Windows 11 is out today. Is there any reason for QQers to upgrade from Windows 10?

[ArmyOfQuad]

Isn't Windows 10 called Windows 9.0 NT internally?

I'm not sure about that - according to Wikipedia (read it on the internet, it must be true), Windows 10 is Windows NT 10.0. However - they also show that before that, Windows 8.1 was using NT 6.3. (Windows 7 was using 6.1 - but I think we all were scratching our heads at where 7 came from, there was no way to make sense of that. 95=4, 98=5, Me=6, XP=7, Vista = 8, so Hendrix was off by 1, 7 is 9).

So if Wikipedia is to be believed, they skipped from 8.1 to 10, while in the background also skipping from 6.3 to 10.

But the real question is - did Microsoft really skip to 10 because it's a nice even number to land on? Or is the rumor true that it was too confusing to have a version called Windows 9, when Windows 95, 98, and Me was commonly referred to as 9x internally and in programming?


But - back to the original topic, I'm no no rush to upgrade to 11. But I never have been. I don't upgrade until I have a reason to. As long as everything is working, and support and security still exists, I leave well enough alone.

 

[MidiMagic]

I am sticking with XP. It's the last version supporting the scientific primary colors instead of the obsolete artist primaries.

 

[Bob Romano]

I used to jump on upgrades of everything, especially O/S's. I 'had to have the latest and greatest' of everything that came out.

NO MORE. There is no way I am leaping into Windows 11. Sorry MS, not this time. I finally have my W10 working as it should and I am NOT going to get involved in new stuff at this point.

Best of luck to those who dare, I am sure it will be an eventuality, but for now, not me!

I have been using 11 since the first beta. It actually was not allowed on my system because of my processor, however after some further reading it is working just fine. All of the other parameters seem to be in place so it has been pretty smooth sailing. All of my apps and programs are working as they should... so far.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

I am sticking with XP. It's the last version supporting the scientific primary colors instead of the obsolete artist primaries.

I always liked XP also, but at some point it just doesn't pay to hang on to old OS because of security reasons and speed etc. But for legacy apps, sometimes it's required. But hey, just my opinion, what do I know, there're more informed folks here on the forum than I on software!

 

[jimfisheye]

it just doesn't pay to hang on to old OS...

At least keep a disk image of your old OS installs. You never know...
I just had to record from a keyboard Rolland stopped supporting in 2012. I wanted to connect digitally and I also wanted to record the MIDI source tracks from it. I still keep 10.6.8 on a partition on my laptop main SSD. I booted into that and 3 minutes later we were recording. The other option was apparently to inform my client he needed to buy a new $3000 keyboard. Ahem...

Just one example.

And nowadays more than ever! Keep control of your OS install and software. Keep important installers. Keep clones of your OS/app install. There's all this gaslighting going on with planned obsolescence and software subscription services. It's easy to avoid with a little forethought. Just as easy to get burned and locked out of stuff you paid for though!

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I have been using 11 since the first beta. It actually was not allowed on my system because of my processor, however after some further reading it is working just fine. All of the other parameters seem to be in place so it has been pretty smooth sailing. All of my apps and programs are working as they should... so far.

Does it update OK? I read that's where the fly in the ointment may be.

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

I can't imaging using XP for a daily driver computer - but I also am never without it.

It seems with every upgrade, something gets lost (and hopefully something new is added?) I still run an XP VM using virtualbox to run things that won't work in 10 - such as the DTS encoder software.

I also keep a collection of vintage machines to do what I need - I've got a Compaq Portable, and a Computerland BC-88 for old DOS things, a 486 that dual boots to DOS with Windows 3.1 installed and Windows 95, a Pentium 4 that dual boots between 98SE and XP (although the motherboard had 98 drivers available and supports it, that was a challenge - needed to put the BIOS in a legacy mode, and also needed to run a few hacks to get 98 on there with the RAM maxed out to 4GB) - still my go to computer for VHS transfers. And I recently rebuilt an old laptop with 7, since we recently dug out a mini dv camcorder that some home movies were taken on, and needed something with firewire to capture the videos off of the tapes. The need never seems to fully go away for the older technology for people like me - gotta have it all, old and new.

That collection seems to get me by for anything I need to do - yet I can't seem to stop collecting these things. Not sure what is next though. I do have a 2nd Compaq portable in the basement in pieces with a dead motherboard, videocard, and vertical hold issue with the display, and a bad floppy drive that is currently a pile of spare parts....but really ought to be restored to a working machine again someday.

For fun, I did build a Pentium 4 for the purpose of installing a complete upgrade path of windows. Setup DOS on it, installed Windows 1, and did upgrades to 2, 3, 3.1, 95, 98SE, Me, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10. Only later Pentium 4s will support 10, and it only works by using the 32 bit versions since you can't upgrade from a 32 to a 64. Got that one finished just in time - I don't think a Pentium 4 will take Windows 11, and any newer processors probably won't play nice with 9x, so it may be impossible to do the full upgrade path on a single piece of hardware now.

There was no practical purpose of the exercise - but it did allow me to create a paint document that had been edited in every version.

