I am, and always have been, a strong supporter of Microsoft. I have tried Linux several time, up to, about, three years ago. Each time it(several different breeds) has crashed within a few days, and has been cumbersome to use. As a result of pressure, and requests for help, from my grandchildren, I had to swallow my pride and load up Minty. My goodness, what a surprise! The installation was a breeze, although I had to do a little fiddling with Easybcd at the end. That was very much my fault, as I crashed in without googling for a "Howto". The en route explanations of how to move along and, similarly, the text messages on most things one attempts, are very easy to understand and helpful. Far better, I must say, than anything I have seen in any Windows product. I had to battle through all the customisation, as it was all alien to me, but I got there in the end. Everything piece of hardware I use in windows, was setup and waiting. The various graphical effects were easy to load, and quite stunning. Performance? Hard to discern, but, imho, on par with Windows 8 or 8.1. I didn't run any benchmark type tests, but I did get the feeling that it battled, memory wise, with graphics. Internet browsing (Firefox built in) was definitely slicker. All in all, I would say that it has now come down to a personal choice - Apple, Microsoft, or Linux. Of course, the big difference is the price! I know this is a Windows 8 forum, of which I am a strong contributor, but I did feel a need to pass this on for possible sceptics. I have no ides if other ditros are as good. I now (for the intention of passing on help to my loved ones) have a triple boot. Window 8.1, windows 7, and Linux mint. I am stuck with old habits, so will continue to use, and enjoy, Windows.
