Because of you, I switched my 70+ yo father over to Linux mint. He uses it for the internet, he hasn't had any issues with it. Thank you for your vids.
I started working with Windows 7 Home Premium back in 2012. In 2016, on the same desktop and on the same drive, I added/upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. NOT ONE HICCUP!!! Any short term problems were my fault and easily fixable. I still get security updates every 30 days or so (maybe because I installed it with a Product Key). About 6 months ago I bought a high end laptop that had Windows 11 pre-installed. I cranked it up, used ONE of 11's tools and installed Linux Mint Cinnamon, choosing to wipe out completely Windows 11. I have no use for anything Microsoft spits out post Windows 7. Like Christopher, my go-to thru out the day is 7's Ultimate There ARE various 7s out there with product keys. I wish you all well. and THANK YOU Mr' Barnatt for all your posts.
@@stevenwalley5620 I used W10 for years. It was the closest thing to W7 that followed, I think. W11 is just a stretch too far. After seeing the Zorin OS (Linux Ubuntu) video, I ditched Windows on both my machines. I'm very happy with it. It is also just screaming fast on both my desktop and laptop. Explaining Computers is such a great resource!
@@scottculkin3846 I have to use Windows 7, as I like to program and can't get MS FlexGrid to work uncompelled on any later versions of Windows. If anybody knows of a free replacement for FlexGrid, please let me know. I do have/use Windows 10 and Linux also.
@@stevenwalley5620 Windows 7 was the best Windows ever got. It's sad they haven't even remotely tried to recapture that balance between usability, compatibility, and just looking good.
Installed Zorin OS Pro 17 on my Dad's 2014 Laptop, and he is more than happy with it. He was used to Microsoft due to his work, but I pushed him slowly towards FOSS & Linux, after he retired in 2007, but still used Microsoft! But for the last 6 or so years he has become comfortable with Linux. He is primary usage is around Scrolling web, watching RUclips, using Social media, Loves editing photos, and is without any issue switching between PhotoShop & GIMP, also has been now constantly using Libre Office along with MS Office & can now easily sort out any difficulty arising from comparability between Libre & MS! The main reason for Zorin was its Zorin Connect(for Android only), his primary Smartphone is Samsung S23, and also has an iPhone 13 Mini & Nokia 220 4G keypad phone(these phones are the best). No complains so far! Zorin & Linux Mint, in my opinion are the easiest for anyone coming from Windows, my Mom also finds Zorin & Mint, very similar to Windows in most of her use cases! For Mac OS, atleast in my experience, Elementary OS is without the doubt the, easiest to learn around, for people used to Mac OS!
I’m currently running LM Cinnamon 20.3 as a dual boot with Windows 7 (offline) on an old i3 2100, I really must upgrade the PC. I’d much rather be running Windows 7 as a VM in Linux Mint which I’ll get around to at some stage. I quite like the look of running Chrome OS Flex through the TV on a silent machine, it looks to be an interesting alternative. Thanks Chris my Sunday is complete!
I also have Windows XP running in a sandbox. On my old 286, I run Windows 3.1, and Atari DOS on an 800XE. I’ve loved computers since 1984. Thank you for your wonderful videos, Christopher.
Chris, nice to see you again! I am a longtime viewer of your going well back into your college teaching days. You are my go to guy for all things computing and really take the mystery out of lots of things especially as new technology evolves. I currently use Windows 10 (as long as I can) but have used all versions of Windows going back to 3.1 and before that BASIC programing. Because of my age and cognitive decline and illnesses over the years, I am not as forward thinking and constructive as I use to be. I have built many computers over my life and probably have owned 25 or more laptops for business. I currently use a desktop PC (Windows 10, I7 and am a big fan of all things GOOGLE and use many, many of their apps) I have a request for a video if I may, I think you would get lots of hits on this subject. Being of limited income now days, yet I still have one remaining computer build in mind and it is a simple one. We all are trying to reduce our number of subscriptions however what holds me back from cutting the cord with my cable company is the DVR they rent you and it's associated boxes to stream from. Could you make a video on how to make a low cost computer/DVR for the TV? A mini board would be a great start I believe and am interested to see how Chrome OS Flex would work on such a build! It would help me greatly and save me over $2000 a year. Lets face it, here in the US streaming is in and TV Cable providers are out, that is why they keep raising prices. My cable is fiber optic but through my phone company, right now a cable feeds into my DVR but it could also operate by talking to my network Bluetooth. This project is over my head but could put it together with a video that layed out a floor plan. Thank you sir for your consideration of the request. Allways a Chris Fan Rich aka moonpie
This is not a bad video question, as right now there are few systems that allow for using PCs as streaming boxes. The are apple tv boxes, android boxes (of which Amazon's fire stick and google chromecast is an option), but nothing like the media center of old which allows you to run modern apps. Kodi needs so much unnecessary faffing-about just to watch RUclips, forget any other streaming app.
The key question in building a DVR system is where you are and what kind of OTA reception you get. If you are in a part of the US with good OTA reception, SiliconDust’s HD Home Run system or Tablo are hard to beat. CableCard killed using your own dvr with cable. So if OTA reception is poor, you will be better off dropping cabletv and gettin youtubetv, fubo, sling or one of the other subscriptions. They can drop that cable bill from $2k to $1k per year but wont get rid of it.
Oof. RUclips TV is my family's "cable" provider and has unlimited cloud DVR storage. If you're streaming on demand most things anyway, I'm not sure where the DVR comes in, but I technically have one from a cheap antenna -> HDMI box (external USB storage required). You're making this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. All you need to stream video is a computer (a smart TV, TV stick, TV box, laptop, or desktop) and the necessary apps. You could do it all via a smartphone and Chromecast if you wanted. Some smartphones even have video output that might work with your TV at the cost of a USB C hub/adapter. A DVR should not be shackling you to a cable provider.
@@encycl07pedia- You are correct and I have just have to come to conclusions first. Yes, I wish I had a DVR to record like football on other stations and the news but there are workaround if I want to put up the new way of things, which is what I will do! Thanks for being clear about your message and I am sending Dish TV to the graveyard after football season. I already stream anything I want from the NFL through Europe so getting content is not the issue. Thanks again buddy!
I have helped numerous other seniors in our retirement community (I'm 77 and the go to guy for computer advice and anti-scam programs) and load Zorin for them in prep for the forced switch to Windows 11 which many of their computers won't run. I set up icons with links to their usual stuff and have yet to have a complaint or problem. Linux desktops have come a long way since I first started using Linux since it was created. And since most activity is online for most people I recommend they purchase Chromebooks or install Linux as an alternative to Windows 11. On my personal machines, I use Arch variations (I'm an inveterate distro hopper) with Windows 10 or 11 or both installed in a VM for demos.) I am intrigued by your Chrome Flex install on the TV and perhaps you could do a program on how you set that up. Thanks for a great channel.
@@Praxibetel-Ix I am sure which ever one it is, he runs it on 58 RAID-ed hard drives on a Raspberry Pi on "Wacky Jeff's Computing Entertainment Channel".
A lot of people talk about using the best operating system for your needs, but I think this is the first video I've ever seen where someone has demonstrated an example of exactly why and how to do that with more than, e.g., Windows 11 and a single Linux. :) Though, I have to admit … seeing Windows 7 and XP and Ribbonless Office hurt a bit. I'd let myself forget how much nicer everything used to look, feel, and work. Now I'm just inured to occasionally needing to pull up a RUclips video to find a formatting button in Word 365. … I grew up with Word 5.1a on a Mac Centris 610. I fear I will never be satisfied with any modern option ever again.
Have you considered using LibreOffice Writer as your word processor if you like the ribbon-less style? It will allow you to edit and create Word documents, but is much more "traditional" in its menu layout. Same for its Excel equivalent, LibreOffice Calc. It's free and open source (although if you decide to keep using it, please contribute to its upkeep, asa that is only fair). AND, it has versions for Windows, Mac and Linux!
I like the idea of using different OS's, they all have their uses but it sounds like its a lot of computers being used when in reality most of it could be done with a virtual box and Windows 11 and maybe one Linux machine for the other tasks, I still don't get why he needs so many different systems.
@@davidgoodnow269 I had it from 6-12. And then, I had surgery and had to do distance learning over a Windows PC for high school, and … that was that. When we gave away the Centris (regret!), the top-case was actually starting to cave in from the weight of the 13" color monitor on top...
Knowledge is power, and running so many OS for your use cases shows that. I dualboot PopOS and Windows 10 for mainly gaming now, but your Chrome OS Flex computer got me hankering for a media box now!
Happy New Year, Christopher; I have mentioned this before, but I've been running Linux Mint since shortly after Windows XP went End-of-Life. I have tried other Linux distros, but keep coming back to Mint.😀
I tried many Linux distros before finally settling on Debian. Debian is non-flashy, competent, workmanlike, and a bit dull, so it's the distro that best reflects my self-image.
Thanks for posting, Mr B. After the Christmas mayhem, I find myself alone in the kitchen, sipping morning coffee, and enjoying your content. Happy New Year to you and yours, and thanks again
I've been fascinated by operating systems since Windows 3.1. where a full install was using 18 diskettes. I did fresh installs often. Now I use only Linux Mint Debian Edition, KDE Neon and checking out Pop Os Cosmic on a test rig. Windows is gone from my life forever as of 2019. I don't know how you keep track of all that Chris but more power to you. Thanks for another great video.
Windows 3.11 was 5 5.25" disks. Windows 3.11 WFW was 8, the first 6 were the OS, the remaining 2 were for the network related stuff. Have very fond memories of installing 3.11WFW off the 8 disks :)
I'm a die-hard Linux Fedora user on my desktop PC and, until recently, on my laptop. I've recently installed Kubuntu on my laptop partly because I was getting fed up of updating it with every new release, and partly because I wanted my wife to see what it was like before I installed it on her laptop which is currently running a very old Fedora version. We also have an ancient PC with Windows XP on it which hasn't been booted in ages which really needs to be re-cycled. Oh, of course numerous Raspberry Pis all running Raspberry Pi OS.
Hello Chris. I use Fedora on my Framework laptop computer almost every day but my main computer is my MacBook Pro running MacOSX 15. Have been using a Mac since they came out in 1984 and have owned many Macs over the years. It is great for running virtual machines and Windows runs quite well on it. Since I’m retired now I mainly use it for my computer hobby which is learning new coding tools like Python and node.js and other stuff. Obviously I really like your channel for all the great Linux information and for things to try on small computers like the Raspberry Pi. It is amazing how well Linux runs nowadays and it really does seem like most people would only need a Linux system for daily use such as email, banking, writing documents et cetera. I continue to find the expense of using Windows ridiculous. Paying $129 for an OS seems almost criminal to me. Keep up the good work and have some Marmite for me!
Linux Mint is my preferred desktop. I have tried all seven of the desktops you have featured here, including many other Linux desktops, and I always return to Mint. It is as stable as a 100-ton rock, has an easy-to-use interface, and works for everything I do daily. Occasionally, I use Win 10, but only when I need to run software that does not run on Linux. The other thing I like about Mint is that it is easily installed, even on old computers that can no longer run Windows 10 or 11. For me, Linux Mint ticks all the boxes, and it is the first desktop I recommend to friends who want to try Linux.
