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Windows

Windows 11 Continues To Creep Up Behind Windows 10 (theregister.com) 50

An anonymous reader shares a report: With Windows 11 still failing to set the world alight, campaigners are warning that millions of perfectly good PCs could become landfill fodder when support for Windows 10 runs out in eleven and a bit months.

Figures compiled by StatCounter show that Windows 11 commanded a 35.55 percent share of the desktop Windows market in October. In comparison, the share of Windows 10 dropped to 60.97 percent, continuing a downward trend that began earlier this year -- it was still at 69.9 percent in April. Unless there is some marked acceleration, Windows 11 is unlikely to dominate the market by the time Microsoft pulls the plug on free updates for most of the Windows 10 world on October 14, 2025.

Windows 11 Continues To Creep Up Behind Windows 10

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  • by ClueHammer ( 6261830 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:38PM (#64919535)
    Try buying a new machine with Linux or Windows 10 installed on it? You cannot. (at least not easily) Windows 11 is being shoved down your throat if you want it or not, so eventually the numbers come up.
    • by ls671 ( 1122017 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:53PM (#64919597) Homepage

      It seems to me Microsoft is going the Broadcom way with Vmware; they concentrate on corporate users who will pay for Windows 10 updates and do not care about small customers anymore. If customers aren't happy, they can install open source solutions just like qemu to replace vmware. The end result should be many unpatched Windows 10 installs stillin use. I still have Windows 8 on a machine I seldom use.

    • by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:54PM (#64919601)

      TFT: Windows 11 Continues To Creep Up Behind ...
      You: Windows 11 is being shoved down your throat if you want it or not ...

      Okay, which end do I need to protect? :-)

    • by Hadlock ( 143607 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:59PM (#64919613) Homepage Journal

      I'm kind of curious where this all leads. Chromebooks are... designed to support google search, like android, but if Google gets pushed out by LLMs then desktop alternatives like Chrome will wither away; microsoft apparently isn't making enough money on windows for consumers to really matter. Canonical sort of supports consumers on Ubuntu but I doubt it occupies much of mark's mindshare. Valve has a consumer linux distro with their steam deck but they're shipping tens to hundreds of thousands of units, not tens of millions so it's not like it counts. I'm not sure where consumer OS goes from here long term. Everyone wants to focus on mobile.

      • if Google gets pushed out by LLMs then desktop alternatives like Chrome will wither away

        Google's LLM is now doing searches for you and providing multiple answers with links. It's a great imitation of a LLM being able to cite its sources, but obviously it works backwards from the sources. Therefore Google is able to do a better job of having a LLM that gives useful answers to questions than anyone else, because they have the best search database.

        I don't see why that wouldn't persist for a long assed time, since Google has both a very strong ad network and the most recognizable name in search.

        I'm not sure where consumer OS goes from here long term. Everyone wants to focus on mobile.

        Wh

    • by sk999 ( 846068 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @06:01PM (#64919759)

      Bought my most recent laptop about a month ago, and it came with Linux pre-installed. Ordering was no more difficult than ordering any other laptop. Granted, hardware choice is more limited.

    • I don't think it really matters if a new computer comes with Linux on it. The installer for consumer-friendly Linux distros is arguably less complicated than the new PC setup wizard on Windows, due to the absence of setup for an online account or privacy settings for telemetry.

      1) Buy new Window PC.
      2) Boot of Linux Live USB.
      3) Install alternative OS.

      You're not going to win any new Linux converts by having the system preinstalled. If someone is too stupid to follow the three steps above they aren't going to w

  • At its heart, and didn't have recall all baked into it in irremovable ways, maybe. I'll be going back to Linux and Virtualizing Win10 behind additional firewalls. No Win11 for me thanks. Unless it too is behind a firewall that cuts all the Microsoft stuff off at the knees, and prevents the baked in spyware. That is the only way I would run it.
  • Just curious... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by TrumpShaker ( 4855909 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:44PM (#64919557)
    How many computer owners just toss their perfectly good PCs in the trash when a Windows version loses support from Microsoft? I would think (which usually gets me in trouble) that on the corporate/business side, they have some other plan for these PCs rather than just trashing them? And for individuals...well...I know a few people still running XP and Windows 7.
    • Re: Just curious... (Score:4, Interesting)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:47PM (#64919569) Homepage Journal

      Mostly they give them away or sell them at yard sales or donate them, throwing them away costs money these days.

      I have bought a bunch of hardware cheap over the years due to upgrades causing incompatibility. Scanners, printers, whole machines... They all worked with Linux.

    • ...I know a few people still running XP and Windows 7.

      I'm still running Win2K, you insensitive clod!

      Actually, I run it in a VM and only use it occasionally for some ancient software I still rely on, so it doesn't really count I guess.

