cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/15988326
Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025. The current version, 22H2, will be the final version of Windows 10, and all editions will remain in support with monthly security update releases through that date. Existing LTSC releases will continue to receive updates beyond that date based on their specific lifecycles.
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-10-home-and-pro
Why? Only hardcore computer nerds would ever want that.
A devastating amount of computer hardware is about to be e-wasted because they decided to drop support for anything older than roughly 2017/2018.
It's an arbitrary limitation as people have succeeded in forcing it to work on much older hardware that still works well enough for your avg person.
Additionally, windows used to be a tool now it's a platform for them to essentially market any number of things and user privacy appears to be the least important thing on the table.
The only reason we don't see mass adoption of Linux has been 4 decades of software development and marketing that let's them continue to wear their crown.
A regulatory party needs to humble them and return windows to being a tool.
Imagine if the gasoline companies one day announced that they will be changing gas so only cars bought in the last 5 years or so could refuel.
Now imagine if to buy a car you had to tolerate cameras and other forms of tracking your telemetry just to get to work and feed yourself.
Lunacy yes? They took the "my" out of my computer.
Why should they have to support Windows 10 when Linux would run fine on your 'old' machine? That really puts the 'yours' back in your computer, no need for a company to do it for you.
Yeah and abandon so much in the process.
Linux is wonderful and works plenty fine, but as a civilization we are not ready. There's still so much that won't work out of the box, for most manufacturers it's an after thought if any at all.
You can't walk into your avg store and be like I want a computer with Linux that will play fortnite.
You can't blindly buy a video game or a multifunctional printer without serious consideration.
Unlike Windows where it's the established norm that it will work 100% of the time.
Sure you can argue that a user should just learn to deal with that and teach themselves how to install Linux and cope with whatever comes up.
But that's just unfair to grandma and anyone else that hasn't made computers a hobby.