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)

 

[USAFRet]

Going all in with Linux is a major change.
ALL your applications, etc.

Games, while getting better, are nowhere near as prevalent in Linux as in the Windows world.

A lot of things may never really work in Linux....Teams, for instance. If you really need that, oh well.


Win 10 vs 11 vs 12.
Win 12 is not likely to have lower requirements than 11.

But any system that is NOT Win 11 capable will be near a decade old by the time Win 10 falls off support in 2025.
Decade old performance.
So you may be looking at a new system anyway.

 

[punkncat]

Personally have already migrated two of my compatible work machines to W11. I like it in spite of things I feel confident will be worked out with updates. I like W10 as well and changing just for "different" probably isn't enough because 11 is 10, just the newest vision of where it's going....just like 10 is 7 and so on.

In the case of machines that will still be well within relevance by then, my personal plan at this moment in time is to migrate to Linux. That is due to the fact that everything I deal with which will be impacted by requirements ARE and certainly will be office machines only at that point. Much of it already is. Many of the Linux distro and freeware office suites are suited perfectly for run of the mill office use and web surfing. It will not make any difference at all towards what I use, but already has made an impact on what I refurbish and resell.

With that said, we have three years till this comes to pass. So much can and will change by then. No need to make a manifesto of it or concern yourself to worry about it.

 

[hotaru.hino]

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

Even if Windows 12 were to come out in 2025, Windows 11 will have had four years of updates, making it likely more stable than Windows 12. So if you want a "proven" OS, you shouldn't go this route anyway.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

A lot of things may never really work in Linux....Teams, for instance. If you really need that, oh well.

I'm not even sure what Teams is! 😀

In the case of machines that will still be well within relevance by then, my personal plan at this moment in time is to migrate to Linux. That is due to the fact that everything I deal with which will be impacted by requirements ARE and certainly will be office machines only at that point. Much of it already is. Many of the Linux distro and freeware office suites are suited perfectly for run of the mill office use and web surfing. It will not make any difference at all towards what I use, but already has made an impact on what I refurbish and resell.

That's kind of my situation. I don't game on Windows, nor do I have much tied to apps that can't be replaced on Linux except maybe one app that I could either possibly emulate or just use on my phone.

With that said, we have three years till this comes to pass. So much can and will change by then. No need to make a manifesto of it or concern yourself to worry about it.

True. There's always the posibility that something may just pop up on Windows 11 that I just have to have. Or maybe there'll be a Mac that I just can't pass up because... because... (I have no idea why I'd buy a Mac). Or my current non-W11 compatible computer may die somehow and I'll need a new one.

Even if Windows 12 were to come out in 2025, Windows 11 will have had four years of updates, making it likely more stable than Windows 12. So if you want a "proven" OS, you shouldn't go this route anyway.

Good point!

Decade old performance.
So you may be looking at a new system anyway.

That's something I don't agree with as a non-PC-gamer. It's like buying a car anymore. My current car goes as fast as I need for what I do. Sure, a new car would be faster. But so what? Sure, a new computer would be faster. But so what? I mainly use a computer for study, research and finances. Would a spreadsheet crunching numbers any faster than they do now really make my life a whole lot better? I mean, unless we all start going with virtual reality or something.

However, one thing I would like performancewise, if you can call this performance, is a better screen. I'd like a tablet or 2-in-one with a screen that I can see in broad daylight. So that could make me want a new computer if I found one that I knew was exceptional in that category.

 

[punkncat]

^ Something else to consider.

There are a bevy of 'aftermarket' solutions available that can make W10 a safe environment to continue working with for years beyond support.

Get an aftermarket AV solution, that's taken care of. Utilize other programs for things like your media players such as VLC, use Chrome or other if the browser quits updating, use a freeware office suite....people did this with W7 for years and many still do. I still use W7 for machines that have no online presence because they don't hassle you for updates and internet connection.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

^ Something else to consider.

There are a bevy of 'aftermarket' solutions available that can make W10 a safe environment to continue working with for years beyond support.