Sometimes - I run W10 & W11 - just to keep my skills up to date. But honestly - these days - I run *Linux Mint - LMDE-6* edition for my daily computer use. I have less & less reason to fire up Windows. if I really must - I can always start it in a virtual environment. I mostly use Only-Office - which is an almost carbon-copy of MS-Office. I have free access to MS-Office online as well - so little need to run Windows.
@@PaxAlotin I run Windows 11. It's kind of annoying and not well polished-(the interface and menu system on Win7/older office software was VERY functional), but it has the latest security features, can handle a lot of programs, and odd hardware. I have virtual machines in Linux and use them a lot (Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and others). I'm thinking of running/learning Fedora and eventually just compile things like Gentoo.
I like LinuxMint, but since Opensuse can easily support any desktop, be it whatever Kde, Gnome, and other obscure ones, I prefer that. You can even have cinnamon if you want.
@@sprockkets I hope you know - you can install any desktop environment in Mint. I've got KDE + Mate & LXQt working perfectly. No different to OpenSuse in that regard - but with the extra benefit of accessing Debian & Ubuntu packages.
So enjoyable.! Since you asked here are the operating systems that I run nearly every day: Daily Driver: Pop Os & LInux Mint. I have these on two N100 machines at opposite ends of my L-shaped desk. Additionally, I run 3 bare metal version of Proxmox for virtualization ( for Home Assistant, PiHole, Portainer, etc etc) on older hardware, a TrueNas Scale on ancient Dell hardware for NAS and about a dozen Raspberry Pi Ws, 2Ws, 3s and 4s (no 5s yet) for things such as ADS-B via SDR (SDRAngel). I also have a Win 11 gaming machine and a Win 11 system for all my freelance audio editing work. Generally, I have about 40-50 containers running at any given instant doing all sorts of tasks. I also have a 2001 Dell computer that still boots Windows ME to this day. Like you, I run several versions of older Windows off-line and virtualized (mostly on Proxmox). Even though I muck about in some more complex endeavors that you usually cover on this channel, I find your videos informative and both refreshing and good refreshers. Thank you.
Thank you ! I'm on Windows 11 now. Once i tried Ubuntu, it worked well for me when I purchased Ubuntu Desktop(Dell) and then converted it to Windows. I am going to try using it again.Enjoy watching your videos.Wishing you a Happy New Year, Chris 🎉🎉🎉 🎉🎉
Windows 7 was the last version that I found truly enjoyable to use. I've been using Linux Mint very happily for a couple of years, and a few months ago switched the last the last Windows holdout in my household to Mint. Strongly agree with your opinion on the ribbon interface!
I agree. From a users persepctive 7 was the last version i got along with and stayed with. I stayed with 7 till the end just like i did with XP. I dont really like 10 but run it since it playes games and it is "windows". But i dont like what data microsft now wants and how they collect it. I certainly dont like 11 and the new "features" that are included and soon to be made mandatary. Recall, that is. It wont be long and Recall will be mandatory. Mark my words. For personal stuff i will not be using windows come Oct 2025 when 10 officialy dies. I might get one year extended support for 33 dollars since i prefer 10 over 11. I dont like 10 compared to 7 but it is the lesser of the devils.
@@marstedt Dont get too excited. The only thing you got was defender definitions. Found and unfound day zero's will not be patched, looked at or addressed. You are swiming on your own and it is advised to keep it offline.
@@suminshizzles6951 - Defender definitions are not included in the security update pack. The latest update includes KB5048695-x64 and certificate update similar to KB931125, KB2917500. Also, all updates needed since SP1. Think of it as SP3 for Windows 7.
My gaming laptop runs Windows 11. My older backup gaming laptop runs Windows 10. Two alternative laptops that I use quite often runs Ubuntu. My Raspberry Pi’s run the official Raspberry Pi OS. The last one worth mentioning is an old desktop, that is a future project, running Windows Vista. Looking forward to your next video!
I fully agree with your evaluation of the OS landscape. I also appreciate that you did this in a professional tone without flashing neon letters and 200 dB audio dynamic range. Thank you.
No wonder. I've ran Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Arch to name just few and Debian is the one I've tend to lean on for like last 5 years. It just works and there's so much documentation etc. for it. Also it's just nice to have some older hardware that I don't use that much with stable and see that I won't usually get gigs of updates after booting, unless like Flatpaks happen to be installed. Before I ran Linux Mint for quite long, but about year ago I ran into some issues and liking Cinnamon I now run LMDE on few desktops. Solid Debian base there after all. Even dated software isn't issue these days with like Flatpaks on some software. I still do run Windows and MacOS and don't have any issues with them either. But Debian is my choice for Linux based systems or VM's.
Must be nice. I'm like this guy, I have 4 PCs, Win11, Arch Linux w/Hyprland on dual boot plus my laptop, which is also running Arch w/Hypr, and then i have two apples. One from about 2010 era and the other more modern, 2016 era. My issue with committing to one OS is I use such a wide variety of tools and software for varying purposes, and in most cases, it is just easier to keep alternatives around when needed. Not to mention, some of the hardware I've grown attatched to using and find efficient in my workflow is often propietary and doesn't give me a choice which OS to use. Though, most days, I only touch the machine dual booting win11 and Arch. Win11 is for my gaming, VR and game dev. Arch being used for everything else. I pull the apples out occasionally for music production, but typically just running ableton on win11
I'm running Debian 12 as well though only on my work PC and so far, I've never had any problems with it. Looking to make the full switch to Linux within next year since my main desktop is still running Windows 10 though I have no idea if I should go with Debian or Arch Linux (I run Arch on my laptop). Maybe I'll go with Debian Sid, no clue.
Месяц назад+35
As much as I don't like running outdated stuff, I totally understand your sentiment for Windows 7 and for Office 2002. Those were pretty much perfect in terms of UX.
Couldn't he set up LibreOffice or OnlyOffice to look and run exactly the way he wants and not worry about running 4 different versions of Windows? I understand having the offline rig, but this seems crazy over-complicated for a RUclips channel...
Yeah, they haven't added any new features, or improvements since 2002. Congrats of your infinite wisdom.
Месяц назад
@@alexwr In an ideal world LibreOffice would produce 100% identical output to MS Word, but that's still not the case. That said, I don't think Chris needs 100% MS Word compatiblity all the time. But I think the point of conserving such an old Windows 7 setup, is that it's air tight sealed, he can use it anytime and edit the videos, always finding the PC and it's software in the state as he left it. Just think about the industrial equipments running embedded systems, you mostly going to find such old OSs on them. It's the same idea. If it works, don't break it.
I get having the air tight rig for Windows, where things can go horribly wrong with an update, especially when you're already so used to certain editing software etc... I think OnlyOffice has near perfect compatibility with Microsoft IIRC, although I don't know how customisable it is with the layouts. At least I know with LibreOffice he could do whatever he liked with it. I get it for editing, but not for basic document office work, it seems a bit much to be running XP just for that alone.
Месяц назад
@@alexwr we haven't seen what's on the XP machine exactly besides Office. Also XP could still serve as an interface for some old device, which has no driver past that OS version. With VM USB passthrough you can still use those with modern machines.
Hey, I too am an old MS Office user. I run Office 2003. I run it on Windows 10 and it works flawlessly. However, Windows 11 does not play nice with it. I have figured out though if you uninstall OneDrive it will work. I use OneDrive as an offsite cloud backup of things that I can not lose, but I have configured the NAS to access it. So I can save to the OneDrive on the NAS and it will save to the cloud. No need to have OneDrive installed on every PC anymore. My hobby box has an interchangeable main hard drive and I swap Linux distros to my heart's content. This will also let me play with Proxmox. I have an offline Windows XP machine and an offline Windows 98SE machine for playing the games I bought in my youth. And I have a PC running Windows 11 for the sole purpose of running virtual machines and emulators that has a guest machine for running most OSes from Microsoft from DOS 6.22 to Windows 11, including 3.11, NT4, and 8 (The mistake that Microsoft now seems to want to forget)
I use Ubuntu studio,dual booted with windows 10 on my Amd tyzen mostly for music and video production and I use Linux mint on my office Dell machine. Great show. I watch you very frequently. Thank you
I liked to experiment with Linux, but when Recall came and I had to finally pull the plug on Windows, I chose Mint. Simply because as my daily driver I needed a reliable system that just works. Experimental stuff is fun, but I need reliable. I am very surprised how much gaming has improved on Linux, I can run 90% of my Windows native games.
@@egyptian316 No, I disagree you can thank Steam using PROTON but gaming on Linux using Steam has been my thing since 2019/2020 although I do use Lutris and Bottles. Linux itself has really improved dramatically in my opinion since 2019 and it has been my only OS since moving away from MS Windows since 2016 purely because I didn't like the direction Win 10 was going with its data collection and undoing what modification that I was making when along came a new update. I finally landed on POP-OS after first using Linux Mint and then Ubuntu but found I was just much happier with POP-OS, maybe it is because they build PC's and actually use their own OS on their own PC's so resolve issues as and when they come along. Also they have given me free support via email within 24 hours concerning my new 7950X build within a week of it being released.
@@egyptian316 way to underestimate the software required that predates the steamdeck considerably. Without vkd3d and dxvk, we wouldn't have proton or the steamdeck as they currently exist
for the same "Recall" Reasons I'm considering switching.... it's just that Linux doesn't seem to F with NTFS file formats for read& WRITE... which I need for large quantities of Large size files. NTFS is the best format for dealing with that,( as far as I know...?!) My question is, is there a version of Linux that's ideal for NTFS read and write, large files and large quantities, high processing power for gaming or heavy 3d modeling work?
Hi Your videos are always no-nonsense, practical and insightful. I have finally made the Fedora KDE my daily driver. It supports everything. It has the simplicity and practicality. My HP printer is supported. My ThinkPad T480 works like a charm. Thank you Love from India
Wow, XP offline for old games, 7 for some analog audio editing software, 10 is my daily driver on my desktop and laptop, and I use 11 for my HTPC. Great video as always Mr. Barnatt!! Can't wait until next week!!
I do also have Windows XP pro both 32-bit and 64-bit online and offline only for a few games best part is they still don't require analytics and day together I like that
Love to have Win 7 for virtual pipe organ software on a completely Offline PC. Was a great OS but the hardware failed and that PC is no longer in my possession.
@@cgriggsiv- you do realize you can play old PC games on Windows 10 with DosBox, right? Just do not connect to the internet. I need the internet daily, so I could never use XP or even 7. However, because I hate AI, I refuse to ever upgrade Windows past 10 Pro. I will be eventually having Ubuntu LTS 24 installed because I want the 15 plus years of guaranteed regular security updates and patches.
@@ernies8828 If you're used to using real hardware, emulator, USB and flatscreen lag can be a massive gamebreaker on anything that requires precise timing. If you're not used to using real hardware you'll likely never notice, but even one frame of lag can be a massive distraction for anyone used to it.
