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Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

arstechnica.com

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Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#131

Post by throwcarsales »

hypercube33 wrote: post #84
throwcarsales wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just one data point, but I have gone full Linux Mint on almost all my computers. Being a MS guy since 1991 at 7 years old. Remember being in aw at windows 95 at 11-12. Avoided apples my whole life. Seeing how much better my friends apple computers ran than my modern windows computers, I just went full Linux. Loving it. Telling my parents and friends to consider it instead of buying a new computer to replace the 'slow…

I have one laptop I got used to be able to daily drive Linux and for now am on Zorin Pro. A lot of people don't like paying for support, or Linux, and v17 definitely has some problems but so far I'm impressed how well it runs win32 stuff out of the box and looks great. Support is pretty awesome so far too. Also yeah, I could do without paying just fine and work as basically a Windows engineer so I can Google stuff bu…

If you put your Linux questions into any decent AI it basically always solves your problems. Or atleast it did for my beginner tier issues I guess.

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#132

Post by stubish »

doubled112 wrote: post #86
fluidcruft wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't forget Windows 10 was marketed by Microsoft as the final version of Windows. Plenty of people are probably fed up with Microsoft's games.

They did give everybody on Windows 10 the Windows 11 upgrade. Is that similar? That would make it the last version you'll have to pay for. At least for most people. Some conditions may apply: * hardware compatibility permitting * until we decide otherwise * unless “the numbers” stop climbing * until AI suggests so

Machines were still being sold without TPM modules when Windows 10 was 'last Windows', so no.

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#133

Post by stego-tech »

keyringlight wrote: post #129
Yeul wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The desktop computer is dying. The only reason why I still have one is because I play videogames. Serious stuff is done on my phone. If we want to talk about disaster it's that Microsoft lost the smartphone battle. The real future of computing.

The phone/tablet as most common 'personal computer' is what I see that will be a constant bleed on the audience for the desktop PC. At least for the home audience the price trends over the past decade seems like a big deterrence, and the old model of having a desktop for home use and an enthusiast upgrading/modernizing it involves more. I do a fair amount of gaming on my 8-9 year old PC, and it's hard to justify an u…

If we want to revive interest in the desktop or laptop computer, and cost is a concern, then we should be steering more folks towards pre-built NUCs and SBCs with an efficient OS on top (like a friendlier Linux Desktop). The problem is that so much of the internet is so bloated and heavy that, with the way the average person uses a computer, the specs quickly become anemic.

So I guess I’m banging my efficiency and optimization drum again, is what I’m saying.

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#134

Post by mouse_ »

anton-c wrote: post #61
mouse_ wrote: post #9

I wish I could still use 7

Obviously couldn't be used in most commercial spaces but would it really be that harmful to run at home? I'm not that knowledgeable about computer security. Just don't know why a hacker would target a random home user, if that's even the fear.

It's not harmful at all, as long as you connect through a normal router, which will have a rudimentary firewall enabled. That's all you need, really.

Other than that it's just the normal understanding that you shouldn't run virus.exe or virus.pdf.exe, and if you do, you'll have less protection versus on Windows 10/11.

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#135

Post by eviks »

KronisLV wrote: post #13

I have to say that after switching to Windows 11, I don't hate it as much as I thought I would. I'm still a bit upset that they took away vertical taskbars from us, but some things like multi-GPU support is better than in Windows 10: https://blog.kronis.dev/blog/what-is-ruining-dual-gpu-setups On the other hand, for whatever reason Windows 11 right now refuses to install updates (I think the logs complained about the…

> I'm still a bit upset that they took away vertical taskbars from us

Have you tried this awesome mod app?

https://windhawk.net/mods/taskbar-vertical

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#136

Post by _lvbh »

goosedragons wrote: post #47
paulkrush wrote: post #4

Microsoft announced that you can extend Windows 10 support if you enroll in Microsoft Backup or purchase “Microsoft Points.” Just think if they get printer manufacturers in on this, just to keep your ink cartridges “authentic” and up to date, and you can keep using Windows 10. And so on... It’s interesting/unsettling to extrapolate a dystopian future from these moves. Keiichi Matsuda’s short film “Hyper-Reality”: htt…

You don't purchase Microsoft points. You can purchase extra support with 1000 Microsoft points that you can easily get for free in like a week clicking on some links on Bing.

