What Windows 11 Means: We'll Be Stuck With Millions of Windows 10 Zombies (zdnet.com) 289
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet, written by David Gewirtz: Windows 11 won't run on many current Windows machines. We do know (we think) that only certain processors will be supported, only 64-bit machines will be supported, and only machines with a TPM chip will run Windows 11. What does that mean for you and me? It means that many machines will be left behind. They will become the walking dead, unable to upgrade, but still shambling along.
My biggest concern, of course, is security. For those who pay, Windows 7 security updates will be available through January 2023. It's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support, but it's there. Mainstream support for Windows 8 and 8.1 is over, but extended support is available through January 2023. WIndows 10 support, especially for those abandoned by Windows 11's restrictive update policy, will end in October 2025, but Ed tells me he thinks that will be extended. That's good news because there are roughly 1.3 billion Windows 10 devices out there. How many won't be able to upgrade? That's not a question we know the answer to now, but [ZDNet's guru of all things Windows, Ed Bott] tells me he's working on constructing an estimate, so keep checking back into his column.
Some machines will be left behind despite owners' preferences. Many others will remain behind because their owners either don't know how, don't care, or refuse to upgrade. Others can't upgrade, because they're reliant on legacy software that only runs on older machines. No matter the reason, expect millions of Windows 10 machines to be in the wild for a decade or more -- each an ever-increasing magnet for malware, each an ever-increasing danger to other machines they might encounter and infect. All that brings me back to my machines and yours. Even if you and I are stuck on Windows 10, we still have a good four years of support. That gives us four years to come up with a replacement plan, which is more than enough time. For those of you who will choose "hell no, I won't go," it gives you time to ascertain security risks of running unprotected, and find ways to protect those legacy machines.
My biggest concern, of course, is security. For those who pay, Windows 7 security updates will be available through January 2023. It's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support, but it's there. Mainstream support for Windows 8 and 8.1 is over, but extended support is available through January 2023. WIndows 10 support, especially for those abandoned by Windows 11's restrictive update policy, will end in October 2025, but Ed tells me he thinks that will be extended. That's good news because there are roughly 1.3 billion Windows 10 devices out there. How many won't be able to upgrade? That's not a question we know the answer to now, but [ZDNet's guru of all things Windows, Ed Bott] tells me he's working on constructing an estimate, so keep checking back into his column.
Some machines will be left behind despite owners' preferences. Many others will remain behind because their owners either don't know how, don't care, or refuse to upgrade. Others can't upgrade, because they're reliant on legacy software that only runs on older machines. No matter the reason, expect millions of Windows 10 machines to be in the wild for a decade or more -- each an ever-increasing magnet for malware, each an ever-increasing danger to other machines they might encounter and infect. All that brings me back to my machines and yours. Even if you and I are stuck on Windows 10, we still have a good four years of support. That gives us four years to come up with a replacement plan, which is more than enough time. For those of you who will choose "hell no, I won't go," it gives you time to ascertain security risks of running unprotected, and find ways to protect those legacy machines.
Woo hoo! (Score:5, Insightful)
Get those Linux install disks ready!
Re:Woo hoo! (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes, "What Windows 11 Means to me":
Lots of nice used hardware cheap
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Re: Woo hoo! (Score:3)
We're talking about Windows 7 machines that skipped Win 8/8.1 and were upgraded to Win 10. They usually have dvd drives.
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yeps, I have two Ubuntu boxes and three Win 10 boxes in my condo for myself, my wife and my daughter. They could be all UBUNTU boxes real soon. Bad move Microsoft
Re: Woo hoo! (Score:4, Insightful)
How non-sensical.
MS offers an upgrade that you think offers a compelling reason to update your Win 10 machines to, Win 11, but since you can't Update Win 10 to Win 11, your answer is to abandon Windows and install Ubuntu?