I was a big fan of Linux Mint. About 6 months ago, I switched to KDE Neon. I haven't had a need to look back. I dual boot two laptops with Windows 11 and Neon. I also run a number of Raspberry Pi's. I have a Pi 5 as a daily driver for general use. I do run Pi os but with the KDE desktop. I run solar and am completely off grid with my cellphone as a hot spot. So power is important. Because of this, I find portable monitors are great. I always look forward to a video from you!
WOW, your video camera is amazing. It's very crisp and clear. Great video. Thank you for all you do. I still dual boot from the bios into Mint, and it works very well. Two years running.
Running Linux mint 20.3 and a virtual Windows 10 for two applications not available on Linux. My hardware is a home brew AMD based rig with nvme SSDs in 2 PCIe slots. I'm very satisfied with my setup and your help has proven invaluable.
7 different operating systems?! It already annoys the piss out of me that my computer at home is Windows 11 24H2 and my computer at work keeps bluescreening during said upgrade and therefore it stuck on Windows 11 23H2. That's just 2 versions of the same operating system. I couldn't imagine using 7. Hats off to you for having the patience for that.
Haha you're reminding me how much I hate the modern ribbonbar design. Takes up so much space on screen and everything is laid out inconsistently, different sizes of icons all over the place, it always takes me forever to find what I want. I miss that old school menu design. And don't get me started on how modern software design opens an utterly useless splash screen when I select Open or Save As, and I have to hunt around for the button or link which opens File Explorer which is what should have been opened when I first clicked Open or Save As.
I love a good operating system video Chris, this is amazing!! I'm running a similar setup, Linux Mint on my desktop, and Win10 LTSC on my laptop, but I really like the idea of running Chrome OS Flex on a TV, might have to steal that idea from you. 📝
Hello! My favorite teacher! Happy new year!! I knew nr1 was Linux mint. All the windows' software who is imported (read "used on") for some reason runs off-line. Me, I run a little restaurant in Togo. For the office-work and internet I have an HP ProBook 650 G1 16gb ram and 300 GB HD. For the music, I have a dell laptop dual-core with clementine and mixxx software installed. The clementine is running all the time with the android remote. When the alcohol level rises, then we go to mixxx, to make a little DJ set ( numark connecteded). It is running Antix Linux, with ice-wm and 16Gb ram HDD 1TB. But this old dell has never been switched off for 2 years now. Ps. this one runs off-line. I de-installed all type off browser and changed the port number with the android app.
This was an excellent video. I love how there are different operating systems per use case. That is somewhat how I did things at my last job. I had several computers and a couple virtual machines, and did the networked ones, I used software that let me use fewer mouse and keyboard sets. (Originally Mouse Without Borders, but as I used Linux more, I migrated to Barrier.) I should do more to tailor my environments for the specific uses. I'm glad this video inspired me!
Another great video! I use Mac OS in my home office. However, there are a couple of applications that are not available on the Mac and so I occasionally use Windows 11. I've tried to use Linux over the past 20 years and did install and support it when I did work with ARM and Roku, but there are a lot of applications that just aren't available. This is improving however. My friend is a trustee for a charity in Africa and I source, refurbish and send PC's out for the school. All these run Linux Mint and it is perfect for that environment.
Me too, and I love it! I'm running Kdenlive, Audacity, Ardour 8, MuseScore, and Darktable. I also use Google Drive and apps, and I like the LibreOffice suite a lot.
I switched to Linux three months ago and thus I get recommendations for Linux-videos like yours. 😀 Thanks for the comparison, my decision was absoultely right. I use Linux on all my laptops and even on my Mini PCs for home cinema. Windows 11 remains for some Windows-games. Keep up the good work!! 👍
Hi Chris, Love your videos... Lots of great content and always informative. My daily driver is Linux Mint 21.3 but also have Windows 10 on a Laptop that I use for work. (Provided by my employer). I have 3 large monitors on my desktop so I use RDP to connect to the laptop which has VPN access to my job (Software test). This gives me 3 nice big screens to use to run various tasks and the ability to run remote windows/sessions to various servers at work and gives me great multi-tasking capabilities. :) The Laptop runs Windows 10 and luckily the Linux "rdesktop" client gives me the ability to use ALL 3 monitors as well as audio/video for communications for meetings and collaboration with my work associates. Plus when not working I play around with QEMU/KVM on my desktop so it gives me the ability to simulate 3 machines simultaneously directly from my Linux desktop. I've been able to run a number of other linux distros as well as Solaris & other intel/amd based operating systems. (a hobby of mine) So that's my setup in a nutshell. ;)
The computers you use really show that not everyone needs a high end PC. I hear so many RUclipsrs say that a system like the N100 is useless because it cannot play the latest AAA games, but that really isn't true. The operating systems I run are Arch Linux on my main PC which is based on the exact same N100 motherboard you use every day. I use Linux Mint on the rest of my desktops and most of my laptops (I've got 39 computers which I know is ridiculous). I run ChromeOS non flex on my tablet/laptop hybrid thing. I run Windows 10 for when I need to use an application that doesn't run on Linux. I also run the Haiku operating on a few PC's, and also AntiX Linux, Zorin OS Lite, Debian Linux, and Raspberry Pi os on Raspberry Pi's.
N100s aren’t useless, they are pointless. For the same price or a little more you can get a low end Ryzen PC that is more than twice the performance. For power efficiency, ARM is better for small task/server functions.
It's true. Everything I do, except gaming, can be done on an N100-based mini PC like what Chris has at a pretty non-discernable performance difference. My unusual idea was to get a PC like that & then make my current PC be a "gaming server" where I would just stream games from it to the N100 one using Steam as well as run some game servers on it e.g. Minecraft
Gaming itself is a silly premise for building a computer. There is a massive library of old games that are perfectly fun, that you can run easily on older hardware. One game I spin up occasionally is Gothic (or one of the sequels). You can run those games on a potato, these days. (Gothic III does get a bit more demanding with settings maxed, but it's a relatively large game.) Games like Skyrim are also fun and not too demanding these days. Older versions of GTA. If you just started playing games that existed decades ago, you would never run out of things to do, and you would have a great time. By the time you might actually get to current games, you would likely be able to run them on something cheap in like 10 years. (Assuming they aren't attached to some terrible server-based activation scheme.)
@@sbrazenor2 I agree completely with your vintage game strategy, but a Ryzen APU is the way to do that. The N100 has about the performance limits on a $20 Onn streaming puck.
I started working with Windows 7 Home Premium back in 2012. In 2016, on the same desktop and on the same drive, I added/upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. NOT ONE HICCUP!!! Any short term problems were my fault and easily fixable. I still get security updates every 30 days or so (maybe because I installed it with a Product Key). About 6 months ago I bought a high end laptop that had Windows 11 pre-installed. I cranked it up, used ONE of 11's tools and installed Linux Mint Cinnamon, choosing to wipe out completely Windows 11. I have no use for anything Microsoft spits out post Windows 7. Like Christopher, my go-to thru out the day is 7's Ultimate There ARE various 7s out there with product keys. I wish you all well. and THANK YOU Mr' Barnatt for all your posts. ..
I have been using Windows since 3.1. Windows XP was not reliable. It is the OS I have had to reinstall the most number of times because it used to get botched from time to time. Windows 10 and 11 are much more resilient OSes under the hood, not talking about UI/UX.
Happy new year Chris. Thanks for another year explaining computers. I use windows 11 on two computers , one in my home gym for background music, running it into a 1980 amplifier and speakers. I love oils hi-fi. I also run Linux Mint on another pc. Both win 11 pc’s are 2012 i5 3570K 16 Gb RAM and 500Gb SSD. I’ll probably install LM on them if Microsoft pull the plug on older CPU’s.
Linux mint cinnamon should be the one to bring linux to the masses. But the devs need to work on better cpu performance. Sometimes temps are much higher than gnome and kde but mint is the only one that makes linux easy and still looks good with the default theme.
I heavily disagree that Mint is the "only one that makes linux easy" I've had success with giving Kubuntu, PopOS, and Zorin to novice users and it's just as easy on those as on Mint. In fact depending on owned hardware and desired software other distros can be even easier to use than Mint. Mint is still fantastic I use it myself on my laptop but it's not alone in being an easy to use distro far from it.
The "masses" should go to Linux or, at least, meet in halfway as opposed expecting Linux to served up "on a silver platter" to them. Linux is a case of "effort in = reward out". When you truly understand why it's different to commercial OSes and why learning some basics of how computers work is important, only then can you embrace Linux fully.
I've been scanning the comments: CB has a lot of old farts like me (Linux Kernel 0.89 Yggdrasil was my first). And thank goodness, because the best part of the channel is benchmarking and the associated commands.
@@ExplainingComputers "Any old iron?!!" _- Brendan Gleason in "A.I."_ Sure, run X on a Pentium with a whopping 4 meg. And that's why I ran console on that dog.
Lovely video and clear use cases for each OS. Thanks for sharing! I run the following: * Linux Mint 22 on TV PC, because of the Nvidia GPU * Windows 10 on main office PC (also a music recording station), looking to either migrate to Mint 22 or perhaps do the year of extended security updates if I need more time * Linux Mint Debian Edition on old Thinkpad hooked up to our home projector * OpenMediaVault (Debian-based?) on Dell system I repurposed to a server PC with Docker container services * WIndows 10 on Asus T100 netbook (definitely looking to move to Linux, but it's a weird 32 bit/64 bit hybrid, so a bit more involved)
I feel like you're making life way more complex than it needs to be. having to juggle between systems. and reading the comments make me feel like 70% of people who watch you are older than 40 years old. cause everyone I know uses only 2 operating systems, windows and whatever OS their phone has.
...and I don't think you understand how complicated your life has become when it comes to maintaining your personal information privacy when you've admitted that you run up to three "operating systems" with the main purpose of surveilling you and knowing exactly where you are at all times - Windows, Google Android and Apple iOS.
@amirmirzaei3940 I do, and that makes your use of the words "no one" incorrect, as well as your entire comment. Would you like to now alter it to therefore make it at least slightly more correct? In your own time...
@amirmirzaei3940 The words I write here don't make any sounds. If you're hearing sounds from my direction then maybe you need to a specialist. Off you go then, sonny. Mind how you go and stay away from sharp scissors. Discussion closed.
Great video! I love all the hardware you have! I run Arch linux for my main laptop. I have couple of VPSs and raspberrypi. So for my raspberrypi I run raspberry pi OS and for rest of the VPS I have Debian 12, Alpine Linux and Alma Linux. Alpine Linux is really amazing. I especially love the how tiny footprint it has and can help me save where I have limited disk.
I use Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Mint. Linux Batocera, And Windows XP across 19 computers and SBCs. 8 computers are servers, 2 are gaming computers, 2 are retro gaming consoles, 2 I use to run older program and play WinXP games, one is a laptop, 2 I have at my office at work, and one I use for remote work at home.
