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Windows 10 sucks more than a colonic irregation clinic doing an "Everything Must Go" closing down sale.

The only software on Windows 10 that I'd recommend is that for which there is no support for, method of installation on or alternative available on GNU / Linux (or BSD). The reason being that in the last few years, Microsoft has not only ramped up it's anti-consumer practices with the release of Win 10 (which is reason enough to not use Windows)... it has also let standards slip significantly. Seriously, releasing forced updates that cause data loss that's not retrievable using a system restore point. What the funk Microsoft?!... you could almost say that the devs have been pumping out sh-.... well, I'm sure you can guess the rest.

Not to mention all the other, anti-libre, ad peddling, privacy violating, usability impacting, money grubbing, near sighted idiocy. I could really go off on (even more of) a tangent here about all the ways the Win 10 devs screwed the pooch and how Microsoft as a whole is now, more than ever, a malicious entity but I'll save it.

Having said that and as much as Microsoft has giving me ample reason to not just disagree with their ideology but actively detest it, I do still dual boot Windows (at least until I can consigned it to a VM that is). There are a few applications for which Windows is the only way possible to go at the moment. Case in point being the new, non-Java version of Minecraft. I have some close friends who play it, along with some young, Xbox bound relatives. And as much as I detest Windows 10, it's one of the few ways I can socialize and keep in touch with them (one day I'll convince them to switch to the Java version though).

There are also certain games that are Windows only that I still play but again, the long term plan is to get a new GPU and pass it through to a VM where Windows will forever be confined to it's little box.

Right, I'll climb off my soapbox now... or at the very least take one foot off, and give you a list of my favourite applications (that are also available on the Evil Empire's OS. There are also a few that are Windows only or that I have yet to find a comparable FOSS replacement).

  • Minecraft for Windows 10 - the Java version is better in oh so many ways but for the time being, having the chance to socialize with my younger, console/tablet only relatives is just barely enough for me to hold my nose.
  • Firefox - It's great in so many ways, not least of which being that it's not built around spying on and monitising it's users like Chrome.
    • My must have addons are
    • uBlock Origin (because some ad networks are malicious)
    • Privacy Badger and...
    • HTTPS Everywhere (both of which are developed by the EFF)
    • Multi-Account Containers
    • NoScript
    • This is where I'd put Tab Mix Plus if it's ever Web Extension compatible
  • PuTTY - my SSH application of choice.
  • KeePass - Because it's great and keeps my passwords under my control and not in the hands/on the servers of some corperation or company that may not place my best interests above their own.
  • Syncthing - for syncing files between my various computers and my FreeNAS server. Case in point being my KeePass database.
  • Deluge - slightly edges out qBittorrent when it comes to features I want in a torrent client. I use it in GTK (remote) mode to connect to the Deluge Jail on my FreeNAS server.
  • LibreOffice - Not much to say other than it does everything I want it to.
  • Quickhash - When I need to hash/checksum a large number of files or compare files/directories and I can't be bothered to do it using a shell, I use Quickhash.
  • 7zip - Not available but readily replaceable on Linux.
  • Fences - by Stardock. It helps you organize your desktop in several ways and it has a neat feature where you can double click on your desktop to show or hide all / a defined selection of desktop icons. When I first moved to Linux, I did miss Fences but it's basically eye candy, so far from essential.
  • VirtualBox - Plenty of alternatives but sometimes it's the best tool for the job... especially for someone who installs ancient versions of operating systems for fun.
  • GOG Galaxy - it's like Steam only when you buy a game, you truly own it.
  • stud.io - the best LEGO CAD program I've ever used (in almost every way). It has a few very minor issues running under WINE but it's perfectly usable.
  • TeraCopy - Another one of the rare apps that I use which is Windows only (although, I've never tried installing it using WINE) and for which I have been unable to find a comparable FOSS replacement.
  • Thunderbird - as it adds one more barrier between me and Google until I can ditch said evil empire entirely.
  • Sketchup - this is of particular note as the company that now develops Sketchup, Trimble, appears to be switching to a subscription based model. So grab the 2017 version whilst you can still buy it (or download the free version) rather than just rent it.
  • youtube-dl - I've only just started using it but it's great so far. I'm using it to archive my favourite channel just in case it ever gets taken down. To paraphrase Stallman (who even I think is a bit out there), unless you control the data, you have no control over the data. At this point, Youtube cannot be trusted.
  • Macrium Reflect Free - Free as in beer rather than speech... it's still a fantastic app that I wish had a Linux version.
  • VLC - It's not the undisputed king it once was but it's still brilliant. Also the developer says he could have sold it for millions but chose not to in order to keep it ad free.
  • MakeMKV - For backing up my Blu Ray collection. To be honest, I've never looked for a FOSS alternative but I will now [EDIT: Apparently MakeMKV can be installed on Linux via a PPA or .deb file. I'm gonna give it a whirl later today and I'll report back].
  • Malwarebytes - because it's still a good product rather than being a bloated, naggy, self promoting resource hog / vpn / web browser / password manager / online shopping price monitor / whatever else the devs can cram in.
I'll just mention Firefox and Deluge again as they're especially good for downloading install ISOs of better operating systems than Windows 10.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

