Be careful what you wish for....
For many people, due only to Microsoft's hubris, Windows 10 really may be the last version of Windows.
Microsoft has laid out the ground rules for getting Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) as market share figures indicate users are still giving Windows 11 a wide berth. In a post published yesterday, Microsoft detailed the ways and costs of keeping Windows 10 security updates flowing past the October 14, 2025, cut-off …
As I have said before, if it was going to happen, it would have by now.
You could probably lash up a pretty good straight swap for friends & family (in which case why haven't you ?)
However the moment you try and provide a drop in replacement for your colleagues, you'll hit the fact there is no like for like replacement for Office. Close - yes. Functionally identical - yes. But nowhere near as seamless as it would have to be to supplant Windows.
I've been trying since 2010, by the way.
"However the moment you try and provide a drop in replacement for your colleagues, you'll hit the fact there is no like for like replacement for Office. Close - yes. Functionally identical - yes. But nowhere near as seamless as it would have to be to supplant Windows."
Indeed, plus integration with Microsoft cloudy services (no need to get into the debate here on whether this is a good idea - fact is that many companies do it so need to accommodate it), plus management systems such as Intune: other platforms don't have an equivalent alternative (apart from, to some extent, MacOS).
And user familiarity with the OS and software. That is often under-recognised here but can be a significant issue if a proportion of your users are not particularly IT-literate.
You also mentioned user familiarity with OS. Microsoft has a habit of requiring users to familiarise themselves with a new version every few years. I mentioned my SiL sticking with W7. She looked at W10 and decided it was too different.
Familiarising users with a new version once and then sticking with it is much easier.
Considering the thrashing that Linux does in their enviroment, Windows is looking really stable.
REALLY stable.
File system of the month, firewall of the year, window manager of the release.
Moving someone to Linux would be a big learning curve, followed by another and another. And the novice Ubuntu user will not be able to help the novice Debian user (even though they share roots)
Windows is way ahead of Linux in this regard. And that is with acknowledging that Windows does some pretty mindless thrashing, too. Just not as insane as Linux.
Only thrashing I've ever noticed was on my old 2gig laptop... and that was windows thrashing the swap file as if it had only 10K of space left.......
Linux mint on the other hand saw it had 2GB of memory, was using 250 meg of it and decided nawww... dont need to use the swap file yet.
The only windows thing that puzzles me is why cant m$ have different window managers.... so those wanting a new and spiffy look can have the flat icon win 11 "experience" while the grown ups can have "windows classic"
> The only windows thing that puzzles me is why cant m$ have different window managers....
It did with Windows 3 and a number of vendors eg. HP, developed their own desktop, unfortunately MS took exception to being relegated and ensured with future versions Microsoft was in the users face.
《Considering the thrashing that Linux does in their enviroment》
Enterprise Linux (RHEL, SuSE) and derivatives, long term support (LTS) releases of Ubuntu etc are pretty stable over their life times (5-10) years, indeed Debian has the reputation for being glacial in the regard.
Install AlmaLinux 9.2 today, Gnome WM, Libreoffice, Evolution or Thunderbird, Firefox or Chromium and should be pretty stable for 8 to 9 years.
Unfortunately once you look outside browsers, mail clients and office suites the comparable Linux applications are very different from their Window counterparts. I would note that "creatives" generally prefer Macs (generally in eyewateringly expensive configurations:) partly because the applications they use are Mac only.
The biggest PITA from MS apart from their unceasing money grubbing, is their periodic buggering up of their user interface(s.)
A single consistent interface than can be maintained for decades (at least as a user option) would alleviate a lot of the dread of a new Windows version. W10's is ghastly after W7 and unusable without OpenShell/ClassicShell.
Such a version of Windows included (only) with a subscription to their cloud based services would provide steady revenue stream and pretty much put the underlying sofware layers (Window kernel, system libraries etc) into permanent maintenace mode which I imagine in many corporate settings would be very attractive except I understand MS cloud offerings are being increasingly enshitified with lashings of ill considered AI/LLM dross.
Individual or home users whose modest needs rarely extend beyond browsing, mail and simple document preparation could thrive on a LTS Linux/Unix/(other?) based distro with a stable bland WM (Openbox, Xfce4?) I have run Openbox for 20+ years on a number of platforms and before that Oroborus (after 9wm) just to keep a uniform interface (and my sanity.)
When my spouse's W7 laptop joins its ancestors its either a ChromeOS (flex?) or Debian on a micro PC (as she already uses an external monitor and keyboard/mouse with the laptop.) She uses Firefox to read her email anyway (and mostly on a tablet) and LibreOffice for word processing but Notepad or Wordpad (or MS Works [yuck] which she used on W98 or XP) would be sufficient.
I imagine there is a lot of these low hanging fruit out there that could be converted into a relatively lucretive long term market potentially through some type of franchise arrangement. "You provide the hardware (or lease it), we provide, configure and maintain the software platform." (For a monthly fee.) Could be a value added atop an ISP/VPN/filtering service.
