though I basically knew they were going to.
Anyways, your idea is a good one, but I've already tried it and several distros. I probably won't switch to linux or mac os because there's just too much obscure stuff that I use that is either not on Linux/MacOS or is so old that I'm using compatibility and will never ever be updated. I really have tried to use linux before, even the big main distros and the really heavyweights.
Unreal, unity, wwise, visual studio, cubase, protools, flstudio, and a bunch of other editors and stuff that I use all the time, including all kinds of bullshit in ms office (like api extensions and inter-database calculations and backend extensions some that I've written!), either don't have support or the support is worse that it already is on Windows. I'm already trying to keep from blowing my brains out with windows things and keeping them stable. I already have waayyyy too much work to do. Switching os's is like.... Fuck. I don't have the time for that.
There is no good os for me. They are all all shit. But right now, the one I've got, and all the work I've put INTO it, is the closest.
Trying to get me to switch to Linux is like going up to the front door of a mad wizard's lair or castle or something, and being like, "Have you thought about perhaps you might want to build a new house? Our construction company that builds these nice little boutique custom homes could help you with that. We use sustainable, green, all kosher materials, and you can build it however you want!" Like I'm sure for other people that would be great. Or if mine ever explodes and I have to start over (it already regularly explodes).
If your OS is so brittle that you can't upgrade it without "losing so much random stuff," you're not standing on solid ground, and I'd argue "it doesn't work properly either. You're basically balancing on a house of cards that, and eventually it will fall, and it won't be pretty. Do yourself a favour and switch to a more future-proof solution, now that you still have proper access to your data. Future you will most likely thank yourself.
Lol you aren't entirely wrong. You do sound kind've like a used car salesperson though hahaha.
The user who responded to you is basically my response though. Plus, I'm used to fixing this house of cards, even if I cry whenever it bsod's or whatever.
Between 2019 and 2023 I troubleshot so many things to try to figure out what was breaking in my computer. Over that time, I rma'd almost all of the core hardware because it failed or seemed like it was failing. The last piece I rma'd was my gpu, an EVGA 3090. It was causing so many problems. Yet, my partner's EVGA 3080 still runs fine to this day.
My point is, it's not always the OS. For me, it's because of a lot of sketchy shit I do and old hardware that barely works. For example, I'm using a VERY nice but very old firewire audio interface.
Also, I'm not as worried about losing my data, that'll exist on drives and can be pulled off.
Lol yeah fair point.
My main concern was that a fair amount of people tend to customize their windows install into oblivion and end up loosing their data. Did it myself before I learned my lesson π
Took me a while to realise Linux was the solution all my issues, been very happy since! But ofc, whatever works for you is good enough, sounds like u know what you're doing.
If you have a 10 year old Linux intall you wouldn't want that to go away either. That has nothing to do with the OS.
Stop being so "aggressive" against people's and let them have their own opinion. It is not helping to get others to get to Linux. What does help is to show people how it can be done.
If there was a way I could like magically gender-swap my pc from Windows to Linux, I'd absolutely try it.
Like take all the programs, and scrape all the internal data and stuff and move it to Linux. Take all the settings and logins and customizations from my ide's and workstations and drives and directories and symlinks and apos and drivers.
God. That would be like a dream. Just press one button, and copy a system but switch its fundamental kernaling and systems or whatever. Honestly, that ease and already-built-up-systems-and-tools is part of the reason that I LIKE Windows.
Some Linux distros have things like that, but they fall very short of the robustness of windows's job in these regards. Like, except for all of the MASSIVE GLARING PRIVACY AND ETHICAL PROBLEMS that the windows 11 upgrade kindly offers without compromise, it kind of is like that magical switch.
But you've gotta realize HOW much I hate having to tear things out and add things and set them up again. It's a MASSIVE waste of time to me. And switching to an os that has less options and comes with none? That's madness to me. Absolute madness. Things running through my head about how to get certain midi controllers to work and stacking audio apos on each other reliably with minimal lag and routing in software.... Ughghh... It was hard enough in Windows. I'm traumatized. And I bet random things all over just wouldn't work.
I'm one of those people that feels limited by my 32thread 128gb ram system. My next build will likely be either epyc or threadripper. Unless the tech (hardware) industry is just nuked from orbit by our inbred nazi conservative drooling overlords. Times are a' changin'.
But no one keeps a 10 year Linux install when upgrading is a trivial command. That's the whole point.
Also, this is advice you're already being given for free, no one here cares if you stay on Windows or not. No one is going to help you more than that.
The first mistake is not keeping your 10 year old installation updated
There a Debian installs that are like 20 years old. They have been continuously updated over time.
An old install doesn't mean no updates
Yeah I'm not really sure why an old install means not updating it or anything on it.
Also, just because it's windows, doesn't mean there aren't package managers. And I DON'T want to update a ton of stuff for production reasons. I'm not sitting over here blindly. Are there are a lot of Linux users that think Windows users are morons or something?
That's what I wrote?
Thatβs not even a discussion if it was or wasnβt update