End of 10: Upgrade your old Windows 10 computer to Linux

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Hardware reuse, pricing, and alternatives

  • Some report rising prices for used PCs and Windows‑10‑only machines going to scrap instead of being resold, possibly due to rising demand for compute (especially GPUs) and people holding on to older hardware.
  • Others suggest many non‑technical users have largely moved to phones/tablets, keeping old laptops “just in case” rather than selling them.
  • ChromeOS Flex is mentioned as an easy repurposing option, but hardware support can be spotty even on “supported” models.

Linux desktop: enthusiasm vs frustration

  • Many long‑time users praise Linux as fast, bloat‑free, and less intrusive than modern Windows, especially for development and general desktop use.
  • Critics describe repeated failed migrations: driver issues (Nvidia, sleep/brightness, sound/Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi regressions), poor Office document compatibility, and video playback glitches.
  • Some are happy with “Linux for servers, Windows for gaming, macOS for work,” seeing little incentive to fight desktop rough edges.

Installation, migration, and usability hurdles

  • The site is praised as clear marketing, but several note major blockers for “normies”:
    • Creating bootable USBs with third‑party tools, navigating BIOS/UEFI, and scary GRUB menus.
    • Confusing distro choice and conflicting advice (“try another distro”) when something breaks.
    • Data migration: copying browser profiles and cloud sync is easy, but reliably auto‑preserving a Windows Documents folder without external backup is seen as unsafe/complex.
  • Suggested fixes: a Windows installer app that handles ISO download, USB creation, dual‑boot, and data import; or Wubi‑style in‑place installation. Fedora’s Media Writer is cited as a partial model.

Gaming, anti‑cheat, and security debates

  • One camp says gaming on Linux is “pretty great now” via Steam/Proton, with only a minority of kernel‑anticheat titles (League, some shooters, Roblox) blocked.
  • Another notes that for players focused on competitive online games, those blocked titles are often the only games that matter.
  • Long subthread debates:
    • Whether Linux’s package‑manager culture is inherently safer than Windows’ “download random .exe” norm.
    • Whether kernel‑mode anti‑cheat is effectively a rootkit and anti‑user, versus a legitimate tool that consenting players value to reduce cheating.
    • Hardware attestation and secure boot: some argue such mechanisms conflict with user freedom and hackability; others say they can coexist with user choice and are already present in kernels and hardware.

Windows 10 EOL, extended support, and hardware lockout

  • Researchers and labs with many Windows 10 workstations that can’t officially run 11 worry about cost, downtime, and e‑waste.
  • Options discussed: Extended Security Updates (ESU), LTSC/IoT editions (support into the 2030s), or simply leaving critical machines un‑upgraded but heavily firewalled.
  • Several criticize Microsoft for:
    • Marketing Windows 10 as effectively “the last Windows,” then tightening Windows 11 hardware requirements (TPM, CPU lists) and stranding capable machines.
    • Bricking product lines mid‑lifecycle (e.g., Windows Mixed Reality), increasing e‑waste while promoting sustainability messaging.
  • Others counter that dropping old CPUs/instruction sets has precedent (XP→Vista, 486 support, etc.) and that security features like VBS justify the cutoffs.

Distributions, fragmentation, and aesthetics

  • Newcomers are often confused by the need to pick a “distro” and desktop environment; configuration differences (KDE vs GNOME, flatpak vs deb vs snap, Wayland vs X11) complicate web search and support.
  • Some argue there should be an “official Linux OS” for desktops; others say that would be culturally impossible and contrary to the ecosystem’s diversity.
  • Opinions differ on visuals: some find Linux “ugly” and poorly designed compared to macOS/Windows; others point to KDE/GNOME themes, “unixporn,” and note that Windows itself is a patchwork of old and new UIs.

Overall sentiment

  • Many see Linux as a strong, even superior, option for development, general computing, and non‑competitive gaming—especially on aging Windows 10 hardware.
  • But commenters broadly agree that for mainstream users, obstacles remain: installer UX, driver quirks, gaming anti‑cheat, distro fragmentation, and fear of data loss.