Windows - what do you use it for?

[mmm]

If you use windows at all, either on a spare computer, or dual-booting, what do you use it for?

[Moem]

There is one old laptop in our house that runs a specific E-Bay sniper software.

[Hawaiihemd]

I use it only for updating the software on my father's standalone device for car navigation. You can probably guess why...

[AndyMH]

visio

[kc1di]

I use a couple Windows only apps in Wine. Nothing else since Windows 7. Linux only

[Dan-cer]

Before I became a pensioner, I used a very good (Windows only) program for my tax return. Now I only use Win (10) for MediaMonkey. That is a very good music player with which I can synchronize my music on smartphone (MediaMonkey app).
I hope the MediaMonkey-team will succeed in developing a Linux version soon.

That's it. Nothing else. I don't miss windows.

[MurphCID]

Well here are my use cases:

1) Tech support of friends and family.
2) Photoshop- Sorry Gimp is not even close by a lightyear.
3) iTunes- Gotta have it for my huge library of music, movies, and TV shows.
4) Gaming- Again sorry Linux gaming is still second rate at best especially when Steam goes into an endless boot loop.
5) TurboTax- Gotta pay the Tax man.

That is pretty much it. If it was not for the steam boot looping thing, I might be able to transition to Linux on my desktop computer. I do not use VMs at all. One OS per computer, it just works for me.

[MoreLinux]

I use windows to let in the fresh outside air, but on all my hardware it's Linux.

[JerryF]

TurboTax

[Neil Edmond]

Over 20 years ago I used Quicken to manage finances and MS Works for word processor and spreadsheets. I'm way to lazy to try and switch to Linux only applications for those, and although both work OK in Wine, I've had a better experience running a Win XP virtual machine for several years now primarily for those two applications.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

...Nothing else since Windows 7. Linux only

Ditto.

...I used a very good (Windows only) program for my tax return...

I do my taxes online (no Windows needed). My data is going to get there anyway when I file.

...Now I only use Win (10) for MediaMonkey. That is a very good music player with which I can synchronize my music on smartphone (MediaMonkey app).
I hope the MediaMonkey-team will succeed in developing a Linux version soon...

I agree that Media Monkey is an excellent music player I even shelled out the shekels for the full lifetime license so it really bites my ample asset that it doesn't support Linux. I don't need it to sync with a "smart" phone (I don't even use a so called "smart" phone) and I've replaced it with VLC and an adjusted workflow that works fine for me so, since they didn't support Linux when I first needed it, I don't really care if they come out with a Linux version. It would take to long to redo playlists, etc.

Before I became a pensioner, I used a very good (Windows only) program for my tax return. Now I only use Win (10) for MediaMonkey. That is a very good music player with which I can synchronize my music on smartphone (MediaMonkey app).
I hope the MediaMonkey-team will succeed in developing a Linux version soon.

That's it. Nothing else. I don't miss windows.

I do. Like a root canal without anesthesia.

I use windows to let in the fresh outside air, but on all my hardware it's Linux.

Heck, I don't even do that thanks to the pollen in the "fresh" outside air that drive my allergies nuckin' futz.

[oswald_c]

I have a Windows 10 virtual machine solely for running Adobe Digital Editions to download E-Books (in the .epub format), before I import them into Calibre on my Linux Mint host. I did try running Adobe Digital Editions under WINE for a few years, but unfortunately it works best under Windows

[JohnBdigital]

I have Windows 10 in a virtual machine only for large format printing.
If the Large format printers I use had linux drivers I wouldn't have Windows anymore!

[rodia77]

ATM gaming only.

[Hoser Rob]

.... Now I only use Win (10) for MediaMonkey. That is a very good music player with which I can synchronize my music on smartphone (MediaMonkey app).
I hope the MediaMonkey-team will succeed in developing a Linux version soon....

The thing is, will the Linux version, when it comes, have the same sync capability as the Windows version? I'm not so sure, wouldn't all Linux media players be able to do that as well now?

[Hoser Rob]

The last time I've had any Windows for years was a couple of years ago when I got my current main refurbished laptop. It had Windows 10. Briefly.

What did I use it for? I guess to remind me why I don't have any Windows any more.

I'm not actually anti Windows ... I've often said here that I think many users are too quick to ditch it. But after using a virus and (relatively) malware free OS for so long, using Windows just gave me a yucky feeling. Also with Windows 10 it was really weird to feel like I needed an ad blocker for my desktop, not just the browser.

[TaterChip]

It's taken a while, but I've been able to find a replacement for everything except my kindle app, and an old game that has problems on a VM. Kindle is soon to go away, and so will my windows VM. I am done drinking the Amazon Koolaid. I have started contacting authors to see if they would be willing to sell their books on Smashwords, or another location where I can actually purchase and download the epub file. The latest author I contacted sells pdf's on her website, and I'll bring that into Calibre and convert to epub. It's a win win all the way around.

I haven't found a way to download purchased books from Amazon to use with my third party e-reader app. My thoughts are... IF I have to STAY in the Amazon ecosystem, then I don't actually own the books I have bought and paid for. Purchasing books via Amazon has come to a halt. I currently have 223 Kindle books. IF I try the method of 'download and transfer with USB' I am greeted with the following screenshot... Which proves I don't actually own the books I purchased.

I now understand why some prefer to sail the high seas.

[Pjotr]

I use it only for updating the software on my father's standalone device for car navigation. You can probably guess why...

Likewise. That's it and that's all.

[ajgreeny]

I use it only for updating the software on my father's standalone device for car navigation. You can probably guess why...

Likewise. That's it and that's all.

The same here until I realised that several satnav apps for my Android phone are avaialble free and mostly are better and more up to date than any satnav device I've ever seen.
I used to do it only using an old VM of WinXP, never on a real Windows install which I haven't used properly since 2005 when I started using Ubuntu 5.04.

[gittiest personITW]

Mostly opening and closing when it is too hot or cold.
Occassionally I gaze out of one.
Sometimes they need a wash. On the whole they are quite useful.