I search for an exit plan from Windows, Excel and VBA

proN00b

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Hi.

TL;DR:
I need to buy a new computer as a secondary machine in case my Windows laptop breaks down. I hope it doesn't have to be with Windows, but it's more likely that I have to get a Windows PC to use Excel and VBA and later figure out how to transition to Linux, some other spreadsheet software and another programming language.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I came to this forum because I hope to avoid some big mistakes. I can't afford to plunge into a new system head first. My situation is unusual, so I don't expect a quick fix.
I can't expect to understand everything at the first reading. So, if people keep answering my questions here, I'll keep asking new ones that build on the previous ones.

If you notice that I missed something and I'm asking the wrong questions, I'll be happy if you warn me.

My first two questions:
Is there some timing, speed or frequency of replies that you expect from me? Or you would notice a new entry if I return to a thread that I have not touched for months and it doesn't matter when do I return to it?

Feel free to be a pushy fanboy for your favorite distro, desktop environment, file manager, virtual machine or any trick that would fit my situation.
I'll be happy to read your reasons why your solution is the best and why everything else smells from a mile away.

I REALLY want to leave all Microsoft software. But I need a plan that I can understand.
I expect this transition to take years with a lot of learning because I assume that I will have to find an alternative to replace my code in VBA that I use daily in Excel.

I have to be in FULL control of the timing of restart for updates.
The decision by Microsoft to disable that particular freedom of choice in Windows 10 is that "last straw" that broke the camel's back. They pushed me now to be willing to invest as much time as necessary to get rid of Microsoft.

Very soon I want to buy a new computer as breakdown cover alternative. I want that backup machine sooner than I can learn everything about Linux.
Now I have only one computer (Lenovo 17" laptop, Windows 10). If it breaks down, I'm screwed big time.

I hope that new computer does NOT have to be with Windows, but I assume that using Excel and VBA on Linux is tricky at best. Has anyone made that work reliably? WINE? VM?
If it can't be done, I have to buy a Windows machine for backup AGAIN.

Maybe that's what I should do and later figure out how to transition to Linux, maybe on a third computer with a pre-installed distro.

But long term I need to transition from Windows to Linux, from Excel to some alternative, from VBA to some alternative, from WinCMD (the original version of Total Commander) to some alternative and an alternative to Notepad++ if it doesn't work on Linux.

But for the start I would like to figure out whether it's possible to use Excel with my already existing VBA code on Linux.

I'm looking for advice for
(1) choosing the right
(1.1) hardware (CPU, RAM, storage etc) that will allow smooth transition (I know about SLIMBOOK and their tower machines), it may be laptop or desktop (minimum 17 inch display with FullHD, no other screen resolution)
(1.2) OS with commercial support that I can rely on as a customer (Zorin?)
(1.3) fast and customizable desktop environment where a dark theme works flawlessly, I don't need animation to show what I just did, I use keyboard shortcuts like ALT-TAB to swap between windows FAST and control most actions with the keyboard (Cinnamon? XFCE?)
(1.4) file manager (Double Commander? Krusader? Can I back up their settings and use a text editor to modify their ini files or some similar settings files? Do they allow personalized button bars with my own icons that can run terminal commands, e.g. open a file in the appropriate software or open specific directories in the file manager or run internal commands of the file manager?)
(1.5) scripting language and spreadsheet software combination (python? Open Office? Can I create buttons like on the quick access toolbar of excel?)
(1.6) A WAY TO RUN EXCEL AND THE VISUAL BASIC EDITOR in Linux until I learn a replacement language to VBA and I rewrite my VBA code in that other language (WINE? Bottles?)
(2) choosing the right sequence to get and learn the alternatives.

For now I'm forced to use Windows 10 by a breakdown of my old computer that was on Windows 8.1.
I already bought the new laptop before the breakdown but I was not yet ready for the transition when the breakdown happened.

The reason why I refused to update the old computer to Windows 10 was that Windows 10 has no option to entirely disable a forced restart for updates.
Now I'm stuck with random restarts without my permission. I know about postponing for 7 days in the settings, but that works only up to a month, and it does not allow to set a specific timing anyway.

I HATE Microsoft. I'm pulling my hair EVERY TIME they kill my work.

I don't have customers and I'm NOT looking for a situation where I would have to deal with people (including working for someone or have someone work for me).
I do my banking through my laptop, using Brave or Chrome, and I use an Android phone for verification.