I really like how you spread your workload across multiple operating systems. I do the exact same thing, as I find that using a single OS for everything literally doesn't work for me or foster the best creative experience. For 99% of things, I use Windows 8.0 (yes, 8.0, not 8.1), and for the other 1% (which isn't doable in 8 anymore) I use my laptop which has Mint XFCE edition and transfer files back and forth via USB. My machine is an HP Z640 with a Xeon E5-2680 V4 (14 cores, 28 threads), 32 GB RAM, a 1660 SUPER and a 2 TB SSD, so it's definitely no slouch :)
Dear Chris, I like to imagine you in a Dr Evil (Mike Myers) style hollowed out volcano with banks of giant screens being powered by your hoard of SBCs where you sit and control your clone armies of ducks in public parks up and down the land...
Oh man i just loved what you showed ,, specific OS for specific tasks ,, thats how we should organize our work in workspaces.. im a finale year engineering student and current use Ubuntu for cloud works and windows 11 , 10 for media consumption and playing games and sometimes fedora os for different use cases.. i really love legendary windows 7 and Xp , both i've seen from my childhood .. so simple they are to use in offline. Thanks for the video ! ✨✨
I'm still using Windows 7 as my daily driver. I just burned some DVDs for a friend. I used Windows 8 Movie Maker for the stabilization features and 7 to do the burning. I think these operating systems will always have a place in my life.
Using an unsupported version of Windows is dangerous (more dangerous than a supported version anyway). Twenty years ago I had to reinstall my copy of Windows 2000. The instant it connected to the internet afterwards (before applying any patches to bring it up to date), it was infected by one or more viruses.
Windows 10, Proxmox ( I think of it as an OS), Raspbian ( OS flavor), Debian 12, these used almost daily. in the past CentOS, Fedora, BSD, every other version of windows ( not 11), SteamDeckOS and variants, ChromeOS ( have a Chrome Book). Not counting purely tests of several others. Thank you for your channel, I've found it interesting and useful.
Glad I wasn't the only one who zoomed in to see his CD collection. Alas, I couldn't make out the titles for most of them but what I managed to make out were compilations of TV and movie themes and the Bangles' greatest hits.
I have to admit... I haven't run Linux or Windows on my laptop (or even powered it up) in a good while. I'm retired, and do weekly volunteer work, so I do my monthly reports on my Android tablet or phone. Gets the job done nicely. Never thought I'd get a bit tired of tech devices/gadgets, but I find simplicity a lot better than complexity nowadays (until the next Raspberry Pi project, that is 😉). Thanks for another great video Chris. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Very interesting. I do sometime wonder what I'll run when I stop doing this kind of stuff and rebel against all the tech! Right now I imagine I would just run Chrome OS.
I am running Mint since Windoze 8 came out... and run Windows 7 in a VM on that machine to use my Lightroom software (also not wanting to use their subscription). All notebooks and other machines run Mint (or Raspberry OS). Works and has been working for me ever since.
I now find I run CHROME OS on an ASUS touchscreen most of the day. Any serious work during any day I revert to a Thinkpad T470s running Linux Mint 21.3 and like Chris this will stay until EOL. The same Thinkpad also dual boots to Win10 which I use as a reference when volunteering for AbilityNet. I also have 2 other laptops running LM (one LMDE Faye 6). Another old Dell runs CHROME OS FLEX and I have a Mini NUC PC dual booting LM and Win11. Almost forgot - there is an Android tablet and a very old ipad that very rarely gets booted up. I think my linux distro hopping days are over, but just might test out POP OS! once the new DE gets past beta. Tried a Pi - but not for me. Not closing the door though on RISC V SBC - just a matter of timing and funds! Keep up the good work Chris.
No MS-DOS? You don’t know what you are missing! (Humour?) I built the J4105 Silent ITX pc from your video, my dad appreciated it, his grandson now has it, he loves it
I run Linux Mint 21 on my main PC Windows 7 on an offline PC Amazon Fire OS on my 10" tablet Android 13 on my Galaxy A03s phone Raspbian OS 32 bit on a Raspberry Pi 2B Raspbian OS 64 bit on two Raspberry Pi 3B+ I have been given a Tower PC which will have Linux Mint 22 installed. I prefer my programs to be "pay once and done" and not a subscription service. So I like that you are running programs either on a offline PC or a virtual PC to eliminate any threat of unwelcome or unnecessary updates.
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences with practically using different OS's. It's great to see you saying in effect, there's no "one size fits all" solution. Thanks for all the effort that you put into your videos, and have a great year 2025!
I'm in the US and do my own tax returns. The software from multiple companies only runs on Windows. I know, there are Linux apps. But, nowadays you don't even get a disk, it is all downloadable. I don't want to blow the money to find out it doesn't work. That's my "Why I still have Windows".
Being an ex-techie I have ran 5 from your list over the years in this order XP, Win 7 Pro 64. Win 10, Linux Mint, Ubuntu and finally I moved onto POP-OS Linux and the newest to my list is PROXMOX virtual server on a 12700T mini PC. I have very fond memories of Win 7 but now I only run POP-OS on all my PC's. My main PC being an AMD 9950X with RX6950XT ( I have 2 of these one in the bedroom and one in the main room as I am disabled), I have 2 gaming laptops running POP-OS with Nvidia 3070 GPU's and each have 64Gb RAM, finally my latest edition is an AMD 7950X which I intend for it to become my new PROXMOX server although it is on test atm with POP-OS.
iOS , macOS for personal computing, but run Zorin on some older machines, also windows on a mini pc to run my laser. At work, Windows 10 and DOS, (XP, and 7 on older manufacturing systems we've built). Just a thought, our IT nor software teams have gone to running Win11, curious. Good episode, interest, informative, and well presented. Happy New Year
Currently running latest Mint at home. I also have a win10 laptop i use for flashing ROMS and programming microcontrollers. For work I remote into a win10 box at the office. No idea when my employer is going to move to win11.
Thanks to you, my daily driver aValue EPC-SKLU MiniPC runs Linux Mint without any problems. Got this unit since mid '23 an am very happy with it. Also my GETAG F150 tablet runs Fedora due to its capability to interact with the touchscreen, making it an ideal OS for tablet PCs.
We have been running Manjaro KDE on the household's three laptops for four years now, plus a headless minimal installation of Manjaro on my RPI4, and we are very happy with it. The only Windows computer is an old Desktop PC from 2012 which is running Windows 10 LTSC and serves as a multimedia station, connected to the TV.
Hello Chris, thank you so much for this interesting insight! I'm so glad that an expert in computing pretty much does the same things that I do. Online Linux Mint, and, most important, offline Windoes 7 with my Adobe CS5 Master Collection. Never want to give up on Windows 7!
As I wrote before, I use Linux Mint 22 and I don't want to replace it with anything else. I'm looking forward to the update to 22.1. Happy New Year from Romania.
I have a dual boot of windows 11 along with Ubuntu. and I have kept Ubuntu social media and distraction free. Ubuntu has turned to be one of my favourite and loved OS.
Love your content. I run Proxmox, Linux Mint VM, Windows 10 VM, MacOS, Debian. I think I am going to skip Windows 11 entirely but still TDB. Appreciated your video on Windows 10 migration!
Because of you, I switched my 70+ yo father over to Linux mint. He uses it for the internet, he hasn't had any issues with it. Thank you for your vids.
I thought you said you swapped your father for Mint OS. 😂
@Just_lift_anyone hahaha
@@Just_lift_anyone 😂😂
Mint for pretty much all but gaming is fine.
Y-you switched what!? 😧
😂
Respect for still running that locked down Windows 7 setup.
I started working with Windows 7 Home Premium back in 2012.
In 2016, on the same desktop and on the same drive, I added/upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate.
NOT ONE HICCUP!!! Any short term problems were my fault and easily fixable. I still get security updates every 30 days or so (maybe because I installed it with a Product Key).
About 6 months ago I bought a high end laptop that had Windows 11 pre-installed. I cranked it up, used ONE of 11's tools and installed Linux Mint Cinnamon, choosing to wipe out completely Windows 11. I have no use for anything Microsoft spits out post Windows 7. Like Christopher, my go-to thru out the day is 7's Ultimate
There ARE various 7s out there with product keys. I wish you all well.
and THANK YOU Mr' Barnatt for all your posts.
My favorite Windows OS by far!
@@stevenwalley5620 I used W10 for years. It was the closest thing to W7 that followed, I think. W11 is just a stretch too far. After seeing the Zorin OS (Linux Ubuntu) video, I ditched Windows on both my machines. I'm very happy with it. It is also just screaming fast on both my desktop and laptop. Explaining Computers is such a great resource!
@@scottculkin3846 I have to use Windows 7, as I like to program and can't get MS FlexGrid to work uncompelled on any later versions of Windows.
If anybody knows of a free replacement for FlexGrid, please let me know.
I do have/use Windows 10 and Linux also.
@@stevenwalley5620 Windows 7 was the best Windows ever got. It's sad they haven't even remotely tried to recapture that balance between usability, compatibility, and just looking good.
Good to see that your operating systems are serving you rather than the other way around...
Well said!
And exactly as it should be!
Exactly! :)
Personally I use steamOS and win10. Very cool video
Very wise statement. I am struggling to get out of that hedonistic habit called - Distro hopping
Installed Zorin OS Pro 17 on my Dad's 2014 Laptop, and he is more than happy with it.
He was used to Microsoft due to his work, but I pushed him slowly towards FOSS & Linux, after he retired in 2007, but still used Microsoft!
But for the last 6 or so years he has become comfortable with Linux.
He is primary usage is around Scrolling web, watching RUclips, using Social media, Loves editing photos, and is without any issue switching between PhotoShop & GIMP, also has been now constantly using Libre Office along with MS Office & can now easily sort out any difficulty arising from comparability between Libre & MS!
The main reason for Zorin was its Zorin Connect(for Android only), his primary Smartphone is Samsung S23, and also has an iPhone 13 Mini & Nokia 220 4G keypad phone(these phones are the best).
No complains so far!
Zorin & Linux Mint, in my opinion are the easiest for anyone coming from Windows, my Mom also finds Zorin & Mint, very similar to Windows in most of her use cases!
For Mac OS, atleast in my experience, Elementary OS is without the doubt the, easiest to learn around, for people used to Mac OS!
I’m currently running LM Cinnamon 20.3 as a dual boot with Windows 7 (offline) on an old i3 2100, I really must upgrade the PC. I’d much rather be running Windows 7 as a VM in Linux Mint which I’ll get around to at some stage. I quite like the look of running Chrome OS Flex through the TV on a silent machine, it looks to be an interesting alternative. Thanks Chris my Sunday is complete!
Hi, Alan! :)
Hi Alan, thanks for your support.
I also have Windows XP running in a sandbox. On my old 286, I run Windows 3.1, and Atari DOS on an 800XE. I’ve loved computers since 1984. Thank you for your wonderful videos, Christopher.