[UPDATE]

How could I have forgetten?!!!!

  • FFMPEG - Created by the Shakespeare-esque (as in I can hardly believe that such breadth and quality of work can come from one man) Fabrice Bellard (https://bellard.org/). I use FFMPEG to convert videos several times a week and lord know how often I use apps or consume media that uses or has used FFMPEG.
 
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Tilltina

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Windows 10 sucks more than a colonic irregation clinic doing an "Everything Must Go" closing down sale.

The only software on Windows 10 that I'd recommend is that for which there is no support for, method of installation on or alternative available on GNU / Linux (or BSD). The reason being that in the last few years, Microsoft has not only ramped up it's anti-consumer practices with the release of Win 10 (which is reason enough to not use Windows)... it has also let standards slip significantly. Seriously, releasing forced updates that cause data loss that's not retrievable using a system restore point. What the funk Microsoft?!... you could almost say that the devs have been pumping out sh-.... well, I'm sure you can guess the rest.

Not to mention all the other, anti-libre, ad peddling, privacy violating, usability impacting, money grubbing, near sighted idiocy. I could really go off on (even more of) a tangent here about all the ways the Win 10 devs screwed the pooch and how Microsoft as a whole is now, more than ever, a malicious entity but I'll save it.

Having said that and as much as Microsoft has giving me ample reason to not just disagree with their ideology but actively detest it, I do still dual boot Windows (at least until I can consigned it to a VM that is). There are a few applications for which Windows is the only way possible to go at the moment. Case in point being the new, non-Java version of Minecraft. I have some close friends who play it, along with some young, Xbox bound relatives. And as much as I detest Windows 10, it's one of the few ways I can socialize and keep in touch with them (one day I'll convince them to switch to the Java version though).

There are also certain games that are Windows only that I still play but again, the long term plan is to get a new GPU and pass it through to a VM where Windows will forever be confined to it's little box.

Right, I'll climb off my soapbox now... or at the very least take on foot off, and give you a list of my favourite applications (that are also available on the Evil Empire's OS. There are also a few that are Windows only or that I have yet to find a comparable FOSS replacement).

