Microsoft has already decided that they will collect as much of your private data as they can in order to turn their Windows OS into an advertising platform. If that bothers you the only real solution is to stop using Windows.
The enemy of good is perfect. Maybe we can't stop them spying or trying to force their way back in on every update, but we can fight back. If it's as simple as changing a few registry keys to disable ads, why wouldn't you just do it? "Stop using Windows or live with it" are not the only two options.
I'd bet that the average person could run most if not all the software they use under linux and a large percentage of those who can't could find alternate software that works just as well for their needs which does run under linux. Hardware might be more of a concern, so for some "stop using Windows" might mean "buy a new desktop/laptop". There will certainly be a very small (and increasingly smaller) number of people who have zero choice but to use Windows. Many people do very little with their windows machines beside web browsing in the first place.
> "Stop using Windows or live with it" are not the only two options.
It very much is if "live with it" means MS does thing you don't like, you find a bunch of settings and registry changes that "fight back" only for MS to undo those settings and/or add more things you don't like which means you have to track down a new set of settings and registry changes to "fight back" which results in Microsoft doing more things you don't like and on and on.
Is that really what you want to live with? At a certain point you have to ask yourself why you keep spending your time and energy fighting a battle you literally cannot win. Microsoft sets all the rules. You can only play their game or stop playing
Are they going to shut down the computer if the clicking signal is not to their liking?
The average person will never use Linux. I prefer it as a dev, but windows and mac have won.
Until some big vendor just releases a specifically linux machine, which they won't.
Tell that to Dell https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-laptops/scr/laptops/ubu...
Personally, I think that if the computer you use has software on it that is actively spying on everything you do, you should remove that software from your computer. If that software happens to be the OS, I think the best way to "fight back" is to not pay the company spying on you money for the next version, and find an alternative that respects your privacy.
Nearly every video game, for starters, and a good chunk of games that were ported to Mac OS don't work anymore since the deprecation of 32-bit apps.
That's always been the case -- the question is which games, not gaming in general
If just being able to to load up a game was all that was needed, a TI-86 is sufficient
Most people use Windows because it's easy and runs everything they want to run without needing to install wine, compile from source, trust some library someone made, or use a VM.
The steam deck is fantastic and has done more for gaming on a Free OS than anyone else has in the last 20 years, but it can't run everything
Microsoft office runs on linux (https://thelinuxcode.com/install-microsoft-office-linux/). I'd bet many of your proprietary tools do too (or could be replaced with more linux friendly software that still meets your needs). In the worst case scenario, a VM with windows on it would mean that you use Windows only for the one or two things you absolutely need it for and you're free of it the rest of the time.
But home computer is a different thing. I don't want Microsoft to spy on me, reboot my computer and luckily I don't need Microsoft Office.
Most CAD software, unless you are OK with websites or glorified websites with desktop clients (looking at you, Fusion 360). Alibre? SolidWorks? Standard AutoCAD?
Add CNC milling tools to that. Good luck finding Mac-compatible CAM software of any kind (unless, again, Fusion 360 and only Fusion 360).
For many companies that are running specialized windows only software, some of that software will have only been written for Windows in the first place because Windows was either already being used by the company or because that was the expectation. Again, not unreasonable. When companies write their own software they write for the OS they have. When software companies want to sell their programs they'll naturally tend to target the most popular OS being used. It's sort of self-perpetuating that people use/write software for what they (or most people) already have.
For software that couldn't be run using something like WINE it would take time/money to replace or rewrite that windows software. That's a hurdle, but not an impossible one to clear. I've worked at companies that were entirely dependent on the AS/400 or Lotus Notes, but they somehow made the investment and found other solutions. As much as I don't think web apps and SaaS are a good idea, those options will make it easier for some companies to let go of windows too.
Right now, it probably wouldn't make sense for a lot of companies to stop using Windows. The same can't be said for what most people have installed on their personal computers though. The more alternatives to Windows spread outside of the office/factory the easier it gets to replace it in the workplace.
There is also quite a lot, and growing, amount of software that is rather legacy and will only run under WINE.
You can obviously run up a Linux box on a Mac in a VM and Bob's your mother's brother.
I'd bet it's possible. Older versions of windows were capable at least so you could probably upgrade from DOS to windows NT or 2K. Honestly though, I'd stick with DOS for as long as you have a good stock of replacement hardware.
What I'd like to see is regulation banning doing this. Given how many governments use Microsoft products including in sensitive applications, this should be an obvious demand.
I don't know, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit is still a pretty great solution, personally.
Apple has been keeping the user experience a priority in all their latest updates, and Linux desktops are more usable than they've ever been. There's absolutely no reason to use Windows 7 for anything important if Windows 11 is a dealbreaker.
Microsoft isn't about to reverse course and make Windows good again, so if you've already decided not to use Windows 11, start the process of acclimating to a new OS now, rather than stagnating on a dead OS that is only going to get less safe to use moving forward.
If budget is a concern, I promise you your Windows 7 PC will run Linux. If you are experiencing the sunken cost of all the Windows-exclusive software that you have already purchased, then pony up for a Windows 11 PC, because you're not going to survive on a EOL Windows OS for very long.
Generally speaking yes, but realistically only if you’re opening your ports to the internet. There are lots of random scanners out there that are attempting to exploit known 0-days etc in all systems. Granted the biggest one is probably ETERNALBLUE, which I think doesn’t go back to 95, but still.
Obviously browsing infected pages on a hypothetically working web browser would also do the trick, but sites like HN are benign. Windows 95 is so old, though, that you’re unlikely to find much web-enabled software that works well outside of enthusiast projects.
If you plugged it into the internet with a public IP, someone would likely gain full remote control of the machine in a matter of seconds to hours.
You might think you’re safe if you only connect to your home internet, since that’s not wide open for anyone to scan. But then your kid/nephew/friend uses your wifi and they have a spyware-filled Doodle Jump game clone on their phone that asks for permission to connect to the local network, and your kid/nephew/friend wants to play the game so of course they click yes, and now that’s scanning your home network, and now your Windows 7 computer is part of a botnet.
The same thing would happen on the coffee shop’s WiFi, the hotel’s wifi, and so on. Unless you never connect to a network of any kind ever, it’s a bad idea.
The reality seems to be that problems stem from the user and what software they use to access the internet more than just being connected. This jives with your comments as you keep mentioning user actions that result in infections.
Is it behind a router? Most routers have stateful firewalls doing a lot of work to keep random connections from passing to the NAT'd devices behind them. All the "infected in under 5 minutes" stories I've seen were machines connected directly to the internet.
Also, are you monitoring inbound/outbound traffic for that machine? It seems like you should at least be seeing attempts to compromise your machine (even if they're not working). Is it using IPv4? If you've got a setup that stops port scans, vulnerability scanners, and internet worms you should share!
However few if any new games support the old operating system at all. Windows 7 is a complete non-starter in 2024, it's too old.