🌅 Beyond the Sunset: Life After Windows 10 and Office 2019

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows 10 and Office 2019. This means no more security updates, bug fixes, or technical support. While the software will still run, users will be exposed to increasing risks and compatibility issues over time.

Microsoft’s recommended path is to upgrade to Windows 11 and subscribe to Microsoft 365—a shift from one-time purchases to ongoing subscriptions. For many, this feels like renting software even after buying the hardware.

🛤️ Microsoft’s Official Options

• Upgrade to Windows 11 (if your hardware supports it)
• Subscribe to Microsoft 365 for Office apps
• Purchase Office 2024 (limited availability, still proprietary)

But what if you want to stay sovereign? What if you want to own your tools, avoid subscriptions, and keep your hardware alive?

🌱 The Open-Source Ecosystem: 100% Coverage and More

Modern Linux distributions like Ubuntu or Linux Mint paired with open-source apps can fully replace daily software needs—and even extend them.

📑 Office Suites

• LibreOffice: Full-featured word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation suite
• OnlyOffice: Sleek UI, great compatibility with Microsoft formats

📊 Diagramming Tools

• draw.io: Browser-based or desktop diagramming tool
• Mermaid: Markdown-based diagramming for flowcharts, Gantt charts, and more

📝 Rich Text & Publishing

• Quarto: Markdown-powered publishing engine for documents, slides, and books
• Markdown: Lightweight markup for notes, blogs, and documentation

🖼️ Image Viewing

• gThumb
• Eye of GNOME
• Nomacs

🎬 Video Playback

• VLC Media Player
• MPV
• Celluloid

🎧 Audio Playback

• Rhythmbox
• Clementine
• Audacious

🌐 Browsers

• Firefox
• Chromium
• Brave

🎨 Adobe Suite Alternatives

• GIMP: Photoshop alternative
• Inkscape: Illustrator alternative
• Scribus: InDesign alternative
• Darktable: Lightroom alternative
• Audacity: Audition alternative
• Kdenlive: Premiere Pro alternative

💻 Coding IDEs

• VS Code (open-source build)
• Geany
• Kate

🔬 Scientific Apps

• JupyterLab
• RStudio
• GNU Octave

🧒 Kids Learning Apps

• GCompris
• Tux Paint
• Scratch

🎮 Gaming on Linux

• 0 A.D.: Historical RTS game
• SuperTuxKart: Fun racing game
• Battle for Wesnoth: Turn-based strategy

Bonus: Steam and GOG both support Linux, with thousands of commercial and indie titles playable via Proton or native builds.

🧭 The Sovereign Path Forward

As proprietary vendors push harder toward subscriptions and cloud lock-in, the open-source ecosystem offers a vibrant, modular alternative. Whether you're a student, a civic architect, a creative, or a casual user—Linux and its app ecosystem can meet your needs with clarity, ownership, and emotional resonance.

What would a post-Excel world look like? Can Gnumeric, LibreOffice Calc, or a new AI-powered spreadsheet engine rise to meet the challenge? The search for a sovereign spreadsheet continues.