![]() May not be compatible with all programs or games.MATE is also available on Mint.īe that as it may, my current favorite desktop operating system is Linux Mint 20.2. While Cinnamon rests on the foundation of the GNOME 3.x desktop, MATE is an outright GNOME 2.x fork. Another worthwhile alternative for people who are fond of GNOME 2.x, and which is also integrated into Mint, is MATE. Linux users who grew up with the GNOME 2.x style interface will also love Cinnamon. It's not a one-to-one match with XP or Windows 7, but most Windows users will find Cinnamon a comfortable fit. It uses a Windows Icon, Menu, and Pointer (WIMP) interface much like the one you probably already know and love. Unlike Chrome OS, Mint with several desktop environments like Cinnamon, looks a lot like XP or Windows 7. What's a Windows 10 user to do? They should turn to Linux Mint, in particular, the version using the Cinnamon interface. The key question is: "What do you want to use Linux for?" For beginners, I look at what's the easiest to pick up, the best overall Linux desktop, the simplest Linux for Windows users, and the easiest Linux for users with older machines. What's a would-be Linux desktop user to do? Luckily for you, you don't have to try them all out to find a good fit. Since you're just starting with Linux, I recommend you stick with the distro's main interface. Most distributions have a primary user interface, such as Fedora and GNOME and OpenSUSE and KDE, but also enable you to pick from one to three others. On top of those are numerous Linux desktop interfaces, each with its own distinctive look and feel, such as KDE, GNOME, Cinnamon, Lxde, Xfce, and many more. The future of the desktop aside, unlike Windows, where your only real choices today are Windows 10 or 11, there are hundreds of Linux desktop distributions. Indeed, we're moving to a business world where all you really need is a web browser to enable you to use a Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform. In any event, since most such programs, even Adobe PhotoShopare now available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), there's less need than ever for Windows-specific programs. It won't run all Windows apps by any means, but it runs many of them surprisingly well. If you still need some Windows programs, you can always try Crossover Linux to run them on Linux. These make installing new programs as simple as pick and click. Under the hood, things can still be complex, but now almost all distros have application stores. It used to be hard to install programs on Linux, but that's no longer the case. Good luck running any modern version of Windows on that. For example, I have a 2007-vintage HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7360n PC with a 2.8GHz Pentium D 920 dual-core processor, and 2GBs of RAM and a 300GB SATA drive PC that's still running Linux to this day. Linux doesn't require much in the way of a computer to do just fine. Looking ahead, as Ed Bott points out, many of you may end up facing a security disaster if you keep using Windows 10.Īlso, Linux, unlike Windows 11, will run on pretty much any PC you've got lying around. So why would you move? Well, for starters, Linux is far more secure than its rivals. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping.
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