If you’re already with Linux, this is not for you. This is for people who’re indecisive or been contemplating for long about whether to make that jump.
For me, it’s a matter of a few things. I’m on a Windows 10 version that guarantees me until 2032 of support. That means I would effectively skip Windows 11, like I already mostly have and potentially skip Windows 12 if that turns out to be a shitty choice. I’d be coming in right in time for whatever Microslop shits out for Win13.
Should Windows 13 suck, I think that’s a consideration. Another consideration is when Valve keeps dropping support for certain Windows versions of Steam. Because I know for a fact they will drop Windows 10 support entirely one day and then Windows 11. I believe it is really stupid that they do this.
By the time my Windows 10 version expires, I’d be getting older, which means I’ll probably care less and less about computer-related things. Going to Linux wouldn’t be a problem since I’d be doing barebones things like browsing and checking e-mail.
And I’d also hope that by 2032, Linux would have better development like easier access to proprietary drivers and software among other things.
tbh it isn’t that big of an issue to use an outdated OS as long as the user is competent enough and has basic security measures. power users (like the ones on lemmy) can just use whatever that works well enough for them, be it WinXP, OS X, …
and switching to linux isn’t that big deal either, there’s no need to get rid of the existing machine/windows install if there’s something that works better there
It starts becoming an issue though because of what I mentioned about what Valve does with Steam. For the longest time, people used Windows XP out of protest because they didn’t like Vista or they’ll use 7 out of protest for 8.1 or even 10. Then Valve one day decided to axe Windows XP support for Steam. Then they did it for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.
We see this happen all of the time with browsers, there will eventually become a point where you have to force yourself to either upgrade or jump ship.
well there still are people using XP and 7 on personal computers in 2026. there’s a tool that makes a lot of win10+ programs work on 7/8.1, and also a lot of patched softwares that runs on those older versions. or workarounds that make the last compatible version still function well.
there always will be a workaround, though at some point it might be easier to just use a linux vm for some stuff
People doing it does not make it a good idea. In fact it an absolutely TERRIBLE idea and that cannot be overstated. I explained why in another comment, but I’m not even sure why I would need to explain that, even to very inexperienced users. That operating system hasn’t received an update of any kind in like… 15 years?
more like 7 years. posready 2009 got updates till 2019, many xp users apply updates from it.
i’m not telling them to switch to xp. i’m saying that considering the fact that XP still remains usable to many after all these years, win10 will remain fully usable for a lot more years to come.
Okay I don’t understand what you mean but it’s irrelevant. An os without updates for 1 year will leave it far too unsafe to use.
You’re wrong though. Using an unsupported os is a bad idea. Being able to do it is not the issue. It’s the fact that it is not at all safe which means it shouldn’t be done.
Downvote me all you want, I’m speaking the truth. You should not be encouraging people to stay on windows versions that lose support. It’s literally dangerous to do it.
it’s pointless to keep explaining when our opinions are so different. I disagree with your comment, and I use the downvote button to express my disagreement to the specific comment. I don’t have anything against you, sorry if this bothered you.
(votes are public on the fediverse anyway, and it’s not like reddit where your karma decreases and you get banned if you lose too much karma…)
Mine is not an opinion. The mistake you’re making is thinking it is. It is simply a fact that windows is already insecure as hell, using a version of it that is even more so is not something you should tell people they can or should do. You are advocating for using windows 10 in perpetuity. It is actually an unsafe thing to attempt.
realistically not theoretically, how would you get pwned by running an outdated windows install behind a firewall, with in/outbound controlled by a very narrow allowlist.
i literally do this with win7. the machine’s in/outbound network is fully blocked except for a SOCKS5 proxy i’m running on some freebsd box. the program i need to run on it supports setting a proxy so that works, and web browser (a modded/latest build of firefox) also uses that proxy along with uBlock Origin and nuTensor (fork of uMatrix) so my javascript and fonts is blocked unless I explicitly enable it, which again is a very narrow allowlist.
there’s nothing I can’t lose on the machine, and even if it gets pwned I can afford it and can just restore from the latest backup. (ofc this should be what everyone does even on a fully updated system, user mistake can always get one pwned)
You’re claiming running Windows XP is fine to do and it absolutely is not. There are likely hundreds of security holes in it that can never be patched. This is dangerous advice you’re giving, and on top of it, it would make life hard constantly. When I have tried to use XP in a vm for certain things, it’s unbelievable how many things don’t work which are a problem. For example, the most up to date version of Firefox that would work on it was v3.5 iirc. The latest version is 149 I think. This meant that when I browsed the Internet, it was an insanely broken experience.
Tldr; trying to run Windows XP is a horrifyingly terrible idea which is not feasible and even if you managed to do it, your data is not safe and can be stolen or modified by malicious actors at any moment.
3.5? what? no, the latest firefox that runs is 56 and the latest esr 52. seamonkey supported xp till 2019 with 2.49.5. in 2026, there’s a fork of latest chromium with support for winxp backported including full sandbox. there are security holes in the os, yes, but the kind of ‘power user’ i mentioned are the ones who know how to use XP properly in present day and can reasonably setup their network to block all unnecessary stuff, not run fishy softwares, etc. see win2k.org for an example of such power user patching their legacy system to the extreme and keeping it usable.
i’m not suggesting to run XP. I’m saying it’s still possible, so there’s no way win10 will be unusable in a short time from now. At least I’m reasonably sure it will remain filly usable for power users with all kinds of workarounds for around 10 or more years. those who are not more comfortable with doing such workarounds can switch to linux or other similarly free system, which is also of course what i recommend.
You’re focused on it being possible and you’re hand waving the very valid and very major security concerns with “some power users can do it safely”. Nope. Once an os becomes unsupported, at that moment it becomes unsafe as a daily driver. This isn’t my opinion, this is just a sober look at the reality of data security.