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Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Reveals Subscription Pricing for Using Windows 10 Beyond 2025 (windowscentral.com) 121

Microsoft announced an extended support program for Windows 10 last year that would allow users to pay for continued security updates beyond the October 2025 end of support date. Today, the company has unveiled the pricing structure for that program, which starts at $61 per device, and doubles every year for three years. Windows Central: Security updates on Windows are important, as they keep you protected from any vulnerabilities that are discovered in the OS. Microsoft releases a security update for Windows 10 once a month, but that will stop when October 2025 rolls around. Users still on Windows 10 after that date will officially be out of support, unless you pay.

The extended support program for Windows 10 will let users pay for three years of additional security updates. This is handy for businesses and enterprise customers who aren't yet ready to upgrade their fleet of employee laptops and computers to Windows 11. For the first time, Microsoft is also allowing individual users at home to join the extended support program, which will let anyone running Windows 10 pay for extended updates beyond October 2025 for three years. The price is $61 per device, but that price doubles every year for three years. That means the second year will cost you $122 per device, and the third year will cost $244 per device.

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Microsoft Reveals Subscription Pricing for Using Windows 10 Beyond 2025

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  • Bingo! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by OffTheLip ( 636691 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:02PM (#64367366)
    Now we see the bigger picture and strategy for Microsoft going forward. It doesn't seem like a bad idea, especially coming from Microsoft.
    • Re:Bingo! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by transporter_ii ( 986545 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:15PM (#64367422) Homepage

      I have been saying to do this for a long time. On March 17th, I posted:

      I would offer a version of 7 or 10 that only got security updates and charge for the updates.

      If people want to run a cutting edge version of Windows, that's fine. The business world just needs a 7 or 10 that just stays the same.

      • by RedK ( 112790 )

        "Cutting Edge" version of Windows which is 4 years old, instead of 10 years old.

        You guys are funny. Should they also still offer MS-DOS 5.0 security patches ?

        Can I still get updates for Redhat Linux 5.2 ? No, not Enterprise Linux 5, actual real Redhat Linux 5.2 with its Kernel 2.2.

      • The business world just needs a 7 or 10 that just stays the same

        No they don't. The business world needs an up to date secure OS which works with modern tools and software. The only use case for Windows 7 machine these days are offline devices for special hardware, which incidentally also don't require security updates.

        The use case for Windows 10 support is to buy a lifeline to an incompetent and/or underfunded IT department that is incapable of doing the bare essentials at keeping their systems up to date despite the fact that they received half a decade notice for the

        • The business world needs an up to date secure OS

          Then why are they using Windows?

          Hans Kristian Graebener = StoneToss

          • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            The sad truth is that Linux isn't much better. It used to have an advantage, but these days Windows has overtaken it in many areas, and is at least as good in others. I'm not joking.

    • Every previous version of Windows for the last 20 odd years has had this option.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Scoth ( 879800 )

        If I'm understanding the distinction being made now, it's that random individual home users will be able to take advantage of it. Corporations and other organizations have been able to do paid support contracts since at least XP, if not earlier, but Joe Smith with his 6 year old personal laptop he doesn't want to upgrade or mess with for whatever reason was always SOL. Now there's that option, whether it makes sense economically to do or not. By the time you've paid the $427 for three years of extended supp

        • If I'm understanding the distinction being made now, it's that random individual home users will be able to take advantage of it.

          Randomm indiviual home users that have the Pro version.

    • Now we see the bigger picture and strategy for Microsoft going forward. It doesn't seem like a bad idea, especially coming from Microsoft.

      What bigger picture? Paying for extended support beyond EOL is not only something Microsoft has done since the days of Windows NT, it's something offered by every Linux vendor targeting businesses too.

      So if you consider Microsoft's "strategy" to be "standard operating practice for a software company across the industry" ... errm. Yep.

  • by nwaack ( 3482871 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:03PM (#64367372)
    "That's a nice operating system you got there. Sure would be a shame if something were to * happen * to it."
    • by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:13PM (#64367416)

      Fun part is, nothing happens to it. It continues working just fine. I'm posting this from a windows 7 machine. It also works just fine. You just need to be slightly less stupid online with it as compared to a typical up to date win11, and secure it properly.