Thanks for your support, appreciated. :)
Chris, nice to see you again! I am a longtime viewer of your going well back into your college teaching days. You are my go to guy for all things computing and really take the mystery out of lots of things especially as new technology evolves. I currently use Windows 10 (as long as I can) but have used all versions of Windows going back to 3.1 and before that BASIC programing. Because of my age and cognitive decline and illnesses over the years, I am not as forward thinking and constructive as I use to be. I have built many computers over my life and probably have owned 25 or more laptops for business. I currently use a desktop PC (Windows 10, I7 and am a big fan of all things GOOGLE and use many, many of their apps) I have a request for a video if I may, I think you would get lots of hits on this subject. Being of limited income now days, yet I still have one remaining computer build in mind and it is a simple one. We all are trying to reduce our number of subscriptions however what holds me back from cutting the cord with my cable company is the DVR they rent you and it's associated boxes to stream from. Could you make a video on how to make a low cost computer/DVR for the TV? A mini board would be a great start I believe and am interested to see how Chrome OS Flex would work on such a build! It would help me greatly and save me over $2000 a year. Lets face it, here in the US streaming is in and TV Cable providers are out, that is why they keep raising prices. My cable is fiber optic but through my phone company, right now a cable feeds into my DVR but it could also operate by talking to my network Bluetooth. This project is over my head but could put it together with a video that layed out a floor plan. Thank you sir for your consideration of the request.
Allways a Chris Fan
Rich aka moonpie
This is not a bad video question, as right now there are few systems that allow for using PCs as streaming boxes. The are apple tv boxes, android boxes (of which Amazon's fire stick and google chromecast is an option), but nothing like the media center of old which allows you to run modern apps.
Kodi needs so much unnecessary faffing-about just to watch RUclips, forget any other streaming app.
The key question in building a DVR system is where you are and what kind of OTA reception you get. If you are in a part of the US with good OTA reception, SiliconDust’s HD Home Run system or Tablo are hard to beat. CableCard killed using your own dvr with cable. So if OTA reception is poor, you will be better off dropping cabletv and gettin youtubetv, fubo, sling or one of the other subscriptions. They can drop that cable bill from $2k to $1k per year but wont get rid of it.
@@xmlthegreat that's where I am stuck, thanks for responding.
Oof. RUclips TV is my family's "cable" provider and has unlimited cloud DVR storage. If you're streaming on demand most things anyway, I'm not sure where the DVR comes in, but I technically have one from a cheap antenna -> HDMI box (external USB storage required).
You're making this a lot more difficult than it needs to be. All you need to stream video is a computer (a smart TV, TV stick, TV box, laptop, or desktop) and the necessary apps. You could do it all via a smartphone and Chromecast if you wanted. Some smartphones even have video output that might work with your TV at the cost of a USB C hub/adapter.
A DVR should not be shackling you to a cable provider.
@@encycl07pedia- You are correct and I have just have to come to conclusions first. Yes, I wish I had a DVR to record like football on other stations and the news but there are workaround if I want to put up the new way of things, which is what I will do! Thanks for being clear about your message and I am sending Dish TV to the graveyard after football season. I already stream anything I want from the NFL through Europe so getting content is not the issue.
Thanks again buddy!
I have helped numerous other seniors in our retirement community (I'm 77 and the go to guy for computer advice and anti-scam programs) and load Zorin for them in prep for the forced switch to Windows 11 which many of their computers won't run. I set up icons with links to their usual stuff and have yet to have a complaint or problem. Linux desktops have come a long way since I first started using Linux since it was created. And since most activity is online for most people I recommend they purchase Chromebooks or install Linux as an alternative to Windows 11. On my personal machines, I use Arch variations (I'm an inveterate distro hopper) with Windows 10 or 11 or both installed in a VM for demos.) I am intrigued by your Chrome Flex install on the TV and perhaps you could do a program on how you set that up. Thanks for a great channel.
Great!
My guess is the Chrom OS install is on a computer that outputs video to the TV via HDMI or something. Not installed on the TV itself.
God bless you
Good to see Action Retro hasn't converted you to run everything on Haiku!
Hi, Jeff! What kind of OS do you run on a daily basis? 😊
@@Praxibetel-Ix It has to be able to run on a pie whatever it is !
but haiku is cool
@@Praxibetel-Ix He's a Mac guy mainly 👍
@@Praxibetel-Ix I am sure which ever one it is, he runs it on 58 RAID-ed hard drives on a Raspberry Pi on "Wacky Jeff's Computing Entertainment Channel".
After your video on how to do it I now dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu 24.04.
Great to hear, and a very solid combination.
A lot of people talk about using the best operating system for your needs, but I think this is the first video I've ever seen where someone has demonstrated an example of exactly why and how to do that with more than, e.g., Windows 11 and a single Linux. :)
Though, I have to admit … seeing Windows 7 and XP and Ribbonless Office hurt a bit. I'd let myself forget how much nicer everything used to look, feel, and work. Now I'm just inured to occasionally needing to pull up a RUclips video to find a formatting button in Word 365.
… I grew up with Word 5.1a on a Mac Centris 610. I fear I will never be satisfied with any modern option ever again.
LibreOffice. No ribbons crap, full & competent document format support and it's free!
Have you considered using LibreOffice Writer as your word processor if you like the ribbon-less style? It will allow you to edit and create Word documents, but is much more "traditional" in its menu layout. Same for its Excel equivalent, LibreOffice Calc. It's free and open source (although if you decide to keep using it, please contribute to its upkeep, asa that is only fair). AND, it has versions for Windows, Mac and Linux!
I like the idea of using different OS's, they all have their uses but it sounds like its a lot of computers being used when in reality most of it could be done with a virtual box and Windows 11 and maybe one Linux machine for the other tasks, I still don't get why he needs so many different systems.
Why on Earth did you leave the Centris?
(Quadra 700 and PowerPC 5500 for life!)
@@davidgoodnow269 I had it from 6-12. And then, I had surgery and had to do distance learning over a Windows PC for high school, and … that was that.
When we gave away the Centris (regret!), the top-case was actually starting to cave in from the weight of the 13" color monitor on top...
Knowledge is power, and running so many OS for your use cases shows that. I dualboot PopOS and Windows 10 for mainly gaming now, but your Chrome OS Flex computer got me hankering for a media box now!
Happy New Year, Christopher; I have mentioned this before, but I've been running Linux Mint since shortly after Windows XP went End-of-Life. I have tried other Linux distros, but keep coming back to Mint.😀
I tried many Linux distros before finally settling on Debian. Debian is non-flashy, competent, workmanlike, and a bit dull, so it's the distro that best reflects my self-image.
Debian + Cinnamon desktop is The best
Debian is my first choice for Linux. It’s rock solid.
Thanks for posting, Mr B. After the Christmas mayhem, I find myself alone in the kitchen, sipping morning coffee, and enjoying your content. Happy New Year to you and yours, and thanks again
I've been fascinated by operating systems since Windows 3.1. where a full install was using 18 diskettes. I did fresh installs often. Now I use only Linux Mint Debian Edition, KDE Neon and checking out Pop Os Cosmic on a test rig. Windows is gone from my life forever as of 2019. I don't know how you keep track of all that Chris but more power to you. Thanks for another great video.
Same, started with Win 3.1 (and fresh installs) and now on LMDE.
Windows 3.11 was 5 5.25" disks. Windows 3.11 WFW was 8, the first 6 were the OS, the remaining 2 were for the network related stuff. Have very fond memories of installing 3.11WFW off the 8 disks :)
I'm a die-hard Linux Fedora user on my desktop PC and, until recently, on my laptop. I've recently installed Kubuntu on my laptop partly because I was getting fed up of updating it with every new release, and partly because I wanted my wife to see what it was like before I installed it on her laptop which is currently running a very old Fedora version. We also have an ancient PC with Windows XP on it which hasn't been booted in ages which really needs to be re-cycled. Oh, of course numerous Raspberry Pis all running Raspberry Pi OS.
if you like simple OSs look at Zorin too.
Hello Chris. I use Fedora on my Framework laptop computer almost every day but my main computer is my MacBook Pro running MacOSX 15. Have been using a Mac since they came out in 1984 and have owned many Macs over the years. It is great for running virtual machines and Windows runs quite well on it. Since I’m retired now I mainly use it for my computer hobby which is learning new coding tools like Python and node.js and other stuff. Obviously I really like your channel for all the great Linux information and for things to try on small computers like the Raspberry Pi. It is amazing how well Linux runs nowadays and it really does seem like most people would only need a Linux system for daily use such as email, banking, writing documents et cetera. I continue to find the expense of using Windows ridiculous. Paying $129 for an OS seems almost criminal to me. Keep up the good work and have some Marmite for me!
Linux Mint is my preferred desktop. I have tried all seven of the desktops you have featured here, including many other Linux desktops, and I always return to Mint. It is as stable as a 100-ton rock, has an easy-to-use interface, and works for everything I do daily. Occasionally, I use Win 10, but only when I need to run software that does not run on Linux. The other thing I like about Mint is that it is easily installed, even on old computers that can no longer run Windows 10 or 11. For me, Linux Mint ticks all the boxes, and it is the first desktop I recommend to friends who want to try Linux.
Sometimes - I run W10 & W11 - just to keep my skills up to date.
But honestly - these days - I run *Linux Mint - LMDE-6* edition for my daily computer use.
I have less & less reason to fire up Windows. if I really must - I can always start it in a virtual environment.
I mostly use Only-Office - which is an almost carbon-copy of MS-Office. I have free access to MS-Office online as well - so little need to run Windows.
@@PaxAlotin I run Windows 11. It's kind of annoying and not well polished-(the interface and menu system on Win7/older office software was VERY functional), but it has the latest security features, can handle a lot of programs, and odd hardware. I have virtual machines in Linux and use them a lot (Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and others). I'm thinking of running/learning Fedora and eventually just compile things like Gentoo.
@@josephfilm73 Have fun. You won't need to compile very much. These days most things have their own installer.
I like LinuxMint, but since Opensuse can easily support any desktop, be it whatever Kde, Gnome, and other obscure ones, I prefer that. You can even have cinnamon if you want.
@@sprockkets I hope you know - you can install any desktop environment in Mint. I've got KDE + Mate & LXQt working perfectly. No different to OpenSuse in that regard - but with the extra benefit of accessing Debian & Ubuntu packages.
So enjoyable.! Since you asked here are the operating systems that I run nearly every day:
Daily Driver: Pop Os & LInux Mint. I have these on two N100 machines at opposite ends of my L-shaped desk. Additionally, I run 3 bare metal version of Proxmox for virtualization ( for Home Assistant, PiHole, Portainer, etc etc) on older hardware, a TrueNas Scale on ancient Dell hardware for NAS and about a dozen Raspberry Pi Ws, 2Ws, 3s and 4s (no 5s yet) for things such as ADS-B via SDR (SDRAngel). I also have a Win 11 gaming machine and a Win 11 system for all my freelance audio editing work. Generally, I have about 40-50 containers running at any given instant doing all sorts of tasks. I also have a 2001 Dell computer that still boots Windows ME to this day. Like you, I run several versions of older Windows off-line and virtualized (mostly on Proxmox).
