Microsoft tries to convince Windows 10 users to buy a new PC with full-screen prompts
Microsoft tries to convince Windows 10 users to buy a new PC with full-screen prompts
Windows 10 support will end in October 2025.
I can only hope that nothing ever happens to where I'd have to use Windows again. (been using only linux for over 10 years and the latest Windows I ever used was win 7 at work).
If that happened, the shock of all the last 10-15 years' accumulation of enshittification hitting me at once might give me a stroke. The boiling frogs of today have gotten used to their OS serving them ads and spying on them by now, but I wouldn't be able to deal with it.
I dual boot at work, which in practice means I have a Linux laptop with a Windows partition for occasional use.
It’s windows 10, not 11, and the machine has decent specs: 6c/12t, 32 GB ram, and an SSD. Windows feels legitimately clunky and slow to me when I use it, and I am not using some lightweight Linux distro meant to be blazing fast. I run Mint Cinnamon which is as mainstream and all-in-one as it gets. But it still feels like it was created to serve the user rather than third party business interests.
I have some desktop machines at home that run windows 10 as well, which I use pretty infrequently. One of my winter projects is going to be fixing that. The OS part anyway.
I bet they're gonna have to do what car dealerships do.... Yeah bring your old iPad for trade in!... Okay I don't see my trade in discount though...it's right there! Look in the small font, it's $5.56 we compared against Kelly's cousin's purple book of laptops.
Yes. Go buy a new computer.
Then give me your old computer so I can put linux on it and distribute it for free to students and immigrants.
I like how almost everything we do now is in response to things going to shit.
Lemmy - Reddit went to shit
Linux (Desktop, anyway) - Windows went to shit
Piracy - Distribution and pricing went to shit
Jellyfin - Plex went to shit
Emulation - Nintendo, mostly...
Matrix - Just in case Signal tries anything... switchblade
Monopoly was originally the Landlord's Game and was designed to teach children the dangers of unchecked monopolies and growth in the concentration of wealth.
Software and by extension, software companies are subject to those same Iron Laws of Oligarchy.
Given enough time, everything turns to shit, and it's up to younger, healthy, energized people to fight back the power creep.
Please don't give your computers to Elon musk he doesn't need them.
They’ve been doing that with intel for ages, one build a slower OS the other a faster processor.
Some group who hates Microsoft should just start doing their own unofficial security updates for 10 and slowly turn it into a Linux distro
Those aren't prompts. Those are ads. Call a spade a spade. "Microsoft tries to convince Windows 10 users to buy a new PC with full-screen ads"
I'm just a "normal person" lol but I have a 8 year old MacBook Air running I can't remember what version. I've never been forced to upgrade. Does everything I need it to. I told Microsoft to fuck themselves in 1998. Now at work, I've been stuck with PC's but that's on the company's dime, never mine.
If your Air hadn't reached it yet, eventually it'll reach EOS and you'll stop receiving software/OS updates from Apple. While this won't force you to upgrade hardware, it does add significant risk to your online time, since vulnerabilities will go unpatched. But, again, an important difference, which you shrewdly point out, you're not forced or coerced to upgrade.
Edit: autocorrect
"We and our 855 partners blah blah blah."
Odd that theverge decided to post this article. Not too stoked about 850 companies asking for my data in order to see an article about predatory business practices.
Even more irritating is when they give you the option to opt out, but you have to select every company individually. So you either give up on the article or let them steal your life.
Ah yes, there isn't even an option to permanently disable this popup, only
remind me later. When the operating system is the nag ware. `Those "remind me later" options should be illegal
Then again, just install Linux already and you don't ever have to deal with any of this shit.
Yknow sometimes it'll cross my mind that this is a farce, that really it can't be that bad. But then I remember the backlash when windows 7 started doing online checks, and why I switched my computer before 11 was released. And I try to remember the last time my PC annoyed the shit out of me.. yeah since I had windows.
Remind me later... in 50 years.
Got that the other day on my gaming computer. Very irritating.
Especially since I bought the computer in 2021 specifically to run the virtual cycling program Zwift. I'm not replacing it just to placate Microsoft. It's more than powerful enough to run Zwift and will be for years. I'm hoping the options for using Zwift on Linux pan out.
It looks like the authors themselves are also interested!
https://zwiftinsider.com/zwift-on-linux/
This is interesting, I might give the application a try myself
Zwiftinsider isn't run by Zwift - he just reports on them (though he definitely has inside information, and they work with him on various things, like letting him use "bots" to test various functionalities).