      The narrative of "needing OS security updates" is just a narrative. Unless you're a high value target, or a publicly facing machine that actually has multiple fully open attack vectors, OS security updates are of low importance. Of high importance is updates to general internet accessing software like browser, email client and so on. OS itself? Not so much, as long as it can't be accessed without requesting it first. I.e. put it behind NAT and firewall, don't let guests plug in random USB things into it or allow them on your local network, so there aren't any attack vectors machine itself doesn't specifically initiate with software installed on it. And that software is the critical part of the security at that point, not the OS. And don't let people who don't understand how to mitigate remaining risks use the machine. And it will actually be fine.

      Essentially there's a reason why this windows 7 machine didn't get nailed by wannacry in spite having that OS level vulnerability, while a lot of up to date OS security machines did.

      • > I'm posting this from a windows 7 machine. It also works just fine.

        It won't if you ever go to upgrade your hardware. It's more than just security concerns, it's an entire industry literally conspiring to make what you own obsolete and force you into their ecosystem.

        I'd still be using Win7 myself except several of the applications I use decided that they will no longer support anything older than Win10 for no clear reason. Hell, the laptop I'm typing this on came with Win10 and I spent three whole days

        • I understand some reservations about Windows 11 but Windows 10 is for me the "new Windows 7" so outside of hardware limitations i see little reason to stay on 7 over 10 at this point.

          I remember when 7 launched that while it was a definite improvement over Vista it still had teething problems. The vaunted and stable Windows 7 took years to finally get right, the same situation happened with Windows 10; a bit of of a shitshow launch and took a couple service packs to get right, but it is right as of today.

          Yo

          • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

            Problem is that it still offers no meaningful advantage in that state other than being able to play DX12 games without DXVK. You're going to need to axe the updates to prevent rolling back of your custom features in a "this isn't a reinstall of an OS, this is just an update, honest" biannual updates.

            Beyond that, improvements are tiny and mostly irrelevant unless you're updating the hardware.

            • I think it's got buckets of small improvements and generally "feels" better than 7.

              Don't get me wrong, I loved 7 and i was in that camp for awhile but 10 has really impressed me in terms of speed and stability overall and some of the QoL improvements, shell improvements and for some like myself the gaming improvements are also nice to have. If this was 2015-2020 I'd agree fully but a fully patched 10 has been nothing but solid for me.

              • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                As a Finn, I would've taken it on immediately if it had a bucket.

                (An inside joke that only other Finns will appreciate).

                On a serious note, there may be some things that you find to be improvements. Me? The first thing I installed on my laptop after nuking all the extra MS garbage was classic shell.

                • > The first thing I installed on my laptop after nuking all the extra MS garbage was classic shell.

                  Indeed, Classic Shell rocks!
                • Being half Swedish myself I think I get the sauna related joke :)

                  Which reminded me of a good old joke about the Finnish character:

                  Two men sit in a sauna, drinking beer. “Cheers !” says one, raising his glass. An hour and a few refills later, he raises his glass again and repeats: “Cheers !”. Another hour on, and he breaks the silence yet again: “Cheers !”.

                  The second man is speechless with anger, but eventually brings himself to reply: “Are we here to drink ? Or to

                  • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

                    Must be his Swedish half. Finnish half would just have just tossed more water on the stones to get the Swede to run out.

          • I still use Win 7 at home because I like the UI - I have my own colour schemes that I have been applying since the days of XP. But Win 10 has gone just black-and-white - a serious drawback. Many of the earlier User Experience knowledge that the Microsoft devleopers had put in from the days of XP have been thrown to the wind. So hard to find where a toolbar ends , where the content area starts etc. The only con with Win 7 now is that many applications have started to stop working. e.g. Google drive.

        • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          >I spent three whole days getting a custom modified Win7 to install because there aren't sufficient drivers for this hardware.

          You're a greater man than I. I got tired of fucking around with drivers within a day, because I could just get a gutted win10 ISO instead and install that.

        • > I'm posting this from a windows 7 machine. It also works just fine.