This can change in the long term:
Most of my VBA code is in 3 *.xlam files that weigh total 395KB.
The most frequently used code is probably less than 5% of that.
The VBA code is usually simple, used mostly to find and copy specific data from CSV to a spreadsheet or to the clipboard or to format spreadsheets (e.g. make the opened CSV black with white text) or for user defined functions for spreadsheets.
I don't plan intensive coding for now. I just need to use what I already programmed.
I can see myself replacing that with an alternative language, but I will have to learn it, so I can't leave Excel immediately.
I expect python to be a likely reasonable choice but I have not started practicing it yet. Only watched a few tutorial videos. I attempted some installations to start learning python, but wasn't able to get it all to work. All of that was on the old computer that broke down, and I don't have time to repeat any of that setup now.

This can change in the VERY long term: I code in Pinescript on Tradingview, and I use Brave or Chrome to view the results and download them in CSV files for more advanced analysis.
Most of the analysis is done through spreadsheet formulas, not VBA code.
Long term I might learn to code communication with the API of some trading platform directly, circumventing Tradingview.

I run my VBA code from various means in Excel:
the Quick Access Toolbar buttons,
the ribbon (added my own tab),
buttons in worksheets.

I still use WinCMD (the old version of Total Commander) because it never failed me and it allows me
- to set keyboard shortcuts to the internal commands of the file manager and
- to create personalized menus and button bars that don't need installation.
I can modify those menus and button bars in any text editor and back up their files (*.ini for menus or *.bar for button bars).
I can use my customized icons on these button bars.
Both the menus and the button bars can
- open specific directories in the file manager or in Windows Explorer,
- open files in the appropriate software,
- run internal commands of the file manager (e.g. open a GUI to set file attributes or copy the file date to the clipboard).
There are only two drawbacks of WinCMD:
- 32-bit, so for some system directories I have to use Windows Explorer,
- it can't display thumbnails of images and videos, but I rarely need that.

Best regards, I hope you're all doing fine, and I mean that financially and mentally, not in any propagandistic political fear mongering way.
 
Last edited:


Welcome to the forums,
please change your print density to something a bit darker, I have had problems trying to read your post,
so, Almost any Linux distribution can do most of what you're asking, for some Win-Nix alternatives see https://www.linuxtrainingacademy.com/reddit-linux-alternatives-for-windows-applications/ there are many others
Machine wise
try to avoid machines with cutting edge components [it takes a while for the drivers to be back engineered]
 
Welcome to the forums,
please change your print density to something a bit darker, I have had problems trying to read your post,
so, Almost any Linux distribution can do most of what you're asking, for some Win-Nix alternatives see https://www.linuxtrainingacademy.com/reddit-linux-alternatives-for-windows-applications/ there are many others
Machine wise
try to avoid machines with cutting edge components [it takes a while for the drivers to be back engineered]
That's great news. Thank you for the URL.
Then should I choose a distro based on some personal preferences and ask whether / how it can be used with VBA and Excel?

Probably I don't need cutting edge components. I use 11th gen i3-1115G4 Core 3GHz, 4GB RAM and I work with my files directly on external storage (SD card), not on the system's SSD.

I'm just asking about the hardware because I know that virtual machines can be resource intensive, so I'm looking for minimum requirement to do what I need.

If I buy a computer with pre-installed Linux, e.g. from Slimbook, the drivers should be okay.

I've watched some videos by DistroTube and The Linux Experiment. I think in one of them on DistroTube the guy warned that if I need to use Excel for work, then I should have a Windows PC instead of trying to do it on Linux.
But I'm not sure whether he meant "for work" as in "at a job" or for any serious analytics. The latter is my case, not a job, and I don't deliver anything to anyone.

If I try to use Excel and VBA on Linux, should I use WINE and/or Bottles? Or something else?

Sorry about the text color. Now I set #000000. I assumed it's plain text and did not set the color before, but maybe my Sauron extension for Chrome changed it.
 
Thanks, I can read it now without squinting :)
if you're going to use a VB/VM then I would suggest an absolute minimum of 8gb, preferably 16 or more, If you are no longer using the machine for business then [with a bit of learning] you can use one of the native Linux variants
https://www.tecmint.com/microsoft-excel-alternatives-for-linux/ , then you won't need the extra ram
installing Linux distributions on any machine that is say 5 or more years old is usually fairly painless see How Do I Install Linux (A General Guide) • Linux Tips [some makes have specific problems but with a bit of work can be over come] if you want to choose your own distribution, just let us know the make and full model number of the machine, and we can take a look and advise you what extra twiddling may be needed.