    • Re:Just curious... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Kryptonut ( 1006779 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @05:12PM (#64919641)
      A lot of the old PC's you could throw some extra RAM or an SSD in and upgrade the OS to something current because there weren't really any hard requirements. This time around we have artificial requirements that will actually actively try to prevent installation.
      • A lot of the old PC's you could throw some extra RAM or an SSD in and upgrade the OS to something current because there weren't really any hard requirements. This time around we have artificial requirements that will actually actively try to prevent installation.

        And here you go, right on target [imgur.com].

      • I was forced onto Windows 10 when 7 refused to install with my new motherboard, even though I bought one generation behind latest specifically because the same chipset on similar models could still support 7. But my specific motherboard would not; I tried for days before giving up and installing the least-bad Enterprise LTSC Win10. So they're definitely ramping it up, but it's hardly the first instance of them colluding with hardware manufacturers to make sure you can't install the version of Windows you re
    • by Anonymous Coward

      How many computer owners just toss their perfectly good PCs in the trash when a Windows version loses support from Microsoft? I would think (which usually gets me in trouble) that on the corporate/business side, they have some other plan for these PCs rather than just trashing them? And for individuals...well...I know a few people still running XP and Windows 7.

      After the back closet was found to be full, and Accounting reminded us those machines shouldn’t exist anymore, we paid a recycling company to come pick up the carcasses. The “plan” has long been exhausted (asset usage and depreciation)

      I kept one of the old PCs. Still running Win10 LTSC. Still supported. Only way to run modern windows. Microsoft shouldn't limit its use.

  • by NotEmmanuelGoldstein ( 6423622 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:47PM (#64919571)

    ... unlikely to dominate ...

    Meaning: Microsoft demands its (previous) customers throw-away a good operating system and hardware, in order to increase Microsoft's control over their data.

    Computer users have 3 choices: Pay the MS tax, migrate to Apple Mac (also a dying OS) / Android OS (doesn't scale, limited software), or learn Linux (steep learning-curve, high maintenance). Historically, the tax is the most common answer: Given the lack of pre-installed Linux / Android laptops, the preferred answer won't change because customers are being blackmailed into subverting their own interests.

    • Re:Meaning (Score:5, Interesting)

      by smooth wombat ( 796938 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:56PM (#64919607) Journal
      or learn Linux (steep learning-curve, high maintenance).

      Linux Mint is essentially Windows without the cruft. If someone can use a Windows machine, they can use Linux Mint.

      As for high maintenance, you haven't had to maintain thousands of Windows systems, have you?
      • Re:Meaning (Score:4, Insightful)

        by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @05:55PM (#64919747) Journal

        Linux Mint is essentially Windows without the cruft. If someone can use a Windows machine, they can use Linux Mint.

        ^^^^THIS, essentially.

        As a long-time Mint user I can attest to the ease with which most Windows users are able to transition from Windows to Mint. It's similar enough so that most users feel comfortable with it right off.

        Yes, of course there are things to learn and differences to account for, but no Windows user would ever be baffled by the Mint desktop. It's all very familiar territory.

        For the record, I don't recommend any particular Linux distro, I recommend a desktop since that's what users will actually be "using" and interacting with for the most part.

        The fact is that for most people the desktop IS the OS, no matter how incorrect that actually is. All they need are things to click on and menu items that make sense and let them do what they need to do. They do not know and do not care what's underneath as long as they can browse the internet, use email, write documents, etc.

        With that said, the Mint desktop (Cinnamon) is the one I recommend because it's familiar, easy to use, and attractive. No sharp edges, everything seems "normal" and it's immediately understandable.

    • Computer users have 3 choices: Pay the MS tax, migrate to Apple Mac (also a dying OS) / Android OS (doesn't scale, limited software), or learn Linux (steep learning-curve, high maintenance).

      Lets talk about that last comment.

      Walking into Best Buy just before the Christmas holiday I found many fancy boxed versions of Linux and BSD on the shelf. Brightly colored to catch my eye, looking pretty polished enough for the average computer user to try.

      That was over twenty years ago. And now you’re telling me in the Pi era of OSes that run off a USB stick and work with most all hardware, Linux is STILL considered “high maintenance” with a “steep” learning curve? The fuck

      • I don't agree with his characterization.

        I use a Windows 10 PC at work. It has had numerous problems which had to be corrected by someone to make it work properly. I am not that person, but I do get to watch most of the time. And because I chat up the IS personnel they tell me what they are doing and why even when I cannot see it. I have established my bona fides with them the old fashioned way, by bullshitting.

        I use Devuan at home with root on ZFS. This is weird and even so it is not a big deal. It was a mo

    • May we have evidence for that assertion?

    • ... Linux (steep learning-curve, high maintenance).

      You haven't tried Linux in the last 20 years have you?

      It's like the old joke about how Windows constantly crashes to the BSOD. It was true a couple decades ago but not so much anymore.