A lot of us creatives use Windows, never-you-mind industry where custom apps can be commonplace. Nobody in the actual production industry is using anything but Windows for 3D CAD design and manufacturing as the support drivers / interface applications are Windows-only (of our 4 in-house CAD printers only one has a 'universal' interface, all others expect their data or control via Windows-only applications). Adobe suite, Windows or Mac only (no Linux). Some of the firmware updaters for my hardware (cameras, GPS, Bluetooth helmet communicators, etc etc) are Windows only, too.
Yes, I know that its all about "everything being written for Windows" -- I've experienced this myself many times because there's always something important that's written for Windows etc. But if you keep upping the pain level eventually people will hit that tipping point that you're always hearing about. For me,personally, it happened a long time ago when updates to Windows gradually made my little desktop unusable. Linux fixed this for me, I just have to use Windows for "one or two things". And its a serious pain to do so -- nothing ever seems to quite work as it should, you're always being upgraded and now you've got the "Our Windows 10 Journey is Coming to an End" thing (and, needless to say, that hulking great i7 box with 16MByte RAM and graphics processor isn't good enough to "upgrade").
The writing's been on the wall for some time. I got into this game when the only game in town was IBM, they had over 80% of the world market for computers. They refused to acknowledge the obvious so look at them now. Everyone complains about Windows but as "There Is No Alternative" they just put up with it. Eventually things will crack -- if they haven't done already -- and no amount of Windows-centric ("free") IDEs and clever Truman show-esque marketing tricks will save them. Windows is not an operating environment, its a collection of hacks and its really showing its age.
Any platform is going to be a matter of what sort of crap one is willing to put up with to do what they need to.[1] I used Linux as an OS exclusively from 2011 to 2019, but eventually had to break down and join the Cupertino Cult, between not wanting to try to get WINE running for things I needed and simply wanting at least my primary machine being something I don't have to fuss with on a regular basis.[2] It's still UNIX and it runs Photoshop^WAffinity. Most of the Linux-related headaches were from having to deal with something proprietary,[3] but most of us have to do that.
Even if we forget inertia, and vendor lock-in, Microsoft deliberately making compatibility with document formatting a hunt for unicorns, and the reluctance of many users to try something new, it's always the software. Even MS fell victim to this with the Windows Phone.
Linux is stable enough, the major DEs mature enough, and with the likes of *buntu and Mint, it's easy enough to get going. But most people aren't even going to *consider* switching to it until they can run what they need, or at minimum, there is feature and usability parity with any "alternatives". For example, GIMP STILL doesn't have high bit-depth or non-destructive editing; even if they spruced up its UI, I cannot even consider it without those. Darktable has the features I need for RAW processing but when I was using it, it crashed if you looked at it funny. Most MS Office users don't use the Excel macros and advanced features that some people need for work, but for the casual user who needs the basics, bundling all of the pretty "good enough" templates would be a huge improvement, because people like having things handing them everything. Valve knew this, and because of that work, Linux is a viable gaming platform, and in fact far surpasses Mac for that purpose.
The software situation isn't helped by the "EVERYTHING must be Libre/OSS" fanatics who want to keep even the whiff of anything closed out of the ecosystem entirely with the intensity (and lack of success) of stereotypical vegan militants trying to convince everyone that their fake meat[4] tastes just the same as the real thing. The conditions are ripe to get people to explore using Linux, but it isn't going to happen if thing X doesn't run, or at minimum, you have ALL the same necessary features and good usability. I haven't used Windows, except on institutional devices in almost 25 years now, and at least want the option of telling Apple to fsck off, but that is never going to happen without the right software. With the new Flathub rules, maybe enough users screaming for it will mean more ports. Or maybe someone will do with other software what Steamplay has done for gaming.
[1] Windows/Office also have inertia in their favour.
[2] It's one thing to spend a lot of time tinkering on a computer being used for fun, and another to get paid to deal with certain headaches, but I don't enjoy messing around with something I *need* to be behaving itself and isn't when I'm not getting paid. Setting up a new Mac does take me the better part of a day to get cronjobs going, replace Apple's implementation of X, install a package manager and the software I want, and such, but after that I'm only sitting at a terminal window when I want to be.
[3] The others were self-inflicted from running rolling releases.
[4] I do eat a lot of veggie burgers, but the ones I like don't attempt to mimic meat. If I want something that tastes like cow, I can and will buy the real thing.
The problem with GNU/Linux UI thrash is less of a problem with Linux, and more to do with the distro you're using.
If you stick to the big distros, like Redhat/Fedora or Ubuntu, then they are fond of imposing UI change on you when you change releases.
But if you move away from Gnome/KDE/Unity (or whatever the current Ubuntu desktop is called - I think it's a heavily customised Gnome4), you can avoid the major upheaval caused by upgrades. The safest one to select is probably XFCE, which is used by Debian/Devuan, or maybe LXDE, but you can also select which to use on Ubuntu. I also think that Mate and Cinnamon on Mint (or other distros) are pretty stable. There are plenty of others which people use, but all these I've quoted work similar (but don't necessarily look too much like) the Windows 95 Classic desktop.