Get an aftermarket AV solution, that's taken care of. Utilize other programs for things like your media players such as VLC, use Chrome or other if the browser quits updating, use a freeware office suite....people did this with W7 for years and many still do. I still use W7 for machines that have no online presence because they don't hassle you for updates and internet connection.

That definitely is a good reason for those who fall into that category. That would be something I should look into myself. However, it would have some similarities to Linux in the sense of still needing to look for alternative apps but at least not all apps and utilites and such.

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you're still keen on going the Linux route, I highly recommend learning how to service it with the command line. Especially when it comes to app updates.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

If you're still keen on going the Linux route, I highly recommend learning how to service it with the command line. Especially when it comes to app updates.

My first computer was a Tandy Color Computer 2 (CoCo 2), then more than one MS-DOS machines, I've used the Terminal on MacOS a few times and even on Windows 10 I use both CMD and PowerShell, so command lines aren't foreign to me. I've also been dabbling in Linux during the past few days and have installed Linux Mint on two computers and have installed both Windows and Android apps as well as many Linux apps on them. Not that I know everything, and yes, the Linux Terminal is still a bit of a learning curve for me.

But for everyone, including me, yes, knowledge of how to use a command line or not or the willingness to learn is a reason to stay with Windows or to consider abandoning Windows for Linux. So that is a very good point.

 

[Colif]

Design and interface is different, so some may like it better than Windows 10.

The desktop is so similar that the only way I can tell I am on 11 is because start is in middle, and its only there so I can see my weather in taskbar. Win 10 does that without need for a central start button.
Yes, there are differences but unless you spend all your day in start menu or settings, its really easy to forget its new. I may need to use 10 again to remember what else might be different.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

The desktop is so similar that the only way I can tell I am on 11 is because start is in middle, and its only there so I can see my weather in taskbar. Win 10 does that without need for a central start button.
Yes, there are differences but unless you spend all your day in start menu or settings, its really easy to forget its new. I may need to use 10 again to remember what else might be different.

Rounded corners maybe?

I also don't see a big difference, and the few aesthetics that are quite different don't really bother me either. In fact I kind of like the looks of Windows 11. But a few others have complained, so it's something to consider. Also, I haven't had much experience with Windows 11 since I don't own or have regular access to a compatible computer.

Here's a question. Would sore feelings with Microsoft count as a reason? For an example, I got a Surface GO from Microsoft in December of 2019. 1 year and 10 months later I started getting messages on that tablet that it was not Windows 11 compatible. Mind you I still was making payments on it and it was still under the extended Microsoft warranty I bought along with it. I mean, ya, they had to draw the line somewhere. But why sell a device they knew would not make the cut so close to the Windows 11 launch?

Edit:
(And this was the first device I really splurged on too. I got everything for it, the type cover, the pen and the even the $200 dock. The type cover stopped working and I bought a new one about a month before the truth came out that the Surface GO would not be getting Windows 11. I've also always babied the battery by using kiosk mode whenever I can and trying not to go over 80% charge not under 20%. Sure, maybe a tablet isn't supposed to last more than 6 years. But I still feel like kind of an idiot for my purchase.)

Maybe that's not a good reason to think about abandoning Windows and closing my Microsoft 365 account, but it does bother me none the less.

 

[Colif]

I can totally understand being upset at Microsoft if they are the ones who sold hardware 2 years before releasing a new OS and it isn't compatible. I can give the benefit of doubt to some hardware makers but Microsoft? Shows you how much changed in 2 years that even their hardware division didn't see it coming.
What is not compatible in the surface? tpm or something else?

All of the Press presentations of win 11 showed off the desktop in 1080p where you can notice the different graphical flourishes when it does things, and those round corners stand out more, but at 1440p or higher, its less obvious. I can't pretend its not 11, I just open settings or start to remind myself of that.
I like how applications on desktops cast shadows over apps under them but I always wanted more than just UI changes.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

I can totally understand being upset at Microsoft if they are the ones who sold hardware 2 years before releasing a new OS and it isn't compatible. I can give the benefit of doubt to some hardware makers but Microsoft? Shows you how much changed in 2 years that even their hardware division didn't see it coming.
What is not compatible in the surface? tpm or something else?