So were you only pretending you needed to upgrade to Win 11? By migrating to Ubuntu you prove you didn't actually want/need to update to Windows 10, or at a minimum while you find Win 11 features compelling, you won't spend a dime to upgrade.
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Most of the whining about Microsoft here is pure theater. The people who complain and launch into foul-mouthed rants are the people who also still continue to create a list of excuses as to why they bend over for Microsoft after decades of the abuse. The people who have made the effort and moved on to something better don't need to complain about Microsoft.
This isn't "the last straw" for Windows users, just like Windows Vista wasn't, SecureBoot wasn't, Windows 8 wasn't, Windows 10 Telemetry wasn't. Oh but t
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Right now, the hardware requirements for the official release of Windows 11 are not entirely clear. There are some inconsistencies, and how MS will resolve those remains to be seen.
Depending on those requirements, GP's machines may not be able to run Windows 11. Then it will be a choice between buying new hardware, sticking to Win 10 or migrating to something else (Linux?).
Re: Woo hoo! (Score:5, Interesting)
Several misconceptions here. First of all, "upgrades" from Microsoft do not "offer compelling reasons" to upgrade; they are a requirement to upgrade to in order to get security fixes and basic compatibility. They are in general not optional, but required, unless you want to spend lots of time fixing issues.
And in this case, Microsoft are playing that card - deliberately, I might add, they are making a big deal out of how much better their software will work on 11 (which is Microspeak for "it will break on older releases") - and leaving us with the choice of sticking with something they will break, or buying a new computer.
So there is no choice. And there definitely is no pretending. That is all made up by you, taking Microsoft at face value.
Going to Ubuntu is a way to avoid having to spend money to remain exactly with the functionality already there. Not a way to avoid spending to get something new. Because Win 11 has nothing new. It's a glorified theme pack. And the only reason upgrading is required is because, as is their usual MOD, Microsoft will break Windows 10 when 11 is out.
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Several misconceptions here. First of all, "upgrades" from Microsoft do not "offer compelling reasons" to upgrade; they are a requirement to upgrade to in order to get security fixes and basic compatibility. They are in general not optional, but required, unless you want to spend lots of time fixing issues.
Just like upgrading versions of macOS or Ubuntu or RHEL.
and leaving us with the choice of sticking with something they will break, or buying a new computer.
Or installing an operating system other than Windows.
And the only reason upgrading is required is because, as is their usual MOD, Microsoft will break Windows 10 when 11 is out.
No. They will support it for a few more years and then eventually discontinue support of it, just like Apple does for their operating systems, Google does for theirs, Canonical does for theirs, RedHat does for theirs, etc... are you really living in such a Microsoft-centric world that you don't understand how all the other companies operate?
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> you won't spend a dime to upgrade
Why should I be compelled to upgrade perfectly usable hardware by a software manufacturer? Why is everyone so ok with the idea of "it's fine, just go spend even more still!" to a point where people will actually attack the logic of people who are NOT ok with this forced upgrade?
Laptops. Mobile phones. Tablets. All pushed to the masses on a yearly beat with mediocre at best improvements per iteration. Tonnes of materials hitting the e-waste market two years after it left
Perfectly sensible. (Score:3)
While it is not set in stone yet, requiring UEFI and TPM 2.0 will force obsolescence on potentially hundreds of million devices. With the case of UEFI, it'
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For me, this will mean the end of Windows machines when I have to give up Windows 7 I've already migrated to Linux Mint on one of my machines and use a Chromebook most of the time for stuff like this.
I refused to upgrade to Windows 10 and this Windows 11 bullshit that won't work on older equipment gives me zero incentive to migrate to that OS.
Bye, bye Windows.
I already have a bootable Linux Mint install made.
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Well I don't have a Chromebook but I have a stack of SATA laptop hard drives.
As I type this, I'm trying Neverware's Cloud Ready - Chromium OS. There are a few rough edges but for Slashdot posting it seems to work fine! I'm not sold yet but I'll give it a spin to see whether it's worth getting a Chromebook at some point in the future.