That is pretty old. I think there are several approaches now. The one he lists, one using docker (I actually had it running on my desktop Linux machine, but I didn't actually test it), and I think some people got it working under WINE.
Zwift's saving grace is that you can connect most hardware via your phone - trainer, cadence, heart rate monitor, etc. - because it's designed to also run on things like Apple TVs, iPads, and Android phones and tablets, albeit with probably lower graphics settings. So, you don't need to worry about the hardware end of it (ANT+ dongle), which very much simplifies the issue. Which reminds me, my heart rate monitor is ANT+ only, and I'd need a bluetooth-capable one to do this.
(Also, at worst, I could run it on my tablet and hook that up to a monitor, so even if I can't get it running on Linux, I still have options.)
Having moved fully to Linux some months ago, I look at this kind of thing both with with a feeling of smug satisfaction and with cold chills of somebody who only now starts to fully realise just how massive, heavy and fast the incoming train they just dodged is.
It's really wild looking back at what we considered acceptable in the Win 7 era versus now.
I use Linux at home but my work computer uses windows. Work just bought me a new laptop with windows 11 pre-installed and I got ads to upgrade to a new "AI capable computer" on the login screen. This computer is maybe 3 months old and there are already ads telling me I need to get a new one.
🫢you don’t use windows enterprise at work?
Maybe it is time for a new LINUX PC.
Or a new Linux install on your existing PC.
People can’t afford groceries and Microsoft is over here saying this. So out of touch with reality.
They are going to finally cause the “year of the Linux desktop” revolution we’ve all been waiting for.
Unfortunately I think it will be sort of a monkey’s paw situation, where Linux gains a bunch of market share on the desktop because people will stop using their Windows desktops and just completely switch to using their phones and tablets if they haven’t already.
Ah, who am I kidding, they’ll still get all those sweet business/enterprise sales.
Micro$oft doesn't understand that these full-screen new Win11 PCs are actually Linux ads!
I'm praising Valve right now for all the work they've put into Proton.
This whole Win 11 mess is what finally convinced me to switch. I still can't get over that Settings hasn't reached feature parity with Control Panel yet. Figured if I have to re-learn how to do settings for the 10th time, I might as well do it in an OS that isn't shoving ads in my face.
I was simply trying to format a disk and so searched in the start bar expecting a suitable control panel item to pop up any would have happened in any sane era of windows. Instead fucking bing opened and it brought me back web results for "format disk" as well as unrelated ads. fucking web results!
gargh
I have started switching my parents. Last year before all this really started getting crazy and I bought my mother a used HP elitebook laptop and set her up with Linux on it. Just to get her to test it out and use it. And replace her older laptops. There's very little she does that actually depends on windows. Everything tends to be in the browser. There was only one odd application that's odd even under windows. But it has an Android version that I got running with waydroid.
In the last month and I got my father a new used office PC that was about 10 Generations newer than what he had processor-wise. And set it up with Linux out of the box. He's been enjoying using it it's so much faster snappier and less spammy. And here this month when I have time. Getting my mother's desktop PC converted over to dual boot at least with Linux as primary. I've had far fewer tech support issues since I've done it too.
Between system 76, framework, tuxedo, and a few other sellers. There are actually a few options now offering Linux out of the box. Next time I buy a PC it will likely be from one of them depending upon what I'm looking for. And if anyone asked me for recommendations they will be the only ones I will recommend. Apart from ordering used office machines and repurposing them LOL. Unless you want to do current gym Triple A games at 4K etc. You can get six generation i7 systems for around $100 and use graphic cards for 50 to 100. And play most games and have a great time. It's actually kind of hilarious I have a couple of Verizon systems from the last 4 to 5 years. The system I spend more time on is a 6th generation i7 Lenovo business Tower. Largely because it's running Linux and the others are running Windows.
I am concerned that most users won't understand that either
They won't. The vast majority of consumers aren't even aware Linux exists.
LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX LINUX
That kinda did the trick for me since my old PC was starting to struggle with some tasks, so I went and built a new PC recently.
Joke's on Microsoft though, I installed Arch Linux on it instead. It's so much less work to maintain compared to Windows these days.
A relative of mine had also got fed up with the Windows BS and was interested in what I was running, so I got her machine dual booted with Debian now to try it out. She hasn't looked back either, so that to me proves that Linux is ready for non-techies.
