Discussion Reasons to upgrade (or not) to Windows 11

[Isaac Zackary]

Background.
At some point in the future, possibly by October of 2025, I figure most people will need to migrate away from Windows 10. I personally don't have a Windows 11 compatible computer right now, so I've dabbled in the idea of switching to Linux instead of Windows 11. However, before making such a big jump I thought I'd just research what Windows 11 has to offer to see if there's something there I'd really be missing out on and thought I'd share what I've found.

Reasons why to switch to Windows 11

1. Windows 10 support ends in October of 2025. So no security updates and apps may stop working or stop working properly.
2. Design and interface is different, so some may like it better than Windows 10.
3. You can use Android apps on it.
4. It will have better virtual desktop support.
5. Better transitions between monitor and laptop.
6. Microsoft Teams added to the Taskbar.
7. Widgets.
8. Enhanced touchscreen, pen and voice inputs.
9. Certain features found in Xbox consoles like Auto HDR and DirectStorage.
10. Possibly better security (if your current Windows 10 computer doesn't have a TPM or SecureBoot).
11. You need a new computer anyway.
12. Any thing else? All suggestions, info and opinions appreciated!!!

Reasons not to upgrade

1. Maybe there are few or no apps that you'll lose if you stick with Windows 10 or switch to Linux.
2. Maybe you don't like some of the asthetic changes in Windows 11.
3. Perhaps you don't need or won't ever use the new Windows 11 features.
4. If your computer isn't Windows 11 compatible it will cost money to upgrade (aka, buy a new computer) unless you force a Windows 11 install by bypassing hardware checks.
5. There's a chance Windows 12 will come out by some time close to the end of Windows 10 so you could just skip Windows 11.
6. Anything else?

References:
Windows 11 vs. Windows 10: Major Differences You'll Want to Know (cnet.com)

 

[Colif]

Pentium 4415Y

in hind sight, the CPU not being compatible isn't entirely MIcrosofts fault. I don't know who decided where the line in sand is with regard to CPU, I assume there was an agreement of sort between hardware makers, so your 2019 PC not updating could be both Intel & MS's fault and as is usual in these things, the customer is the one who pays in the end. Both can blame each other and still you lose.

But I got Windows 10 for apps I wanted that weren't available on Windows Vista and 7. However, those apps no longer work properly on Windows 8 and 8.1 and even earlier versions of Windows 10. So as far as I can tell, the end of support for Windows 10 is the end of support for my apps.

what apps as 99% of win 10 programs run on win 11. They didn't change that much under hood. Most software should run fine.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

what apps as 99% of win 10 programs run on win 11. They didn't change that much under hood. Most software should run fine.

I wasn't saying my apps wouldn't work on Windows 11. Actually they work very well on Windows 11.

But they are the kind of apps used for study and have libraries that need to be updated as new study material comes out.

So, along the line that my apps need to be updated to be usefuel and they are no longer updated on Windows 8, or even earlier builds of Windows 10, I think it is safe to say that the end of support for Windows 10 is the end of updates for my apps. And the end of updates to my apps would render them partially useful with limited functionality.

It's like trying to use WhatsApp on a Windows Phone. A Windows Phone will still work in this day and age. But the app WhatsApp will not work on it, even if you have it installed on your Windows Phone.

 

[Colif]

A lot of apps drop support for older software as they go. or hardware. Its not just hardware makers that don't want to support everything. Changes to software, both windows and just the apps, means that you have to let some things go or release legacy versions.

its like AMD with their GPU. They have 2 sets of drivers, one for the newer cards, and another for all the cards released before a date that I assume changes every few years to include more cards. Nvidia just have one set of drivers, not sure what they do about really old cards.

 

[USAFRet]

I wasn't saying my apps wouldn't work on Windows 11. Actually they work very well on Windows 11.

But they are the kind of apps used for study and have libraries that need to be updated as new study material comes out.

So, along the line that my apps need to be updated to be usefuel and they are no longer updated on Windows 8, or even earlier builds of Windows 10, I think it is safe to say that the end of support for Windows 10 is the end of updates for my apps. And the end of updates to my apps would render them partially useful with limited functionality.

