Question Go to Linux or should I forces update to Windows 11?

[jordyszita]

I have a question to everyone. I don't have a lot of money to buy a new PC and my current one is totally fine for what I am using it for. I am trying to keep it for at least 2 or 3 years max. I hear that Microsoft Windows 11 will not work with older PC's to a degree, which upsets me, as again, my PC does just works fine. Including my wifes Dell laptop that has the same GEN CPU (Windows 10 / i5 6th gen, 16GB ram, 256GB SSD). I need advice to what OS I should go for. For my self. I game and I like to do the odd printing, and Microsoft word doc and movies on the side. My wife, it's making sure her Iphone 10 can be used with the PC still, and just lots and lots of Word doc, excel, emails, movies and music at most. So Windows 11? or Linux and which Linux is super user friendly. Also would it work with a HP printer Lasterjet M209DWE? pros and cons?​

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PC Specs:​

• CPU: i7-6700K (not OC)
• GPU: Asus 3070 TI
• Heatsink: Arctic Liquid Freezer 2
• RAM: 32GB (total 4 sticks DDR4) G.Skills Ripjaws
• MB: M.S.I Z170A Gaming M7
• SSD M.2: 1TB from Adata
• SDD Sata: two 1TB Samsung 940s
• WD: Black 1TB
• PSU: 1200W GOLD from Seasonic
• Case fans: 3 140mm front and 2 140 rear / with fan controller
• Windows 10 64bit

 

[JeffreyP55]

Dual boot, Virtual windows. You decide. I choose windows because I'm tired of fussing with OS's. Unix, Amiga and MS DOS + I don't remember the rest. I have tried assorted Linux distros through the years. I really have no need for Linux.

 

[geofelt]

Your win 10 pc will continue to work.
You will not get any new win 11 features
You may or may not get updates for newly found security exposures.

 

[FunWithComputers]

You could try set up a dual boot of your current system with Windows 10 and a Linux distribution (e.g. Ubuntu), and test if, over time, you're happy with Linux.
I would not recommend continuing to use Windows 10 after support expires without security updates - potential costs of your system getting compromised outweigh the alternatives.
Neither system meets system requirements for Windows 11 so it's unlikely to to provide a reliable alternative for these PCs.
Another option would be to sell your current systems and buy some more up to date hardware.
All the best.

 

[Colif]

Its not like windows 10 will explode in October, you just stop getting updates. Its hardly end of the world.
There are alternative Anti Virus programs you can use that will still be updated after 10 stops.

If I had a PC that couldn't update I would just keep using it. I used Vista for years after it stopped being supported. Its fine. If anything, no updates mean they can't break it anymore.

If anything major does happen, MS likely release a patch to fix it... they did same for Win 7 when it was EOL.

 

[FunWithComputers]

If anything major does happen, MS likely release a patch to fix it... they did same for Win 7 when it was EOL.

As Microsoft is offering a 'pay for extended support' option, I think it's quite likely that many or all of the newer patches won't be released unless you're paying for them.
It's true that the world won't end if your system is compromised but your financial situation might fall off a cliff, if, e.g. you do online banking or use the system to access an important email account.

 

[USAFRet]

As Microsoft is offering a 'pay for extended support' option, I think it's quite likely that many or all of the newer patches won't be released unless you're paying for them.
It's true that the world won't end if your system is compromised but your financial situation might fall off a cliff, if, e.g. you do online banking or use the system to access an important email account.

MS has pushed out singular critical updates for out of support OS's.

Rare, but it happens.

 

[FunWithComputers]

MS has pushed out singular critical updates for out of support OS's.

Rare, but it happens.

While it's possible Windows 10 may be 'unofficially' supported through updates after its officially 'end of life' it would be prudent to prepare in advance for the possibility that it's no longer a safe system (without a paid subscription for updates) after end of life.

Trying out a Linux distribution in advance will essentially only cost a little time, even if you end up sticking with Windows. (If you don't like it, that's worth knowing about too!)

Most Windows users probably won't find Linux (on a distribution like Ubuntu) to be a very steep learning curve if they give themselves time to ease in to it, ask for support etc.

'Wait and see' sounds like a bad strategy to me:
- if Windows 10 is unsafe after its end of life (without a paid subscription for updates), a user who wants to swap to Linux is immediately under the pump and shopping for new hardware (or selling old) is also going to be under time pressure.
- Newer equipment will generally be better if you defer an upgrade, but with tariffs in the pipeline delays could be costly.

Edit: we will probably only really discover what is going on 'after the fact', e.g. if a major zero-day vulnerability is announced and Microsoft doesn't release a patch. Relying on malware detectors alone, if patches aren't being released, isn't really a great idea.

 

[Colif]

All previous versions of windows prior to 10 were fine after their end date, I don't see a reason to think Windows 10 will be any different. The most annoying part will be the endless reminders from Microsoft to update to 11. Though those can be disabled.

Times like this is when the linux crowd think they will finally get converts but it never seems to play out that way. Onslaught of YouTube videos screaming doom and gloom will start towards end of year. Very little of what Microsoft does seems to stop people using Windows.

 

[FunWithComputers]

All previous versions of windows prior to 10 were fine after their end date

I think we need to be a little more nuanced than this - if e.g. you connect an xp machine to the internet today you're probably going to pick up some malware fairly quickly.

It's really a question of when not if Windows 10 goes bad.

Maybe it will be more like a 'best before' date than a 'use by' date, but I can't really see it makes a lot of sense to take a gamble on this, if you do a cost-benefit analysis.

'Very little of what Microsoft does seems to stop people using Windows.'
Except when changes actually block intended users from installing Windows 11, which seems to be happening quite a bit.

'the linux crowd think they will finally get converts'
Steam is doing a good job of recruitment to the point that it sounds like there have been some modest gains (maybe over 4% of desktops now).
Loss of market dominance in IT isn't new. Remember the Internet Explorer days?

While there is no reason for anticipating a Linux takeover is immanent, this type of thing has happened before:
“There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share,” Ballmer
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home" (Olsen DEC)
"At one point in the 1980s, more than 80 percent of the 2,000 largest United States companies used Wang systems" but Wang failed to perceive the threat ...