If you care at all, even the smallest amount, explore the alternatives.
I think the state of support for Linux and open source in general is much, much worse than for commercial software.
No one is maintaining >10 year old software. Especially not for free.
Do note that this is not a story about not being able to run Win 7 anymore - it's simply about having it more difficult to release and install new drivers on it.
I wouldn't say that is actively maintained or supported.
New details emerge about forced Windows 10 upgrade -- and how to block it https://www.computerworld.com/article/3029613/new-details-em...
Microsoft’s latest trick: Clicking ‘X’ to dismiss Windows 10 upgrade doesn’t stop install https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/229040-microsofts-latest...
Microsoft accused of Windows 10 upgrade 'nasty trick' https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36367221
No, it's not. Many users had their Win 7 computer "upgraded" to Win 10 even when they expressly didn't want that to happen.
Microsoft might have tried to deceive or even coerce users of its older operating systems in order to get them to accept an upgrade. However, the upgrade was not forced, because you could (and some people did) avoid moving to the new version.
It does not usefully advance the discussion about Microsoft's behaviour to misrepresent what happened. There's plenty to criticise without the hyperbole, after all.
There are many documented cases of it happening against the users wishes.
That you're unwilling to even do a basic search online about this just means, you've already made up your mind. Even though the facts are completely the opposite to what you've decided to believe.
Now the reason I say semi-forced is that it was still possible to cancel it. The automatic process got paused at the EULA acceptance screen and if you chose not to accept the license terms then the installer would start a lengthy rollback process and eventually get you back to Windows 7.
On my own computer I never experienced this because I proactively chose hide update for any Windows 10 related patch.
I wouldn't do that if it weren't a personal machine, however, because the "official" upgrade process ended a long time ago. Even using it for a home office might put you into questionable legal territory, but it's still possible.
I do think your last statement is more accurate, though. It really feels that they're subversively pushing as many people away from Win7/8 as possible by unofficially allowing upgrades through existing channels. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't find it especially nefarious.
I don't even use Windows (I have family that does). I'm a Linux user.
I did a clean install and entered the Win7 key. Hadn't actually thought much beyond that.
Drivers are a huge pain on both Windows as well as Linux. We're at 2020 now and still software development hasn't been able to separate drivers from the operating system, make them OS agnostic and easily updatable without all sorts of breakages.
Essentially you're arguing that it is Linux or nothing, but in a very roundabout way.
I say this as a happy Linux user at home. But I need to use Windows for work because of multiple programs that do not run on any other target. In school (this has changed a bit) I need to use Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. At home I still have to dual boot Windows to play games with my friends.
There really isn't an alternative, even if you wanted to pay money for it.
If you want an example of this that I've been fighting for the last week, Steam doesn't launch after the first installation on my machine running Pop!_OS 20.04. There's a half dozen things I've tried to fix that, all the related issues are unresolved or partially resolved from comments on GitHub, and my current solution is to reboot and use Windows. Linux is not suitable for personal computing today.
> At home I still have to dual boot Windows to play games with my friends.
In most cases you may execute such programs & games under Linux via WINE (+ Mono, PlayOnLinux, Winetricks; if needed).[0]
> In school (this has changed a bit) I need to use Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
Use LibreOffice Impress, Calc, and Writer instead.[1]
> There really isn't an alternative, even if you wanted to pay money for it.
Scroll up and read again.
[0] https://www.gamingonlinux.com/wiki/Wine
[1] https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2020/03/24/libreoff...
I do this for most games I want to play (and many are available natively on Linux these days!) but there are a few games with intrusive DRM that stop you from playing them on Linux.
I have an older laptop lying around running Windows that I use for those if they’re not too demanding. Otherwise I’ll buy them on a console, though I tend to only buy consoles after they’ve been out for several years these days.
Is it from Steam? (FTR, There is already Steam for Linux too)
BTW, report any issues with apps & games not working under WINE to WineHQ devs.[0]
And while LibreOffice isn't bad as an office suite in its own right, MS Office is the still de facto standard in many lines of work, and being 95% compatible when you export as an Excel spreadsheet or Word document just doesn't cut it for professional use.
Until not just Windows but also the major software packages that run on it are no longer the dominant standards, it's always going to be an uphill battle moving normal people onto an alternative platform like Linux, and one that often can't be won today.
Wine does not solve my problems, especially when DRM or anticheat is involved. It also doesn't work well on HDPI monitors. I have a few ancient Windows programs I've tried to use in Wine that are very hard to read on a 4K monitor, while on Windows they look fine. It would have been ok 10 years ago, but not for my eyes today
When I say "needed to use" it's not synonymous with "there was no other software with similar functionality." It means "I need to create and share documents or files with colleagues, fellow students, and professors, as well as work with them in the same room." LibreOffice is not the solution to this problem, GSuite is. Partially.
Before getting snarky, I encourage you to think a bit more critically about what it entails for non-power user to get up to speed on Linux. The command line is out of the question, reconfiguring a host of config files or buried options and googling through Ubuntu and stack overflow posts isn't a solution, and constantly tweaking things just to get to a point where "double click this icon" works isn't a solution when on windows and MacOS you don't have those issues.
That's what I mean by "there isn't an alternative."
This may have been true in 200x, but these days, both of those aren't so hot with respect to quality and just working.