Why Would I Move to Another Platform?

I, for one, have already moved away from Windows. I experienced so many negative things about Windows:

• Windows susceptibility to viruses is particularly annoying. Even though Microsoft has improved things of late, it is still necessary to run anti-virus programs to stay safe, and you have to stay on your toes to prevent infections.
• Windows Updates have always been a pain in the you-know-what. I believe that Microsoft packages up updates into unnecessarily large blocks. That means that they take a long while, and Microsoft doesn’t do a good job of giving you a reasonably accurate estimate of how long the updates will take, while updates are in progress. And they usually involve several reboots, with no explanation.
• I strongly object to Microsoft’s very high-handed attitude to its customers. The current “You must upgrade to Windows 11 by Oct 14, 2025” dictum is the obvious worst example. Microsoft has millions of Windows customers, and they keep making updates and invoking dictums without seemingly caring about the impact on those customers. And the changes from one version of Windows to the next seems always to include unnecessary detailed interface changes that require its customers to re-learn the system, or to need re-training. Individual, non-business customers seem to be the ones that Microsoft cares least about, but there are businesses out there with thousands of computers running Windows. Microsoft’s dictums are causing those businesses to buy many, many new computers if they wish to stay with Windows. There are already signs of rebellion. “Digital Sovereignty” seems to be a strong movement, particularly in Europe.

What Are The Pros and Cons of Moving?

Pros

• The obvious first pro is that it frees you from the tyranny of Microsoft. Yes, there are other tyrannies, but my experience has been that they are less annoying.
• Another obvious pro is that you have a chance to save money, compared with having to buy a new Windows computer.
• Flexibility and Choice.

Cons

• Some re-learning will be necessary. Any change will involve some re-learning how to do stuff. (But remember, moving to Windows 11 also involves some re-learning!)
• You may have programs, or even hardware, that only work on Windows. What to do with these programs?
  Note that some of those programs may also have problems if you move to Windows 11. You may have to buy a new version if you want it to work satisfactorily on Windows 11.
  If you have such programs, be aware that you’ve locked yourself into Windows by choosing those programs – sometimes that choice was made a long time ago, and the ramifications are only now becoming evident. Now is the time to take advantage of the situation, and move to a more modern version of the software, or to replace it.
  Here are your choices:
  • Move to a version of your software that uses a “cloud-based’ solution. That means that most of it works on a server, often accessed through a browser. Browsers are available on every platform, so switching operating systems should be easier.
  • Find a version of the software that works on the new platform.
  • Find alternative software that is equivalent, but works on the new platform. You’d be amazed at your choices!

What Other Platforms?

So many people have been on Windows for so long, that their minds are locked into the Windows mindset, to the point where they don’t even consider alternatives. It’s partially a comfort thing. But the alternatives to Windows are many, and I think most people would be surprised how good those alternatives are.

The choices are basically:

• Chromebooks and Chromeboxes
• ChromeOS Flex
• Apple
• Linux

Chromebooks

I have maintained for some time that most people’s computer usage can be well satisfied by using a Chromebook. Chromebooks are laptops that run Google’s ChromeOS operating system. There are many models available from various popular vendors, at attractive prices.

If you only do:

• Web browsing
• Email
• Writing documents (typically using Microsoft Word)
• Perhaps using spreadsheets (Excel), or Slideshows (PowerPoint)

Chromebooks can do all of that, and more. Chromebooks are very capable computers. Some people still have the impression that Chromebooks are unable to compete with Windows machines, or are useless if not connected to the Web. This is not true.

Chromebooks have a relatively simple user interface, so they are not difficult to switch to. Of course, you can’t run Windows programs on a Chromebook. But you can switch away from Microsoft Office to Google equivalents. And you would likely be surprised what they can do. They are highly compatible.

It’s important to realize that Chromebooks have additional advantages:

• They have a very good update model. Unlike Windows Updates, Chromebook updates (downloads and installs) happen in the background, and then it takes literally a few seconds to reboot into the next version.
• Chromebooks are very resistant to viruses. They are designed to be such. So much so that you hardly need to worry about virus protection, at all.

But moving to a Chromebook does require a switch of mindset:

• The browser you’ll use will most likely be Google Chrome – it’s built into every Chromebook.
• Google Docs replaces Microsoft Word
• Google Sheets replaces Microsoft Excel
• Google Slides replaces Microsoft PowerPoint
• Most likely you’ll find that switching to GMail will be the easiest email solution (interface via the Google Chrome browser)
• All of the above are accessed via a browser.
• In my experience, once you’ve moved to the Google platforms, you typically question why you would ever go back to Microsoft.

Here is an interesting video that compares a Chromebook with a Windows laptop in terms of how long it takes to bring each machine from opening the laptop lid for the first time, to fully working order. This really highlights how much faster Chromebooks are to set up, and boot/reboot.

Bear in mind that he’s comparing a couple of recent Chromebook Plus models with a relatively high-end recent Dell Windows laptop. Chromebook Plus models are a new enhancement of the original Chromebook model. They set a higher standard in terms of hardware requirements, and thus provide a higher level of performance, but at a slightly higher price. But, still, the price isn’t that high; a recent review of Chromebooks chose a $400 model as its choice for Best Chromebook Plus. The Dell Windows laptop he uses is the Dell XPS 13, which he lists at $1099.99. Quite a price difference!

Chromebook Hardware

Here is a review of the best recently released Chromebooks:

• The Best Chromebooks for 2025

As I’ve said elsewhere, I recommend not to choose the cheapest Chromebook, and if you want to avoid eyestrain, don’t pick 11-inch or 13-inch Chromebooks, although you can always add a larger monitor for use at your home and/or business, especially if you already have a monitor. There are 14- or 15-inch Chromebooks that are comfortable for me. And the $450 to $550 price range seems good, which puts reasonable Chromebooks in great competition with Windows laptops (I definitely don’t recommend Windows laptops in that price range!)

Chromeboxes

Yes, there are also Chromeboxes – while Chromebooks are laptops, Chromeboxes are desktop boxes, running the same operating system. They aren’t as well-known, nor are there as many models available, but if you already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, a Chromebox might be just what you need.

Here is a review of the best Chromeboxes for 2025:

• Best Chromeboxes and Chrome desktops in 2025

ChromeOS Flex

In my opinion, ChromeOs Flex is not well enough known.

What is ChromeOS Flex? It’s a way of getting Google’s ChromeOS (the operating system that powers Chromebooks and Chromeboxes) to run on other platforms – often, older platforms that will no longer run their ‘native’ operating systems adequately – Windows, or MacOS, for example.

Here’s an introduction to ChromeOS Flex:

Here’s another, slightly more detailed description:

Apple

Moving to Apple deserves its own page: Moving to Apple.

Linux

Moving to Linux deserves its own page, too: Moving to Linux.