<\/p>\n
Dear Microsoft: Why Are You Killing Windows 10?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Exactly 6 months from today, Microsoft will kill Windows 10. There’s nothing wrong with Winndows 10. It’s a great operating system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But many are going to have to throw away a perfectly good computer because of the Windows 11 hardware requirements. And yes, there’s 0patch and Microsoft’s ESU (Extended Security Updates), but those shouldn’t even be necessary. <\/span><\/p>\n We are all getting tired of Microsoft’s planned obsolescence game. It’s time for it to end.<\/span><\/p>\n Dear Microsoft…<\/span><\/p>\n Let’s have a straightforward conversation about Windows 11. I’ve noticed the annoying and shameless efforts to encourage Windows 10 users to upgrade, from annoying in-OS pop-ups to various notifications pointing towards the upgrade option in settings. However, I have some concerns about the current direction.<\/span><\/p>\n My first point concerns the hardware requirements, specifically the Trusted Platform Module 2.0. While this chip offers enhanced security features, its mandatory nature for Windows 11 effectively excludes a significant number of older computers from being able to run Windows 11. Although workarounds exist, they aren’t ideal for the average user.<\/span><\/p>\n This hardware incompatibility, coupled with the approaching end-of-life for Windows 10, will cause an increasing volume of electronic waste as many functional PCs will become unable to run the latest supported OS. E-waste is a concern –\u00a0 a tangible consequence of this upgrade path. More importantly, let’s discuss how users perceive the Windows operating system and how the current strategy could lead to a difficult road ahead for you.<\/span><\/p>\n Historically, Windows has evolved. There’s long been a desire among users for a more stable, long-lasting operating system, similar to Apple’s macOS with its continuous, free updates and relatively consistent user interface, free from intrusive advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n While I understand that Windows operates in a more diverse hardware ecosystem than Apple’s tightly controlled environment, the presence of ads within Windows is a noticeable difference, and it’s annoying and, I believe, unnecessary.<\/span><\/p>\n The cycle of new Windows versions appears to be driven by the financial model that benefits from system manufacturers needing new OS licenses and users eventually purchasing new hardware. Significant architectural changes necessitate leaving older systems behind, the TPM 2.0 requirement is a notable example of this. <\/span><\/p>\n However, this approach is outdated and is beginning to show weaknesses.<\/span><\/p>\n Windows PCs are no longer the stars of the show. People don’t need a Windows PC to connect to the internet, access their emails, communicate with family and friends, or participate in social media. Windows is no longer the number one operating system. It has fallen far behind Android. <\/span><\/p>\n Upgrading to a new operating system can be a considerable undertaking for individuals. For larger organizations, the effort and cost are significantly greater. Despite Microsoft’s push for upgrades, many businesses and public sector entities remain on Windows 10 or older systems.<\/span><\/p>\n Reports indicate that a substantial percentage of critical infrastructure, such as healthcare equipment, still relies on outdated and unsupported operating systems. This isn’t necessarily a lack of desire to upgrade, but often a practical limitation due to the substantial expense of replacing entire computer systems and sometimes the connected machinery. Running unsupported OS versions poses significant security and compatibility risks.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, I want to address the increasing amount of non-essential content being integrated into Windows. Features like advertisements, persistent bugs, frequent notifications, and the constant and irritating promotion of Copilot as some kind of long-awaited, magical answer to PC users’ prayers are negatively impacting the user experience. For those of us using Windows 11, as I do on two of my laptops, these elements are becoming increasingly noticeable and irritating.<\/span><\/p>\n While I have my reservations about Apple’s hardware, the consistency and ad-free nature of macOS are becoming more appealing for those who can afford Apple computers.<\/span><\/p>\n Windows 11 is starting to feel less like a purchased product and more like an operating system as a service that can be altered or have features added without any user control. This trend is concerning.<\/span><\/p>\n Even Windows 10, in its dying days, isn’t entirely immune to these changes. I’m almost anticipating its end-of-life in the hope that it will mean a more stable and less intrusive experience on my one remaining Windows 10 computer. <\/span><\/p>\n I think most people want a reliable operating system that functions smoothly and doesn’t become outdated in five years.\u00a0 I believe this is a reasonable expectation.<\/span><\/p>\n Those who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 and cannot afford to buy a new computer will either have to take their chances running it without security patches or purchase 0patch or Microsoft ESU. They shouldn’t have to do either.<\/span><\/p>\n For those who cannot upgrade but who can afford to buy a new computer, they’re going to have to find a place for that perfectly good old PC, and that’s going to create a lot of unnecessary e-waste.<\/span><\/p>\n And we all know that once most of us have upgraded to Windows 11, you’ll introduce Windows 12 and start pushing that on us.<\/span><\/p>\n Microsoft, it’s time you finally give us Windows users what we want and stop playing this game with new versions of Windows. Just give us a Windows version that works with security updates that work and don’t break the OS.<\/span><\/p>\n \n \n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Microsoft: Why Are You Killing Windows 10? Exactly 6 months from today, Microsoft will kill Windows 10. There’s nothing wrong with Winndows 10. It’s a great operating system.\u00a0 But many are going to have to throw away a perfectly good computer because of the Windows 11 hardware requirements. And yes, there’s 0patch and Microsoft’s ESU (Extended\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[228,2509,1,4353,4221],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30105"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30107,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105\/revisions\/30107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n