Filesystems should not be an issue. Ext3 and 4, although pretty long in the tooth, work fine and are in almost all distros, and you don't need to use any of the others unless you are really interested in doing so.
I'm finally following Jake's recommendation of looking seriously at Slackware. It appears a bit hair-shirt to my current mind but I'm coming around, but is probably the most stable of the lot! But my current daily drive is still running Ubuntu with XFCE as the display manager and using ext4 filesystems (and has a continuous history of existing on various laptops from 6.06 through to 22.04 - my main system is whatever my home directory sits on, and has evolved over the last 20+ years from a Thinkpad 380XD through to the current T420), but I am getting sick of changes like syslogd and snaps in Ubuntu.
My wife is running Ubuntu with a heavily modified Cinnamon desktop, with an XP Luna look and feel. She never notices when I update it for her (although I need to bring the hardware more up to date, as the T60, even with an SSD is getting old and slow - and only allows 3GB of memory due to the Intel support chipset used. But it's the last Thinkpad that had the 4x3 aspect ration screen that she wants).
My last huge batch of updates (rolling SuSE) on the laptop included going from Plasma 5 to Plasma 6. Yes, a ton of things broke, and without checking, I think that it's probably safe to assume that's because a number of configurations are either in new directories or else were overwritten. Overall, though, the UI hasn't really changed, and it didn't take long to have everything looking and working the same as before. I probably wouldn't have had the level of breakage I did if I stuck with defaults or near defaults; it seems as though what did majorly change were a few of the things that make my desktop as Mac-like as possible.[1] I don't now about the Gnome side of things, but I think that overall, we have or will be reaching a point where the major desktops are mature enough that smaller generational changes will be the norm.
[1] Since the desktop is a Mac, I do try for as much UI consistency as possible, whether on the GUI, keybinds, or with tmux/terminal setup.
A while back the place where I worked had a brief foray into the world of Linux. It failed badly because large companies expect to be able to throw money at problems to make them go away while far too many open source projects are more like "you have the source, you can fix it".
Anyway, that's not the point of this message. The point is that of the manglement side of things, it became very clear very quickly who was computer literate and could easy adapt to LibreOffice because while it wasn't identical to Word/Excel/etc, things were pretty similar.
And then there's everybody else. The ones who would scream, shout, cry, wet themselves, throw the laptop into the bin (that actually happened) because things in the menu were in a different place and they had no fucking idea what they were actually doing, they just knew that the third menu item down would do this, and the icon that looks like that would do that. LibreOffice is similar enough to be a perfectly adequate replacement, but it's different enough to be hostile alien territory...
As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read.
You could say I’m a model parent. My children have never failed to make me proud, and I can say without the slightest embellishment that I have the finest family in the USA.Two years ago, my wife Carol and I decided that our children’s education would not be complete without some grounding in modern computers. To this end, we bought our children a brand new Compaq to learn with. The kids had a lot of fun using the handful of application programs we’d bought, such as Adobe’s Photoshop and Microsoft’s Word, and my wife and I were pleased that our gift was received so well. Our son Peter was most entranced by the device, and became quite a pro at surfing the net. When Peter began to spend whole days on the machine, I became concerned, but Carol advised me to calm down, and that it was only a passing phase. I was content to bow to her experience as a mother, until our youngest daughter, Cindy, charged into the living room one night to blurt out: “Peter is a computer hacker!”
As you can imagine, I was amazed. A computer hacker in my own house! I began to monitor my son’s habits, to make certain that Cindy wasn’t just telling stories, as she is prone to doing at times. After a few days of investigation, and some research into computer hacking, I confronted Peter with the evidence. I’m afraid to say, this was the only time I have ever been truly disappointed in one of my children. We raised them to be honest and to have integrity, and Peter betrayed the principles we tried to encourage in him, when he refused point blank to admit to his activities. His denials continued for hours, and in the end, I was left with no choice but to ban him from using the computer until he is old enough to be responsible for his actions. After going through this ordeal with my own family, I was left pondering how I could best help others in similar situations. I’d gained a lot of knowledge over those few days regarding hackers. It’s only right that I provide that information to other parents, in the hope that they will be able to tell if their children are being drawn into the world of hacking. Perhaps other parents will be able to steer their sons back onto the straight and narrow before extreme measures need to be employed.
To this end, I have decided to publish the top ten signs that your son is a hacker. I advise any parents to read this list carefully and if their son matches the profile, they should take action. A smart parent will first try to reason with their son, before resorting to groundings, or even spanking. I pride myself that I have never had to spank a child, and I hope this guide will help other parents to put a halt to their son’s misbehaviour before a spanking becomes necessary.
