Wikipedia, as of late December 2017, revealed that nearly 10% of internet connected computers still run Windows XP, while 53% run Windows 7. Windows 8x was the second most used OS with 18%, while Windows 10 had an even smaller share. With MS's aggressive pushing and 'forced update' policy (that seems to pop-up when users least expect it and in the most confusing of ways) Windows 10's market share is rising.

Everyday users overwhelmingly say they like the simple 'panel, menu, icons' desktop interface that Windows XP and Windows 7 offered. So Microsoft backed off trying to 'force' their highly unpopular 'Metro Style' Windows 8 menus on users, making the Windows 10 menu more Windows 7 like.

Windows 10 is, for all intents and purposes, the future of Windows desktop computing. But Windows users who don't like it have a choice -- stick with what they have and accept the inevitability of moving one day soon to Windows 10, or take a serious look at desktop Linux and discover all that it offers them.

For example, there's Linux distros designed to look, feel and perform much like the most popular Windows desktop versions, together with distros that look, feel and perform like macOS, ChromeOS, and Android.

If the look and feel of your favorite desktop OS is what you're after, but you're tired of the aggravation that goes with keeping it running well and the feeling of being led around by the nose by hugely impersonal corporations, then desktop Linux quite likely has you covered!

My personal favorite is Linux Mint, in the latest version running the Mate' desktop environment. But a number of popular top-tier Linux distros are well worth a closer look.

ZorinOS is a popular replacement for Windows 7. It looks, acts and feels much like Windows 7, but brings with it all the safety and security of Linux. It offers desktop effects and virtual workspaces, and comes with all the standard desktop applications -- a web browser, audio/media player, email client, messenger app, remote desktop client, video editor, graphics editor and office suite to name a few. It's available in both 64bit and 32bit versions, so you can run it on pretty much any computer you have, old or new.

Q4OS, which we've previously discussed here, is a fast and powerful German engineered operating system based on the latest technologies. It offers a highly productive desktop environment and focuses on security, reliability, long-term stability and the careful integration of new features. Q4OS is exceptionally fast, has low hardware requirements, and runs great on new as well as older computers. It's a nice replacement OS for Windows XP and Windows 7 machines, highly recommended.

ElementaryOS is the last I'll mention at the moment. It's a fast replacement for Windows and macOS, and comes with a careful selection of apps that cover daily needs right from the start. ElementaryOS allows you to use your computer without having to worry about the aggravating issues that once slowed your desktop computing experience down, sometimes to a crawl or 'blue screen of death' full stop.

Hey, if you're tired of waiting for winter's snow to melt so you can spend time riding backcountry trails again on your XT, and you'd like an evening's project to get you away from the TV for a change, then pull that old computer out of the closet and download and install one of these modern Linux OSs!

It's a fun winter time project, and you'll be glad you did. So will that old computer once you've given it new life!..

George - Why not try your suggestions on Windows replacements and report back with reviews. Might help a few folks here.

Got that covered Scott. The distros mentioned, Linux Mint, ZorinOS, Q4OS, and ElementaryOS, are operating systems I've used on my own machines, in both hardware and virtual machine installations. Each of these, beginning with Linux Mint, is fun to work with and functional to the extreme. There's not one I'd hesitate to recommend to anyone just starting with Linux on the desktop.

As noted, my personal favorite and top most recommendation would be Linux Mint, specifically with the Mate' desktop environment. Whatever your computing background consists of, whether you're coming from Windows or macOS, today's Linux Mint is as near an ideal introduction to the Linux desktop as you'll find anywhere, demonstrated by Mint's long time run away popularity at the top of the charts at www.distrowatch.com

To make it even simpler, for anyone who wants to know what a particular distro is like without having to download and install it, DistroTest.net is a website that lets you run Linux distros in a virtual machine, remotely in your web browser.

DistroTest users can test run a Linux operating system without downloading or installing anything. The performance you'll experience while running a Linux distro via a remote desktop session will be slower than if you downloaded and installed it. But you'll be able to experience the operating system's desktop interface along with the application packages and features it comes with instantly, in an entirely painless manner -- and that's quite a feat.

Right now DistroTest has 54 operating systems available for testing online, including a number of alternate OS offerings with different desktop environments.

For anyone interested, this is an easy way to experience what a modern Linux desktop operating system looks and feels like, the programs and applications it comes packaged with, and the ease of use each of these OSs offer.

So jump in and give DistroTest a go! Then let us know what you like about what you find there!!..

George - Thanks. I was on the old test drive DVD program. I've burned many of them for testing on various PCs. Seems they've made the evaluation process more accessible. One issue I had on my Dell was no WiFi connection with the test drive. I think an ethernet connection would come right up, however. You need internet access to complete an installation. Obviously.

Be interesting to hear from a few others on their experience(s) with your suggestion. Seems folks are hesitant to play around with their PC O/S. Few have spare PCs to experiment with. My issue right now is time. Busy with customer projects.

Made time to play around a bit with DistroTest. My Frontier internet connection is kinda slow, so testing distros remotely via my browser is not like running them installed on my computer. Still, it's a neat way to see if an OS I haven't tried yet is of interest. Even on a slow connection like mine, the system works well enough that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as an easy to use testing ground.

If you click on DistroTest, the Home Page appears with a list of the most often tested operating systems the site offers. No real surprise that Linux Mint 18.3 is #1 here as well.

Click on "System Overview" on the left hand panel and a page pops-up with an alphabetical listing of every operating system the site has available for testing. Lots of interesting OSs to look over and test drive in this list.

Those with high-speed internet connections will really enjoy this site. Those with slower connections, like mine, can also enjoy what the site offers, but it won't be fast..

Need to brush up on my German for that site.

When I open it in Chrome it automatically comes up in English for me. I can choose to have it display in German, but I'd be as lost as you are if that happened! Still, even in German, the lists of distros available to test online is there to enjoy, and all those I've tried have opened in English..

I was on FF but do have Chrome. So I'll try that.