I tested out Ubuntu 18.04 on a thumbdrive and while using the Demo mode I was able to find the correct linux drivers for my Epson Work Force Pro 4350 Printer. I was able to successfully print a test page. It worked! So, the next day I went ahead and installed Ubuntu 18.04, without doing it in a dual boot configuration. I was then able to encrypt the hard drive and off I went.
I used Unix professionally years ago, but I only knew a handful of commands, now I have so much more to learn. I feel like a kid in a candy store again. I have the same laptop – Lenovo Flex 5 Ideapad 1570, but it loads in less than half the time and the battery life has definitely been extended from the Windows 10 time frame it used to have.
I also have a lot more “standard” apps installed that let me do things like:
Write your own music sheets
Create your own multi track music
Create your own movies and include subtitles
Add special effects to your projects
Graphic design apps to read e-books and create animations
And it has LibreOffice installed
Because I have worked with the Windows OS in so many different versions over the years it has grown very stale with me, and the pricing really sucks.
I used Unix professionally years ago, but I only knew a handful of commands, now I have so much more to learn.
So, who’s next?