          It won't if you ever go to upgrade your hardware. It's more than just security concerns, it's an entire industry literally conspiring to make what you own obsolete and force you into their ecosystem.

          I'd still be using Win7 myself except several of the applications I use decided that they will no longer support anything older than Win10 for no clear reason. Hell, the laptop I'm typing this on came with Win10 and I spent three whole days getting a custom modified Win7 to install because there aren't sufficient drivers for this hardware. Even when it was working the USB was kinda janky...
          =Smidge=

          Access to new APIs with new/better/more secure/more performant functionality is a decent reason to leave old OSes behind.

          If an App had to support WfW3.11 Win32, Win95, win98, WinMe, WinNT3.x, WinNT4, Win2000, WinXP, WinVista, Win7, Win8.x Win10 and Win11, that would really be a development/testing and security nightmare... Where do we draw the line? Your favourite OS perhaps?

          After all, a person perfectly happy with WinXP or WinVista has the same right as you to complain that "several of the applications I u

          • by Scoth ( 879800 )

            A big part of the problem is just that there's basically no way to completely win. Every option will piss somebody off.

            Release OSes too quickly that are too much alike? You get people complaining about there not being enough different to justify the upgrade. I remember people saying that about Windows 98 (especially compared to the last OSR version of Windows 95 with the USB add-on and IE4 for the Windows Desktop Update that could be hard to tell apart from Windows 98) at the time. Win2k to XP was criticize

      • by williamyf ( 227051 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:19PM (#64367744)

        You just need to be slightly less stupid online with it as compared to a typical up to date win11, and secure it properly.

        And herein lies the curx of the matter, I know plenty of very smart lawyers, architects, civil engineers, and Mds that are absolutely clueless about being non-stupid online. For their personal machines, as well as for the machines their employers provide, this reprive is a godsend.

        Unless you're a high value target

        Sometimes, a high value target is a lowly General services employee, whose compromised Win10 Laptop serves as a beachhead to enter the internal network. See Digitel/Venezuela

        OS security updates are of low importance. Of high importance is updates to general internet accessing software like browser, email client and so on. OS itself? Not so much

        The bible had something about a big solid ostentuous house built on sand. Also something about a gold idol built on an altar of clay... please check.

        And don't let people who don't understand how to mitigate remaining risks use the machine. And it will actually be fine.

        Again, if those super-smart (but not computer saavy) Lawyers, Civil Engineers, architects and Mds do not have a super powerfull IT dept behind them (either because they work by themselves, or because their IT dept is not super-solid) is better/easier/more cost effective to just pay for the OS security patches (or migrate for free to the next version of your favourite OS if possible), instead of doing mitigations + Building your house on a sand foundation, or buying a new machine if the current one is not capable to run the next version.

        Or if a person is capable of doing the mitigations, but does not want to deal with the burden, perhaps for them, they value the time not spent doing mitigations and hardening for an OS with no patches, much, much more tha n the 61 $ the first year, or the 122 the second or even the 244 the third to keep the OS secure and the apps happy too

        Is called layered security, you need all the layers to be as secure as possible.

        • by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          >Is called layered security, you need all the layers to be as secure as possible.

          Absolutely. But almost no one needs to be as secure as possible. Instead almost everyone needs a compromise between maximum security and maximum usability.

          Because security is about eliminating relevant attack vectors. And PBKAC enables a lot of additional attack vectors that are otherwise not relevant.

      • by Reziac ( 43301 ) *

        XP64 here. Same philosophy. Block the garbage, don't be stupid, glory in my lack of visitors, and remember that attack vectors are mostly discovered by reverse-engineering the patches. No patches, way fewer clues.

        Whatever small risks are well offset by an OS that doesn't continually make me long to reach through my monitor and throttle a UI developer.

    • "That's a nice operating system you got there. Sure would be a shame if something were to * happen * to it."

      Like those unexpected "system updates" that disrupt your "work" at the most inopportune moments?

      • nice way to tell everyone you don't know how to set a schedule for windows update

        --
        Nothing to schedule here. Move along.
        • nice way to tell everyone you don't know how to set a schedule for windows update -- Nothing to schedule here. Move along.