Has your son asked you to change ISPs? Most American families use trusted and responsible Internet Service Providers, such as AOL. These providers have a strict “No Hacking” policy, and take careful measures to ensure that your internet experience is enjoyable, educational and above all legal. If your child is becoming a hacker, one of his first steps will be to request a change to a more hacker friendly provider. I would advise all parents to refuse this request. One of the reasons your son is interested in switching providers is to get away from AOL’s child safety filter. This filter is vital to any parent who wants his son to enjoy the internet without the endangering him through exposure to “adult” content. It is best to stick with the protection AOL provides, rather than using a home-based solution. If your son is becoming a hacker, he will be able to circumvent any home-based measures with surprising ease, using information gleaned from various hacker sites.
Are you finding programs on your computer that you don’t remember installing? Your son will probably try to install some hacker software. He may attempt to conceal the presence of the software in some way, but you can usually find any new programs by reading through the programs listed under “Install/Remove Programs” in your control panel. Popular hacker software includes “Comet Cursor”, “Bonzi Buddy” and “Flash”. The best option is to confront your son with the evidence, and force him to remove the offending programs. He will probably try to install the software again, but you will be able to tell that this is happening, if your machine offers to “download” one of the hacker applications. If this happens, it is time to give your son a stern talking to, and possibly consider punishing him with a grounding.
Has your child asked for new hardware? Computer hackers are often limited by conventional computer hardware. They may request “faster” video cards, and larger hard drives, or even more memory. If your son starts requesting these devices, it is possible that he has a legitimate need. You can best ensure that you are buying legal, trustworthy hardware by only buying replacement parts from your computer’s manufacturer. If your son has requested a new “processor” from a company called “AMD”, this is genuine cause for alarm. AMD is a third-world based company who make inferior, “knock-off” copies of American processor chips. They use child labor extensively in their third world sweatshops, and they deliberately disable the security features that American processor makers, such as Intel, use to prevent hacking. AMD chips are never sold in stores, and you will most likely be told that you have to order them from internet sites. Do not buy this chip! This is one request that you must refuse your son, if you are to have any hope of raising him well.
Does your child read hacking manuals? If you pay close attention to your son’s reading habits, as I do, you will be able to determine a great deal about his opinions and hobbies. Children are at their most impressionable in the teenage years. Any father who has had a seventeen year old daughter attempt to sneak out on a date wearing make up and perfume is well aware of the effect that improper influences can have on inexperienced minds. There are, unfortunately, many hacking manuals available in bookshops today. A few titles to be on the lookout for are: “Snow Crash” and “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson; “Neuromancer” by William Gibson; “Programming with Perl” by Timothy O’Reilly; “Geeks” by Jon Katz; “The Hacker Crackdown” by Bruce Sterling; “Microserfs” by Douglas Coupland; “Hackers” by Steven Levy; and “The Cathedral and the Bazaar” by Eric S. Raymond. If you find any of these hacking manuals in your child’s possession, confiscate them immediately. You should also petition local booksellers to remove these titles from their shelves. You may meet with some resistance at first, but even booksellers have to bow to community pressure.
How much time does your child spend using the computer each day? If your son spends more than thirty minutes each day on the computer, he may be using it to DOS other peoples sites. DOSing involves gaining access to the “command prompt” on other people’s machines, and using it to tie up vital internet services. This can take up to eight hours. If your son is doing this, he is breaking the law, and you should stop him immediately. The safest policy is to limit your children’s access to the computer to a maximum of forty-five minutes each day.
Does your son use Quake? Quake is an online virtual reality used by hackers. It is a popular meeting place and training ground, where they discuss hacking and train in the use of various firearms. Many hackers develop anti-social tendencies due to the use of this virtual world, and it may cause erratic behaviour at home and at school. If your son is using Quake, you should make hime understand that this is not acceptable to you. You should ensure all the firearms in your house are carefully locked away, and have trigger locks installed. You should also bring your concerns to the attention of his school.
Is your son becoming argumentative and surly in his social behaviour? As a child enters the electronic world of hacking, he may become disaffected with the real world. He may lose the ability to control his actions, or judge the rightness or wrongness of a course of behaviour. This will manifest itself soonest in the way he treats others. Those whom he disagrees with will be met with scorn, bitterness, and even foul language. He may utter threats of violence of a real or electronic nature. Even when confronted, your son will probably find it difficult to talk about this problem to you. He will probably claim that there is no problem, and that you are imagining things. He may tell you that it is you who has the problem, and you should “back off” and “stop smothering him.” Do not allow yourself to be deceived. You are the only chance your son has, even if he doesn’t understand the situation he is in. Keep trying to get through to him, no matter how much he retreats into himself.
Is your son obsessed with “Lunix”? BSD, Lunix, Debian and Mandrake are all versions of an illegal hacker operation system, invented by a Soviet computer hacker named Linyos Torovoltos, before the Russians lost the Cold War. It is based on a program called ” xenix”, which was written by Microsoft for the US government. These programs are used by hackers to break into other people’s computer systems to steal credit card numbers. They may also be used to break into people’s stereos to steal their music, using the “mp3” program. Torovoltos is a notorious hacker, responsible for writing many hacker programs, such as “telnet”, which is used by hackers to connect to machines on the internet without using a telephone. Your son may try to install ” lunix” on your hard drive. If he is careful, you may not notice its presence, however, lunix is a capricious beast, and if handled incorrectly, your son may damage your computer, and even break it completely by deleting Windows, at which point you will have to have your computer repaired by a professional. If you see the word “LILO” during your windows startup (just after you turn the machine on), your son has installed lunix. In order to get rid of it, you will have to send your computer back to the manufacturer, and have them fit a new hard drive. Lunix is extremely dangerous software, and cannot be removed without destroying part of your hard disk surface.