Linux (Score:2)
We'll convert the Windows zombies, no problem.
Re:Woo hoo! (Score:4, Insightful)
People aren't going to make some massive switch to Linux
They didn't when XP lost support,
nor when 7 lost support.
It also ignores the people who won't upgrade "because they're reliant on legacy software that only runs on older machines."
And this is coming from someone who has been running Linux for the better part of 10 years now.
Re:Woo hoo! (Score:5, Informative)
Why would you =want= a 10 year old distro? There are tonnes of up-to-date distros that will support old hardware just fine.
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Why would you =want= a 10 year old distro? There are tonnes of up-to-date distros that will support old hardware just fine.
Me, I am hoping to still be using Linux 1.0 in 2039
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Well, the machine may still be running. But the unix timestamp will overflow back to 1970 some time in January of 2038. So the machine will think it is still in the 70's, I guess. Hahah!
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Entirely possible: I've found old Z-100 boxes,still running (both were SCO Unix) , which had uptimes in excess of 25 years. . . . .
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Why would you =want= a 10 year old distro?
So you can run old Loki Software games.
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Ah Loki those where the days.
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Really should pop those into Appimages with the required libraries. Could even put in a qemu or something for Pi Appimages.
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This. I've installed the latest Mint Cinnamon on a C2D from 2008, and it works really well.
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With very few exceptions (80386 CPUs, for example), _current_ Linux distros will run on old hardware...
No, Linux is really not on the "utter crap" level Microsoft operates on.
I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Insightful)
Particularly the TPM requirement. The gamer enthusiasts that build their own PC are among Microsoft's most devoted customers, and a large percentage of gaming motherboards don't have TPM because until last week it wasn't needed in any way whatsoever for gaming.
We're talking relatively modern high end machines with fast CPUs, lots of memory and GPUs, not grandma's ten year old PC with the noisy fan bearings.
MS would do a lot better to drop the TPM requirement and only require it for features within the OS that absolutely need it.
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Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Informative)
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Must buy windows 11 pro? / Gamer? (Score:2)
Must buy windows 11 pro? / Gamer?
And gamer is just Workstation / Enterprise without the need to pay for the server / domain stuff?
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I don't think they are going to drop it. They have been building up to this for over 5 years (TPM was laid out as a requirement for Windows certification back in 2015
Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Insightful)
Particularly the TPM requirement. The gamer enthusiasts that build their own PC are among Microsoft's most devoted customers, and a large percentage of gaming motherboards don't have TPM because until last week it wasn't needed in any way whatsoever for gaming.
We're talking relatively modern high end machines with fast CPUs, lots of memory and GPUs, not grandma's ten year old PC with the noisy fan bearings.
MS would do a lot better to drop the TPM requirement and only require it for features within the OS that absolutely need it.
The TPM is all about DRM. They won't remove the requirement, because their puppetmasters demand it. They want a clean break so that eventually, companies like Netflix and Amazon and so on can say, "We only support Windows 11 and later" without it being so obvious that the restriction is solely because of their paranoia about content theft.
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Free book [springer.com] on TPM 2.0 in both PDF and EPUB.
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That doesn't make sense. Netflix can just say that starting from version xyz, a TPM is required, and then refuse to install or run on a system which doesn't have the required hardware. There's no need to coordinate with MS on this at all.
You might get limited to 480p (Score:2)
I've noticed that some streaming services have configured Widevine to serve only 720p (or even 480p) streams to clients at lower "security levels." [ottverse.com] The concept of "security level" roughly corresponds to how much effort is spent to deter intercepting the decoded audio and video on their way to the LCD panel and speaker cone. CDMs in web browsers on GNU/Linux typically report a relatively low security level because root can capture video through X11 and audio through "Monitor of". There is a libdrm in the ker
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Yep - my machine is pretty nice, with lots of bells and whistles - and an empty TPM slot.