My GF is not technical and had an old, old laptop that barely ran, so I gave her an Ubuntu USB drive and helped her boot from it, but she did the install all on her own. She even fixed a printer driver issue by doing some research and installing an updated driver.
But that just goes to show that Linux isn't exactly hard if you know how to read.
I say this in a lot of threads lately but, here I go again:
I’m so glad I swapped to linux
Which distro?
Arch (well right now more precisely cachyos)
I’ve been using Linux on my homeserver (debian) and on previous laptops (arch) for almost a decade, but I only swapped my main desktop over this spring when nVidia sorted out waylaid explicit sync
Ubuntu, I wanted to go Debian but the installation wanted an ethternert connection to get that accomplished and I didn't know that/think that far ahead
Yes
That doesn't really matter too much and is mostly personal preference.
The biggest difference is which package manager and how up to date each program in there is. Arch and OpenSuse Tumbleweed will have quite up to date packages as they're rolling release models while Mint and Ubuntu tend to be a bit slower and more stable.
I suggest going through the installation process of Arch linux at least once because it does teach you the basics of Linux but for usability you'd be better off with a distro that has a GUI installer.
I still can't believe that so many PCs are getting cut off from software updates. Its going to be a huge security issue. There will suddenly be millions of unsecured computers being actively used. I can imagine that this will be allowed to happen.
I think Microsoft is doing this because they want to make the ultimate spy network with copilot or what ever they are calling it now. I really need to figure out how to get a single work app to work on Linux reliably. I use it for like 99% of my work, so a virtual machine is kind of useless. I honestly think I will need to wait for a native version of the app to be developed and who knows if that will happen.
MS: I want to make Windows 11 require motherboard features that make ransomware attacks more difficult so I can say it's more secure, even though it's merely a feature of the motherboard.
Also MS: Sadly, if your tech doesn't have these features you cannot upgrade and it will be insecure because I will not make updates for it.
Are you talking about TPM 2? Because I don't think that makes classic ransomware more difficult. Also it doesn't have to be strictly a motherboard feature, e.g mine comes without a fixed hardware TPM, but my processor supports fTPM, which has up- and downsides. But it works as a TPM.
Also MS: Sadly, if your tech doesn't have these features you cannot upgrade and it will be insecure because I will not make updates for it.
Technically, this isn't true, MS will continue to update Windows 10 and even individual users can receive these officially through the Windows 10 ESU program: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates
Not that I'm in favor of what they're doing, I think they should rather support older hardware with Win 11 and require modern features only on modern systems. But from a security standpoint, their decision is actually good, as it builds a secure foundation. Most private users will just do whatever on that foundation (e.g. run random stuff from the Internet), but I think going forward, this is the right choice, though probably for the wrong reason of doing Intel a favor.
I really need to figure out how to get a single work app to work on Linux reliably
what work app?
I use it for like 99% of my work, so a virtual machine is kind of useless
i mean, it depends on your computer (like if your cpu & motherboard supports virtualization) but you can in theory get a VM with pretty decent performance
on my m1 macbook i have a windows VM that runs very smoothly and i can effortlessly use a gesture on the touchpad to switch between them. it's pretty cool
on linux it's a little harder to set up (i had to pay like $100 for the software on the mac) but it's doable
NO
I convinced my wife to dual booting Linux Mint. She uses it every now and then, but she primarily still uses Windows 10. I hope she will abandon it once she sees this. She absolutely detests ads of any kind.
Just get rid of Windows completely so the crutch isn't there. Use a Windows VM if you absolutely need to.
Ah their planned obsolescence lead to botnets that fuck every largo company... so that Microsoft gets looked at.
But the American way is to blame hundreds of thousands.. or even millions of individuals.
I love how they advertise it as they're doing you such a great big favor by allowing easy access to transferring files to the new system
Talk about creating a problem that way they can sell you the solution, they completely treat it as if they weren't the original cause of having everyone have to buy new systems for the next windows in the first place.
Many people speak about security risks because there will be no updates, but the solution is simple, you install Linux on a new partition and do all your networking from there, I use Windows for some programs and games and that's it
So simple I can have my father-in-law do it. And support him over the phone from a few states away. Simple.
Why in the world did Sun make such business decisions that it killed itself?
FFS, instead of open sourcing this and that, and banking on high-end servers, they could have at least tried at desktops.