Has your son radically changed his appearance? If your son has undergone a sudden change in his style of dress, you may have a hacker on your hands. Hackers tend to dress in bright, day-glo colors. They may wear baggy pants, bright colored shirts and spiky hair dyed in bright colors to match their clothes. They may take to carrying ” glow-sticks” and some wear pacifiers around their necks. (I have no idea why they do this) There are many such hackers in schools today, and your son may have started to associate with them. If you notice that your son’s group of friends includes people dressed like this, it is time to think about a severe curfew, to protect him from dangerous influences.
Is your son struggling academically? If your son is failing courses in school, or performing poorly on sports teams, he may be involved in a hacking group, such as the infamous ” Otaku” hacker association. Excessive time spent on the computer, communicating with his fellow hackers may cause temporary damage to the eyes and brain, from the electromagnetic radiation. This will cause his marks to slip dramatically, particularly in difficult subjects such as Math, and Chemistry. In extreme cases, over-exposure to computer radiation can cause schizophrenia, meningitis and other psychological diseases. Also, the reduction in exercise may cause him to lose muscle mass, and even to start gaining weight. For the sake of your child’s mental and physical health, you must put a stop to his hacking, and limit his computer time drastically. I encourage all parents to read through this guide carefully. Your child’s future may depend upon it. Hacking is an illegal and dangerous activity, that may land your child in prison, and tear your family apart. It cannot be taken too seriously."
Only a total nerd would down vote your post. I remember when Wal Mart even offered a Linux laptop for cheap. Linux just can't gather traction for the mainstream. I have an expensive Digital Audio Workstation package, not supported by Linux. I am quite sure if Linux was more widely adopted, there would be a Linux version of it by now.
For me at least, now that I'm retired I easily get by with Linux.
When I was working I still needed MS systems for much of my work on .Net applications.
Even today, at least one of those old .Net applications I worked with has already been converted to Angular so... no need for Windows to work on that anymore.
I miss XP with SFU which I had on my ThinkPad T60. That was not an emulator but a true merger of XP and SVr4 UNIX on the same filesystem.
You could use microEmacs to edit Windows scripts, for instance.
I had a similar experience in the mid 90's developing software for an IBM mainframe running MVS, DB2, MVS/TSO, CICS and VM/CMS.
Documentation was on MS Office.
Official email was on VM/CMS.
We had a big AIX pSeries server.
I installed eXceed on my desktop and could access everything in different windows from the pSeries server on my X11/Windows desktop and seamlessly cut and paste anywhere. It had active icons which were a miniature of the session screen so you could see when a compile job finished or monitor performance without opening the window.
I primarily developed software in Emacs on the pSeries for COBOL, CICS and DB2 on the mainframe. The mainframe COBOL had special hardware acceleration tied into DB2 within MVS. I learned that from K.R. Hammond, one of the principal developers of DB2 on MVS.
My coworkers hated me.
They used dumb terminal emulators that took over the whole desktop, so they had to log out of CICS or TSO just to check their email.
I could do everything all at once from the Windows desktop and stay logged in to everything.
<sigh> Religious fundamentalists are so tiresome. Always spouting the same nonsense, always being proven wrong, and then doubling down instead of stepping back and reevaluating.
I came across Linux back in about 1995. Back before every distribution was just a Windows clone, and you actually had to learn some new skills to be able to use it. Even back in the mid-90s, people were tired of hearing claims about how this will be the year of Linux on the desktop. If it were going to happen, it would have a long time ago. Just watch, in 5-years, the percentage of desktops running Windows and Linux will have remained largely static despite your apocalyptic proclamations.
I get it, it's all shiny and new right now, but that's just the honeymoon period. It'll pass. It was my primary OS from around 1995 until around 2002 (I forget now) when circumstances in my life meant Windows was the better choice for me. I went through the whole "Linux is the greatest!!!11!!!one!!1" phase, and then I grew up. You want to use it, fine, knock yourself out, you won't hear any complaints from me about it. Just recognize that while it may be the best option for you that doesn't automatically translate to it being the best option for everyone. Understand and accept that not everyone wants the same thing out of a computer as you do. Linux may be a viable choice for some, but certainly not everyone.
So Microsoft have already decided that if one person in the Windowverse wants to keep running W10, it will cost $61. Hence revenue to MS = $61. So now they've already done the relevant work!
If another million (for e.g.) people suddenly decide to take them up on the offer, that's a profit of $61M for doing no more work. As usual it's a fix.
If you join in year 2 you'll pay the $122 for year 2 AND the $61 for year 1. To be fair people might not realise each year costs twice as much as the year before or else, not even after a pandemic, will they realise the meaning of "exponential". Just as well it's only 3 years.