All of the Press presentations of win 11 showed off the desktop in 1080p where you can notice the different graphical flourishes when it does things, and those round corners stand out more, but at 1440p or higher, its less obvious. I can't pretend its not 11, I just open settings or start to remind myself of that.
I like how applications on desktops cast shadows over apps under them but I always wanted more than just UI changes.

The processor isn't deemed compatible. So I get that red X everytime I go to check updates.

 

[Colif]

if i hadn't been able to run win 11, i would be upset like you too since my PC is only 18 months old now, but I would eventually accept it and use win 10 until i can't anymore... I did same thing when win 8 came out and I knew my PC wasn't up to running it anymore (but it had come with Vista).

it shows a lot of short sightedness if Microsoft's own hardware won't run their own software.

Widgets aren't new, they were in Vista. Many of the reasons to have win 11 aren't overly stimulating,

Best reason to swap to it is its free, if your PC can run it. No reason not to. People will say you beta testing... bah, win 10 isn't finished yet, are they still on 7 waiting for the never to come finished version?

 

[Isaac Zackary]

Thanks for your encouraging comments! And I have to admit that as many have said, a lot can happen in the next 3 and half years. After all, in my case I own a Surface tablet that I could easily drop on accident before October 2025 and it would probably be more expensive to repair than what it's worth making me get a new device anyway.

Anyhow, sorry for my tangent.

Back to topic, would the cost of selling a device not compatible with Windows 11 be a factor to consider? For an example, maybe a computer with Windows 10 could still be worth something now, and if sold that money could be put towards a Windows 11 machine. But waiting until 2025 could make that Windows 10 device worthless, so selling it could be harder then. What do you think?

There's also the longevity factor. If a person is trying to keep his or her devices for as long as possible before trading in, then perhaps getting one at three beginning of a new OS could add more years to it. Using my case, had I bought a Surface Pro when Windows 10 came out in July of 2015 I would have got 10 years anda few months out of it by 2025. But by buying a device in December of 2019 that gives me 5 years and 10 months by 2025, or almost half the longevity with the compatible Windows OS.

As long as a person doesn't need the latest and greatest hardware for whatever reason and takes good care of his or her devices, the longer the devices lasts the less expensive it becomes.

Of course cutting the used life short of the current computer by selling it would also be a waste if the selling price is low. If it's only worth $100 now and $0 by the end of 2025 then that's less than $30 per year of computer cost factor. If we compare that to selling the computer now for those $100 and buy a $600 computer ($500 total cost) and that lasts 10 years that would be $50 per year. A $1100 computer would be $100 per year. A $2100 computer $200 per year. Etc. But maybe 10 years shouldn't be a realistic life expectancy. What do you think?

 

[Deleted member 14196]

Check out System 76 laptops with thier Linux Pop Os

I’m probably going to get myself one of these pretty soon myself and make that my daily driver. I’ve been trying a lot of Linux distro’s in virtual machines using them for work and I really really like them so I most definitely going to migrate at some point here

If you have the Internet which you do an a good search tool like DuckDuckGo then all questions regarding Linux can be answered. Tons of great support available

https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat

 

[Colif]

Using my case, had I bought a Surface Pro when Windows 10 came out in July of 2015 I would have got 10 years anda few months out of it by 2025. But by buying a device in December of 2019 that gives me 5 years and 10 months by 2025, or almost half the longevity with the compatible Windows OS.

Windows 10 was created as a catch all OS to get everyone from vista PC to Win 8 PC to upgrade, since 8 hadn't been as popular as they hoped. So almost anything would run on 10.

windows 11 first one to put up barriers to stop a lot of those PC from moving forward (much of that might have come from hardware makers who for most part don't support hardware for much longer than 5 years, and who may not have liked idea of windows running on some of it still) so its not really a fair comparison between 10 & 11.

