It’s come a long way.
I like the new Ubuntu.

You don't need to partition your hard drive, and it works great on older computers.

I think Mint is a better option for Windows 7 era machines and newer.

-- 2GB RAM (4GB recommended for a comfortable usage).
-- 20GB of disk space (100GB recommended).
-- 1024×768 resolution (on lower resolutions, press ALT to drag windows with the mouse if they don’t fit in the screen).

https://www.linuxmint.com/

I quit using Linux way back in 2007, every update just destroyed the operating system. It was extremely difficult to find help in the Linux community. The only suggestion they offered was to try another distro.

Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide

I think the Microsoft hatred is a disease.

Many people have perfectly capable machines sitting around unused, gathering dust.

Or, for less than $100 you can get a refurbished computer or a brand new Raspberry Pi that will run Linux very well.

The Linux Mint and Raspberry Pi communities are friendly compared to most. A lot of operating system communities, including Apple and Microsoft communities, can be insufferable. For a lot of people spending a thousand dollars (or more...) on a computer is not an option, and most people are not really interested in becoming wizards of the command line.

Once you are familiar with modern Linux distributions you might never go back to Microsoft or Apple products. The last Microsoft operating system I used on my home machines was Windows 98SE. Now if someone wants me to use Microsoft or Apple products they have to pay me.

I had a head-start on Linux, however. The first real operating system I used daily was BSD, beginning in the 'seventies. Switching to Linux from Windows 98SE was like going home again. Linux was modeled after BSD and Unix and ran a lot of the same software.

I'll confess my favorite travel computer is a $100 Chromebook.

I used to travel with very expensive Windows laptops and I hated it. I'm very good at losing or breaking stuff, especially on the road. Babysitting an expensive laptop is not my idea of fun.

Chromebooks are common where I live. Our public high schools hand them out to any student who doesn't have a laptop computer or doesn't want to use their own laptop at school. If I was using my sticker-covered Chromebook at Starbucks and left it unattended on the table while I was away taking a bathroom break it would probably still be there when I returned. The same can't be said for a $1500 (with educational discount) Apple MacBook Pro.

My 10 year old HP Envy is not supported for Windows 11, but I use Rufus to bypass that Issue.

I would suggest checking first if you have the room on your hard drive to see if it will handle both. Then reading up on it. You can install Ubuntu so it can boot to it or windows. That gives you a chance to see if you like it.

I can use Ubuntu on the WWW and switch back and forth?

If you don’t like Ubuntu you can get rid of it. It does add a little time on boot up. Also if you want to change from one to another you have to reboot. Just make sure you have plenty of free space on the hard drive. I don’t have it now but found a lot of things I liked. I will say it’s been awhile since I’ve had it on one of mine. It’s probably better than when I installed it. It can be daunting at first. I’m going back to having space. You download then install so you need to remember you need space for both the install files and the actual program and windows. I’d suggest as a start search for Unbuntu windows 10 dual boot to get a better idea of what it takes. I had mine on two separate hard drives.

I'm an android developer. For my own uses I use Apple.

Android is an interesting OS but recent revelations have revealed how insecure android is. I wouldn't trust it.

If I'm being honest, the animosity between Apple and Windows users really comes down to what you're used to. It's jarring to switch from one to the other. If you're not ready to take on the learning curve of Linux then Apple is your best bet for a mature, secure operating system.

My strategy has always been;

For personal productivity: Apple
For security, servers and research: Unix

October 14, 2025

They plan to offer updates for a fee after that, though word is that they may be pricey. A third-party company that has been offering extended updates for outdated versions of Windows for years plans to support Win 10 security updates for five years after MS stops. Their service is $27/year.

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/operating-systems/tiring-windows-10-boxes-will-live-on-an-extra-five-years-thanks-to-third-party-security-patches/

The assertion that Windows 7 is as secure as Windows 10 is simply false. Win 10 has always been inherently more secure, it's frequently updated, and Win 7 hasn't had official security updates for years.

There are ways around the upgrade checks to Windows 11. One involves using an open-source app that bypasses them as part of the setup process. More info here:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-blocked-your-windows-11-upgrade-this-trusty-tool-can-fix-that/

Good news!

My brother, some time back got really tired of every update requiring drivers to be reinstalled, so he punted and got a Dell with Ubuntu Linux installed and supported by Dell.

I haven't gotten "help me" calls in years.

Nice thing about Linux is that distros include tons of useful software for editing, creating and editing images, and Open Office/Libre Office are clones of Microsoft Office, with some minor differences. Batteries included.

Find a live version of linux with "persistance" so you keep your data between boots. I've used linux before and returned. Got tired of the issues w Windows updates. What generation and model is your thinkpad? Lenovo hardware works good with linux. The only slightly hard part to get straight is printing and scanning. There is a way to run Android apps on Linux, that is my next project in order to get streaming and chats out of the browser.

And it feels like Windows in it's appearance. It will run much faster than Windows ever did.

since the midish 90's. I haven't used Windows on my personal systems since around 1998. The one I would suggest (as others have) for you to try is Linux Mint, an easy to use version of Linux from Ireland.
Many versions (distributions) of Linux will run from a CD or DVD drive. You'll need to learn how to start your system from a CD or DVD drive if it doesn't already do that. Lots of howto's on the Internet for that.
For example:

Since many Linux versions run from your CD/DVD don't be afraid to explore the many versions out there. Perhaps Linux Mint works for you, perhaps another version suits you more.

Here is a site that lists the various versions available: https://distrowatch.com/

Almost no one "needs" to use Windows (or Apple) these days unless you're locked into some specific software for a job related function. "Normal" computer users will be fine with modern versions of Linux.