Private individual speaking: I know I'll probably have to take a look at W11 for my next build, and I've not even bothered to check compatibility on this ancient FX8350 potato, but if Windows 11 isn't free then I simply have no incentive yet.
By free I mean free like W10 was when I last installed it: install shady W8.1, free W10 upgrade, done. Not elegant, but not a penny to Redmond. I'm one of those really really irritating "consumers" with a long memory.
Now, can someone far cleverer than I tell me WTF the OS alone needs so much RAM for these days? I do tend to trim a bit of fat by disabling background spyware and never-used bloatware and junk, but still...
If, as you say, they are processing payments, the PCI (Payment Card Industry, not Peripheral Component Interconnect) rules demand that they are using a supported and certified OS, so all those Win10 tills you see need to be Win10 LTSC 2019 (supported until 2029), or Win10 IoT 2021 (supported until 2031), or that they buy one, or two, or three years of this Win10 paid support.
And then migrate to something acceptable for the PCI certification at that time (be it Win11, win 12 or some CERTIFIED Linux desktop [as installing Linux server on a Till is overkill]). Current standard is PCI DSS 4.0 if you want to know what the certification entails.
As for people who use Win10 for digital signeage, they will not update until their signeage is hacked to show pron, k0rn or other questionable (for them) material.
Lack of knowledge, specially in SMBs nad individuals also play a factor in people not updating unsupported Win10 to "something/anything" else, or buying extended support.
These usually run windows embedded it was pos ready or embedded now its Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 with support to 2027. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-iot-enterprise-ltsc-2021.
Big companies often also run them past end of life, dont pay for extended support when it does end as the project wont be too late and put all their faith in an airgap or firewall. This does not always go well.
I wish that Microsoft would distinguish between corporate and charitable and home users because the latter two groups may be less able to afford the newer pieces of kit that are needed to run Windows 11.
In contrast, the extended support Ubuntu Pro option is free for up to 5 computers or 50 if they are an official Ubuntu Community member.
Could anyone please advise as to whether or not gog games marked as Windows only would run if I zapped my win10 lappy to wine or some other distro? That's the only reason I haven't switched yet as most other software I use has native Linux versions or alternatives I could easily use.
Many thanks
In ignorance,
Me
If we are honest, there is no guarantee. There are crowdsourced lists of games that work or not, but, in the end YMMV
your best bet if to reconfigure your lappy to dualboot, and try them yourself. If you are satisfied, zapp it completely.
what I am recommending friends and family is to pay the first year (if they are elegible) and for years 2 and 3, move tot he free version of https://0patch.com/
Have a look at Lutris (grab from your distros software manager, personally I'd avoid the snap/flathub versions).
It has built in GOG support (as well as Humble, Epic, EA etc). On launch, hit the little 'person' (account) icon next to GOG on the left, and log in with your GOG account. Any games you have in GOG should show up, and can be installed by just clicking the Install button at the bottom after selecting a game.
Lutris uses what it calls 'Runners' to launch the games in, so for example Wine for Windows games, DOSBox for older DOS games etc. These are selected automatically based on the game. If a runner is needed for a game, but not installed yet, Lutris will just prompt you the first time you launch a game that needs it, and you just hit Yes and Lutris does the rest. After that you can just launch the game as is.
I can't really comment on compatibility etc, as I almost always use Steam on Linux, and only have a few titles in GOG. (Such as the old Populous 1 & 2 games).
Also note: The Wine runner in Lutris can also be configured to use Steams Proton (their tweaked version of Wine), instead of regular Wine (Preferences > Runners > Wine > Gear icon, then change 'Wine version' ). So if regular Wine doesn't work, try Proton instead.
This also means the protondb.com site (as mentioned by another poster above) is also somewhat valid assuming specific GOG games are also available on Steam of course. i.e. If it's a decent rating for the Steam version of a game on Protondb, then there is a good chance the GOG version will also work fine under Lutris.
that could be used to create a secure operating "box" that would be transparent to the normal user, and sort of "wrap" Win10 in a protective environment or envelope. It would have to be transparent to Win10 and do all of the security heavy lifting. Maybe call it "Security for windows". Downloadable from the Google Flat pak store.
"I think mentioning "security for windows" should be enough to tell you he's having a laugh."
Indeed I always get a good belly laugh going when seeing those words together, unless accompanied by "total lack of" and/or "not hope in hell of them having done it properly" in the same sentence.
1. Create shoddy product with security defects.
2. Gain widespread adoption, then announce end-of-life.
3. Charge money to fix security defects.
Seriously, think this through and question why we find it acceptable. Microsoft is NOT charging for new features, functions, or updates. They are charging customers to fix SECURITY DEFECTS in their product. Tell me how this is not a self-serving interest.
Don't make the OS too good. Build in just enough defects to keep the money flowing for 'fixes'.