The Best distribution for you is just that, the one you like the look and feel of best and works well with your kit, so download at least 6 with different desktops and run them live to try them out, we all have our favourites but what is best for me or anyone else, may not be for you
As a Microsoft user, you will have a bit of a learning curve, so once you have made your choices ...
Sit back, grab a beer, kick off your shoes and enjoy the ride
 
@proN00b -- I have the best laptop I have ever owned for GNU/Linux usage. It's a Dell Latitude E6540 -- [email protected], 16GB RAM, 430GB SSD. With the new SSD it cost about $180 from eBay and NewEgg.

I find Dell Latitudes work the best for me after having owned a Lenovo entry-grade and an Asus (which I would not wish on anyone) laptop as well as other older Dells, HPs, Compaqs.

LibreOffice Calc or Gnumeric are two spreadsheet apps comparable to Excel.

I run PCLinuxOS now because it just works the way I want it to. No Desktop Environment, just Openbox as a window manager option. nVidia graphics? Not a problem. Want to use the CLI? Package manager is a modified APT. It includes Synaptic, too. Even has a monthly magazine.

Welcome to the GNU/Linux realm! Just jump in! Don't overcomplicate! Have fun!
 
@proN00b -- I have the best laptop I have ever owned for GNU/Linux usage. It's a Dell Latitude E6540 -- [email protected], 16GB RAM, 430GB SSD. With the new SSD it cost about $180 from eBay and NewEgg.

I find Dell Latitudes work the best for me after having owned a Lenovo entry-grade and an Asus (which I would not wish on anyone) laptop as well as other older Dells, HPs, Compaqs.

LibreOffice Calc or Gnumeric are two spreadsheet apps comparable to Excel.

I run PCLinuxOS now because it just works the way I want it to. No Desktop Environment, just Openbox as a window manager option. nVidia graphics? Not a problem. Want to use the CLI? Package manager is a modified APT. It includes Synaptic, too. Even has a monthly magazine.

Welcome to the GNU/Linux realm! Just jump in! Don't overcomplicate! Have fun!
Thanks a lot :)
That hardware seems to be strong enough to run a virtual machine. Do you use a VM or WINE?
 
Most here use VM

Experiences with wine are not always good....although some find it works quite well.

An alternative to Wine.....
BOTTLES ...has good reviews. It is included in the Linux Mint repository (Software Manager)
 
Thanks, I can read it now without squinting :)
if you're going to use a VB/VM then I would suggest an absolute minimum of 8gb, preferably 16 or more, If you are no longer using the machine for business then [with a bit of learning] you can use one of the native Linux variants
https://www.tecmint.com/microsoft-excel-alternatives-for-linux/ , then you won't need the extra ram
installing Linux distributions on any machine that is say 5 or more years old is usually fairly painless see How Do I Install Linux (A General Guide) • Linux Tips [some makes have specific problems but with a bit of work can be over come] if you want to choose your own distribution, just let us know the make and full model number of the machine, and we can take a look and advise you what extra twiddling may be needed.

The Best distribution for you is just that, the one you like the look and feel of best and works well with your kit, so download at least 6 with different desktops and run them live to try them out, we all have our favourites but what is best for me or anyone else, may not be for you
As a Microsoft user, you will have a bit of a learning curve, so once you have made your choices ...
Sit back, grab a beer, kick off your shoes and enjoy the ride
Thanks for the specs and the URLs!
Maybe the advice in the video I watched that mentioned WINE is now outdated. It's from 22 Dec 2020.
It's about Wayland. The part where WINE is mentioned starts at 8:14, just in case this URL fails to get to that timestamp:
I don't need gaming, but this video made me think that I should
EITHER
choose a system that's using X.org instead of Wayland, to allow smoother operation for WINE and a program like F.Lux to limit blue light on the screen
OR
choose an OS with Wayland and a VM instead of WINE and do some more research how to red shift the display colors.
 
Most here use VM

Experiences with wine are not always good....although some find it works quite well.

An alternative to Wine.....
BOTTLES ...has good reviews. It is included in the Linux Mint repository (Software Manager)
Thanks!
I see that Bottles is using WINE or Proton, so in either case the warning in the video linked in my previous reply to Brickwizard might be valid. Are you using bottles on a system with Wayland?
 

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