          I use Linux. No Windows in this house !

    • "That's a nice operating system you got there. Sure would be a shame if something were to * happen * to it."

      No it's not. There was a completely free and subscription free alternative in the form of installing the updated OS. And if you *can't* install the updated OS, well no one owes you a perpetual security updates for your over a decade old OS.

      • no one owes you a perpetual security updates for your over a decade old OS.

        Yup, jus tlike your car. No one owes a perpetual ability to get parts for your over a decade old car. Wheels are the only exception since they're standardized.

        But wait, there's more! Just wait until all those EVs we're supposed to be buying get this same treatment. Think of how fun it will be when the manufacturer stops providing both updates and support for your computer on wheels. You got a BSOD?* Too bad. Your car is older th

  • by OfMiceAndMenus ( 4553885 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:09PM (#64367392)
    It's like the old mobster 'Window Insurance' come to meet Capitalism.

    "Those are some nice Windows you got there, it would be a shame if something happened to them. You can pay us to make sure nobody breaks your Windows, but if you don't pay us something bad might happen..."

    Time to say fuck Microsoft and go full linux anywhere possible. I already ditched Adobe products so my need for Windows is minimal at this point.
    • by Computershack ( 1143409 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:11PM (#64367682)
      Microsoft have been doing this for Windows since XP/2000. Commercial Linux distros charge for support once a version is EOL.
      • Windows actually changed something beyond the window decorations between XP/2000 and subsequent versions. This is being done with no real improvements to the OS, just to force people to spend more money.
    • by cstacy ( 534252 )

      It's like the old mobster 'Window Insurance' come to meet Capitalism.

      "Those are some nice Windows you got there, it would be a shame if something happened to them. You can pay us to make sure nobody breaks your Windows, but if you don't pay us something bad might happen..."

      Time to say fuck Microsoft and go full linux

      xv

  • by Seven Spirals ( 4924941 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:13PM (#64367414)
    I honestly think at this point folks would be better off switching off the OS altogether. I know some folks cannot do that because reasons. However, it's never been easier to pull off.
    • by nlc ( 10289693 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:46PM (#64367538)
      I use a Linux OS but not because of this. Microsoft will have supported Windows 10 for 10 years, and offer either a free upgrade to Windows 11 or paid support beyond that. The oldest supported version of MacOS is less than 3 years old. Ubuntu LTS versions are supported for 5 years for free or 10 years paid. There are many things Microsoft can be criticised for but the length of support they offer on Windows is not one of them.
  • There's four scenarios here:
    You either be forced to upgrade to Win11 and buy a new PC.
    Pay to keep Windows 10 but only for a while.
    Put yourself at risk of unpatched vulnerabilities exploited by nation state ransomware gangs
    Be forced to switch operating systems, but we know after the xz incident that isn't a guaranteed option.
    • Put yourself at risk of unpatched vulnerabilities exploited by nation state ransomware gangs

      I'll probably pick this option. But not just for the low cost, think of the other benefits!

      Steady State -- No more default settings being reapplied.
      Garbage Shield -- No new half-baked features to deal with.
      The Devil You Know -- Lock-in the final count of known and unknown vulnerabilities.
      Tumor Stasis -- Rest assured that no new vulnerabilities will be automatically supplied, I mean installed, I mean ...uhh updated.

    • by RedK ( 112790 )

      5th option : just install Windows 11 on your existing PC.

      That's what I did.

  • by Anonymous Coward
    That could buy a decent Windows 11 desktop...
    • by williamyf ( 227051 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @05:13PM (#64368188)

      That could buy a decent Windows 11 desktop...

      Precisely, Microsoft wants you (and their enterprise customers) to move to Win11 ASAP, not to stay on Win10.

      This program is for enterprises that for one reason or the other can not move to Win11 just yet. Say, a bespoke App is not ready for Win11, or they can not pay for so many laptops + Employee refresher courses in one fell swoop.

      For the first time we, non enterprise individual users (with a pro license) are able to ride this train, but this train was never built around our needs, it was built as a compromise of the collective needs of microsoft and their enterprise customers.