That is precisely the case, and the title of this article reflects how well their strategy has worked. Want to "keep" Windows 10 secure? That presumes Windows 10 is currently secure. It is not now, nor has it ever been. Microsoft's greatest trick has been redefining "secure" to mean "continually modified." Ironically this exists simultaneously with the meme that the monthly patches will break something, and that Patch Tuesday is just the start of Remediation Week, Workaround Month, or the Year of We Can't Do That.
The current churn cycle of Announce Upgrade, Ship, Test, Fix, Repeat produces exactly what it was designed to: a demand for full replacement (at a hefty profit) of the now enshittified product as rapidly as the consumers can be forced to do so. We can only comply as the Standard of the Industry falls lower and lower with each iteration.
Truly secure software is produced by quality-minded people who are allowed to do quality work in an environment that maximizes enduring quality. Software that leaves the vendor in a secure state cannot, by definition, be rendered insecure by external developments. Packets do not magically get higher voltage over time to batter through aging firewalls, nor does payroll software gradually forget that Hours * Wage - Deductions = Paycheck. Only improperly modifying the internals, such as with poorly-tested patches, can render working software insecure. Pity THAT isn't common knowledge.
... to move corporates to chrome boxes.
You can of course use anything that still works for you, offline.
For many, tablets or smartphones may be enough. The more costs and regulations, the more sense it may make for some to move back to paper. Ledgers and card indexes. No online security issues. No exposure to ransomware or power cuts or privacy fails. We all functioned like that fine before MS-DOS entered our lives. Services have declined so much since Brexit, that customers no longer expect a fast service. I got post this morning (15 items) for the first time in a week. I'm on a waiting list for a tree surgeon (yes, seriously), haven't seen my GP in years and stand no chance of ever seeing a dentist again. The supermarket shelves have a limited range. Nothing is improving any more. Just go with the flow and embrace the retro vibe. We are all going back to the future. Albeit one with far fewer shops. Especially if their tills are no longer street-legal. Hopefully the food banks will still be there and the charity shops will still take cash. The future is less Amazon Prime and more 28 days for delivery. Just wait and see.
That will apply to a lot of home systems and small businesses, for sure, but probably not the medium-large business market where they will have management tools to control when changes happen. The big difference this time is that many of those larger orgaisations would have pushed W10 out once they had tested it and were happy with it. WIth W11, they also need to look at what hardware is compatible with it, and many will not want two versions of Windows for an exteded period.
That said, with most corporates being on a 3 to 5 year refresh cycle, perhaps W11 take-up will accellerate now as 5 year old computers will mostly meet the requirements. If that does happen it'll be more because of the impending end of W10 support thought, rather than because W11 offers any real advantages.
Don't say it too loud, they might hear you! That said, they'd keep the money and escalate their support fees.
Exponential support fees, firing the quality control department, mandatory hardware upgrades, the difficulty of creating an account without an online subscription... all point to the the same conclusion.
Micros~1's business model is to charge you rent on a computer you already own.
I know of a cheap almost free way to keep win10 safe. It's the same thing I used for win7 until micotsoft's sycophants purposely crippled their software to not function except under win10. It's called Common Sense.
1) Install a good anti-virus, anti-malware package. I'm partial to Norton since it's what I've used since 1985.
2) DO NOT click on every URL link that shows up in emails and web sites. If you don't recognise the site, don't click.
3) Get a decent email client that will show the real address of the sender when you hover the cursor over the sender name. That let's Outlook out. Again.
4) Regularly use CTRL-SHIFT-DEL to clear the browser.
5) Set the browser to clear everything when you close it.
6) DO NOT leave the browser open all the time. If you're not actively using it, close it.
7) Only install reputable software from reputable vendors. That means if Joey in accounting has a great app he wants you to use, DON"T.
8) Install a decent cleaner, such as BleachBit or CCleaner. In a pinch, use mictosoft's built in disk cleaner (that they bought from another software house decades ago).
9) There no need to have "office" software that connect to the internet in order to function.
10) DO NOT allow mictosoft to force you to log into their network in order to use YOUR computer. There's absolutely no need for it.
I should think Microsoft could afford to support Windows 10 for a while longer. With profits of $72 billion in 2023 and nearly $81 billion in cash (a company valued at over $3 trillion), they could support Windows 10 for a few more years. Instead of gouging users with this support scam! Maybe invest some of that cash into recycling and reclamation of the increased e-waste they will be causing over the next several years with the millions of hardware upgrades needed to switch to Windows 11.
Well I guess the climate fearmongers will have gotten one prediction correct, there will be world wide crop failure and disease because all our water and soil will be contaminated with heavy metals and toxic chemicals from the e-waste after forcing everyone to electric cars.. Leaving vast areas of land desolate from strip mining, large holes mined deep into the Earth filling with toxic waste water, sink holes from the mining tunnels collapsing after flooding and development of the land above. But hey who cares, we'll have cleaned the atmosphere of CO2!!
