Linux distribution Zorin OS downloads surge as Windows 10 support ends

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Linux distribution Zorin OS downloads surge as Windows 10 support ends

27 November 2025

The manufacturers of Zorin OS, a Linux distribution, or operating system (OS), similar to Linux Mint, which I use, claim there have been nearly eight-hundred-thousand downloads from Windows devices in the last month. This approximately coincides with Microsoft effectively ceasing support for their popular Windows 10 OS for many users.

I’m not sure how many devices in the world are running Windows OS’s — a lot/too many — but it is encouraging to see so many people willing to break the Windows’ stranglehold and try something different, given migrating to an unfamiliar OS not always the easiest of steps to take.

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Linux, operating systems, technology

Windows 10 support extended free for some users but only delays inevitable

7 October 2025

Windows 10 (W10) users, in Europe and the United States, have been offered a one-year reprieve by Microsoft, manufacturer of the ten-year old operating system (OS), before product support was slated to cease on 14 October 2025.

Previously, anyone wishing to continue using W10 had been told they’d need to pay a subscription to do so. The move is good news for people running older devices, which may not have been able to support Microsoft’s successor OS, Windows 11 (W11).

But the twelve months of free support comes with a catch, W10 users must create a Microsoft account to receive the updates. I was a long time Windows user, until the winter of 2024, but flat refused to create a Microsoft account, each time I either bought a new computer, or moved to a new Windows OS.

The idea of having all manner of my data sitting on Microsoft servers did not appeal to me in the slightest, so I always opted for a local account. I have no such concerns with Linux Mint, my current OS, thankfully, as user accounts are all local.

The biggest catch though with W10’s one-year support extension, is that it only buys time. A little bit of breathing space. I doubt Microsoft will offer any further extensions, come October 2026. Unless a “lite” version of W11 is shipped (unlikely), owners of older computers will need to either buy a new device, or consider migrating to an OS that will work on their present computer.

Getting a Linux laptop to work with some help from Claude

10 September 2025

Vinay Keerth was able to sort out a range of problems after installing Linux Mint (LM) on his laptop, when he asked AI agent Claude for help. It makes me wonder why I didn’t think of using AI to fix some of the — admittedly minor — niggles I’ve experienced with LM since migrating last year.

For instance, I couldn’t get my laptop to suspend (sleep/hibernate) when I closed the lid, something the previous OS did without missing a beat. For a time though, in closing the lid, I assumed the laptop had gone into suspend mode, only to discover on opening it hours later that the battery was drained, and the laptop had shut off.

I worked around that problem by setting up a launcher, in the form of a desktop icon. To suspend my laptop I simply double click the launcher icon, then close the lid. The laptop usually runs for two to three weeks between reboots now.

The old OS could go for longer though. I don’t know what it is with LM, but after about three weeks maximum it just wants to reboot, and crashes, just as I open the laptop lid to resume a session. Maybe this is something I could get Claude’s help with.

But I don’t mind going through the crash/reboot sequence every few weeks anyway, as it gives me the chance to run system and software updates, some of which require a restart.

The only other niggle of note is setting time outs when the laptop is inactive. These can vary depending on whether the device is plugged into a power point, or running on battery. Despite setting the inactive period to thirty-minutes for either source, through the Power Management (PM) control, the screen locks after only ten minutes of inactivity.

Clearly some other setting somewhere is overriding the PM timeout values, so I’ll be seeing what suggestions Claude can make there.

Microsoft sued over plans to discontinue Windows 10 support

16 August 2025

California based Lawrence Klein is attempting to sue Microsoft over its plan to discontinue support for the Windows 10 operating system (OS) come October.

The action is understandable from the point of view that a device apparently requires specific hardware for Windows 11 — the Windows 10 successor OS — to function. This hardware is not to be found on older devices, rendering them unusable if they can’t run Windows 10.

