Microsoft reveals how much you'll have to pay to keep using Windows 10 securely | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft reveals how much you'll have to pay to keep using Windows 10 securely

theverge.com

34 pointsrntn27 comments

My prediction is very few will pay the fee and Windows 10 will become an increasingly large PR headache for Microsoft as security vulnerabilities are exploited on a larger scale and no one cares that "users didn't pay" when the news reports over and over again on issues arising from unpatched systems that Microsoft could but won't patch.

On the other hand, would you expect Microsoft to continue to provide free security patches infinitely?

I think it's fair to stop patching for free.

And it adds incentive for the switch to Linux.

For those who have it, Win10 LTSC 1809 is in extended support until 2029: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/rel...

This is a terrible idea. The whole point to providing security updates to everybody was because a rising tide lifts all boats. This won't force people to upgrade. It just means tons of people will be more at risk and the internet is worse off for everybody.

There's also the problem that many computers can't be upgraded to Windows 11 due to the TPM requirement. Companies like Microsoft love to shower in greenwash but Windows 11 will be one of the largest producers of ewaste in history, all because Microsoft won't allow Windows 11 on older systems without TPM 2.0.

The check is easily bypassed, so most people who can manage that will wink and load 11 anyway. You're right that anyone who can't figure out how to bypass the check may indeed end up replacing their PC.

I don't know why people even switch to windows 11. One time microsoft updated windows 11, it felt so laggy and RAM usage was so high, I had to reformat the whole pc. I don't think there are any technical merits of windows 11 compared to 10.

TBH, Windows 11 looks better. It is blue instead of black. /s

My main motivation for going to 11 was that the better features of WSL2 were exclusive to 11 (notably WSLg).

Microsoft back ported that to 10. I switched to Pop!OS full time so it didn’t matter in the end.

I think the problem is that the UI changes between 10 & 11 are too severe.

A lot of family IT people prob aren't keen on the support involved in changing the UI for their elderly relatives.

Beyond ui - for even advanced users, there is not much benefit in moving to 11 other than MSFT being able to do more data collection and upsell more services.

> After October 14th, 2025. Each Windows 10 device will require an Extended Security Updates (ESU) license.

> $61 for the first, $122 for the second, and $244 for the third year.

> StatCounter says Windows 10 is still used by 69 percent of all Windows users, compared to just 27 percent for Windows 11.

> StatCounter says Windows 10 is still used by 69 percent of all Windows users, compared to just 27 percent for Windows 11. That’s a big gap that Microsoft is unlikely to close over the coming 18 months, leaving many Windows 10 users having to consider paying for security updates for the first time.

Do you want people to migrate to 'x'? ...because this is how you get people to migrate to 'x'.

*Where 'x' = any other OS but MS Windows.

I know a couple people running Windows 10 but non of these people will switch to an OS that's not Windows without major help from someone tech savvy.

any good alternatives?

Unless you game, Linux is very good. I’ve been using it for 4 years and it’s much more stable than others make it out to be. You do need to be careful not to mess things up though. Accidentally broke kernel modules yesterday and had to spend a few hours debugging without internet

I've been using solely Linux on my gaming PC for the past 4 years. After about 15 years of waiting, the experience got good enough for me around then.

Not only games, any closed source software typically built for Windows or at best Win+Mac. Affinity Photo is one of such apps I use and generally proprietary graphics software has no Linux versions.

> Unless you game...

I think this is in-part due to the OS targets of the games, themselves, over gaming support in Linux (in general). There are plenty of *nix-based OS'es that are designed - specifically - for gaming[1].

[1] - https://itsfoss.com/linux-gaming-distributions/

linux if you know enough. Otherwise you can use win10 for many more years by going into firewall, and disabling everything you know for a fact you aren't using (watch out some windows updates will re-enable whatever the hell it wants)

I will defend GNU/Linux, here.

I hear people say bad things about Linux... but I have been using it since 2008. I have tried various distributions. Obviously some I prefer more than others.

I think Debian is great, and the one I stick with in recent years. Same for servers.. using Debian.

I personally do not have bad experience. Over the years.. yes.. I made some mistakes. For example, accidentally deleting a directory when in root mode. This is purely because I was tinkering/learning. I guess the same thing could happen if new to Windows and accidentally deleting a folder in C:\Windows

While I am primarily a Linux user, I do use Windows as well at work.. and helping non-techie family members with their XP, Vista, 7, 10 or 11 over the years.

I do not share the "issues" some people have (that I have known) trying Linux. Difficult to install, difficult getting XYZ driver to work, etc.

Sure - gaming on Linux might still be an issue. This is something I cannot comment on. While I do have a Steam account, I don't use it that often. If I did, it might be on Windows. I just dont have the time for gaming, except for playing on a console at times. Last I heard, gaming on Linux is getting better. Maybe I am going from memory from a few years ago and things are different, now.

The biggest "issue" in my opinion with Linux is, generally speaking, you have all software except one. Think about it.

For web browsers, I have everything except IE/Edge. For Emails, I have everything except Outlook.

While on Windows, I have "everything"

I mean this in a general sense, of course. This is a topic that could add a few more paragraphs but I think I have covered enough.

In my personal opinion, I would love to see more love of GNU/Linux on desktops and laptops!

popos is been great for me. its ubuntu based so well supported but has a lot of nice bells and whistles

People said the same about Windows XP EOL. And Windows 7 EOL. Yet here we are.

Which is cool because what it means is I still run Windows 7, despite its vulnerabilities.

The new malware requires Windows 10. And the targets were mostly changed: years ago, malware infected your systems making them unusable, now they are encrypting your files making them (their content), unreachable.

Hmmm, I suppose gamers are a bit techier so therefore might swap faster, but accroding to Steam[1] 42% are on Windows 11 and 54% on Windows 10.

[1]: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

Keep using Windows 10?! I still haven't got over deprecation of Windows 7.

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