If anybody remembers what Sun's perception was in 2003, they could have been selling desktop machines for Apple prices and nobody would bat an eye.
If Sun were still alive, this wouldn't happen. I think.
EDIT:
LOL, I've just stumbled upon another Bill Joy's interview where he too says that Sun should have gone the consumer way as a priority.
Just imagine having a Solaris PC in year 2024, that is, now. ZFS with snapshots, Zones, and as easy to maintain as OpenBSD while insanely functional. Probably SPARC hardware without Intel bullshit.
And I like to think that Java applets would still be a thing, instead of HTML5 and stuff, with security problems solved and a more elegant Web.
Windows 10 LTSC currently has an EoL date of 2027-01-12.
No store, no cortana, much less bullshit in general.
LTSC is the only current windows version I even remotely consider having.Windows 10 LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) is a specialized version of Windows 10 that's all about reliability and stability. It’s tailored for specific use cases like medical devices, ATMs, industrial systems, and other environments where updates could mess with critical operations.
Key Points About Windows 10 LTSC: Minimal Updates: LTSC skips the frequent feature updates you see with regular Windows 10 and sticks to just security updates and critical fixes. Each version gets 10 years of support—5 years mainstream and 5 years extended. Stripped-Down Version: This version ditches all the extra stuff like Cortana, the Microsoft Store, Edge, and bundled games, making it lightweight and focused. Stability Above All: It’s designed to be rock-solid and isn’t about chasing the latest features. Release Schedule: New LTSC versions come out every 2-3 years, tied to specific Windows 10 feature updates (like Windows 10 LTSC 2021). Who It's For: It’s for specialized devices and setups where you can’t afford sudden changes. It’s not something you’d typically use on your daily home or work PC. How You Get It: LTSC is available through volume licensing and is really meant for businesses and enterprises. Misconceptions: It’s not for regular use, like avoiding updates or keeping things ultra-simple on a personal PC. It doesn’t support a lot of modern hardware and features, so unless you have a very specific need, you’re better off sticking with the regular versions of Windows 10.
If you’re thinking about LTSC, make sure it actually fits what you’re trying to do—its limitations could end up being a headache if you’re not using it in the right way.
Funny, when I think of Windows, reliability and stability are the last things on my mind. I mean, if they could build a reliable release then why isn't that shipped with all computers? You know, like with linux, the stable version is also the current release. Basically your description makes it sound like what's really making Windows so unreliable is all the crapware that Microsoft forces down your throat.
And if you use IoT LTSC, its even more lean
I'm just curious how much more shitty they can make it. I laugh every time they announce some new "feature". Makes me appreciate Linux Mint more and more each time.
And it's worked on my brother in law who's announced he's buying new PCs for the whole family specifically to upgrade to 11. jFC.
He should donate the old ones to Linux enthusiasts
I will encourage him to do just that. Looks like we'll have some PCs coming our way.
Are you excited for him to finally get everything setup and then he sees the ad again?
Don't know whether to be smug or condescending. Guess I'll be both.
I don't need a new motherboard. TPM got accidentally turned off and I keep forgetting to turn it back on. Darn.
oh no
I recently installed Linux because windows pissed me off and I laughed out loud at this..
Has anybody found a way to turn Microsoft's ads off yet? I'm tired of dismissing their prompts to switch to Edge and Office 365 every few months.
Yes, but you won't like to hear it...
sigh
gets his Ventoy USB drive ready for a new ISO...
As an experiment I revoked the certificate that is used for code verification on the executable responsible for the popups. So far the only thing I broke was the .net installer. But no more pop-ups. :D
I run a local account and toggled off all the telemetry stuff during installation nine years ago. Never saw one of those. Didn't even get toggled on with updates. Only problem I had was Copilot getting added a few weeks ago. By that time, Win10 had become the compatibility fallback for Linux, though.
So, create a local account, go into Settings, and toggle off everything that could maybe be telemetry related.
O&O Shutup for Windows is also a solid tool for disabling telemetry and bloat. They have a recommended set of options to flip, all of which can be flipped at once, which is real damn convenient.
My aging windows tower and retired work laptop were both struggling to keep up with my photo and video editing. Linux asnt an option for Capture One and Davinci Resolve, and the writing was on the wall for what Windows is becoming.
Combined with the failures in Intel Raptor/Alder lake CPUs, I took an unexpected leap into the realm of Apple silicon with an M4 Pro Mac Mini.