There will be a new OS in 2025ish, MS releease a new one every 5 years or so. No idea what restrictions it might have.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

Check out System 76 laptops with thier Linux Pop Os

I’m probably going to get myself one of these pretty soon myself and make that my daily driver. I’ve been trying a lot of Linux distro’s in virtual machines using them for work and I really really like them so I most definitely going to migrate at some point here

If you have the Internet which you do an a good search tool like DuckDuckGo then all questions regarding Linux can be answered. Tons of great support available

https://system76.com/desktops/meerkat

Thank you!

I think most of my main Linux questions have been answered.

• I could get along with Linux as long as I accept the fact that it can't run all the apps I'm used to using.
• Some can be replaced with free, open source, Linux apps.
• Others I could emulate, or perhaps I could just run them on Android on my phone.
• There are others I might want to keep a copy of Windows 7, 8 or 10 on a hard drive or partition for those once in a while Windows needs.
• And there are some I could probably do without anyway.
• I also would be fine with the computers I already have, so no need to pay extra for a new one.

But none of those solutions are as convenient as Windows with everything running natively.

• Windows is great for touchscreens. - Touchscreens are kind of hit and miss on Linux.
• Copy and paste between UWP apps and .EXE apps is rather seemless on Windows. - Copy and paste between a virtual machine and native Linux apps is practically a no-go.
• Just keeping a once in a while app on Windows is easy peasy to find and execute. Going into the BIOS to switch Secure Boot on or off every time I want to run an old Windows program instead of Linux would be kind of a pain.

 

[Isaac Zackary]

Windows 10 was created as a catch all OS to get everyone from vista PC to Win 8 PC to upgrade, since 8 hadn't been as popular as they hoped. So almost anything would run on 10.

windows 11 first one to put up barriers to stop a lot of those PC from moving forward (much of that might have come from hardware makers who for most part don't support hardware for much longer than 5 years, and who may not have liked idea of windows running on some of it still) so its not really a fair comparison between 10 & 11.

There will be a new OS in 2025ish, MS releease a new one every 5 years or so. No idea what restrictions it might have.

Which is why I was referring to buying a computer that came with Windows 10 when Windows 10 launched and not a Windows 7 or 8 computer that was upgraded to Windows 10.

Usually Microsoft supports their operatings systems at least 8 years IIRC. There have been exceptions, like XP that lasted something like 13 years IIRC.

But let's go with 8 years support from Windows version launch to it's end-of-life and that upgrading to the next version of Windows is out of the question. The question I have is when is a good time to buy a computer with that operating system? When the operating system launches? When it's 2 years old? When it's 4?

Theoratically if you buy a computer with the newest Windows version right as it launches you should get 8 years out of the computer until it loses support. So if it's $800 initial price, that's $100 per year average cost. But if you buy it 4 years after the launch of it's version of Windows, then theoretically it will last only 4 more years, making a $800 computer cost $200 per year on average. Does that make sense or am I overthinking this?

 

[Colif]

If you thought about it... yes.

I haven't ever bought a PC based on what windows it can run now or in future. I don't really think about it at time. Windows is just part of purchase, not really most important part of a PC purchase.

Until windows 11 there was no real concern. Nothing had thrown up any barriers and said You shall not pass... besides driver support, but thats not Microsoft. I could have put win 8 on my vista machine but while I didn't know much in the past, I knew enough to know a motherboard with no win 8 drivers may not work well.

I may have been lucky a few times. I got new PC 3 months before win 10, I didn't do that on purpose... it was just due. Previous PC was 8 years old and tbh I didn't ever think about support back then. Asking for help from Microsoft never crossed mind and security wasn't as big a concern to me back then, so windows being up to date really didn't matter to me.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

With one of those gaming laptops from system 76 you could easily run a virtual machine of win 11 and use GPU pass-through to play games And still use your software

Do you want powerful than get a System 76 desktop

My friend from India does this

 

[USAFRet]

That's something I don't agree with as a non-PC-gamer.