  • Good deal (Score:4, Funny)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:35PM (#64367484)

    Totally worth it. I've been looking for a pay-alternative to Linux and this seems like a good option.

  • Is like using Windows 95 in 2005.

    At some point, we can't ask companies to keep dragging you along for the ride.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by backslashdot ( 95548 )

      This is all part of a move to make all software subscription based. If they wanna do that, we need laws that protect renters .. that if you subscribe to software for 5 years, you own it and the software maker can't deliberately put logic to disable it.

      • by RedK ( 112790 )

        This has nothing to do with that at all.

        This is "Your OS is 10 years old, and if you want to keep using it and receiving updates, we better see some money to justify the devs we put to work on it".

        No different than Windows 95 in 2005. Time to move to XP.

        • by Dwedit ( 232252 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:16PM (#64367722) Homepage

          Your OS isn't 10 years old. Every "major" update to Windows 10 makes it a new major release. The system call numbers are all different. You get a new Windows SDK to target software. Windows 10 is now 2 years old.

          • by RedK ( 112790 )

            Then you'll have no issue changing to Windows 11 if you're already a few "major" versions in my dude.

          • Your OS isn't 10 years old. Every "major" update to Windows 10 makes it a new major release. The system call numbers are all different. You get a new Windows SDK to target software. Windows 10 is now 2 years old.

            Not exactly. Microsoft forked the Windows 10 Codebase with Windows11 (IIRC the fork was on Win10 20H2). Since then the two OS's codebases diverged, even if some features of Win11 were backported to Win10.

            The important thing is that, by the time all support for all variants of Win10 desktop ceases (that will happen in late 2031 or early 2032 when Win10 IoT 21H2 stops being supported) it will be 10 years old.

            But yes, technically, the last version of Windows 10 (22H2), will be 6~7 years old when support ends,

          • Your OS isn't 10 years old. Every "major" update to Windows 10 makes it a new major release.

            Why did you put the term "major" in quotes? Microsoft doesn't even call them major updates. They give it cute names like Creators update while giving them official titles for the year their *POINT RELEASE* came out.

            But I'll bite, even if you bought into the "last version of windows ever", the reality is that Microsoft hasn't updated the major version of their OS in their own developer documents. Using their official API the header winnt.h defines OSVERSIONINFO and querying dwMajorVersion of Windows 10 1507

      • But it isn't being disabled. You can continue to use it, it just won't get any updates.
      • This is all part of a move to make all software subscription based.

        Oh fuck off. No one owes you perpetual updates for decade old software you freeloader. Yeah we need laws, to outlaw idiot customers with completely unreasonable expectations not based in any form of reality.

        • I'm not talking about updates you jerk off, I am talking about software that makes you pay a subscription fee and they just turn it off on you when you stop paying.

    • Is like using Windows 95 in 2005.
      At some point, we can't ask companies to keep dragging you along for the ride.

      Nobody is asking companies to keep dragging anyone along for the ride. All they need to do is take responsibility for the safety defects in their own products and correct them on their own dime like every other industry is required by law to do.

      • by RedK ( 112790 )

        So when can I expect my security patches for Irix 6.2 ?

        Would also be nice of SGI to add Vulkan support for O2s.

        Oh wait, that's just a ridiculous notion. Like your own that Microsoft should be stuck supporting MS-DOS 1.0.

        • So when can I expect my security patches for Irix 6.2 ?
          Would also be nice of SGI to add Vulkan support for O2s.
          Oh wait, that's just a ridiculous notion. Like your own that Microsoft should be stuck supporting MS-DOS 1.0.

          "All they need to do is take responsibility for the safety defects" does not mean requiring new features or even fixing bugs. It does very much mean vendors get to address safety defects in their products and do so on their own dime.

          I still receive recall notices for my POS vehicle that rolled off the line more than two decades ago. If you think that is "just a ridiculous notion" that's your opinion to which you are entitled. I don't share your perspective.

    • Really? I couldn't install Windows 98/ME/XP on my machine that ran 95?

      And not just because it was too slow but because XP literally told me "nope"?