Even though I muck about in some more complex endeavors that you usually cover on this channel, I find your videos informative and both refreshing and good refreshers. Thank you.
Thanks Keith.
Thank you, Mr. Barnatt! 🙏🏼
Stay safe and well in the new year! 🤗
Thank you ! I'm on Windows 11 now. Once i tried Ubuntu, it worked well for me when I purchased Ubuntu Desktop(Dell) and then converted it to Windows. I am going to try using it again.Enjoy watching your videos.Wishing you a Happy New Year, Chris 🎉🎉🎉 🎉🎉
Windows 7 was the last version that I found truly enjoyable to use. I've been using Linux Mint very happily for a couple of years, and a few months ago switched the last the last Windows holdout in my household to Mint. Strongly agree with your opinion on the ribbon interface!
I agree. From a users persepctive 7 was the last version i got along with and stayed with. I stayed with 7 till the end just like i did with XP.
I dont really like 10 but run it since it playes games and it is "windows". But i dont like what data microsft now wants and how they collect it. I certainly dont like 11 and the new "features" that are included and soon to be made mandatary. Recall, that is. It wont be long and Recall will be mandatory. Mark my words.
For personal stuff i will not be using windows come Oct 2025 when 10 officialy dies. I might get one year extended support for 33 dollars since i prefer 10 over 11. I dont like 10 compared to 7 but it is the lesser of the devils.
FYI (and Win7 users and lovers) the last UpdatePack for 7 was released on 2024.12.12. My main OS and its used every day for every thing.
@@marstedt Dont get too excited. The only thing you got was defender definitions.
Found and unfound day zero's will not be patched, looked at or addressed. You are swiming on your own and it is advised to keep it offline.
@@suminshizzles6951 - Defender definitions are not included in the security update pack. The latest update includes KB5048695-x64 and certificate update similar to KB931125, KB2917500. Also, all updates needed since SP1. Think of it as SP3 for Windows 7.
The locked down Windows 7 setup is absolutely brilliant, thank you for introducing me to the idea!
I also use Linux Mint and Windows 8. Never felt like upgrading the OS. I enjoyed your video and learned a lot from it. Love from India.
WIN 7 FINE. WIN 8 VERY FRAGILE BOOTLOADER..
This video made me realize how good compatibility and interoperability has become in the last 20 years. Thanks for the peek behind the curtain
My gaming laptop runs Windows 11. My older backup gaming laptop runs Windows 10. Two alternative laptops that I use quite often runs Ubuntu. My Raspberry Pi’s run the official Raspberry Pi OS. The last one worth mentioning is an old desktop, that is a future project, running Windows Vista. Looking forward to your next video!
I fully agree with your evaluation of the OS landscape. I also appreciate that you did this in a professional tone without flashing neon letters and 200 dB audio dynamic range. Thank you.
I use Debian 12 for everything: for work, watching videos, playing games. I stopped using Windows a long time ago.
No wonder. I've ran Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, openSUSE, Mandriva, Arch to name just few and Debian is the one I've tend to lean on for like last 5 years. It just works and there's so much documentation etc. for it. Also it's just nice to have some older hardware that I don't use that much with stable and see that I won't usually get gigs of updates after booting, unless like Flatpaks happen to be installed. Before I ran Linux Mint for quite long, but about year ago I ran into some issues and liking Cinnamon I now run LMDE on few desktops. Solid Debian base there after all. Even dated software isn't issue these days with like Flatpaks on some software. I still do run Windows and MacOS and don't have any issues with them either. But Debian is my choice for Linux based systems or VM's.
Must be nice. I'm like this guy, I have 4 PCs, Win11, Arch Linux w/Hyprland on dual boot plus my laptop, which is also running Arch w/Hypr, and then i have two apples. One from about 2010 era and the other more modern, 2016 era.
My issue with committing to one OS is I use such a wide variety of tools and software for varying purposes, and in most cases, it is just easier to keep alternatives around when needed. Not to mention, some of the hardware I've grown attatched to using and find efficient in my workflow is often propietary and doesn't give me a choice which OS to use.
Though, most days, I only touch the machine dual booting win11 and Arch.
Win11 is for my gaming, VR and game dev.
Arch being used for everything else.
I pull the apples out occasionally for music production, but typically just running ableton on win11
Made the switch to Linux in 2017.
After trying a lot of different distros, Debian is the best. Ih has completely no downside. Im happy with it.
I'm running Debian 12 as well though only on my work PC and so far, I've never had any problems with it.
Looking to make the full switch to Linux within next year since my main desktop is still running Windows 10 though I have no idea if I should go with Debian or Arch Linux (I run Arch on my laptop).
Maybe I'll go with Debian Sid, no clue.
As much as I don't like running outdated stuff, I totally understand your sentiment for Windows 7 and for Office 2002. Those were pretty much perfect in terms of UX.
Couldn't he set up LibreOffice or OnlyOffice to look and run exactly the way he wants and not worry about running 4 different versions of Windows?
I understand having the offline rig, but this seems crazy over-complicated for a RUclips channel...
Yeah, they haven't added any new features, or improvements since 2002. Congrats of your infinite wisdom.
@@alexwr In an ideal world LibreOffice would produce 100% identical output to MS Word, but that's still not the case. That said, I don't think Chris needs 100% MS Word compatiblity all the time. But I think the point of conserving such an old Windows 7 setup, is that it's air tight sealed, he can use it anytime and edit the videos, always finding the PC and it's software in the state as he left it. Just think about the industrial equipments running embedded systems, you mostly going to find such old OSs on them. It's the same idea. If it works, don't break it.
I get having the air tight rig for Windows, where things can go horribly wrong with an update, especially when you're already so used to certain editing software etc...
I think OnlyOffice has near perfect compatibility with Microsoft IIRC, although I don't know how customisable it is with the layouts. At least I know with LibreOffice he could do whatever he liked with it.
I get it for editing, but not for basic document office work, it seems a bit much to be running XP just for that alone.
@@alexwr we haven't seen what's on the XP machine exactly besides Office. Also XP could still serve as an interface for some old device, which has no driver past that OS version. With VM USB passthrough you can still use those with modern machines.
Hey, I too am an old MS Office user. I run Office 2003. I run it on Windows 10 and it works flawlessly. However, Windows 11 does not play nice with it. I have figured out though if you uninstall OneDrive it will work. I use OneDrive as an offsite cloud backup of things that I can not lose, but I have configured the NAS to access it. So I can save to the OneDrive on the NAS and it will save to the cloud. No need to have OneDrive installed on every PC anymore.
My hobby box has an interchangeable main hard drive and I swap Linux distros to my heart's content. This will also let me play with Proxmox.
I have an offline Windows XP machine and an offline Windows 98SE machine for playing the games I bought in my youth.
And I have a PC running Windows 11 for the sole purpose of running virtual machines and emulators that has a guest machine for running most OSes from Microsoft from DOS 6.22 to Windows 11, including 3.11, NT4, and 8 (The mistake that Microsoft now seems to want to forget)
I use Ubuntu studio,dual booted with windows 10 on my Amd tyzen mostly for music and video production and I use Linux mint on my office Dell machine. Great show. I watch you very frequently. Thank you
I liked to experiment with Linux, but when Recall came and I had to finally pull the plug on Windows, I chose Mint. Simply because as my daily driver I needed a reliable system that just works. Experimental stuff is fun, but I need reliable. I am very surprised how much gaming has improved on Linux, I can run 90% of my Windows native games.
You can thank the Steam Deck for that. :)
@@egyptian316 yep 😀
@@egyptian316 No, I disagree you can thank Steam using PROTON but gaming on Linux using Steam has been my thing since 2019/2020 although I do use Lutris and Bottles. Linux itself has really improved dramatically in my opinion since 2019 and it has been my only OS since moving away from MS Windows since 2016 purely because I didn't like the direction Win 10 was going with its data collection and undoing what modification that I was making when along came a new update. I finally landed on POP-OS after first using Linux Mint and then Ubuntu but found I was just much happier with POP-OS, maybe it is because they build PC's and actually use their own OS on their own PC's so resolve issues as and when they come along. Also they have given me free support via email within 24 hours concerning my new 7950X build within a week of it being released.
@@egyptian316 way to underestimate the software required that predates the steamdeck considerably. Without vkd3d and dxvk, we wouldn't have proton or the steamdeck as they currently exist
for the same "Recall" Reasons I'm considering switching.... it's just that Linux doesn't seem to F with NTFS file formats for read& WRITE... which I need for large quantities of Large size files. NTFS is the best format for dealing with that,( as far as I know...?!) My question is, is there a version of Linux that's ideal for NTFS read and write, large files and large quantities, high processing power for gaming or heavy 3d modeling work?
Hi
Your videos are always no-nonsense, practical and insightful. I have finally made the Fedora KDE my daily driver. It supports everything. It has the simplicity and practicality. My HP printer is supported. My ThinkPad T480 works like a charm.
Thank you
Love from India
Wow, XP offline for old games, 7 for some analog audio editing software, 10 is my daily driver on my desktop and laptop, and I use 11 for my HTPC. Great video as always Mr. Barnatt!! Can't wait until next week!!
I do also have Windows XP pro both 32-bit and 64-bit online and offline only for a few games best part is they still don't require analytics and day together I like that
Love to have Win 7 for virtual pipe organ software on a completely Offline PC. Was a great OS but the hardware failed and that PC is no longer in my possession.
@mikewurlitzer5217
I guess it's time to rebuild
@@cgriggsiv- you do realize you can play old PC games on Windows 10 with DosBox, right? Just do not connect to the internet. I need the internet daily, so I could never use XP or even 7. However, because I hate AI, I refuse to ever upgrade Windows past 10 Pro. I will be eventually having Ubuntu LTS 24 installed because I want the 15 plus years of guaranteed regular security updates and patches.
@@ernies8828 If you're used to using real hardware, emulator, USB and flatscreen lag can be a massive gamebreaker on anything that requires precise timing. If you're not used to using real hardware you'll likely never notice, but even one frame of lag can be a massive distraction for anyone used to it.
I was a big fan of Linux Mint. About 6 months ago, I switched to KDE Neon. I haven't had a need to look back.
I dual boot two laptops with Windows 11 and Neon. I also run a number of Raspberry Pi's. I have a Pi 5 as a daily driver for general use. I do run Pi os but with the KDE desktop.
I run solar and am completely off grid with my cellphone as a hot spot. So power is important. Because of this, I find portable monitors are great.
I always look forward to a video from you!
WOW, your video camera is amazing. It's very crisp and clear. Great video. Thank you for all you do. I still dual boot from the bios into Mint, and it works very well. Two years running.
Running Linux mint 20.3 and a virtual Windows 10 for two applications not available on Linux. My hardware is a home brew AMD based rig with nvme SSDs in 2 PCIe slots. I'm very satisfied with my setup and your help has proven invaluable.
7 different operating systems?!
It already annoys the piss out of me that my computer at home is Windows 11 24H2 and my computer at work keeps bluescreening during said upgrade and therefore it stuck on Windows 11 23H2. That's just 2 versions of the same operating system. I couldn't imagine using 7. Hats off to you for having the patience for that.