I could get a TPM card to drop in, for $35 to $99 (according to vendor). But I'd really rather not.
Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Informative)
TPM has been a requirement for Windows 10 for several years now. Every MB made in the last few years has TPM 2.0. I have a Republic of Games dedicated Gaming motherboard and mine has TPM 2.0 in the firmware.
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Re: I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:2)
It's been a requirement for HW mfgs. So if your hardware sports the Win10 ready or supported logo, it has TPM capability. It's not required of end users to run Windows 10 thou.
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It has been a requirement for Win 10 *certification*, but not for anything else. If you buy equipment which does not have that certification, it will quite likely still run Win 10 happily, but there are no guarantees it has TPM.
Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Informative)
TPM 2.0 can be had in three ways:
1.) Insert TPM HW module in TPM header on Mobo if your machine has one.
2.) If your machine is intel, update to the latest BIOS/UEFI/Firmware evrsion, and enable Intel PPT.
3.) If your machine is AMD, update to the latest BIOS/UEFI/Firmware evrsion, and enable AMD's fTPM.
Since, as per your own recognition: "We're talking relatively modern high end machines with fast CPUs, lots of memory and GPUs, not grandma's ten year old PC with the noisy fan bearings."
I am ceratin those gamer machines will be able to comply with those requirements in any point from now until 2025.
The only two things that surprised me were:
1.) The requirement for 4GB of RAM. I was rooting for 8GB, here is hope that they require 4GB available as opposed to 4GB installed (with the iGPU consuming a sizeable chunk) .
2.) The requirement for DX12 as minimum Graphics. I tought they would go for DX11 only.
Otherwise, I am glad they increaded the minimum requirements.
And, for what is worth, my 3 machines (two intel macs, and a 32Bit WinPC) will not be able to run Win11, and that's OK.
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They cheaped out of the mobo, yes. Which means that they will need a third party TPM module or miss out on DirectStorage(The only currently known relevant point of getting W11 for gamers) and DX13(whenever that finally comes out).
Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Funny)
Windows 7 users to windows 10 users - JOIN US. TPM instant shut down for all connected computers and you will not be booting up again, that is the real plan behind TPM. Instant global shutdown of all connected computers with zero chance of reboot without a new mother board being fitted and never connected to the internet. The popularity of wild Linux machines especially with Chinese support, will take off.
Re:I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:5, Funny)
That works the same as the all the COVID vaccines killing everybody vaccinated in 2 years, right? Or is is connected to the flat earth somehow?
Anyways, I am fully vaccinated so I will die before Win10 support runs out. Problem solved!
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Re: I have a feeling requirements will be relaxed (Score:4, Insightful)
The gamer enthusiasts that build their own PC are among Microsoft's most devoted customers
Bullshit - corporate customers that write multi-million dollar checks for corporate-wide Windows, Office, Teams, windows server and SQL Server licenses (software assurance) are Microsoft's most devoted customers.
Gamers that build their own systems call MS to reset their product activation key as they migrate their one retail copy of Win 7 (which they upgraded to Win 10 for free) from their old desktop to their new one.
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corporate customers that write multi-million dollar checks for corporate-wide Windows, Office, Teams, windows server and SQL Server licenses (software assurance) are Microsoft's most devoted customers.
Yep and those are the customers that turn over their machines every 3 or so years. The size of Microsoft's customer base that this will actually affect is tiny and even those people won't be affected for another 4+ years anyway because Windows 10 isn't being retired any time soon.
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Wintel is back, did it ever leave? (Score:2)
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When ever Intel needs a money boost, MS limits hardware. Now would be a good time for Office Linux.
My 4 year old I5 3.2 GHz touchscreen laptop with 12 GByte RM and terabyte SSD will haul ass on Linux. It was Microsoft''s call, so they approve.
W just got rid of some Core2 Duo Dell Optiplexes with 4 GByte Ram and 320 GByte drives. Long in the tooth but once booted up work fine on W10.
