This is what people will see when going to Microsoft's website up until the deadline shown. It is expected by most Windows users that Microsoft would no longer support Windows versions that become 10 years old and older, but it's damaging to Microsoft when they kill support for a platform that was still going strong and expect people to upgrade. Even worse when there aren't better alternatives.
Go back to 2014. After 12 years of support due to there being so many people who loved using Windows XP, and perhaps arguably Microsoft's best version of Windows to date, Microsoft announced that support for all editions of Windows XP would end. They also used imagery of an old computer system running Windows XP versus a new system running the latest Windows at the time, Windows 8.1. Ridiculous, to say the least, as there were newer systems which could efficiently run Windows XP 64-bit. Yet, despite the security risks of a dead system, according to StatCounter a surprising 1.54% of people still use Windows XP. It may not sound like much, but considering that there are approximately 7 billion people on the planet, roughly 100 million still use Windows XP. Now, this estimate can very much be inaccurate, since not everyone owns a computer, but it could still be a fairly high amount considering that this is a statistic basing on how many computers have Windows XP, not exactly how many people use it, since more than one person can use a desktop or laptop. I wouldn't be surprised if I were to discover that 50 million still use XP.
January of next year, all Windows 7 versions will no longer be supported (save those that are protected by volume licensing, in which it is extended until January 10th, 2023). What will this mean for Windows 7 users? Of all the currently supported Windows version, Windows 7 is the best, beating Windows 8.1 in the market share by over 25% globally according to StatCounter. Microsoft is now pushing messages on systems still running Windows 7, prompting users to upgrade to Windows 10.
Windows 10 integrates several new features, including Cortana, which collects user data automatically.
There are those who are gonna scoff, but it's actually been proven over and over. Microsoft is collecting your data. Even as recently as August of this year, because of the GDPR Microsoft is consistently being investigated about their data collection. The best way that they are doing it nowadays is with Windows 10, which has various diagnostic and info-collecting services on by default. Even after turning these features off, some personal information can still be collected by Microsoft. There is a way to remove built-in software manually, but it becomes reset after every major update.
Due to there being many gripes about lack of desktop integration in Windows 8, Microsoft released Windows 8.1, which can be either seen as a mere upgrade or a separate version altogether.
Let's be honest here - unless Microsoft has stopped using it altogether, there really isn't such a thing as a "safe" version of Windows. However, many of these things which can be potential privacy breaches are built into Windows 10 by default. Windows 8.1 lacks several features (like Cortana) which collects and stores information remotely that has to be manually deleted or retrieved, so unless you add them to Windows 8.1 (via Windows Update or their own website), then yes it is somewhat better, in regards to privacy and security from the very developers of it. One thing's for sure: it's a heck of a lot better than Windows 8!
Windows XP End of Life
View attachment 180478
The message that was sent to users shortly before the end of support.
The message that was sent to users shortly before the end of support.
Go back to 2014. After 12 years of support due to there being so many people who loved using Windows XP, and perhaps arguably Microsoft's best version of Windows to date, Microsoft announced that support for all editions of Windows XP would end. They also used imagery of an old computer system running Windows XP versus a new system running the latest Windows at the time, Windows 8.1. Ridiculous, to say the least, as there were newer systems which could efficiently run Windows XP 64-bit. Yet, despite the security risks of a dead system, according to StatCounter a surprising 1.54% of people still use Windows XP. It may not sound like much, but considering that there are approximately 7 billion people on the planet, roughly 100 million still use Windows XP. Now, this estimate can very much be inaccurate, since not everyone owns a computer, but it could still be a fairly high amount considering that this is a statistic basing on how many computers have Windows XP, not exactly how many people use it, since more than one person can use a desktop or laptop. I wouldn't be surprised if I were to discover that 50 million still use XP.
Windows 7 End of Life
January of next year, all Windows 7 versions will no longer be supported (save those that are protected by volume licensing, in which it is extended until January 10th, 2023). What will this mean for Windows 7 users? Of all the currently supported Windows version, Windows 7 is the best, beating Windows 8.1 in the market share by over 25% globally according to StatCounter. Microsoft is now pushing messages on systems still running Windows 7, prompting users to upgrade to Windows 10.
Why I Do Not Recommend Windows 10
Windows 10 integrates several new features, including Cortana, which collects user data automatically.
There are those who are gonna scoff, but it's actually been proven over and over. Microsoft is collecting your data. Even as recently as August of this year, because of the GDPR Microsoft is consistently being investigated about their data collection. The best way that they are doing it nowadays is with Windows 10, which has various diagnostic and info-collecting services on by default. Even after turning these features off, some personal information can still be collected by Microsoft. There is a way to remove built-in software manually, but it becomes reset after every major update.
Is Windows 8.1 Safer Than Windows 10?
Due to there being many gripes about lack of desktop integration in Windows 8, Microsoft released Windows 8.1, which can be either seen as a mere upgrade or a separate version altogether.
Let's be honest here - unless Microsoft has stopped using it altogether, there really isn't such a thing as a "safe" version of Windows. However, many of these things which can be potential privacy breaches are built into Windows 10 by default. Windows 8.1 lacks several features (like Cortana) which collects and stores information remotely that has to be manually deleted or retrieved, so unless you add them to Windows 8.1 (via Windows Update or their own website), then yes it is somewhat better, in regards to privacy and security from the very developers of it. One thing's for sure: it's a heck of a lot better than Windows 8!
