So say we all.

Apple is its own thing. It is not fully inconceivable that the feds (and therefore everyone else) would switch to MacOS if Windows became [even more] unsupportable, but I doubt Microsoft can provide Office at even the sad level it achieves on Windows and it would take Apple time to ramp up supply.

Linux is an easy sell unless people are hooked on some application or game that doesn't run on it, then it's hard. The interface is familiar enough now (especially with KDE, but there are some other basically credible options) that they won't have a lot of room to complain so long as they don't have problems. That part is going to depend on the hardware, and IME they will have the fewest problems with AMD CPU and GPU now. If they have Intel it might or might not be OK; if they've got Nvidia they're likely to have a bad time at least sometimes.

Business is increasingly using web-based tools for everything, which is not itselft a bad thing- if only more of them were self-hosted. But either way, this decreases the dependence on Windows. I've worked where there's a few Windows machines for clerical staff, or where there's a Mac for the graphics department. That can be Windows' fate again.

They have to also have the balls to have a winning formula, like put the nerds with successful histories in charge and let them make decisions and spend money. Instead they want to design everything by committee, and everyone wants to have the biggest piece of the pie. The more companies you combine the less successful it is likely to be. See: Every fucking project like this ever between any of the principals you named here.

Do you need high performance or only compatibility? If the latter, you can at least stuff Windows into a VM for your own protection. Only the graphics performance is poor, but the graphics functionality is also poor.

I believe the OS uses less RAM, but that doesn't change application memory use overall. If applications make inefficient use of resources, there's only so much the OS can do to improve that. It's not like iOS where it's on lock, developers are free to do things not-the-Apple-way.

I do have a system I run Linux on successfully with only 8GB, but all I run on it is a browser, and sometimes CHIRP.

My desktop has 64GB and it is what I want a desktop to be, I can run lots of things without swap.

My MiniPC has 32GB and it is adequate. But I can't just run whatever I want. I don't use swap because I use SSDs and I don't want to reduce their lifespans if my system goes nuts.

16GB is a reasonable minimum for someone who wants to do more than run a browser.

This isn't even vaguely close to the truth for AMD, whose Linux drivers are far superior to their Windows drivers, and who is now leading sales in the datacenter. AMD is going to do fine. It's Intel with their shitty Linux drivers that has to be concerned. This is a bit ironic because throughout all history it's been AMD with the shitty drivers and Intel with working ones, so it's just another example of how Intel has fallen.

No one does.

It's brilliant to do what Putin wants? Okay there sport.

Now do America.

Which is an overwhelmingly American institution.

The Reagan-era attacks on education could produce idiots who think the USA is the good guys.

Debian is more stable but also more outdated, it's a tradeoff. I am making it as well (except that I'm using Devuan to avoid systemd) but it's a real drawback. For example KDE is sadly outdated so I don't have config options I'd really like to use.

Because Microsoft is essentially a branch of the US Government now. It's safest to assume that any data which spends any time unencrypted on either their cloud or "your" computer running Windows is also being perused by Microsoft and therefore the feds.

First of all, are you new? Have you ever driven? If you think humans are just fine, you must be a shit driver with low fucking standards. Second, as bad as they are, humans have brains and cars don't. They can do things with those brains that the cars can't do. Finally, try not to suck Elon Musk's dick on your way through the parking lot.

Making decisions is not the same thing as reasoning, although it's nice when the former is the result of the latter.

Sure, to the ignorant. That explains your comment neatly. Most of the divide is due to growth in Chinese manufacturing, not contraction of American manufacturing. While we sent our unprofitable cheap electronics goods manufacturing overseas, we not only kept but expanded the heavy equipment manufacturing. However, China expanded theirs a lot more.

What's going to really harm our manufacturing in a way that reduces our need for machinists is Cheeto Benito fucking up our relationship with the rest of the world, which is going to cause more boycotting of American manufacturers, and more nations will have nowhere to turn for their heavy equipment but China.