A bog standard 2007 computer can run Windows 10 pro, and does it okay. Now a contemporary one fell off the cliff.
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When ever Intel needs a money boost, MS limits hardware. Now would be a good time for Office Linux.
Do you think AMD will not benefit of this?
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Assuming arguendo the conspiracy is that it's because Intel asked them to is true, AMD's benefit would be minimal because they've already pretty much maxed their fab access. Whereas Intel has a shitload of 14nm plus plus plus plus lying around that if the demand is there for what they produce are pure money printers.
So 2025 will be ... (Score:3)
All the abandoned zombies will reboot to a stable secure linux distribution with a common universally accepted user interface. ...right?
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and Linux is not windows either, what desktop the user prefers to use is a choice and there are plenty to choose from, three major desktop environments (GNOME, KDE & XFCE) and many many minimalist window managers to choose from with a list so long that i rather not post in this comment
Re: So 2025 will be ... (Score:2)
By 2025 we'll have Windows 12 by 2025.
enterprise may need an way to install with imagein (Score:2)
enterprise may need an way to install with imaging that may force MS to have an way to disable some of the TPM / UEFI / secure boot stuff. Maybe if just for the OOBE mode. For for things like PXE boot MS may be forced to cave
MAC OS is keeping older CPU's then windows 11 (Score:2)
MAC OS is keeping older CPU's then windows 11. Also will MS let X86 macs boot windows 11 even when they don't have UEFI / TPM 2.0 that MS wants them to have?
We need a new OS (Score:2)
Oh, those older machines? Fuck them, we don't care, they can go out and buy a new computer for all we care, we're Microsoft, we're nigh-unto a monopoly, we don't HAVE to care. They can go buy a Surface or something, LOL
That's the impression I get from Microsoft, which is one of the myriad reasons I stopped using Windows.
There needs to be a new commercial OS to challenge Windows and give people a choice.
I'm not even saying 'this is the year of Linux on the desktop'. I'm saying the only two real choices people have anymore are Microsoft and Apple, and it seems to me both of them have gotten too big for their britches now and there needs to be a New Kid In Town to shake things up.
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Apple needs to persuade more companies that write engineering software to their platform. They have graphics arts and video locked in pretty well so why not stuff like CAD or PCB design?
Re: We need a new OS (Score:2)
CAD/engineering workstations need maximum performance, high-spec components, and since they are bought in Qty. low prices. Apple upgrades their hardware every couple years and charges a premium over Intel Win PC systems of comparable spec.
Re: We need a new OS (Score:2)
There needs to be a new commercial OS to challenge Windows and give people a choice.
What, like BeOS? M
Alternatively... (Score:2)
We'll have a glut of cheap Linux laptops on eBay!
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I know the hipsters may disagree, but a PC should last at least 10 years. Now most people will replace before then, the PC may die, they may just want something new every year, or whatever. But there is no logical reason that the computer you buy new today in Jun 2021 will be obsolete in one year, or five years.
Many average consumers are not on top of all this. They WILL buy computers today that do not measure up to the rumored requirements. They will not be happy when told that the $500 computer that t
Re: Alternatively... (Score:2)
Win 10 machines will be supported by MS for 10 years from release date (2015-2025), as were Win 7 before. This is nothing new.
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Which means that a Windows 10 PC bought last year, but without TPM 2, will get a five year support span.
This is nothing new. It is also not acceptable.
There needs to be an ArcaOS style Windows (Score:2)
A fresh install won't be as restrictive (Score:2)
Updating windows from one version to another almost never works and if it does the resulting system is usually very problematic. You're always far better off doing a fresh install on a machine with a new version of the OS. The fact is Windows community has some of the most computer illiterate people out there using the systems. Many of the problems you hear about windows, are actually about the users not the system. The zombies will more commonly be in front of the keyboards for whom wiping the OS and
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Really... I've updated from one version of windows to another like 6 or 7 times in a row now... 1803, 1809, 1903, 2003, 20H2, 21H1...