Haha you're reminding me how much I hate the modern ribbonbar design. Takes up so much space on screen and everything is laid out inconsistently, different sizes of icons all over the place, it always takes me forever to find what I want. I miss that old school menu design.
And don't get me started on how modern software design opens an utterly useless splash screen when I select Open or Save As, and I have to hunt around for the button or link which opens File Explorer which is what should have been opened when I first clicked Open or Save As.
Well thats the beauty of having 7. Once one breaks you have 6 in backup. Offline win xp or win7 are maintainless
Always enjoy your channel Christopher - Linux Mint is my "go to" system which is installed on my 4YO Leader (Aussie brand) laptop Intel© Core™ i5-8350U CPU @ 1.70GHz × 4 and 8 GiB RAM. Not blazing fast but suits my needs. Previously I was dual booting with Windows 11 due to mainly one native program I need. I now have W11 on a newer Surface Laptop Go that I use out and about. Happy with my set up...
In the times where people are running towards the latest and greatest (including me), it's nice to see Chris being very utilitarian with his rig.
I have a mini-pc with Ryzen 7 5800H running Windows 11 and Linux Mint in dual boot.
Happy new year 😊
Happy new year!
Congrats for the video. Greetings from Brazil!
Greetings from the UK! :)
Fascinating to see how you like to work! It had honestly never occurred to me that you can happily run older MS operating systems offline!
I love a good operating system video Chris, this is amazing!! I'm running a similar setup, Linux Mint on my desktop, and Win10 LTSC on my laptop, but I really like the idea of running Chrome OS Flex on a TV, might have to steal that idea from you. 📝
Hello! My favorite teacher! Happy new year!! I knew nr1 was Linux mint. All the windows' software who is imported (read "used on") for some reason runs off-line. Me, I run a little restaurant in Togo. For the office-work and internet I have an HP ProBook 650 G1 16gb ram and 300 GB HD. For the music, I have a dell laptop dual-core with clementine and mixxx software installed. The clementine is running all the time with the android remote. When the alcohol level rises, then we go to mixxx, to make a little DJ set ( numark connecteded). It is running Antix Linux, with ice-wm and 16Gb ram HDD 1TB. But this old dell has never been switched off for 2 years now. Ps. this one runs off-line. I de-installed all type off browser and changed the port number with the android app.
Very cool thumbnail!
seconded!
Thanks! I was holding two bits of cardboard. :)
@@ExplainingComputers Haha that gave me a chuckle
@@ExplainingComputersThat's great!
Been your follower since 7 years & I must say you always upload something very Interesting for Tech lovers!
7 PC operating systems that are my everday driver. 😂 Love you, fellow nerd. 💛
We must stick together. :)
This was an excellent video.
I love how there are different operating systems per use case.
That is somewhat how I did things at my last job. I had several computers and a couple virtual machines, and did the networked ones, I used software that let me use fewer mouse and keyboard sets. (Originally Mouse Without Borders, but as I used Linux more, I migrated to Barrier.)
I should do more to tailor my environments for the specific uses.
I'm glad this video inspired me!
"Windows 11 because you have to, not because you want to" How true, and of Andriod too :-) (mainly XP, Kubuntu, and PiOS)
Happy new Year Chris.
Another great video!
I use Mac OS in my home office. However, there are a couple of applications that are not available on the Mac and so I occasionally use Windows 11. I've tried to use Linux over the past 20 years and did install and support it when I did work with ARM and Roku, but there are a lot of applications that just aren't available. This is improving however.
My friend is a trustee for a charity in Africa and I source, refurbish and send PC's out for the school. All these run Linux Mint and it is perfect for that environment.
I switched from W10 to Mint about a year ago thanks to Explaining Computers 👍
Snake Snake Snaaaaaaakkkeee!
Great to hear!
Me too, and I love it! I'm running Kdenlive, Audacity, Ardour 8, MuseScore, and Darktable. I also use Google Drive and apps, and I like the LibreOffice suite a lot.
Always the best educative and informative videos. Thank you so much! Greetings from Argentina! Have a great new year, Christopher!
Great video as always!
I switched to Linux three months ago and thus I get recommendations for Linux-videos like yours. 😀
Thanks for the comparison, my decision was absoultely right.
I use Linux on all my laptops and even on my Mini PCs for home cinema.
Windows 11 remains for some Windows-games.
Keep up the good work!! 👍
Zorin OS is a really nice choice for new users or anyone else that wants a pretty, stable, and elegant Linux distro.
Very true, excellent distro.
Hi Chris, Love your videos... Lots of great content and always informative. My daily driver is Linux Mint 21.3 but also have Windows 10 on a Laptop that I use for work. (Provided by my employer). I have 3 large monitors on my desktop so I use RDP to connect to the laptop which has VPN access to my job (Software test). This gives me 3 nice big screens to use to run various tasks and the ability to run remote windows/sessions to various servers at work and gives me great multi-tasking capabilities. :) The Laptop runs Windows 10 and luckily the Linux "rdesktop" client gives me the ability to use ALL 3 monitors as well as audio/video for communications for meetings and collaboration with my work associates. Plus when not working I play around with QEMU/KVM on my desktop so it gives me the ability to simulate 3 machines simultaneously directly from my Linux desktop. I've been able to run a number of other linux distros as well as Solaris & other intel/amd based operating systems. (a hobby of mine) So that's my setup in a nutshell. ;)
The computers you use really show that not everyone needs a high end PC. I hear so many RUclipsrs say that a system like the N100 is useless because it cannot play the latest AAA games, but that really isn't true. The operating systems I run are Arch Linux on my main PC which is based on the exact same N100 motherboard you use every day. I use Linux Mint on the rest of my desktops and most of my laptops (I've got 39 computers which I know is ridiculous). I run ChromeOS non flex on my tablet/laptop hybrid thing. I run Windows 10 for when I need to use an application that doesn't run on Linux. I also run the Haiku operating on a few PC's, and also AntiX Linux, Zorin OS Lite, Debian Linux, and Raspberry Pi os on Raspberry Pi's.
Yeah, don't listen to the youtube kids. They can't fathom the idea of someone needing a PC for something other than gaming.
N100s aren’t useless, they are pointless. For the same price or a little more you can get a low end Ryzen PC that is more than twice the performance. For power efficiency, ARM is better for small task/server functions.
It's true. Everything I do, except gaming, can be done on an N100-based mini PC like what Chris has at a pretty non-discernable performance difference. My unusual idea was to get a PC like that & then make my current PC be a "gaming server" where I would just stream games from it to the N100 one using Steam as well as run some game servers on it e.g. Minecraft
Gaming itself is a silly premise for building a computer. There is a massive library of old games that are perfectly fun, that you can run easily on older hardware. One game I spin up occasionally is Gothic (or one of the sequels). You can run those games on a potato, these days. (Gothic III does get a bit more demanding with settings maxed, but it's a relatively large game.) Games like Skyrim are also fun and not too demanding these days. Older versions of GTA.
If you just started playing games that existed decades ago, you would never run out of things to do, and you would have a great time. By the time you might actually get to current games, you would likely be able to run them on something cheap in like 10 years. (Assuming they aren't attached to some terrible server-based activation scheme.)
@@sbrazenor2 I agree completely with your vintage game strategy, but a Ryzen APU is the way to do that. The N100 has about the performance limits on a $20 Onn streaming puck.
I started working with Windows 7 Home Premium back in 2012.
In 2016, on the same desktop and on the same drive, I added/upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate.
NOT ONE HICCUP!!! Any short term problems were my fault and easily fixable. I still get security updates every 30 days or so (maybe because I installed it with a Product Key).
About 6 months ago I bought a high end laptop that had Windows 11 pre-installed. I cranked it up, used ONE of 11's tools and installed Linux Mint Cinnamon, choosing to wipe out completely Windows 11. I have no use for anything Microsoft spits out post Windows 7. Like Christopher, my go-to thru out the day is 7's Ultimate
There ARE various 7s out there with product keys. I wish you all well.
and THANK YOU Mr' Barnatt for all your posts.
..
I think we all miss the comparative reliability of Windows XP and 7.
Don't forget the customisation of Windows XP. Just look at how many Winamp skins are out there (and new ones are still being made to this day).
Windows 11 is pretty customizable with windhawk.
I find Linux to be an equally reliable, up to date desktop OS. It does depend on the distribution and desktop environment however.
I have been using Windows since 3.1. Windows XP was not reliable. It is the OS I have had to reinstall the most number of times because it used to get botched from time to time. Windows 10 and 11 are much more resilient OSes under the hood, not talking about UI/UX.
@@clutchboi4038 Can you configure what kind of spyware spies on you and what kind of advertising is forced on your OS?
Happy new year Chris. Thanks for another year explaining computers. I use windows 11 on two computers , one in my home gym for background music, running it into a 1980 amplifier and speakers. I love oils hi-fi. I also run Linux Mint on another pc. Both win 11 pc’s are 2012 i5 3570K 16 Gb RAM and 500Gb SSD. I’ll probably install LM on them if Microsoft pull the plug on older CPU’s.
Linux mint cinnamon should be the one to bring linux to the masses. But the devs need to work on better cpu performance. Sometimes temps are much higher than gnome and kde but mint is the only one that makes linux easy and still looks good with the default theme.
I heavily disagree that Mint is the "only one that makes linux easy" I've had success with giving Kubuntu, PopOS, and Zorin to novice users and it's just as easy on those as on Mint. In fact depending on owned hardware and desired software other distros can be even easier to use than Mint. Mint is still fantastic I use it myself on my laptop but it's not alone in being an easy to use distro far from it.
Are the temperature high because of cinnamon would using xfce or mate helps?
The "masses" should go to Linux or, at least, meet in halfway as opposed expecting Linux to served up "on a silver platter" to them.
Linux is a case of "effort in = reward out". When you truly understand why it's different to commercial OSes and why learning some basics of how computers work is important, only then can you embrace Linux fully.
Very nice and practical setups.
Happy New Year everyone 🎉🎉!!!!
Happy new year!
I've been scanning the comments: CB has a lot of old farts like me (Linux Kernel 0.89 Yggdrasil was my first). And thank goodness, because the best part of the channel is benchmarking and the associated commands.
True. About 80 per cent of viewers of this channel are 35+, which is highly unusual here on RUclips.
@@ExplainingComputers "Any old iron?!!" _- Brendan Gleason in "A.I."_
Sure, run X on a Pentium with a whopping 4 meg. And that's why I ran console on that dog.
