This is an automated archive.

The original was posted on /r/linux by /u/N0stis on 2023-08-15 16:53:35+00:00.

Hello,

So I have a dozen or so curated Windows computers, 7/10/11 OS’s in multiple form factors, which I use for my daily compute activities. Primarily Win7, as 10/11 are productivity killers.

I am a former Intel Products Dealer (IPD), Microsoft System Builder, Microsoft Partner, Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher (MAR) and have beta tested MS OS’s since Win3.0 Video for Windows.

So I have decades of Windows experience, and my Windows 7 computers have very stringent Op/Sec, i.e. no telemetry, no OS updates, alternate MAC’s, browser security extensions etc.etc. etc.

I also have a recently built a machine with Linux Mint 21.2 Victoria Cinnamon Edition. Minty

I have installed Brave and Firefox browsers, Proton VPN, various graphic programs, emacs, etc. I have made it look more to my tastes, but I have not yet seen anything that it will do better than my Win7 machines. Not _as_ good, but better. Enough to compensate for the amount of effort this would involve for my computer fleet to be transformed.

I watch a half dozen video podcasts weekly, read the news, both regular and computer geek news daily, I am writing my fifth 400 plus page historical novel in Word, (leanpub.com) I maintain my website, (tcw.org) use Outlook to manage five email accounts, and stream shows and movies daily. Oh, and I do play some digital music for writing background.

I do understand some of the additional security of Linux, forcing sudo and opening as root. But I am not sure it is any more secure than my highly refined Windows 7 machines. There is a theoretical greater malware attack surface with Windows, but I haven’t seen any evidence of this in many, many, years. I have used one of these machines effectively on the Dark Web and wrote two books about the experience. So…

  • LibreOffice is not MS Office and I doubt it would create my books
  • Thunderbird is not Outlook
  • Don’t see a replacement for Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Creative Suite

There also seems to be quite a bit of Mint telemetry that I have not yet learned to turn off.

So my reasonable request is: what Killer App(s) I am missing?

Why do Linux users say that _smart people_ use Linux?

What would make me abandon Windows and the high productivity levels I have now?

Thanks in advance for any reasonable responses.

PS. Snipers please hold your fire, I am not interested in religious flame wars, just facts and info.