I really doubt an average Joe would buy a new computer once the old OS goes end-of-life. Joe would just continue using an EOL system and hope everything is alright.
I’m sure average Joe doesn’t even know what EOL means, or knows when it happens. :)
Microsoft will let him know in no uncertain terms in order to convince him to pay them again. He will know.
Having worked in tech fields, legacy devices as old as 20 years can pop up occasionally, functioning or not. Once was told a story where this tech was hired to fix a highschool bell system and the whole thing was running on windows 98. This took place in 2015 or so
I work in a field that is considered by many high tech. I have personally seen a system in use today that duel boots windows 2000 and windows 98.
The product it’s used by is old generations and the system does not have any network access but still must be supported by government regulation for several more years…
Yeah there’s a lot of MRI machines out there where the brains are running windows 98
Few years ago there was a story in a local paper about building automation systems running on Commadore 64 and still doing fine. Build by some company in the 80’s. They weren’t online, so no security issues.
Tried to find the article online but no luck. It would have been in local language anyway.
The company I work for has no control over the air conditioning in one of our facilities because it’s automated and running on a computer system from the 80’s. No one knows how it works.
Changing Operating Systems is obviously impossible, toss em all in the trash…
I have a perfectly functioning PC (that will very likely be still perfectly usable by 2025) that cannot be upgraded to Win 11 because MS has for some strange reason put quite harsh but completely artificial hardware requirements on W11 that only CPUs manufactured in the last 3-4 years meet. And before you say “You can switch to Linux”, no I can’t. Not with the software I use for work. And then there’s gaming of course…
(Now, I bought a new PC recently, so I’m fine for the foreseeable future but not everyone can either afford it or simply feels the need to upgrade their computer)
All the limitations can be bypassed easily, if you use Rufus (the program) and a windows 11 iso to make the usb installer it asks to disable telemetry and tpm requirements when you make the usb.
Source: running windows 11 on my old overclocked intel x5690 since the betas came out
The problem with that is the same I’ve had trying to update an old MacBook my mother uses.
The patching tools work most of the time, but especially with Windows what happens when there is an update forced on you that breaks everything and you have to wait a few days and reinstall the whole OS again.
Most people don’t want that insecurity. And don’t tell me if it catches on in the slightest that Microsoft won’t do everything they can to break the patches.
Just look what John Deere did when people made 3rd party GPS devices for their farm equipment.
As much as I hate to say it for people who won’t use Linux isn’t there that version of chrome OS you can run on a normal x86 laptop. That’s a lot better then making a ton of landfill ( and it pains me to say that because I really hate Chromebooks, but that’s better then wasting tons of perfectly good computers).
there is virtualization so you can run windows on it and work with those pesky proprietary softwares, but yeah performance will never be better than running things directly (except games with shitty directx implementation that run better with dxvk, ie sekiro, elden ring), albeit it can get really close. If you’re into tinkering, this will not be a problem.
on that topic, I was considering giving cassowary a try since my partner uses some windows only software too, looked promising.
then there is the game problem, but really, unless you play something that uses anticheat that doesn’t support proton, you’re good to go.
I’ve been gaming on it for over three years now.
Quite a lot of games run the same or better on Linux, converting Windows system calls to Linux ones isn’t much of a performance hit, and often the lean-ness of Linux overcomes it. It’s not like emulation where it’s always going to be worse.
The issue is more to do with some anti-cheat implementations (namely ones that rely on installing a kernel-level windows rootkit), and GPU makers not contributing many “game ready” drivers, I.e. patching game issues in-driver.
That second one is why Linux framerates are on average higher, but the .1% lows tend to be lower.
Many will, but most people will not. The average user barely knows Linux even exists as an option, let alone wants to learn something new.
It’s all moot for now. Microsoft will end up extending out security updates for 10. They’ll just wait until the deadline is closer before they announce it.
it’s about the hardware requirements. most Windows 10 machines CAN’T be upgraded.
CAN’T be upgraded
*to windows 11.
There’s lots of OSs out there. Plenty will just keep using win 10, others will move to various flavors of linux, and others still will continue to stick with win 7/XP as they always have. (yes, I know people still actively using XP)
Windows 10 no longer receiving updates doesn’t make those computer’s cease to function. Hell some even consider the lack of updates a great new feature.
Linux to the rescue!
Microsoft has already announced it will offer extended security updates for Windows 10 to 2028.
ESU is a paid service for enterprise. They didn’t even offer ESU for windows 7 home at all for any price.
Windows 7 pro ESU per device cost $50 for 1 year, $100 for the next year, $200 for the final year.
Windows 7 enterprise was per device 1 year $25, second year $50, and 3rd year $100.
Micro$oft is not going to give win10 ESU away for free and they probably won’t supported home edition.
You can however bypass the win11 hardware checks to upgrade unsupported devices.
Big Landfill once again pulling the invisible strings.