While that is true, a decade or more from a particular platform is pretty good.

Prior to me getting this Win 11 capable system, my main system was a i7-4790k.
I'd still be using it if not for this new Ryzen.

But, by the time WIn 10 falls off in 2025, that i7 will be 11 years old.
I'm not a gamer either, but I can definitely see the difference between the i7-4790k and the current Ryzen 5 5600x.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Theoratically if you buy a computer with the newest Windows version right as it launches you should get 8 years out of the computer until it loses support. So if it's $800 initial price, that's $100 per year average cost. But if you buy it 4 years after the launch of it's version of Windows, then theoretically it will last only 4 more years, making a $800 computer cost $200 per year on average. Does that make sense or am I overthinking this?

No, because this assumes that the device only works with a particular OS. You can still continue using Windows 10 after support ends. And it may be you can safely use it for many years to come as long as nobody discovers a vulnerability on it. Or you could throw on Linux.

I also don't really see a point in arbitrarily assigning a life span to a computer outside of "it doesn't do the job I want."

 

[Isaac Zackary]

With one of those gaming laptops from system 76 you could easily run a virtual machine of win 11 and use GPU pass-through to play games And still use your software

Do you want powerful than get a System 76 desktop

My friend from India does this

Wouldn't I need a Windows 11 key anyway? And what guarantee that Microsoft wouldn't put an end to that "solution?" And why buy a powerful system just to run Windows in virtual machine when I could buy a less powerful system for less money and run Windows natively?

While that is true, a decade or more from a particular platform is pretty good.

Prior to me getting this Win 11 capable system, my main system was a i7-4790k.
I'd still be using it if not for this new Ryzen.

But, by the time WIn 10 falls off in 2025, that i7 will be 11 years old.
I'm not a gamer either, but I can definitely see the difference between the i7-4790k and the current Ryzen 5 5600x.

My current desktop has a second gen Core i7-2600K from 2011, yet it feels faster than the Pentium 4415Y in the Surface GO I bought in December of 2019. Why did I buy a computer with a slower processor than an 8 year old computer? Because #1, I don't need the speed and #2, the lower power draw is better for times I'm off grid and need to conserve power as I do use my tablet in mobile, portable and emergency amateur radio.

And again I'm not complaining about the computer from 2011 not making the cut, but the one that won't be 6 years old by the time Windows 10 is finished.

No, because this assumes that the device only works with a particular OS. You can still continue using Windows 10 after support ends. And it may be you can safely use it for many years to come as long as nobody discovers a vulnerability on it. Or you could throw on Linux.

I also don't really see a point in arbitrarily assigning a life span to a computer outside of "it doesn't do the job I want."

Of course it will still keep working. A computer from 1990 with Windows 3.1 can still be working just fine today. That doesn't mean it will run the apps a person needs the computer for.

In my experience I've skipped Windows Generations before. The 2011 desktop I only acquired recently for free. But my last computer I bought brand new was a Windows Vista machine from 2006. Yes, it kept running until I bought a Windows 10 machine, which means I skipped Windows 7, 8 and 8.1.

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. At that point Windows 3.1 through Windows 10 along with Linux and MacOS all will become one and the same in terms of usefulness, with the exception of web and email, capability, since my apps will have limited functionality on Windows 10 by that time, and the only way to keep using them will be to upgrade to Windows 11 or to just run them on Android or iOS/iPadOS.

 

[USAFRet]

Wouldn't I need a Windows 11 key anyway? And what guarantee that Microsoft wouldn't put an end to that "solution?" And why buy a powerful system just to run Windows in virtual machine when I could buy a less powerful system for less money and run Windows natively?

Of course MS could shut off that "solution" at any time.

However, I have a Win 10 Pro, running a VM, Unactivated. Just to see what happens over time.
Installed Dec 8 2016. Running exactly the same today. Gets all the same updates.