Many have said it and we'll say it again, in today's green don't throw away perfectly good stuff and recycle, why are the watchdogs, regulators and lawmakers not jumping all over Microsofts and their OEM poodles spine about forcing unwanted and in many cases unneeded hardware replacements. If W10 is no longer fit for service, why are M$ still selling licences, surely they should be enforcing people to buy W11 only. All these people can't bought and paid to do Microsoft dirty work? W10 is a perfectly acceptable operating system that still has many years of service, consumers know this, time for Microsoft just to accept it, and allow it to be replaced by W11 overtime.
It’s to be expected, ever since MS decided to end game XP.
Whilst MS had to be dragged into doing something, they subsequently discovered just how good a money spinner it is, particularly with business and especially with governments.
I expect when Windows finally goes subscription, MS will still offer a subscription add-on so people can stay with a version of Windows for a few years longer rather than taking the forced upgrade.
A question is whether MS will maintain the 6 year gap between Windows releases, so Windows 12 gets released in October 2027, or because of “AI” launch it in 2024~2025. Perhaps going for that extended support on W10 might enable the evaluation of W12 and the skipping of a version…
The BypassESU scripts worked well for me on Win7, was finally dragged kicking and screaming onto Win10 a few months ago. Start11 and WindowsBlinds mean that I can look at the desktop without throwing up and Gibson Research have a utility to tame the update process.
Hopefully we might see BypassESU for Win10, I can but hope.
Anon in case I shouldn't be admitting such nefarious behaviour.
An 8 core, 3.6Ghz CPU with 32GB ram and a 1TB NVME disk is a smoking fast machine. Im not buying new hardware to get Windows 11 when the hardware encryption CPU is the roadblock requirement. My home will be converting to a Linux based distribution. It will run faster, will be supported for at least 5-10 more years and Libre/open office will do everything I need as a home user.
Goodbye Microsoft.
P.S. Ill be telling every family member that this is my plan and don't call me for Microsoft OS or application support any more. Im leaving that world. If you want to pay for me to come back up your data and convert you to a free OS and application suite, Im more than happy to do so.
Ive also told my company that Im more than willing to use Linux on my work desktop as well.
I saw something recently showing that Windows has been losing market share for years. Most of it was to Mac, phones and tablets, but Linux was in there. People who have a perfectly good computer who can't afford or don't want to buy a new machine capable of running windows 10 might very well got to Linux. It's free, so there is no problem with licensing. Also Linux is known for supporting older hardware. There are Linux distros specifically designed to minimize the OS's requirements for system resources. I'm guessing a lot of windows users will stay with windows 10 even after support ends. Some are bound to switch. How many remains to be seen.
Naturally, right now, MS are being all bullish and are sticking to the ‘party line’ of support ending in October 2025!
However what does everyone think are that odds that when July 2025 rolls around and the telemetry still shows c. 50-60% market share for W10, MS won’t blink first?
They are absolutely going to buckle and extend support for another three years, aren’t they?
The only UNIX system with a good applications universe I have ever owned was the AT&T UNIX-PC from 1985.
I actually had a licensed multiuser copy of real Microsoft Word on that system. On UNIX!
I think the MS Word license cost $450 in 1985.
AT&T UNIX System V release 2 with the 4.2 BSD virtual memory. And dynamically loadable device drivers.
This was a Motorola based workstation, not a PC clone.
You could even buy ORACLE for it. As well as INFORMIX. I think the ORACLE license was about a thousand dollars.
I ported Berkeley SPICE 3C1 to that system.
I ran Solaris on a dual Xeon Intel motherboard later for a few years and it was the same as Linux, poor quality applications for home PC use.
I ran Microsoft XP with the SFU Unix package on my IBM/Lenovo T60 laptop and that was good because it wasn't an emulator. Microsoft actually merged AT&T SVr4 UNIX into the guts of XP.
My favorite Linux is SUSE Enterprise Linux.
I have run ORACLE 10g Enterprise RAC on that.
It has a lot of the look and feel of AT&T UNIX.
But again the applications are disappointing in quality for home PC use.
So you're kind of forced to put up with Microsoft if you want a good home PC experience.
I have never liked Apple PCs except for the Mac IIfx. They are typically slow and the user interface is so frustrating that you feel like you want to just rip the top off so you can get to the guts of it.
The Mac IIfx was insanely fast but cost around $7,500 or so in 1992.
I'm sort of resigned to the fact that you have to put up with Microsoft Windows if you want a decent home PC experience.
Given so many governments pretend to be green, an option (to prevent new PC purchases & avoid working kit going to landfill) would be governments to force MS to provide free W10 security updates for next several years to those "home consumer" users whose PC is below requirements & do not have the cash / compelling reason to "upgrade" (where upgrade could actually be to a less powerful machine, e.g. just a low spec machine with required level TPM that current PC lacks)
Fortunately, 0Patch, the company that came into being offering their proprietary "micropatches" for Windows 7, is also offering patching for Windows 10 (as well as Server 2008 R2) — at a substantial savings compared to Redmond: https://0patch.com/.
Several Win 7 boxes under my care have been utilizing 0Patch since EOL with zero issues. The company is a pleasure to interact with (whenever necessary).