if i were running Windows ...

[Skaperen]

if i were running Windows i'd either put it in a VM or buy a 2nd machine. i would hate having to shutdown Linux just to do other stuff. how else would i be able to access a password manager safely?

[uRock]

I have Windows 7 and Server 2012 in VMs. I only boot 7 when making a screenvid for someone and I might boot the server once a year.

[poorguy]

I personally have no use for Windows 10 although I personally have nothing against Windows 10 and do have a Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04 installed on a desktop as a dual boot using a separate hard drive for Windows 10 and Ubuntu 18.04 and have zero problems or issues with it.

The wife uses Windows 10 so I need to make certain I understand what it's doing just in case of any problems she may incur along the way.

I don't see any reason restarting a computer would be a problem so as to be able to use either OS when needed although having each OS on two separate computers would offer some advantage.

I do have a half dozen different Linux Distros on a half dozen different desktops throughout the house for convenience though.

[(kyT%0)]

if i were running windows...i would rather run far far away from windows.

he has 1/2 a dozen desktops in his house & he goes by the name poorguy, isn't it ironic?

[Artim]

If I were running Windows®, I'd be in the middle of a school paper or something when the computer decides it's time to install updates, or I'd be in the middle of making a presentation when some adware or malware decides to make an appearance. Then I'd be re-booting and trying to get through it without going mad and losing my saved documents, presentations, music, and whatever else. And I'd be paying abuncha money for my trouble as well.

[uRock]

.....

he has 1/2 a dozen desktops in his house & he goes by the name poorguy, isn't it ironic?

I have a bunch of laptops and desktops in my house, too. Many of them are hand-me-downs because I have friends who're too lazy to do proper disk management and think that it is time to replace when the drive is full. I also have friends who get a virus and think that because it won't boot, that it also can't be fixed. I am usually nice enough to get a USB drive and give them a copy of their personal data before nuking the drive and installing another OS. There have been a couple times where I've been able to back up personal data and restore Windows, then give it back. Needless to say, I tossed a bunch of computers when packing up to move to another state. Not counting my RaspberryPis and the wife and kid's computers, I still managed to make the move and still have three laptops we never paid a dime for.

[sdsurfer]

i would hate having to shutdown Linux just to do other stuff.

A dual boot works fine for the rare occasions I have to go into Windows but yes, it's a reboot. VM's present too many other issues.

how else would i be able to access a password manager safely?

Check out Keepass. It is an encrypted database, and runs on both Windows and Linux. The database can be opened from either. It is completely portable, you can run it directly from a USB stick (at least the Windows version,) and if it's ever lost or stolen, the data is encrypted.

No cloud based password managers for me.

[SeijiSensei]

I have a Win7 VM that I use to run tax-preparation software once a year, and occasionally to run Microsoft Access to manage PostgreSQL databases via ODBC. Not long ago I had to massage a very large database of Congressional races to pick out ones that fit a variety of specific criteria. That was easier to manage with Access than with SQL commands in the psql client. I've tried using the database manager that is part of LibreOffice, but I find it lacking compared to Access.

[Shibblet]

I run Windows 7 in a VM. I have some programs that I can only run on Windows, such as Adobe InDesign. Other than that, I don't really need Windows for anything anymore. Most of the games I want to play either work natively, or in Proton with Steam. If I find one that doesn't... Then I fire up Lutris, and hope for the best. If it doesn't work... oh well, I guess.

[Skaperen]

i suppose i can see a point in having Windows in a dual-boot for computers that need to run a Windows app to upgrade the BIOS.

i used to have a whole separate computer just for Windows (98 with Visio). now i don't even have a VM for Windows.

when my father (well past retirement) wanted a computer so he could email friends and relatives and do a little web surfing, i showed him my Linux setup. we went to Best Buy and he bought a Acer laptop with Windows 7. he decided to just leave Windows on it apparently because the sales clerk suggested that. OK. a week later he comes to me and complains about all the built-in adware and asks me to put Linux on it. i backed it up and put Ubuntu 9.10 on there. later, when i suggested i upgrade it to 10.04 LTS he said he just wanted to leave it alone because it was working fine. it did for the next 6 years until he had to move to a nursing home. by then he forgot his password. i think one of his grandsons has it, now.