      • by RedK ( 112790 )
        Nothing stops you from keeping Windows 10 installed. Microsoft is just moving on, 10 years after they shipped it. Like they moved on from Windows 95. BTW, doubt you could boot XP on most PCs running Windows 95. You do understand how fast PC specs were progressing in those days right ? My first Windows 95 machine had like 32 MB of RAM.
    • The main difference is that versions of Windows following Windows 95 were actual upgrades, whereas certainly since 7 and arguably since XP, a newer Windows version is now a downgrade. Not wanting to downgrade to something worse is perfectly sensible.
      • by RedK ( 112790 )

        Me was an upgrade to 98 ?

        Vista was an upgrade to XP ?

        8 was an upgrade to 7 ?

        My dude, this whole spiel of "New windows bad, old Windows good" is as old as Windows itself.

    • You could have bought a brand new PC in 2020, and be stuck with expensive security updates five years later because Windows 11 requires TPM2.

      • You could have bought a brand new PC in 2020, and be stuck with expensive security updates five years later because Windows 11 requires TPM2.

        OEM machines had to have TPM 2.0 and secure boot since 2016. So, if you bought a brand new OEM PC in 2020, no way on earth you were without TPM2.0, unless you bought new-old-stock, or got swindled. Neither is a resposability of Microsoft.

        If you built your own PC in 2020, it sucks you did not do your due diligence regarding the TPM requirements, but that is also not the responsability of microsoft...

      • No it doesn't.

        https://www.neowin.net/guides/... [neowin.net]

    • It's nothing like that at all. Technology was advancing much faster, the move to 64bit was starting, and every other version of Windows offered compelling reasons to switch. What's the reason for switching from 10 to 11? Nothing. It's worse in numerous ways, and 10 is outdated in terms of hardware support outside of deliberate breaking moves that could be easily supported in Windows 10.

      Companies should offer reasons you *want* to upgrade, instead of exploiting their market dominance with threats of "well
      • So I guess youâ(TM)ll be on the phone with Canonical tomorrow to tell them to keep supporting 1804 LTS now that it entered extended support ? How about telling Redhat to keep patching RHEL 6 while youâ(TM)re at it. My dude just discovered software lifecycles. Keeping old software alive requires devs. Requires tooling. Keeping all that going rather than shifting to newer versions is idiotic, nor is it something anyone on Slashdot should be mad about, seeing how most of us here should have IT o
  • by Kevin108 ( 760520 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @02:55PM (#64367584) Homepage

    How much to resurrect Windows XP?

  • by WaffleMonster ( 969671 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:02PM (#64367610)

    Microsoft should be thrilled about the prospect of being able to fix safety defects at distribute those fixes electronically at low cost to themselves. Instead they've chosen to monetized their own failures and incompetence by charging people for the privilege of having the vendor correct their own safety defects. This practice is disgusting and (should be) illegal.

    • by Computershack ( 1143409 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:14PM (#64367710)
      So what are your thoughts about Canonical who also choose to charge for long term support of Ubuntu LTS releases once they're over 5 years old or RHEL who also charge for the same support once a LTS release is EOL?
      • The source code is available, so the only reason fixes won't be available there is not enough people being interested. Plus it's something people generally choose to download for free and install by themselves, rather than being an essential part of a thing people pay money for to buy from a shop.
    • Microsoft should be thrilled about the prospect of being able to fix safety defects at distribute those fixes electronically at low cost to themselves.

      They were thrilled. So thrilled they offered people a whole free major OS upgrade. I've never seen someone complain so loudly about being given so much.

      Can you imagine if a car company came and gave you a new car and you said "this should be illegal, I demand they provide me a replacement ECU for my old one!" You'd be thrown into an asylum with pillows for walls.

      • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

        Except they then locked it down to hardware with TPM 2, which is exactly none of mine. Upgrading is off the table. That is why I don't consider an upgrade path the same thing as support!

        • Dude, your hardware most likely has TPM2. Like most 10 year old PCs have it. Itâ(TM)s also not even required, you can bypass it.
          • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

            Nope, Athlon II x6. Don't have SSE 4.1 or 4.2 either, can't run Cyberpunk 2077. I don't even have UEFI! I'm pretty sure I don't have any TPM at all.

