migrating from Windows 7

[Slade Watkins]

Hello,

On Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 7:51 PM Karl Auer <kauer at biplane.com.au> wrote:
>
> On Sun, 2021-11-07 at 18:09 -0500, Slade Watkins wrote:
> > - Gaming: I usually play games on Steam (with the exception of
> > Minecraft Java)
>
> Some Steam stuff works, some doesn't.

At least things work! If this had been a concern

>
> >     - I have an NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 card, which is dated, but I
> > believe it has drivers for Linux I can snag fairly quickly after
> > install?
>
> In general, the older the card the better the support, especially for
> NVidia. Even so - I would test that before committing.

Definitely going to run a Live USB for this just to make sure
everything is correct. While I expect everything to work either out of
the box or with some apt gets, I will absolutely be checking
everything.

>
> > - Productivity: I used to use Microsoft Office on a near daily basis
>
> Current Libre Office is extremely compatible, unless you are a very
> (VERY) advanced user of Word, in which case you will find some things
> screw up, especially things like outlining and numbering. You may have
> to obtain and install your favourite fonts too. Also, if you use Excel
> macros, you will have to convert them. The Libre Office people
> basically looked at the seeping horror that is Excel macros and decided
> not to bother.

I don't blame them. I never bothered with Excel at all. If I need
spreadsheets, they're usually shared between multiple people on Google
Drive anyway. Saves me some hassle (and also saves me from even having
to deal with Excel). I'm just accustomed to Word, though I use it for
very basic things so honestly fonts and everything don't really matter
to me. If it can write and edit documents, then it's fine.

>
> > - Communication: I use Discord to communicate with people regularly.
> > I believe there is a (somewhat terrible) Linux client that is
> > compatible with Ubuntu
>
> I have not found the Linux client at all horrible, and I use it a lot.

I just assumed it was because, honestly, the last time I actually used
it outside of sending a quick message I had struggled with it a lot.
Perhaps it has changed since then.

>
> > I'll need a way to spin up a Windows VM rather quickly. I
> > have a VMware Workstation license for Linux, so I plan to use that.
>
> VirtualBox works well, as does KVM. VirtualBox is easier but slower. If
> your Windows stuff required performance, forget virtuals on commodity
> hardware.

Honestly? It really doesn't require performance. The two programs I
need are basic stuff that lightly touches CPU/RAM so I think it should
be fine. Not dealbreakers, though. I can probably find alternatives on
the internet.
I'm not familiar with KVM but I've heard of it floated around at least
once so I'm going to read into it. It might be fun to try something
new that isn't VMware. (I enjoy tinkering)

> > interested in giving it a shot assuming I can find things that can
> > work for my purposes.
>
> As long as you don't expect  1:1 correspondence between Linux and
> Windows, you'll be fine. If there are critical, non-negotiable items
> that you must continue to have access to, I suggest testing the
> alternatives before committing.

Oh trust me, I don't. I also expect this to be a 1-2 week transition
when it does happen. That's what secondary computers are for.

Best,
             -slade