Microsoft’s Forced Obsolescence

This article warns those still loyal to Microsoft and their Windows operating system. Microsoft is not making operating systems anymore. They are making data-collecting malware. I am not a Windows hater. I have been using Windows since Windows 3.1 back in 1992. I even forgave them for Vista and Windows 8. However, what Microsoft is up to now gives me a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach. If you want to keep using Windows, toss your old computers because [unless moving to Linux] Microsoft’s latest hardware restrictions will render them useless when you use Windows 11. I’ve been using Windows for years and thought I was doing the right thing by keeping my old computer running with the latest updates. But boy, was I wrong. With the latest Windows 10 update, I was shocked that my trusty old laptop no longer meets the system requirements. The CPU, which was more than sufficient just a few months ago, is now deemed too slow and outdated. Microsoft wants you to throw out perfectly good computers and buy a brand-new one.

I’m not alone in this struggle. I’ve spoken to friends and business owners facing the same issue. We’re not asking for much. We want to keep using our computers without being forced to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware. Microsoft is more interested in selling new hardware than in supporting their loyal customers. The worst part is that this is about more than just the cost of a new computer. It’s about the environmental impact of throwing away perfectly good machines. It’s about the waste, the pollution, and the harm it causes to our planet. And it’s all because Microsoft wants to line their pockets with more money. I’m done with Microsoft and their forced obsolescence. I’m entirely switching over to Linux, and I urge all of you who can do the same. It’s time to stand against this greedy corporation and its destructive and disrespectful practices. Avoid Microsoft and their Windows operating system at all costs.

This opinion is not about distrust of a corporate entity for the sake of having an enemy. It’s about being dismayed about decisions that were obviously made by a very greedy 3-year-old and a pack of crayons. I have been in the tech field for 40 years and have never seen anything as destructive, disrespectful, out of touch, and incoherent as Microsoft has done this time.  Microsoft should pay for the environmental impact this will have on our landfills and the environment. With great power comes great responsibility. Microsoft thinks it has no responsibility to its customers or the environment.

I cannot convey just how much Microsoft has let me down and just outright pissed me off with the new direction they have taken. If I were a small company with 20 computers running fine on Windows 10, I would now need to spend around $1000.00 per unit to keep doing what I have been doing. I would be losing my mind because Microsoft just cost me $20k, and I have no recourse for any reimbursement or discount. I understand the apprehension people have about switching to Linux. But it is time to start thinking about this, especially if you’re a small business owner. Please read [ this article] about the ins and outs of switching to a Linux distro, the magnitude of such a switch, and how now is the best time in Linux history to do so.