So 21H2 is called "Windows 11" and they're changing the release cadence again. BFD.
Licensing
There are no unique licensing requirements for Windows 11 beyond what is required for Windows 10 devices.
Microsoft 365 licenses that include Windows 10 licenses will permit you to run Windows 11 on supported devices. If you have a volume license, it will equally cover Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices before and after upgrade.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-... [microsoft.com]
To me that says, as far as Microsoft is concerned its the same product.
The TPM requirement, the CPU uncertainty, is interesting and suggests that they are trying to set a new baseline for what computers are running windows 11 and that's hardly surprising. Anyone
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It depends on the hardware. Many machines won't update, but will take a fresh install.
looks my inventory will go up (Score:3)
Fearmongering Blog Post (Score:5, Informative)
The anal-yst says:
"My biggest concern, of course, is security. For those who pay, Windows 7 security updates will be available through January 2023. It's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support, but it's there."
Well, let me rephrase that for you: "For those who pay, Windows 10 2019 LTSC security updates will be available through January 2029 . It's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support, but it's there.
And: What Exactly is this "restrictive update policy" that the anal-yst talks about?
Windows 10 was launched in Late July 2015. Ending support in Oct 2025 means Win10 was supported for 10 Years, just like every other modern version of Windows before it. And for those who can pay, you get an extra 3.5 years of support, just like in WinXP or Win7.
So there. Exactly the same situation with every single time Windows changed version. As a matter of fact, I am amazed Microsoft were able to keep the same HW requirements in Win10 for so long.
So there, It will be no different than when we had 98SE Zombies, Win2000 Zombies, XP Zombies, or Vista Zombies...
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I've been reading several Microsoft statements regarding Windows 10. No where in any of them does it say that they will stop updating Windows 10 till 2025. An lets be honest, when 2025 rolls around those machines that can't run Windows 11 will be pushing 8 to 10 years old. Near the end of their usable life.
Re:Fearmongering Blog Post (Score:4, Informative)
My current home computer is 8 years old. It is nowhere near the end of its usable life. I have upgraded parts of it as well (old fart with a desktop instead of a laptop).
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Hey, I resemble that remark--an upgraded desktop, that is. I'm not 8 years old.
My desktop is rather like the ship of Theseus. (And no, Microsoft tells me it won't run Win11, not unless they change the requirements.)
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It seems that you have been reading news reports, blogs and tweets, and not the documentation itself:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-... [microsoft.com]
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The only real problem was with Microsoft wringing their hands and bemoaning that so many of their customers were too poor to buy new machines every time they were asked to.
Support for OS bought the day before successor (Score:2)
It's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support, but it's there.
And: What Exactly is this "restrictive update policy" that the anal-yst talks about?
As I understand it, the "restrictive update policy" refers to exactly this fact that "it's not easy for smaller businesses and individuals to get that support."
Windows 10 was launched in Late July 2015. Ending support in Oct 2025 means Win10 was supported for 10 Years, just like every other modern version of Windows before it.
Windows Vista, 7, and 8 had three years of being newest, followed by seven years of support (two mainstream, five extended) after the release of the successor. A new PC that was purchased or built the day before the successor's release had seven years of OS support. By contrast, a new Windows 10 PC that was purchased or built the day before Windows 1
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Windows 10 was launched in Late July 2015. Ending support in Oct 2025 means Win10 was supported for 10 Years, just like every other modern version of Windows before it.
Windows Vista, 7, and 8 had three years of being newest, followed by seven years of support (two mainstream, five extended) after the release of the successor. A new PC that was purchased or built the day before the successor's release had seven years of OS support. By contrast, a new Windows 10 PC that was purchased or built the day before Windows 11's release has only four years of OS support.
....And unlike with Windows98/ME/2000/XP/Vista/7/8 (but like 10) Windows 11 will be a free Upgrade for those who purcharsed or built a PC the day befor the release of Windows 11. Giving them not seven years of OS support, but rather ten years.... So....