Lovely video and clear use cases for each OS. Thanks for sharing! I run the following:
* Linux Mint 22 on TV PC, because of the Nvidia GPU
* Windows 10 on main office PC (also a music recording station), looking to either migrate to Mint 22 or perhaps do the year of extended security updates if I need more time
* Linux Mint Debian Edition on old Thinkpad hooked up to our home projector
* OpenMediaVault (Debian-based?) on Dell system I repurposed to a server PC with Docker container services
* WIndows 10 on Asus T100 netbook (definitely looking to move to Linux, but it's a weird 32 bit/64 bit hybrid, so a bit more involved)
Update -- the T100 now has Zorin OS Lite 17.2 (installed 16.3 without a hitch then upgraded within the OS)
I feel like you're making life way more complex than it needs to be. having to juggle between systems.
and reading the comments make me feel like 70% of people who watch you are older than 40 years old. cause everyone I know uses only 2 operating systems, windows and whatever OS their phone has.
...and I don't think you understand how complicated your life has become when it comes to maintaining your personal information privacy when you've admitted that you run up to three "operating systems" with the main purpose of surveilling you and knowing exactly where you are at all times - Windows, Google Android and Apple iOS.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 no one cares about personal privacy.
@amirmirzaei3940 I do, and that makes your use of the words "no one" incorrect, as well as your entire comment.
Would you like to now alter it to therefore make it at least slightly more correct?
In your own time...
@@terrydaktyllus1320 You sound like an AI bot so yeah don't care what you say
@amirmirzaei3940 The words I write here don't make any sounds. If you're hearing sounds from my direction then maybe you need to a specialist.
Off you go then, sonny. Mind how you go and stay away from sharp scissors.
Discussion closed.
Great video! I love all the hardware you have!
I run Arch linux for my main laptop. I have couple of VPSs and raspberrypi. So for my raspberrypi I run raspberry pi OS and for rest of the VPS I have Debian 12, Alpine Linux and Alma Linux.
Alpine Linux is really amazing. I especially love the how tiny footprint it has and can help me save where I have limited disk.
I use Windows 10, Windows 11, Linux Mint. Linux Batocera, And Windows XP across 19 computers and SBCs.
8 computers are servers, 2 are gaming computers, 2 are retro gaming consoles, 2 I use to run older program and play WinXP games, one is a laptop, 2 I have at my office at work, and one I use for remote work at home.
I really like how you spread your workload across multiple operating systems. I do the exact same thing, as I find that using a single OS for everything literally doesn't work for me or foster the best creative experience.
For 99% of things, I use Windows 8.0 (yes, 8.0, not 8.1), and for the other 1% (which isn't doable in 8 anymore) I use my laptop which has Mint XFCE edition and transfer files back and forth via USB. My machine is an HP Z640 with a Xeon E5-2680 V4 (14 cores, 28 threads), 32 GB RAM, a 1660 SUPER and a 2 TB SSD, so it's definitely no slouch :)
Dear Chris, I like to imagine you in a Dr Evil (Mike Myers) style hollowed out volcano with banks of giant screens being powered by your hoard of SBCs where you sit and control your clone armies of ducks in public parks up and down the land...
This sounds cool! :) I will get one of those volcano hollowing-out tools . . .
And the power is generated by the steam engine in his RUclips test video.
Also, you want to turn into an evil villain the man who has friends called "Mr Scissors" and "Stanley the Knife"?
Brave.
@@timothy8428 A giant mamod Steam Engine.
Oh man i just loved what you showed ,, specific OS for specific tasks ,, thats how we should organize our work in workspaces.. im a finale year engineering student and current use Ubuntu for cloud works and windows 11 , 10 for media consumption and playing games and sometimes fedora os for different use cases.. i really love legendary windows 7 and Xp , both i've seen from my childhood .. so simple they are to use in offline. Thanks for the video ! ✨✨
Thanks for watching!
I'm still using Windows 7 as my daily driver. I just burned some DVDs for a friend. I used Windows 8 Movie Maker for the stabilization features and 7 to do the burning. I think these operating systems will always have a place in my life.
Using an unsupported version of Windows is dangerous (more dangerous than a supported version anyway). Twenty years ago I had to reinstall my copy of Windows 2000. The instant it connected to the internet afterwards (before applying any patches to bring it up to date), it was infected by one or more viruses.
Windows 10, Proxmox ( I think of it as an OS), Raspbian ( OS flavor), Debian 12, these used almost daily. in the past CentOS, Fedora, BSD, every other version of windows ( not 11), SteamDeckOS and variants, ChromeOS ( have a Chrome Book). Not counting purely tests of several others.
Thank you for your channel, I've found it interesting and useful.
6:40 If you zoom in you can see his rap cds. 2pac eminem Ja etc.
Glad I wasn't the only one who zoomed in to see his CD collection. Alas, I couldn't make out the titles for most of them but what I managed to make out were compilations of TV and movie themes and the Bangles' greatest hits.
I have those CDs, they are not the spins lol
I have to admit... I haven't run Linux or Windows on my laptop (or even powered it up) in a good while. I'm retired, and do weekly volunteer work, so I do my monthly reports on my Android tablet or phone. Gets the job done nicely. Never thought I'd get a bit tired of tech devices/gadgets, but I find simplicity a lot better than complexity nowadays (until the next Raspberry Pi project, that is 😉). Thanks for another great video Chris. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Very interesting. I do sometime wonder what I'll run when I stop doing this kind of stuff and rebel against all the tech! Right now I imagine I would just run Chrome OS.
Disappointed that TempleOS is not on the list.
Yeah, It’s so good I’d almost call it the work of god!
are you serious?
TempleOS a must have 😂
@@betag24cnof course he is. Rip Terry
@jothain i cant believe people take this as a serious option
I am running Mint since Windoze 8 came out... and run Windows 7 in a VM on that machine to use my Lightroom software (also not wanting to use their subscription). All notebooks and other machines run Mint (or Raspberry OS). Works and has been working for me ever since.
Idea for another video: How about giving an overview about the best Solitaire games on different platforms?
Windows because the graphics look the best
Windows 7 is the one
I now find I run CHROME OS on an ASUS touchscreen most of the day. Any serious work during any day I revert to a Thinkpad T470s running Linux Mint 21.3 and like Chris this will stay until EOL. The same Thinkpad also dual boots to Win10 which I use as a reference when volunteering for AbilityNet. I also have 2 other laptops running LM (one LMDE Faye 6). Another old Dell runs CHROME OS FLEX and I have a Mini NUC PC dual booting LM and Win11. Almost forgot - there is an Android tablet and a very old ipad that very rarely gets booted up. I think my linux distro hopping days are over, but just might test out POP OS! once the new DE gets past beta. Tried a Pi - but not for me. Not closing the door though on RISC V SBC - just a matter of timing and funds! Keep up the good work Chris.
No MS-DOS? You don’t know what you are missing! (Humour?)
I built the J4105 Silent ITX pc from your video, my dad appreciated it, his grandson now has it, he loves it
I run Linux Mint 21 on my main PC
Windows 7 on an offline PC
Amazon Fire OS on my 10" tablet
Android 13 on my Galaxy A03s phone
Raspbian OS 32 bit on a Raspberry Pi 2B
Raspbian OS 64 bit on two Raspberry Pi 3B+
I have been given a Tower PC which will have Linux Mint 22 installed.
I prefer my programs to be "pay once and done" and not a subscription service. So I like that you are running programs either on a offline PC or a virtual PC to eliminate any threat of unwelcome or unnecessary updates.
Of course I cry. I'm Cryin' Brian. You have Disney+? Sucker.
I'm a Star Wars & Marvel fan, and have not given up yet! :)
Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences with practically using different OS's. It's great to see you saying in effect, there's no "one size fits all" solution. Thanks for all the effort that you put into your videos, and have a great year 2025!
Agree with you here, Christopher: "..nothing of value has been added to the Windows interface since version 7"
Many thanks for your explaining computers sir...Thanks to you i have finally migrate to linux mint..Greetings fron Greece..Happy Holidays
I tell a friend of mine about a new computer acquisition and he immediately assssks "does it support Win11?"... Who the hell wants Windows 11??
I'm in the US and do my own tax returns. The software from multiple companies only runs on Windows. I know, there are Linux apps. But, nowadays you don't even get a disk, it is all downloadable. I don't want to blow the money to find out it doesn't work. That's my "Why I still have Windows".
@@dlewis9760 The amount of software you absolutely cannot run on Linux this day and age can be counted with your own fingers.
There's no shame in using Windows. The only issue is when people talk about PCs as rhough Windows is the only option.@dlewis9760
Being an ex-techie I have ran 5 from your list over the years in this order XP, Win 7 Pro 64. Win 10, Linux Mint, Ubuntu and finally I moved onto POP-OS Linux and the newest to my list is PROXMOX virtual server on a 12700T mini PC. I have very fond memories of Win 7 but now I only run POP-OS on all my PC's. My main PC being an AMD 9950X with RX6950XT ( I have 2 of these one in the bedroom and one in the main room as I am disabled), I have 2 gaming laptops running POP-OS with Nvidia 3070 GPU's and each have 64Gb RAM, finally my latest edition is an AMD 7950X which I intend for it to become my new PROXMOX server although it is on test atm with POP-OS.
4:36 OMG! Most unexpected 90s home desk setup... I love this RUclips channel ❤
iOS , macOS for personal computing, but run Zorin on some older machines, also windows on a mini pc to run my laser. At work, Windows 10 and DOS, (XP, and 7 on older manufacturing systems we've built). Just a thought, our IT nor software teams have gone to running Win11, curious. Good episode, interest, informative, and well presented. Happy New Year
A Happy New Year!
Thanks for another great video. I love how you switch OS the way I switch lowly apps. My rebellious soul says to follow you!
Currently running latest Mint at home. I also have a win10 laptop i use for flashing ROMS and programming microcontrollers. For work I remote into a win10 box at the office. No idea when my employer is going to move to win11.
Thanks for your support. :)
Thanks to you, my daily driver aValue EPC-SKLU MiniPC runs Linux Mint without any problems. Got this unit since mid '23 an am very happy with it. Also my GETAG F150 tablet runs Fedora due to its capability to interact with the touchscreen, making it an ideal OS for tablet PCs.
We have been running Manjaro KDE on the household's three laptops for four years now, plus a headless minimal installation of Manjaro on my RPI4, and we are very happy with it. The only Windows computer is an old Desktop PC from 2012 which is running Windows 10 LTSC and serves as a multimedia station, connected to the TV.
Hello Chris, thank you so much for this interesting insight! I'm so glad that an expert in computing pretty much does the same things that I do. Online Linux Mint, and, most important, offline Windoes 7 with my Adobe CS5 Master Collection. Never want to give up on Windows 7!
Oh my, I've totally forgot about musicmatch jukebox. This was quite a trip down memory lane. Thank you for your content.
As I wrote before, I use Linux Mint 22 and I don't want to replace it with anything else. I'm looking forward to the update to 22.1. Happy New Year from Romania.
Greetings! :)
I have a dual boot of windows 11 along with Ubuntu. and I have kept Ubuntu social media and distraction free. Ubuntu has turned to be one of my favourite and loved OS.
This is the kind of creativity in thumbnail i really enjoy. Made me chuckle.
Love your content. I run Proxmox, Linux Mint VM, Windows 10 VM, MacOS, Debian. I think I am going to skip Windows 11 entirely but still TDB. Appreciated your video on Windows 10 migration!