Going Linux... expect to have a lot of your favorite programs to not work or available for Linux. Or relearn new programs to only find out they doesn't do more than half what the Windozer's versions does.

Or just expect general slowdown. I had a dual boot machine. Half is Vista, other half is Linux something. Just lemme say... Vista is astronomically FASTER than Linux! Adding insult to Linux, I had dozens of gigabytes of files to unload. Linux just a few gigabytes to unload. (Machine had to be retired since we got a newer one.) I'm fully aware Vista is Microsoft's screw up in doing a new OS. But my God. To have it leave Linux in the dust?!?!?!? No Linux for me. I pray that my friends are wise and avoid it like the plague. (Or just play with it as a secondary machine for the fun of it. Don't expect to do real work with it.) Go macOS if not really a fan of Windows. (You can make a Hackintosh out of many Intel chipsets. All you need is some know-how and a bit of homework. My Windozer machine is a candidate for a Hackintosh.)

Back on topic... I use my iPhone for uploads and comments. I should go back to my Windozer for uploads but I need to take care of a few loose ends hardware-wise.

I had a laptop but it's a piece of junk. I thought it's bloatware so I did a clean install on a different HDD. Windows 8.1 or 10. Nope, it's hardware. $250 new laptop so that's to be expected.

Going Linux... expect to have a lot of your favorite programs to not work or available for Linux. Or relearn new programs to only find out they doesn't do more than half what the Windozer's versions does.

Or just expect general slowdown. I had a dual boot machine. Half is Vista, other half is Linux something. Just lemme say... Vista is astronomically FASTER than Linux! Adding insult to Linux, I had dozens of gigabytes of files to unload. Linux just a few gigabytes to unload. (Machine had to be retired since we got a newer one.) I'm fully aware Vista is Microsoft's screw up in doing a new OS. But my God. To have it leave Linux in the dust?!?!?!? No Linux for me. I pray that my friends are wise and avoid it like the plague. (Or just play with it as a secondary machine for the fun of it. Don't expect to do real work with it.) Go macOS if not really a fan of Windows. (You can make a Hackintosh out of many Intel chipsets. All you need is some know-how and a bit of homework. My Windozer machine is a candidate for a Hackintosh.)

Back on topic... I use my iPhone for uploads and comments. I should go back to my Windozer for uploads but I need to take care of a few loose ends hardware-wise.

I had a laptop but it's a piece of junk. I thought it's bloatware so I did a clean install on a different HDD. Windows 8.1 or 10. Nope, it's hardware. $250 new laptop so that's to be expected.

Depends on what distro you get I'm sure if you looked hard enough you'll find one that suites your needs since theres tons of distros out there, blanket statements are a good way to trigger certian people, If thats what you're aiming for go for it, but linux has many subsets more than you and I have even bothered to test I've tested out quite a few (maybe 10 or so) but theres alot more than that. And I do love windows 8.1, Unfortunate mishaps prevent me from dual booting it at the moment hope for a better future with that. I'm so accustomed to linux nowadays that I won't be using any version of windows other than 8.1 when I get windows back on this machine, since that is the version of windows I have used the most (second to XP, which cant even be installed on this machine) I hate windows 10, and 7.... 7 is great and all... but 8.1 is best of both words... modern yet still retains some of the older stuff aswell.

Depends on what distro you get I'm sure if you looked hard enough you'll find one that suites your needs since theres tons of distros out there, blanket statements are a good way to trigger certian people, If thats what you're aiming for go for it, but linux has many subsets more than you and I have even bothered to test I've tested out quite a few (maybe 10 or so) but theres alot more than that. And I do love windows 8.1, Unfortunate mishaps prevent me from dual booting it at the moment hope for a better future with that. I'm so accustomed to linux nowadays that I won't be using any version of windows other than 8.1 when I get windows back on this machine, since that is the version of windows I have used the most (second to XP, which cant even be installed on this machine) I hate windows 10, and 7.... 7 is great and all... but 8.1 is best of both words... modern yet still retains some of the older stuff aswell.

Can't even remember what version it had but I get a feeling if something Linux gets smoked by Vista by a wide margin... I probably had a Vista of the Linux world. I'm sure a few versions of Linux supposedly blow Windows 7/10 clear out of the water. Great. How about software compatibility? I have a few software that doesn't include versions for Linux. Ditto for games.

