It's not about the internet
Everyone always panics when I say "Windows XP." Guys.. NO ONE in this day and age will run XP with an internet connection. Why? Because NOTHING modern runs on XP (not even Firefox). *No* non-technical person would use XP, because using XP in 2024 is really, really difficult.
I use XP to play 90's video games. It's on an 11" Atom netbook from 2007. All internet components have been uninstalled, all networking devices switched off.
Here's the problem: One day when I think "Hey, let's try disabling hyperthreading and smartstep to see if this one game will run better." The moment I boot into XP, the slap to the face arrives: "Your hardware has changed. Please reactivate XP." Reboot into BIOS, re-enable those features, boot back into XP: "Your hardware has changed. Please reactivate XP." This is why reactivation mechanisms are still important. Old games simply don't run on modern systems without emulators, and emulators need INSANE single core performance. I just want an 11" netbook with 5 hours battery life that I can use in place of handheld console.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