 

[Wagonmaster_91]

I always hear that you have to upgrade your OS because MS stops sending updates and now you have a security risk. So the majority of users move to the new OS. But how much time and effort are hackers and virus makers spending on coming up with ways to compromise W98 or Vista or XP? If you were a bad guy hacker, wouldn't you concentrate on the most common OS? If 90% of windows users are running at least W7, wouldn't 7, 10 & 11 be most at risk of being hit?

 

[LuvMyQuad]

I always hear that you have to upgrade your OS because MS stops sending updates and now you have a security risk. So the majority of users move to the new OS. But how much time and effort are hackers and virus makers spending on coming up with ways to compromise W98 or Vista or XP? If you were a bad guy hacker, wouldn't you concentrate on the most common OS? If 90% of windows users are running at least W7, wouldn't 7, 10 & 11 be most at risk of being hit?

The hacks for the older OS already exist, and there may well be hacks that can go across all the older OS.

 

[madship]

The ui seems optimized for touch screens or trying to look Macish to me, no likey. Took years for Windows 10 to finally surpass Windows 7 on my ancient laptop(i7 1st gen), definitely not looking forward to updating or buying a new pc. (my wallpaper is the Windows 95 logo).

If there is one thing Macs and MacOS are not is touch friendly, iOS is another story, which is failing with some of the most recent updates.

 

[salsdali]

The hacks for the older OS already exist, and there may well be hacks that can go across all the older OS.

I bought an HP TouchPad seems like over 10 years ago (??) during the notorious SlickDeals frenzy and the week after HP stopped supporting it. There was no time for hackers to ever develop a virus/hack for it. It runs a "webOS" with internet access. This means I can use that touchpad to this day and never get a virus from ANY website.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

If there is one thing Macs and MacOS are not is tough friendly, iOS is another story, which is failing with some of the most recent updates.

What is " tough friendly" ?

 

[Owen Smith]

My 82 year old dad's 8 year old Core i3-4340 isn't on the list of Win 11 supported CPUs. I upgraded it to an SSD and 32GB RAM when I installed Windows 10 on it, and it is vastly faster than my dad needs for YouTube, browsing the web and reading email. As far as my dad is concerned it is nearly new. He's not going to be impressed that it can't be upgraded to Win 11 once support for Windows 10 ceases.

Do Microsoft really want to create all this waste as people scrap perfectly good PCs to buy new ones for Win 11?

 

[salsdali]

Do Microsoft really want to create all this waste as people scrap perfectly good PCs to buy new ones for Win 11?

of course they do, especially when you have "collusion" contracts with hardware manufacturers

 

[madship]

MacOS has been blacklisting fully hardware compatible machines since 10.12.0. It gets worse every new release. There ARE patched versions of the installers from friendly people online but still. Their recent machines are soldering hard drives to the logic board. Any separate part in their computers or phones are serialized and cannot even be swapped between like machines. Careful.

No idea what you are alluding too. I have a 2012 iMac, that runs all Mac OSs until 11 without s problem. At some point you do need to sunset old hardware, as application developers will tell you, It becomes to difficult to account for the hurdles you have to jump. 8 years of a device running pretty much flawlessly is a good deal.

Compensating for legacy hardware was an anchor aeround Microsoft's neck. Deprecating it has helped them move forward. Both company's have been good about providing security updates for years after they have moved onto newer OS paradigms.

At some point consumers need to take responicility for their decisions or self inflicted penury. Computers are not model-Ts or refrigerators from the 70s. You need to move forward or accept being left behind.

 

[madship]

What is " tough friendly" ?

Auto correct or fact old finger version of touch.

Corrected while reading through the posts I missed when I felt the irresistible urge to respond.

 

[salsdali]

No idea what you are alluding too. I have a 2012 iMac, that runs all Mac OSs until 11 without s problem. At some point you do need to sunset old hardware, as application developers will tell you, It becomes to difficult to account for the hurdles you have to jump. 8 years of a device running pretty much flawlessly is a good deal.

Compensating for legacy hardware was an anchor aeround Microsoft's neck. Deprecating it has helped them move forward. Both company's have been good about providing security updates for years after they have moved onto newer OS paradigms.

At some point consumers need to take responicility for their decisions or self inflicted penury. Computers are not model-Ts or refrigerators from the 70s. You need to move forward or accept being left behind.

good to know that you haven't drank that tech BS koolaid

 

[ssully]

Let the complainers complain -- but one big reason for this update is the security issues with older computers. For the vast majority of computer users, who, e.g., keep their boxes connected to the internet, enforcement of TPM 2.0 that comes with this update is a good thing for the global user ecosystem.

 

[Owen Smith]

Let the complainers complain -- but one big reason for this update is the security issues with older computers. For the vast majority of computer users, who, e.g., keep their boxes connected to the internet, enforcement of TPM 2.0 that comes with this update is a good thing for the global user ecosystem.

I am employed as a computer programmer and do some work in embedded security, yet even I'm going to have to look up what TPM stands for. It's obviously not a well known acronym, if it were I'd know it given what I work on.

 

[salsdali]

Let the complainers complain -- but one big reason for this update is the security issues with older computers. For the vast majority of computer users, who, e.g., keep their boxes connected to the internet, enforcement of TPM 2.0 that comes with this update is a good thing for the global user ecosystem.

it's ludicrous that I should be forced to buy the lastest hardware to support that when I'm sure even very old hardware could support that