It's like trying to use WhatsApp on a Windows Phone. A Windows Phone will still work in this day and age. But the app WhatsApp will not work on it, even if you have it installed on your Windows Phone.

I've found exactly zero of my applications from WIn 7 fail to work in 10 or 11.
CAD/photo/video, etc.

WhatsApp won't simply go away with a new release of Windows, they will just release a new client if needed.
With the same functionality.
You won't lose anything.

The only thing I had that failed to work in Win 10 was a Dell laser printer from 2004, and an ancient HP scanner.
And that fail would be all on HP and Dell. Not MS.

 

[jacob249358]

I'm personally considering changing to a 5600x because I don't like windows 11 with my 12700f. Im not software savvy and I had just started to master windows 10. And the i7 is overkill for my needs. Maybe its just me but windows 11 has this weird feeling to me.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

I've found exactly zero of my applications from WIn 7 fail to work in 10 or 11.
CAD/photo/video, etc.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

WhatsApp won't simply go away with a new release of Windows, they will just release a new client if needed.
With the same functionality.
You won't lose anything.

Excatly! Except you lose money, or have to pay with money, to keep some of that functionality since new computers aren't free.

WhatsApp died on older versions of Android, iOS and altogether on Windows Phone. It works perfectly fine on the newest Android and iOS devices.

The only thing I had that failed to work in Win 10 was a Dell laser printer from 2004, and an ancient HP scanner.
And that fail would be all on HP and Dell. Not MS.

You're talking about older software (drivers) not supporting newer operating systems. I was talking about newer software not supporting older operating systems.

 

[USAFRet]

Excatly! Except you lose money, or have to pay with money, to keep some of that functionality since new computers aren't free.

WhatsApp died on older versions of Android, iOS and altogether on Windows Phone. It works perfectly fine on the newest Android and iOS devices.

Not sure of the relevance of WinPhone here.
It is a dead platform, for any application.

You're talking about older software (drivers) not supporting newer operating systems. I was talking about newer software not supporting older operating systems.

And that would be the fault of the app developer. Yes, sometimes that happens.


Win 10 absolutely spoiled us on backwards hardware compatibility. Previous Windows versions were not quite so benevolent.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

Not sure of the relevance of WinPhone here.
It is a dead platform, for any application.


And that would be the fault of the app developer. Yes, sometimes that happens.


Win 10 absolutely spoiled us on backwards hardware compatibility. Previous Windows versions were not quite so benevolent.

Hence a reason to upgrade. App developers don't always keep supporting outdated operating systems. But if you have an old program you have to use, maybe it's worth keeping the older computer. 16 bit x86 programs don't work on Windows 10 with 64 bits (unless emulated), but they do work on Windows 10 with a 32 bit processor, for an example (time to go play Ski Free...)

Windows 10 will eventually become like Windows Phone, at least in some respects, as do all outdated operating systems. They stop getting support. That's the relevance.

Maybe a better comparison is the Microsoft 365 Office Suite. I would venture to guess that after October of 2025 they will stop updating it on Windows 10, or maybe even before that date. It will still likely work if you have an active account. But any new features or aesthetic changes won't be available on Windows 10 after that date. So, if you want the latest and greatest of an app, even if the app was available on an older platform, you need the latest and greatest operating system to go with it, or at least one that is still supported.

But has this new way of updating everything locked us into a more frequent cycle of upgrades?

 

[Colif]

If win 10 is anything like win 7, its hard to tell when its support will end with 365.
Microsoft still support 365 on Win 7 but you can't get feature updates

Even though Windows 7 is no longer supported, we've decided to continue to provide you with security updates for Microsoft 365 Apps for the next three years, until January 2023. We're doing this to give you more time to make the transition from using Microsoft 365 Apps on devices running Windows 7 to devices running a supported operating system, such as Windows 11 or Windows 10. But, during that time, as long as the device is still running Windows 7, your installation of Microsoft 365 Apps won't receive any new features updates.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/endofsupport/windows-7-support

so How long they support 10 for after its ended getting updates is unclear as Win 7 isn't new, and win 10 might get just as long an extension as its had.