Klein says that the end of Windows 10 is part of Microsoft’s strategy to force customers to purchase new devices and to “monopolize the generative AI market.” Windows 11 comes with Microsoft’s suite of generative artificial intelligence software, including the chatbot Copilot. To run optimally, Microsoft’s AI needs a piece of hardware called a neural processing unit, which newer tablets, laptops and desktop computers have — and which the older devices do not.

Before I migrated to Linux Mint (LM) last year, I was regularly sent prompts by Microsoft urging me to install Windows 11. Evidently my device, which is three years old now, had the requisite hardware as I was told Windows 11 could operate on it.

While we’re talking of those nagging “upgrade” prompts, they’re one thing I certainly do not miss.

Of course Windows 10 will continue to work without the presently regular support updates, but I’d be reluctant in the extreme to use any Windows OS that was not supported. That would be putting any device at considerable risk.

While the switch to LM was quite the undertaking, and involved a few bumps early on, I’m pleased to be here, something I’ve said before. I’d encourage anyone still on Windows 10 to consider LM. It’s user-friendly, somewhat resembles Windows 10, and comes in several versions, meaning it’s possible to install on relatively old devices.

You’ll also escape the Windows hegemony, and have an OS that’s not half dependent on AI to work.

Linux Operating Systems on five percent of desktops in America

18 July 2025

According to data collected by Statcounter. At face value this suggests one in twenty people in the United States are using a Linus OS on their computer. That’s not a bad number. Of course, Windows OS’s still dominate, but it looks like some people are looking for alternatives.

I migrated my laptops to Linux Mint about a year ago. While it hasn’t been one-hundred percent plain sailing, I’d much rather be where I am than where I used to be.

Linux, LibreOffice, offer an escape from Windows 11 and Microsoft

18 June 2025

KDE, developers of free and open source software, have launched a campaign encouraging Windows 10 (Win10) users to migrate to a Linux Operating System (this article is a good starting point), rather than moving to the Windows 11 (Win11) Operating System (OS).

Win11 stands to render many older, but still perfectly functional computers useless, after Microsoft recently changed the operating specifications for the OS. This means some older devices may no longer have sufficient capacity to operate Win11. The message from Microsoft seems clear: buy a new computer, or go without one all together. That could be a confronting choice for some people.

But as Sayan Sen, writing at Neowin, points out, there is another option, one that is also being backed by The Document Foundation, maker of LibreOffice, a suite of productivity applications similar to Word and Excel:

“You don’t have to follow Microsoft’s upgrade path. There is a better option that puts control back in the hands of users, institutions, and public bodies: Linux and LibreOffice. Together, these two programmes offer a powerful, privacy-friendly and future-proof alternative to the Windows + Microsoft 365 ecosystem.”

The Document Foundation also suggests Win11 is not quite as cost-free as is believed:

“The move to Windows 11 isn’t just about security updates. It increases dependence on Microsoft through aggressive cloud integration, forcing users to adopt Microsoft accounts and services. It also leads to higher costs due to subscription and licensing models, and reduces control over how your computer works and how your data is managed. Furthermore, new hardware requirements will render millions of perfectly good PCs obsolete.

They leave the best for last:

The end of Windows 10 does not mark the end of choice, but the beginning of a new era. If you are tired of mandatory updates, invasive changes, and being bound by the commercial choices of a single supplier, it is time for a change. Linux and LibreOffice are ready — 2025 is the right year to choose digital freedom!”

Regular readers of disassociated will know I migrated to Linux Mint about a year ago, and have been using Writer and Calc, the LibreOffice versions of Word and Excel, since. I won’t sugarcoat it: the move had its bumps, and I needed to make several tweaks to my laptop before the system stability I’d enjoyed on Win10 returned.

I also needed to start using some new apps, and had to give up on one or two I couldn’t find Linux compatible versions of (despite trying to use various Windows emulators), but was able to figure out workarounds. Today, I barely notice the difference. I open my laptop every morning and get working pretty much as usual.

If you’re having a problem getting started on — as it was in my case — Linux Mint, the Linux Mint Forums were a great help in the migration process. Chances are someone’s already run into whatever problem you’re having, and found a solution, which you can try. Otherwise, you can post a question asking for help.