Analysts have warned Windows 10 end of life plans could spark a global torrent of e-waste, with millions of devices expected to be scrapped in the coming years.Â
Research from Canalys shows that up to 240 million PCs globally could be terminated as a result of the shift over to Windows 11, raising critical questions about device refreshes and the responsibility of vendors to extend life cycles.
I might as well have tossed my computer in the trash if Iâd kept Linux on it, since I couldnât actually do anything with it.
compare this to your previous statement :
âif I wanted a server, Linux would be great for that, and if I just wanted a PC for email, internet, word processing, spreadsheets, and the like (ie, a basic office computer), Linux would do just fine tooâ
Can it do all these totally normal and useful things or is it trash because you can not do anything with it? What nebulous âstuff I need my computer to doâ is linux not stable enough for?
I donât need a server, nor an office desktop. I need something that can play games and do digital art, both of which Linux is not stable enough for, which I stated in my initial post. A computer that crashes every couple of minutes while gaming or doing digital art is not useful for me. Chucking my perfectly good Nvidia graphics card in the bin so I can buy something else that is more compatible with Linux is wasteful. And since starting my degree, I have also determined that about 50% of the software I need to use for group project modules doesnât work on Linux and doesnât have appropriate open source alternatives that wouldnât cause compatibility issues when the files are sent on to other team mates - weâve all got to be using the same version of the same software.
So yeah, Linux in its present state doesnât suit my needs.
The real ewaste problem here is not people like me that keep using components until they die from wear and tear, and replace only broken components not entire computers. Iâm quite happy to keep using Windows 10 as long as it is compatible with my hardware and software, regardless of whether Microsoft are still supporting it. The problem is the people who throw out perfectly usable computers because the OS is no longer supported.
It is perfect for a poor person that just needs internet and email. But yup, because it didnât meet your use case it is trash. That there is some thinkinâ.
Uh, thatâs not what I said at all. I never once said Linux is trash. Pretty sure one of my posts said itâs cool, actuakly. It just wasnât suitable for me. When it was put to me that the options are Linux or throw the computer away due to Windows 10 being end of life, then in that instance (which is not reality), then my computer might as well go in the bin precisely because Linuxâs inability to run a stable environment with my use case would, in effect, render my computer into a brick anyway.
Fans of Linux seem to think itâs suitable for every use case, for every user, and this is simply not the case. The overlap of people that have no specialised needs for their computer (for which gaming, frankly, is one) and also have the knowledge to run Linux without any problems (since they wonât be able to fix it when - not if - they get some kind of error) and the knowledge to know which hardware is compatible and which isnât (since the wrong component also renders Linux unstable) is actually very small.