Apple is not a perfect company, but this new machine processes video faster than anything I've ever used, and for the first time since the 2010s it has replaceable (proprietary) storage.
Linux asnt an option for ... Davinci Resolve
Davinci Resolve has a Linux download button on their website. So it should be ok. Admittedly I haven't used that specific program on Linux, so I can't say for sure it's ok or not.
leap into the realm of Apple silicon with an M4 Pro Mac Mini
Yeah, Apple did a real good job with their processors in the last few years. Intel was holding them back hard. It's amazing how much better the new systems are compared to just a few years ago.
Ah I did not know about Resolve on Linux. Capture One would have been my biggest issue then.
Apple sure did do a great job with the M series, and the fact that their laptop line can have such impressive performance without looking like an alien space ship means that I can easily take editing on the go with the same media catalogs from my USB-C thunderbolt drives without running into directory mapping issues when I switch back and forth.
I strangely find my self praising apple lately. Not because they're good or because I stopped hating their guts. But just because microsoft has become SOO SHIT!
Apple has also cough up in many regards, tho I'm talking mainly phones here now.
While I swear by Linux, I'm now more likely to recommend MacOS over Windows to people.
I've never owned any Apple product whatsoever - and yet I'm in a similar position to you. Their standings have risen in my eyes simply by keeping their badness level relatively stable while Microsoft and Google rapidly get worse.
I'm no fan of apples, but I have to admit, their switch to arm silicon is really cool!
I hate how microsoft seems to think they own the term PC now and it can mean anything they want. Some of the "Copilot+ PCs" they're advertising on things like this have ARM CPUs which means they aren't PCs. I would even argue that a lot of x86 computers aren't PCs now because they only support UEFI booting so aren't PC compatible. They need to just call them computers or come up with a new term
Yup, I go out of my way to call any personal computer a PC. For example:
- Macbook Pro PC running macOS for work
- Thinkpad PC running Linux at home
- desktop PC running Linux for gaming
- desktop PC running Linux as a NAS
- handheld PC running GrapheneOS for a phone
- handheld PC running SteamOS for gaming
- wearable PC running WearOS as a watch
They're all PCs, because I can run whatever I want on them. My Switch isn't a PC because I can't run whatever I want, but everything else in that list absolutely is. Yeah, I get weird looks sometimes, but I'm stubborn.
have ARM CPUs which means they aren't PCs
Why on earth would architecture have anything to do with it?
only support UEFI booting so aren't PC compatible.
Oh wow, I don't think anyone using the term "PC" this century was referring to "IBM PC-Compatible" like it's 1981. The only vestages of that is that the term excludes Mac even today.
They may not have realized it, but until UEFI-only computers started becoming common, people mostly were still effectively drawing the line at IBM compatibility
What's the fundamental difference between an Intel Macbook and my old 2018 Lenovo laptop? Either of them can run modern Windows, Linux, whatever. For most modern uses, they're basically equivalent. The one thing that makes the Lenovo different though is its firmware. The Lenovo has BIOS support and the Mac doesn't.
If you then add my current Framework laptop, which is UEFI-only, to the comparison though, it gets kind of fuzzy. It's clearly not a Mac, but what is there to really define it as a PC? It can't run MacOS, but that doesn't really work to separate it because plenty of PCs can run MacOS. It's not made by Apple, but if that's all it takes then is a Chromebook or one of the Talos POWER workstations a PC too? It's kind of hard to say the Framework is a PC without including so many other things that the term PC kind of loses all meaning.
I think the term PC has just outlived its usefulness and we need to move on to saying more specific things than that to describe computers. In most modern contexts, all that matters is what architecture a computer is and what operating systems will run on it, and PC just isn't really a great term to convey that information anymore.
I'm about to rebuild my dev box and I'm seriously considering a Kinoite host with a Windows 10 LTS guest. Anyone have a good Fedora-centric guide to kvm?
On my kinoite computer i just create a fedora distrobox container, install qemu on it, and boot my vms off that, works quite well, no fiddling with the filesystem or systemd services
Ty! I'll do some research in that direction.
Duh ! Why you shouldn't? /J
No. I want to keep my VR headset.
Microsoft sucks, but surely they have to know that already
Microsoft bl: "Jeah Buy a 100$ License hehe. Oh what you thought The Operating System is then centered around you the paying customer? Jeaaaah nope! We are MICROSOFT!!!