      Most modern Linux installers are completely automated. All the user has to do is answer some basic questions like user name, keyboard layout, wifi pass phrase, ect. and then sit back and let the install happen. The last time I used a Windows Installer (about 14 years ago) it asked me those same questions. And I've also fo

      • by mz721 ( 9598430 )

        Agree. I put Debian -- not the most user-focused distribution -- on an Acer laptop a couple of days ago. Default installation, as little brain thoughts as possible on my part. Touchscreen works, sound works, wireless works. It all 'just works'. Linux is sorted as long as the hardware is not too exotic.

        Linux updating is _easier_ than Windows because it's all just one command. Or one click in your GUI package manager (_once your learn what that sentence means_.)

        The problems people (by which I means people who

  • Landfill (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Monday November 04, 2024 @04:50PM (#64919579) Homepage Journal

    They're not going in the landfill - they're going unpatched.

    Corporate IT will pay for patches but the typical home user doesn't know or care.

    The only 'secure' thing would be for Microsoft to block all outbound traffic except to buy patches but nobody will stand for that and it's ransom-y.

    So they'll eventually be the victims of sandbox escapes and become botnet nodes and maybe that will make their computer "too slow" at some point so they'll replace it because they won't otherwise bear any costs.

    And more people are happy with a tablet/kvm every year anyway.

  • by Kryptonut ( 1006779 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @05:09PM (#64919637)

    Say Windows 10 still has near 50% market share come Oct 2025. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

    Will the internet collapse under the weight of millions of machines being unpatched for exploits that are used in the wild?

    Will MS backtrack on their own or drop some of the artificial requirements of 11 so more people upgrade to it?

    Will government regulators step in and tell MS they have to do something?

    • by zuckie13 ( 1334005 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @05:56PM (#64919751)

      I think market share will jump a lot the last few months. I know lot of people just not in a rush - either waiting to upgrade until very late, or waiting to replace hardware until very late. That and some will just go away. My gaming box is on 10 - I'll probably give in and move that to 11 - but not until like August or September. I'm not in a rush. The laptop I have will leave the windows ecosystem completely before then and not be replaced, just become a pure Linux box instead of a dual boot one.

  • by gotamd ( 903351 ) on Monday November 04, 2024 @05:25PM (#64919687)
    I keep wondering when Microsoft will realize the error of their ways with Windows 11, both from a "planned obsolescence" point of view and from a customer "telemetry" (spying) point of view. So far, it seems they are dead set on proving that they have the market power to offer worse products over time and still remain dominant. It's a sad state of affairs.
    • They might learn something on the obsolescence point. But the telemetry thing has been gaining steam for a couple of decades already. That piece isn't going anywhere.

      • They cannot afford to give up the telemetry piece with AI training data being such a hot commodity. Whoever holds that training data holds the next computer revolution. Microsoft missed the cell phone revolution. They are not going to do that this time, consumer privacy be damned.

  • At the moment I'm a remote worker (consultant) and run Office 365 as a web app in Chromium on Kubuntu.
    In other words, if you're only using Office you can easily use Linux and relatively safely connect to the (inter)network.
    There are certain instruments and software that only run on windows but as long as the computer is not connected to the net you sure don't need to upgrade beyond say XP or Win7.
    A valid question is, does this computer really have to be on the net?
    • I certainly don't, though I do keep some VMs around JIC.

      Big businesses have policies they aren't going to easily change, and governments have even more, about what kind of software they will run for security and interoperability. And most of them which care about interoperation with others are cooperating with other Windows shops. Even if nobody else is using it, governments and those which want to interface with them are going to keep using Windows.

  • Windows is mostly included with new preloaded PC so no shit it's selling. Like the cardboard tube in the center of a bog roll, it's difficult to buy what you need without the included accessory.

    One day I'd love to see someone active in the fecalization of Slashdot own up to why they include so much space filler. You people aren't succeeding at any sort of advocacy so either you get paid enough not to care or you just don't give a shit.

    • It's the same story of enshittification as any web resource. It gets enough eyeballs to sell ads, and more bullshit means more ad impressions.

  • Garbage software that isn't an improvement. I use it only under duress. My mom's solution was to switch to Linux.

  • I've been using Win7 up until last month when some of the programs I was using dropped support for Win7. So if I lose M$ support next year for Win10, I'm pretty sure I can keep using Win10 for quite some time and maybe by then there will be a Windows version without all the user unfriendly crap and forced processes.
  • MS canâ(TM)t do it in 2025. It is one thing to end of life servers, another thing to do it to consumer OS on massive scale, requiring a hardware change.

    • I agree - there's a one-year extension available for 30 USD, but I'm absolutely convinced MS will wave it the moment a high profile exploit becomes known after 14 October 2025. If norlt, they'll create the world's largest botnet, something MS PR department cannot afford to let happen.

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