14 DAY TRIAL // With Windows 7 already discontinued, it kind of makes sense for Linux operating systems to go after Microsoft users, and in addition to Canonical and several others, the Freespire developers also attempt to convince some to make the switch.
The team has recently released Freespire 6.0 running the MATE desktop, with the KDE version coming soon.
“This release is our FOSS solution, with no binary-only drivers or multimedia codecs included and strictly Libre applications. Freespire is released bi-annually and showcases the best that the open-source community has to offer. Our users enjoy a multitude of different desktops - for this release we are releasing the MATE desktop first; KDE comes next, keep an eye out for it,” the Freespire devs explain.
The new version comes with MATE 1.20 and kernel version 5.3.0-28 and includes the Chromium web browser and Abiword.
Moving to Linux
The Freespire team says this new release is just the right choice for Windows user who are currently considering making the switch to Linux, especially if they own computers that may not run Windows 10 smoothly.
“With Windows 7 at the end of life, many people have PCs which may not be optimal for Windows 10; now is a good time to migrate to one of the most recognized desktop Linux distributions, which is optimized for just these sorts of PCs,” they say.
Windows 7 officially reached the end of support in January this year, and now Microsoft pushes for everyone to upgrade devices to Windows 10. While the system requirements of the two are nearly identical, Microsoft too recommends users to purchase new systems for Windows 10, especially as certain features, like Windows Hello, require dedicated hardware.
Up to this point, however, stats show that a significant number of those who previously used Windows 7 on their devices installed Windows 10 and not a Linux distro.