Then there is always Linux! Many variations to choose from and all are free. Mint is great for music activities. Firefox usually comes with it as an optional browser. Updated frequently (for free) and many free add-on software packages available.
I got tired of constant new Windows versions and the cost of their other software. Seems like they expect users to pay for every upgrade and Microsoft was involved in so many shady deals to destroy competitors. Why reward them for bad behavior?
Did I mention that Mint is a graphical user interface? Makes the transition much easier. Don't get me wrong... there is a learning curve but now, you don't need to be a "programmer" to use Linux. I'm told it can reside as a partition on your hard disk drive so it and Windows can run on the same machine... in case your other software investment in Microsoft is too much of a leap to abandon.
I decided to "wean" my internet activities from Windows and dedicate one machine to Linux Mint alone. No complaints.
While i consider myself a pro in Linux (i use to teach advanced linux courses at the naval academy) Most of my favourite music software does not work under Linux and is not stable under wine...
When choosing an operation system, you need to make sure the software you want to run works under that OS..
I am currently running mac osx because mainstage as well as my favorite daw Logic X only work umder MAC... also all my vst’s and au units are licensed under mac.. so its not easy to move from mac back to windows for me.. (if i would want to run Varranger) ..and impossible to move to linux..
Linux however (espescially mint which is my favorite client) works definately well for people that just need email, and internet browser, and a word processor ... also its a very nice os for people that have a lot of free time at their hands and want to create their very own interface and look... or don’t mind switching to new software experiences..
There is even ways to run windows software inside the linux environment, as i allready named wine... but also vmware or viual-box allow you to runna virtuall instance of windows.. but again, this is not advisable for pro musician use...
And then there si software that allows you to run all android apps in Linux..
However universal support of touchscreens is still a problem in Linux.. and not all touchscreens (or other hardware) have linux drivers.