For the very few things I use a Windows box for, I'm still using XP. Never saw a convincing reason to upgrade, and I don't use it enough to even think about replacing it with something modern.

Don't worry, it is airgapped from the nasties.

I have a VM for a photo scanner that will not need updating.

May be once I am sure all slides and negatives are scanned I can delete it.

Assumes that people update !

The MiL only updates the laptop when I am there and insist, otherwise she will just switch on and use it. Yes I do try to remind her, and also to sort her Onedrive out.

I also look at it as with an older TV I have. No longer has "smart" features, but an external stick in the HDMI resolves the loss of functionality. Windows may not update, but as long as the browsers which is what most people use get updated, they will not care as their only exposure is "the browser" - if they don't just call it "google". Oblivious to the risks to the OS

when i upgrade the OS on my 3 devices running win 10 it will be to linux,

i have to suffer that POS M$ call win 11 on a work laptop, and after using it on there, no way do i want it on my own machines

as has always been the case, every other version of windows is a POS

currently weighing up a MAC mini to replace 2 of my aging win 10 laptops that were upgraded from win8.1, as i replaced my surfacebook 2 with a macbook air after seeing win 11 in action on my work laptop

I couldn't care less for my work laptop, I'm being paid to use it.

So, if Microsoft wants me to use W11 on my personal computers, a recurrent monetary token of appreciation will surely convince me. Otherwise it's my computer, my rules.

As someone who has been running some form of Windows for more than 30 years, I have to say that I've gotten sick and tired of Microshafts bullshiat !

Over the years they've made it harder and harder to use their OS without getting in my way...

- Stupid UI updates that make it harder to do simple tasks.

- Forcing people to login with a Microshaft account.

- Ads everywhere.

- Not respecting people's choice of default browser.

- Crappy 'updates' that break stuff.

And the list goes on...

Amen to that.

I will drag my Win7 home PC and my Win10 work laptop for the next few years until my retirement.

At that point, I will have the time to erase everything Borkzilla from my personal universe and move to some version of Mint.

I'm sure it will be quite refreshing to have, once again, a Personal Computer.

> Stupid UI updates that make it harder to do simple tasks.

Dear Microsoft,

I have a suggestion for improving your profitability: split the Windows development section into nine - no, seriously. One ring team focuses on the underlying OS alone, only publishing an API and no GUI. The other eight fight it out amongst themselves by offering alternative GUIs that users can download through the store.

Three of the eight can then choose to copy WinNT, Win95 and Win10 while the rest can take their chances with the crayon wielders on new designs. Culling the least popular every two years should keep things stable for end users.

You know it makes sense!

Your forgot 7

Allow themes.

Release an official Windows theme (i.e. the Windows look is nothing more than a customisable theme and there's nothing "hard-coded")

Release an official Windows XP theme, 2000 theme, etc.

Watch as everyone just has things as they like and almost nobody over the age of 20 cares about the default "modern" Windows theme whatsoever.

I would gladly theme all my Windows machines to 3.1 standards... so much easier to see, read, do things and also much fewer resources required.

Instead Windows has killed themes, then forced you all into the most flat, boring, non-descript, difficult to understand (because everything is so bland and samey) UI ever for no reason.

I want a scrollbar that I can SEE IS A SCROLLBAR and not just a thin panel of the same colour grey with absolutely no edges.

Same for office. Just make it themeable and bundle an Office 2000 theme with it. I would happily switch to that and continue using it (including disabling the ribbon and everything else and instead hiding those rarely-used functions behind a bunch of menus, a single toolbar and/or allow me to customise what I WANT TO SEE ON THEM).

We've given some UX designers millions to make the exact worst and most bland UI you can imagine, and they've infested every software company in the world.

Themes that had a recent high priority exploint - no thanks

Oh, I don't know: Having Edge as my default browser is great.

Block it at the fire wall and lock it down so it can't do anything works wonders if somehow, some malware manages to get through the various Anti-virus, anti-malware layers and tries to open me default browser without my permission. Did this with Internet Explorer back in the day, do it with Edge, now. If I want to visit a site, I will open my browser of choice and paste the URL in there (or, rather, do a search for the company and go to their official website, not the one I'm told to visit in the email).

But these Ads: All they do is sway me into moving away from M$. I don't want to be pestered when my PC is deliberately not capable of running Win11 (I disabled hardware features to ensure this and no, I will neither enable them nor get new hardware to accommodate M$). When I am ready, THEN I will decide to move on to a new OS. Not before and not on their insistence.

...is why people will stick with W10. Microsoft's default behaviour to customers is now so toxic that ending support is a bonus.

I must be doing something right as they have not appeared on my system.

Me neither...

Maybe because one of the first things I do is uninstall the 'store'.

Probably also the reason why I didn't get my printer 'updated' to an HP printer...

Ten years ago you'd have been laughed at for suggesting Linux.

I know 12 yo and 72 yo ladies using Linux Mint with Mete Desktops.

I do have a Win10 laptop. It ran Win7 in 2016 when new (last shipping) and was switched to Linux entirely in 2017. Replaced by next laptop which came with no OS, so I installed Win10 on the old one using Win10 key in its bios. It's not in use.

"I do not think it means what you think it means."

That would be the autocorrect.

The actual word was venereal.

I suppose the ploy is to make sure that W10 is so much shittier than W11 that switching is the lesser of two evils.

From what I read and hear, it'd take some very serious work to make 10 WORSE than 11 ;)

I'm sure there is exactly that serious work underway at MS to enshittify W10.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if one of MS' last updates to W10 contains a logic bomb that randomly crashes the machine after official support ends if the extended support hasn't been purchased. I don't think even Redmond would be QUITE dumb enough to just brick W10 machines, but they're obviously not far from that level of dumb.

It will be shite.