  • Minecraft for Windows 10 - the Java version is better in oh so many ways but for the time being, having the chance to socialize with my younger, console/tablet only relatives is just barely enough for me to hold my nose.
  • Firefox - It's great in so many ways, not least of which being that it's not built around spying on and monitising it's users like Chrome.
    • My must have addons are
    • uBlock Origin (because some ad networks are malicious)
    • Privacy Badger and...
    • HTTPS Everywhere (both of which are developed by the EFF)
    • Multi-Account Containers
    • NoScript
    • This is where I'd put Tab Mix Plus if it's ever Web Extension compatible
  • PuTTY - my SSH application of choice.
  • KeePass - Because it's great and keeps my passwords under my control and not in the hands/on the servers of some corperation or company that may not place my best interests above their own.
  • Syncthing - for syncing files between my various computers and my FreeNAS server. Case in point being KeePass.
  • Deluge - slightly edges out qBittorrent when it comes to features I want in a torrent client. I use it in GTK (remote) mode to connect to the Deluge Jail on my FreeNAS server.
  • LibreOffice - Not much to say other than it does everything I want it to.
  • Quickhash - When I need to hash/checksum a large number of files or compare files/directories and I can't be bothered to do it using a shell, I use Quickhash.
  • 7zip - Not available but readily replaceable on Linux.
  • Fences - by Stardock. It helps you organize your desktop in several ways and it has a neat feature where you can double click on your desktop to show or hide all / a defined selection of desktop icons. When I first moved to Linux, I did miss Fences but it's basically eye candy, so far from essential.
  • VirtualBox - Plenty of alternatives but sometimes it's the best tool for the job... especially for someone who installs ancient versions of operating systems for fun.
  • GOG Galaxy - it's like Steam only when you buy a game, you truly own it.
  • stud.io - the best LEGO CAD program I've ever used (in almost every way). It has a few very minor issues running under WINE but it's perfectly usable.
  • TeraCopy - Another one of the rare apps that I use which is Windows only (although, I've never tried installing it using WINE) and for which I have been unable to find a comparable FOSS replacement.
  • Thunderbird - as it adds one more barrier between me and Google until I can ditch said evil empire entirely.
  • Sketchup - this is of particular note as the company that now develops Sketchup, Trimble, appears to be switching to a subscription based model. So grab the 2017 version whilst you can still buy it (or download the free version) rather than just rent it.
  • youtube-dl - I've only just started using it but it's great so far. I'm using it to archive my favourite channel just in case it ever gets taken down. To paraphrase Stallman (who even I think is a bit out there), unless you control the data, you have no control over the data. At this point, Youtube cannot be trusted.
  • Macrium Reflect Free - Free as in beer rather than speech... it's still a fantastic app that I wish had a Linux version.
  • VLC - It's not the undisputed king it once was but it's still brilliant. Also the developer says he could have sold it for millions but chose not to in order to keep it ad free.
  • MakeMKV - For backing up my Blu Ray collection. To be honest, I've never looked for a FOSS alternative but I will now.
  • Malwarebytes - because it's still a good product rather than being a bloated, naggy, self promoting resource hog / vpn / web browser / password manager / online shopping price monitor / whatever else the devs can cram in.
I'll just mention Firefox and Deluge again as they're especially good for downloading install ISOs of better operating systems than Windows 10.
You have so much information,thank you,these software are very helpful to me.
 
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cJZ

Dabbler
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Having said that and as much as Microsoft has giving me ample reason to not just disagree with their ideology but actively detest it, I do still dual boot Windows (at least until I can consigned it to a VM that is).
I run Windows in a VM. I use KVM (Linux) and passthru a GTX 1050Ti to a Windows 10 guest, along with a PCIe USB hub that allows me to connect peripherals without individual passthru (kb/m, etc).

I use it mostly to play Eve Online and Forza. :)

edit -- reason I use KVM is because I couldn't get gpu passthru to work with bhyve on a Windows guest, KVM is a good compromise.
 
Joined
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Messages
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I run Windows in a VM. I use KVM (Linux) and passthru a GTX 1050Ti to a Windows 10 guest, along with a PCIe USB hub that allows me to connect peripherals without individual passthru (kb/m, etc).

I use it mostly to play Eve Online and Forza. :)

edit -- reason I use KVM is because I couldn't get gpu passthru to work with bhyve on a Windows guest, KVM is a good compromise.

I'm still undecided on how I'm going to lock Windows in a box. I've been putting off researching it as I don't want to be tempted into buying a the required new GPU until I have the spare spondulix... the time is nigh' though. I need to research the current state of Nvidia vs. AMD for Linux users. The intent is to pass it through to Windows but I still want something that will work well with Linux.

As for Forza.... that's the one game series that I could complain at length about but I don't want to be a kill joy. I still play FM6 on a regular basis though. Do you play Horizon or Motorsport?
 

Chris Moore

Hall of Famer
Joined
May 2, 2015
Messages
10,080
it has also let standards slip significantly. Seriously, releasing forced updates that cause data loss that's not retrievable using a system restore point.
They literally fired all their in-house testers and rely on feedback from the users.
 

tfran1990

Patron
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
293
Dont forget about freefilesync , winSCP and swish
I still use windows everyday because of my job and the gaming performance on linux is not as good.
 

cJZ

Dabbler
Joined
May 29, 2019
Messages
17
I'm still undecided on how I'm going to lock Windows in a box. I've been putting off researching it as I don't want to be tempted into buying a the required new GPU until I have the spare spondulix... the time is nigh' though. I need to research the current state of Nvidia vs. AMD for Linux users. The intent is to pass it through to Windows but I still want something that will work well with Linux.

As for Forza.... that's the one game series that I could complain at length about but I don't want to be a kill joy. I still play FM6 on a regular basis though. Do you play Horizon or Motorsport?
Motorsport. I used to play iRacing but that's way too serious for me. I just want to beat my own time around the virtual Nordschliefe. :P
 

Ericloewe

Server Wrangler
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Since the discussion has died down, I'm going to lock this thread, as it may otherwise attract spam.
 
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