This sounds like a black mirror episode to me. I've briefly used Windows Server 2012 a while back but otherwise used Linux my whole life. The way people complain about needing to learn how to type 'sudo dnf install' is too much work when they have to either install a bunch of tweaks to fix win11 or remove bloat from win10… I can't tell if I'm the insane one

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#137

Post by eviks »

mjevans wrote: post #57
princevegeta89 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure man, I just want a version of Microsoft Windows without all the telemetry and the ads and the aggressive control Microsoft has on the system via updates. Time and again they keep changing the default browser, throwing ads into Start Menu, blocking specific applications (such as Chrome etc. Bad example because Chrome is an evil junkyard. Imagine them blocking Google Drive one day because they want you to use…

Now having used an OSX laptop at work, my main pain points are how _everything_ seems to be different for the sake of being different (keeping legacy Macintosh-isms). My main pain points: * Keyboard combinations, can't 'theme' them to just work like every other popular platform. * Docking stations + Multi-Monitors. TONS broken here. Worst of all is how there's no way to just FIX the dock to a single screen's bottom.…

Karabiner Elements, keyboard maestro, better touch tool can help a lot in "theming" key combos (though KE might be limited on a locked down laptop)

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#138

Post by eviks »

discostrings wrote: post #72
KronisLV wrote: post #13

I have to say that after switching to Windows 11, I don't hate it as much as I thought I would. I'm still a bit upset that they took away vertical taskbars from us, but some things like multi-GPU support is better than in Windows 10: https://blog.kronis.dev/blog/what-is-ruining-dual-gpu-setups On the other hand, for whatever reason Windows 11 right now refuses to install updates (I think the logs complained about the…

Missing vertical taskbar is probably the most egregious omission, but it's not so much they took it away as it is they created versions of a number of Windows Explorer components in a higher-level technology without implementing half the features and shipping it with 50x the number of bugs. I at least weekly (and often daily) run into issues with taskbar icons overlapping one another, menus not coming up when clicked…

> in a higher-level technology without implementing half the features and shipping it with 50x the number of bugs.

Ha, yeah, was amazed to see basic layout fails in such a core component! Web tech is eating the world, bringing all its sloppiness with it...

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#139

Post by tester756 »

mouse_ wrote: post #134
anton-c wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously couldn't be used in most commercial spaces but would it really be that harmful to run at home? I'm not that knowledgeable about computer security. Just don't know why a hacker would target a random home user, if that's even the fear.

It's not harmful at all, as long as you connect through a normal router, which will have a rudimentary firewall enabled. That's all you need, really. Other than that it's just the normal understanding that you shouldn't run virus.exe or virus.pdf.exe, and if you do, you'll have less protection versus on Windows 10/11.

Outdated browser exploits?

Re: Microsoft extends free Windows 10 security updates into 2026

#140

Post by prmoustache »

ryanjshaw wrote: post #105
eviks wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, how many of your friends stuck with Linux after trying out?

Spent about 12mo on Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint) and there were just too many issues. Ubuntu had weird quirks that almost always turned out to be related to my using a snap package. Of course I wasted countless hours getting to the point where I realised that was the issue. Mint stopped booting once for unknown reasons on modern hardware and I had to reinstall. Another time I wasted half my day trying to get my whate…

OTOH I recently started a new position and was given both a win11 laptop and a win11 cloud desktop and the experience after having used Fedora at pro level for the last 10 years is frustrating.

Virtual Desktop is broken. You can't quickly move a window both on a different screen and virtual desktop at the same time. You need to do it in 2 steps. There are some type of windows (like auth ones) that will appear on all virtual desktop regardless of your wishes.

Windows updates that don't go through with obscure, non informative, codes. When you use a search engine for it, you are led to Microsoft Community with absolutely zero solutions. Sometimes after a random amount of days failing and random reboots, they end up going through.

Hitting win key and trying to search for an app or document randomly freeze. The popup menu appears but you can't type anything. Badically if you don't put apps icons in your taskbar you are never sure you will be able to start it without opening a terminal and starting it from powershell.

There are various stupid stuff, like why can't I create a symlink in my own user directory without being an administrator?

I can't put the taskbar wherever I want. I am fairly sure that last time I used a windows 10 years or so ago I could have the taskbar at the top or on the side. In win2000 and XP too.

UI is super slow all the time.

Peoole complain about appimage/flatpal/snap, this is worse on windows where you have random exe installer, winget, chocolatey, scoop and the windows store. Worse even when winget you seem to still have to go through the interactive installer. If I am using the command line, that's because I want a modern package installation and the app ready, not having to click next n times.

It also took my IT 2 weeks to solve an issue where whatever security tool they are using was complaining that my brand new computer was infringing a number of security policies and my access to some resources online would be limited.

And I am forgetting a lot of other frustrations but basically it feels like you are fighting the OS all the time and an insane amount of time is lost doing so. It doesn't help that I am not allowed to install WSL.

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