I probably should setup a machine so I can abuse a few versions of Linux and see if I can scare up the rare one that does better than Windows. Mebbe a SFF machine so it doesn't get in the way. Or mebbe an USDT should any with built in PSU exist. (Laptop charger style PSUs doesn't count. I'm talking plug in 120v on the back of the machine kind of PSUs.)

@FGS

I use Linux (Fedora 27) and find that it's a lot quicker than Windoze 7. I have done a direct comparison between my laptop running Linux and a different faster machine running Windoze 7, and my machine finished booting up first, and that was with me having to enter my login password twice.

As for games I no longer use them, so being forced into using Windoze for them isn't an issue. Besides there are emulator packages available letting you run Windoze software. I do use one called Wine to run the money manager software I have.

I use the Libre Office package for Linux, and haven't had any compatibility with files written using Microsoft Office. And now that I'm used to the way it works haven't had an issue, in fact far less than the ones I had when a new release of Microsoft Office came out.

Not only that, but on my dual-boot Win7/Linux machine, which as I said I need to hang on to due to the fact that one or two programs won't run under Wine reliably (the one fires up, but won't talk to the COM ports), Windoze is so slow to start up it's a joke. And when it does finally get going, it insists on doing so many updates that I can't get any meaningful work done for anything up to half an hour 

Give us Linux every time, the version we use here (Fedora 27) smokes anything else we've tried.

Fedora 27 it is. I'm gonna scrounge up a machine from somewhere to torture with Linux. Mebbe a refurb one? Do Fedora 27 allows use of Windows 98SE software?

No one is forcing anyone to use Windows. It's just lack of popularity of Linux among computer gamers. I'm not talking internet games you play online for free. I'm talking games you installs on your machine for offline. Why would game makers bother with making one work with Linux? Add to the fact there are different versions of Linux.

Besides a lot of gamers are going the console route. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. Be quite a sight to see a Linux user refusing to have Windows in their house but yet he plays Xbox.

Fedora 27 it is. I'm gonna scrounge up a machine from somewhere to torture with Linux. Mebbe a refurb one? Do Fedora 27 allows use of Windows 98SE software?

Not sure, with Wine it's very much a case of 'suck it and see', although there is a list of supported software somewhere, have a look here and see if there's anything.

I have Ubuntu AND windows on one computer, and OS-X on another, I have a PS3, PS4 and both Xbox 360 and one, so...

I have Ubuntu AND windows on one computer, and OS-X on another, I have a PS3, PS4 and both Xbox 360 and one, so...

Well, Dang. Although not stated in my first reply I will only upload on LG from my phone when the pic i take is from Snapchat
Almost all pics I have say they are from my phone but i transfer my pics from phone to laptop then i upload from there.

I have Ubuntu AND windows on one computer, and OS-X on another, I have a PS3, PS4 and both Xbox 360 and one, so...

I have an Xbox, No Xbox 360 or Xbox One... I love the classic machine and games... not particularly one to consider myself a "Retrogamer" but I do like alot of old and OLD games...

Get rid of it and put something usable on..! Just about any version of Linux has got to be better than Windoze 10 

Unfortunately as much as I'd like to, it's not an option. I need Windows compatibility for software. However I do have a spare desktop that I want to experiment with Linux on, I just need to find the time to dig it out and set it up.

Unfortunately as much as I'd like to, it's not an option. I need Windows compatibility for software. However I do have a spare desktop that I want to experiment with Linux on, I just need to find the time to dig it out and set it up.

There are software packages for Linux that allow you to run Windoze fully on another workspace.

I've Windows 7 32bit, and plans to move to Windows 7 64bit, as software begins to drop support for 32bit systems.
I proved that most games for Windows 95 (Lemmings for Windows 95), that works perfectly on my Windows 7 32bit, works also on Windows 7 64bit.

I have Win7 64-bit on this machine, although I rarely use it, I only keep it as I have some specialist software (2-way radio programming) that I can't get to work under Wine.

I just run it up once a week or so to keep the AV software up to date.

I've Windows 7 32bit, and plans to move to Windows 7 64bit, as software begins to drop support for 32bit systems.
I proved that most games for Windows 95 (Lemmings for Windows 95), that works perfectly on my Windows 7 32bit, works also on Windows 7 64bit.

If you're running Win7 32bit on a 64bit machine that's where your problem is.