This Linux distro could let your old laptop ‘shine on’ after Windows 10’s sunset

I’ve been thinking (and writing) about this topic for a while now because it affects so many people. According to Stat Counter, Windows 10 still comprises 62.73% of the OS market. That’s a significant portion, and very soon, those people are going to have a few choices to consider:

Pay Microsoft for continued updates ($61 for the first year, $122 for the second year, and $244 for the third year per device).
Upgrade to Windows 11 (if your computer supports the new OS).
Purchase a new computer that supports Windows 11.
Switch to an Apple device.
Switch to Linux.

Only one of the above options is free… switch to Linux.

For those who’ve never used Linux, that option could be a bit daunting.

It doesn’t have to be.

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There are plenty of Linux distributions that will look and feel quite familiar to Windows users. One of those distributions is called Siduction, which is a rolling release (meaning it’s always up to date) based on Debian Sid and uses the KDE Plasma desktop.

The developers of Siduction have done a great job of releasing an operating system that will make any Windows user feel right at home. KDE Plasma offers a familiar layout that’s beautifully configured and includes all of the flexibility the desktop environment offers.

But it’s the familiarity that will be most welcoming. Out of the box, Siduction uses a Dark theme (why is that so popular?), but you can easily switch to a light theme in Settings > Appearance & Style > Colors & Themes. Switching to a light theme is one of the first things I do when installing a new operating system, and I find it necessary more often than not.

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Of course, a light or dark theme is a personal choice, but that’s one of the beauties of KDE Plasma — you can make the desktop uniquely yours.

But this isn’t about KDE Plasma.

Let’s talk Siduction

This newest release’s artwork is inspired by Pink Floyd’s “Shine On.” Siduction offers versions with one of the following desktops: KDE Plasma 6.2.4.1, LXQt 2.1.0-1, Xfce 4.20, Xorg, and noX.

Also: Want to save your aging computer? Try these 5 Linux distributions

Now, you’re probably already thinking, “No. I’m not replacing Windows 10 with a rolling release distribution.” The reason for this line of thought is that most people assume a rolling release distribution is unstable. Let me put your mind at ease on this issue. Rolling releases are not generally unstable. What they do is replace the need for point releases. Let’s say your distribution of choice just released version 10, and you install it. A few months later, you’ll find yourself presented with an update to 10.1. A few months after that, you might be prompted to upgrade to 10.2. That upgrade scenario continues until version 11 is available.

A rolling release does away with point upgrades, so instead, you’d use version 1.0, and it would be constantly upgraded. What this does is eliminate the need to reinstall the OS. Essentially, you install the OS once and (in theory) never have to install it again.

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That doesn’t equate to instability. I’ve used rolling release distributions and have never once found them unstable. In fact, I’ve found them to be quite stable, and the fact that there is no need to reinstall the OS makes them (in some ways) more reliable than a non-rolling release.

One thing I’m used to, upon installing a new Linux distribution, is having to run an upgrade upon first login. With a rolling release, that’s a rare occasion. After installing Siduction, I checked for an upgrade and was pleasantly surprised that it was fully up-to-date. It was only a matter of days before there were a host of new app updates, and naturally, I applied them.

That’s one thing about rolling release distributions — you’ll find there are more updates than found on your standard release.

What about pre-installed software?

Included in Siduction is a wide range of software, such as LibreOffice (including Base), Firefox, KDE Connect, GIMP, Inkscape, IRC, KMail, SSH Activate/Deactivate, Dragon Player (video player), Elisa (music player), Kaffeine (media player), SMPlayer (music player), and a whole lot more. The pre-installed application list is so complete you’ll probably not need to install much (unless there are specific apps you require).

The one disappointment I ran into was the lack of built-in Snap or Flatpak support rolled into KDE Discover. Because of this, apps like Slack and Spotify weren’t available in the GUI app store. I could open the terminal window and install those apps from the command line, but that’s going to be a big turnoff for new users. Fortunately, there’s an easy fix for that.

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Open KDE Discover, go to Settings, and click Add Flatpak Support. This will automatically add the Flatpak central repository. If you open KDE Discover and don’t find that option, open a terminal window, change to the root user (with su –), and run the following command:

apt install kde-config-flatpak -y

Once you’ve done that, you should find the option in Discover.

I’d much prefer if the Siduction developers added Flatpak support to KDE Discover by default, so those migrating from Windows don’t have to bother working with the command line. 

Can you be Siduced?

In the end, the big question is whether Siduction is right for you. I realize a lot of people might be hesitant to give Linux a try, but the truth of the matter is that you can acclimate to just about any type of software. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again. Linux isn’t the same OS that it was five or 10 years ago. Most distributions have become so user-friendly and rock-solid that just about anyone can log in and feel right at home. The KDE Plasma version of Siduction does just that — it makes you feel like you’ve been using Linux for years.

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If you’re looking at the end of Windows 10, I would recommend you give Siduction a try. Sure, adopting a rolling release operating system might seem like a step too far, but you’ll find the convenience of always having an up-to-date system and never having to reinstall the OS outweighs dealing with the headache that comes with continuing to use Windows 10 or the cost associated with purchasing a new computer.

If Siduction sounds like something you want to try, download an ISO and get started right away.