            • by Mal-2 ( 675116 )

              I've now confirmed the ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 motherboard has no TPM, and did not even include a socket for adding it after the fact. Would you care to be condescending again?

  • by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @03:19PM (#64367738)

    The number of applications that I need Windows for is getting smaller and smaller. And the number of applications that I need Windows for that also don't work in a VM is ... well, as far as I know, zero.

    Time to finally transition for good.

  • by SuperDre ( 982372 ) on Wednesday April 03, 2024 @04:04PM (#64367958) Homepage
    The biggest problem with Windows 11 is that it doesn't run, by default, on 'older' hardware. You need at least a 2018+ processor to run it, even though CPU's from 2013 are more then capable of running it. They added the TPM 2.0 requirement, while it is not even using it as with some changes to the installer you can just run Windows 11 perfectly on those older chipsets. At home it's the only reason why I couldn't upgrade, even though my 2013 Intel Core i7 is still fast enough to run anything.
    • The biggest problem with Windows 11 is that it doesn't run, by default, on 'older' hardware. You need at least a 2018+ processor to run it, even though CPU's from 2013 are more then capable of running it. They added the TPM 2.0 requirement, while it is not even using it as with some changes to the installer you can just run Windows 11 perfectly on those older chipsets. At home it's the only reason why I couldn't upgrade, even though my 2013 Intel Core i7 is still fast enough to run anything.

      Yes, maybe your core i7 from 2013 is plenty fast enough to run Win 11...

      But, beyond the TPM 2.0 thing, your 2013 processor also lacks some needed instructions to run Win11. For example, Mitigations against Meltdown and spectre type vulnerabilities. Microsoft and/or SW developers can use them in the future knowing full well that all versions of Win11 support them. Right now they are probably not doing it, because Win10 is still supported, and they do not want to handle 2 codebases, but as Win10 becomes less

    • Speed is not the only relevant metric in life. The world moved beyond that back when the Pentium 200 MMX was released. Features started mattering more than brute force.

  • It's 10 years old, and no product is supported indefinitely. They declared the end of life date fully four years in advance. Offering an extended supported period is not a bad idea. It's a lifeline for companies that have been slow to act.

    I don't see anything particularly nefarious here. They still want to be able to drop the product entirely, so moving to subscriptions will help light the fire under the stragglers.

    Nothing to see here. Some companies are probably still paying Oracle for DB 10.x support.

  • There are a lot of people out there running Windows 10 because they can't afford a machine to run Windows 11. Yes, you can get a mini PC for a couple C-notes that comes with W11 Pro out of the box and runs well, but for a lot of people, especially with the economy in free-fall, that couple C-notes just isn't there.

    Expecting them to pay an exponential rate for support is insane. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone create a manual patch system to get around that...

    This might even be an impetus for people

  • A lot of people and companies will pay this subscription.

  • I'd pay for a secure version of xp, or win 7.
    I only bought a $10 copy off ebay this year, and I got ripped off.

  • that the end game for every NEW, BETTER version of Windows is to find out how to put more spyware, ads, and DRM in my OS and NOT to improve the functionality of an OS which is to run applications. I don't need to PAY MS money just so they can further invade my privacy and try to extort more money from me. If you're gonna bend me over at least take me to dinner first.
  • I only just upgraded from windows 7 for fucks sake! This OS better give me at least 15 more years.

    If it wasnt for stupid steam I would still be on it. Only reason i had to turf a perfectly good install in the first place. Linux is too much work on a gaming PC. tried it over and over and its just different enough to be frustrating and wasting my time with bullshit. try and get any modern distro to auto login and escalate without a password for instance. And since like osx, you have to escalate for every fuck

  • by Kryptonut ( 1006779 ) on Thursday April 04, 2024 @03:35PM (#64370488)

    I see a future with a ton of exploited Windows 10 PC's or tons of eWaste as perfectly good PC's are discarded in order to move to Windows 11.

    The average user has no desire (and in other cases, nor the skills) to move to Linux.

"Conversion, fastidious Goddess, loves blood better than brick, and feasts most subtly on the human will." -- Virginia Woolf, "Mrs. Dalloway"

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