Is Windows 11 all that big of a deal? (Score:4, Insightful)
Colour me cynical, but I feel pretty indifferent to the release of Windows 11.
I'm expecting there to be a slightly different UI, more user spying in the new OS, probably more than a few new bugs introduced which means the OS will take 18 months to two years to become stable but overall operation won't be that different, except that Microsoft will be more entrenched with renting customers software.
Is there any reason other than to look at a new OS from Microsoft and say anything other than "Meh, we've been here before."?
Faking it. (Score:4, Insightful)
That gives us four years to come up with a replacement plan, which is more than enough time. For those of you who will choose "hell no, I won't go," it gives you time to ascertain security risks of running unprotected, and find ways to protect those legacy machines.
Can I introduce you to this wondrous technology [wikipedia.org] that will make most of your fears go away.
EULA forbids OEM Windows as VM guest (Score:2)
You can run OEM Windows as a virtual machine guest. You may not, however, run OEM Windows as a virtual machine guest. The End User License Agreement forbids it.
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Fortunately, in Europe, we do not need to care. As long as we only run one copy per license, it is fine.
Re: Faking it. (Score:2)
In four years your current 5 year-old computer will be 9 years old - do you honestly plan to be running a 9 year-old system in 2026? If you buy a new computer in 2022 or later, it will have Win 11 pre-installed.
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Sure, why not?
The laptop I bought in 2008 and now in the service of my mother is still chugging along fine running Windows 10. It's had a RAM upgrade, new SSD and battery replacement(s).
My current machine is a 16GB with a 2015 Core i5. It does all I need or want considering I only just recycled several PCs that were older than it. But it has TPM 1.2, so go figure.
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That gives us four years to come up with a replacement plan, which is more than enough time. For those of you who will choose "hell no, I won't go," it gives you time to ascertain security risks of running unprotected, and find ways to protect those legacy machines.
Can I introduce you to this wondrous technology [wikipedia.org] that will make most of your fears go away.
Indeed. One of my "Win10" machines is simply a laptop with Linux and a Virtual Box with Win10 in there. Quite enough for office. I do keep a gamin-PC with Win10 native, but I only do gaming there, no email, no non-gamin surfing, because I trust MS no one bit.
They will loosen the hardware requirements (Score:2)
Re: They will loosen the hardware requirements (Score:2)
why missout on billions of computers who's users who will not be able to pay for Win 11 if they wanted to. Seems like a pretty big loss of income
It would be, if MS was planning to charge Win 10 users a fee to upgrade to Win 11, but Microsoft is giving away the upgrade for free.
We'll be stuck with millions of Windows 10 zombies (Score:4, Funny)
Ah! Joke's on you, I'm still on Windows XP!
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Switching to linux (Score:2)
as of now
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Welcome to the club! :)
Competition (Score:2)
If only there was a readily available free alternative to Windows...
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ReactOS exists. It is nowhere near stable and has nowhere near the hardware or application compatibility of Windows. X11/Linux is stable on supported hardware, though compatibility with industry-standard proprietary Windows applications through Wine is hit and miss.
I suspect (Score:3)
..that as time goes on, MS will find a way to support those older machines. This is a preliminary announcement. They may have released it to see how users react. One of the great things about windows is their backward compatibility. They will be surprised at the amount of anger their apparent abandonment of that principle will produce
history repeats (Score:3)
the same thing happened with winme, vista. Most computer were not able to run those os. IMO, they were throwaway operating systems forcing users to upgrade making the next os so popular. Wonder if win11 is going the same route or maybe Microsoft will actually listen to their users this time.
Typical anti-Microsoft post (Score:2)
Apple renews its OS, deprecating millions of devices: awesome, progress!
Microsoft renews its OS, deprecating millions of devices: we're stuck with zombies!
Landfill... (Score:2)
So what? (Score:2)