No Stupid Questions

short answer: windows 11 gives them access to more of your data.

So they can put AI in everything and slurp all your data. Well at least, they don't say they aren't doing that.

I hate Microsoft.

However, it's expensive for them (or anyone) to maintain old software with never-ending security patches.

All software has a lifecycle. When they said Windows 10 would be the last version, we all knew they were full of shit. Never believe promises made by a corporate marketing team.

They also want to brag to shareholders about Windows 11 adoption numbers. So it's in their interest to coerce more people into upgrading.

You are the product. If you don't like it then fix that last 10% in Linux or find alternatives to the few things holding you back.

It costs money to keep an OS patched and secure. They don't wanna do it anymore.

Dunno but I've finally gotten sick of windows.

Been spending my time after work the last 2 weeks shifting my software stack from windows to a debian testbench, while learning docker. Once that's finally mirrored the way I want I'll wipe the windows machine, install Debian, and move all the containers back over to it.

Microsoft can go fornicate themselves with a chainsaw.

less a question and more of an opinion. is there an opinion community? maybe post there instead

My insane thoughts are this, Microsoft wants all your data so they may use it to sell you something, from the advertisers they made money from by sharing your information.

Microsoft is also in bed with OpenAI. It seems OpenAI wants an operating system that will require you, as a user, surrendering to them full access and control of everything. https://gizmodo.com/openai-wants-to-control-your-computer-1851240566

Profit and control are the ultimate goal, imo.

I don’t really know and am not going to take time to look for example articles, but it seems like I’ve seen a lot of stories lately where Microsoft has a lot of ability to track users internally in Windows 11 for better “spyware” for Microsoft’s own financial gain. Largely it seems to be to get people to use more of Microsoft’s paid services that have recurring fees, which will benefit Microsoft financially more in the long run than a one-time upgrade fee.

I won't claim to know for sure, but I'll place my bet on it still being about motivated by profit and growth. Supposedly Windows 10 was supposed to be the last Windows ever, and move to an eternal patching process, but I guess that didn't stick. So obviously just keeping you on Windows isn't enough, they found a need to create a refresh.

I did notice that refresh has new hardware requirements, like TPM modules and such. Deals with the OEMs to get people to buy/build new PCs?

There's talk of advertisements and sponsored links in the very Start Menu, so partnerships with advertisers to get closer to your daily activities?

I won't say I know for sure, because I only use Windows for video games. So, I too will be running Windows 10 until the games don't work anymore. Might I recommend, if you can get a copy, Windows 10 LTSC? It is a bared bones version of Windows made (by Microsoft) for enterprises and governments who would never buy into consumer features like advertising and analytics, so it's very clean, fast, and not full of spying junk or ads like the Home versions. And it hasn't bugged me once about upgrading. All my games run fine after some one-time minor command prompt foolery to get the Store and XBOX game pass apps back.

EDIT: Also, LTSC is Long-Term Support Channel, so additionally it will be supported longer than the regular editions, and be safer longer. Unless they change their minds this time around of course, but I doubt it. You don't rush the government through a PC upgrade if you want them to fund you.

Windows 7 is 15 years old. That's a long time to go with no new functionality. You may not care, but Microsoft is gonna need a critical mass of people to want that to make it economical to maintain a release for 15 years.

If you don't want to use something like Linux, which does offer more flexibility to keep UI the same, then I'd probably try adopting software packages that aren't going to change so that an update has less impact on you. Don't use the OS's bundled file manager or text editor or music player or whatever; use a third-party package that's maintained UI consistency and been around for a long time.

You sound like my buddies 10yo daughter when she hops online to play games with us. "Everything is not fair, I want it to magically change without my intervention and I don't want to do anything about it or be told to take action or take advice that is given."

I think Windows 8 is the most hated version of Windows ever. Balmer jumped the gun on that one, trying to integrate UI design between Microsoft phones and desktop Windows, was never seen as a benefit by users. I guess many believe Windows 7 was the last really good version of Windows.
Personally I love these Windows upgrades, every single one of them. They are always good opportunities for Linux users to get good hardware dirt cheap.
As to why Microsoft wants you to upgrade IDK, maybe because it helps OEMs sell more machines, each with a paid Windows license?
Microsoft may also have upped the level of advertising and found more ways to monetize it.

Advertising. They want to embed advertising to generate more revenue.

There's that new clippy thing that lets you record an arbitrary region of the screen. That and HDR stuff. Everything else in Windows 11 is on par or a regression over previous functionality. It's the New Coke of Windows operating systems. 😆

I disagree with most of this thread. Microsoft must maintain market share at all costs, any additional monetization from tracking or ad revenue is a very distant third to that. It lives based on being the default option. A new launch will bring in new users and help keep existing ones, but it must be seen as successful. So Microsoft needs to port as many of it's current users over as possible.

Second I think is pruning the nightmare of legacy support. A "new" operating system lets you set a more modern baseline and tell people to buy new hardware in a much more user intelligible way. No having to explain why Windows 7 no longer works on someone's 2007 laptop that came with it, or come up with a maze of partial support and having to work out what the last usable update was.

Everyone's already said the reason, so I'll just use this comment to suggest a nice little program called Darik's Boot and Nuke to erase a troublesome OS that doesn't want to go away, along with everything else on the drive.

My primary machine used to be a Windows 8 machine. It runs Windows 7 well enough, after downloading a few drivers.