I am not a Microsoft basher by nature, but in all my years of working with Windows, I cannot recall a more infamous period.
- Why didn’t Microsoft stick with its statement that Windows 10 would be the last Windows operating system?
- Did we really need Windows 11?
- Why would Microsoft deliberately exclude millions of PCs from the upgrade path?
MS Sacks The Pros & Relies On Amateurs
Microsoft’s introduction of the Insider program not only reinforced the company’s lack of regard for the average home user but also signified the beginning of the rot.
It’s no coincidence that when Microsoft sacked the team of professional coders, who were tasked with ensuring bug-free updates, in favor of a mass of neophytes (AKA Insiders), it marked the beginning of a procession of failed and buggy updates.
Why Did We Need Windows 11?
Microsoft invested billions of dollars developing Windows X, which was supposed to take on the mobile market. However, when it dawned on the Microsoft execs that taking on the established mobile market was a fool’s errand, the Windows X project was scrapped.
Now, these highly paid execs needed to justify all that wasted expenditure, so they decided to port many of the UI elements developed for Windows X into a new operating system… Windows 11. It didn’t matter that those UI elements were not well received by consumers; justification took precedence over customer satisfaction.
Windows 11’s Strict Requirements
Topping off Microsoft’s string of poor decisions, and perhaps the greatest failing of all, was the introduction of Windows 11’s strict requirements, which left millions of perfectly capable PCs in limbo. Microsoft’s solution was to advise users to buy a new Windows 11 PC, which, in itself, is a further indication of a complete lack of empathy and regard for its customers.
BOTTOM LINE:
Microsoft once stated that Windows 10 would be the last Windows operating system, and I often wonder if all that money had not been wasted on developing Windows X, whether there might not even have been a Windows 11.
In the end, Windows dominant position in the PC operating system market means that Microsoft is confident with its “like it or lump it” approach.
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Thanks for the great article Jim, I don’t think many people realize what is now Windows 11 was supposed to be a mobile or tablet OS that was originally scrapped and in order to justify the tons of money spent on it and save jobs the OS was pretty much ported to a PC OS and crammed down everyone’s throat whether we wanted it or not under the guise of “security”
What most do not know is regardless of hardware requirements Windows 11 is no more secure than it’s predecessor Windows 10, it’s all just a marketing ploy.
I don’t use it. I will never use it. All my work is done on a Windows7 desktop. My Windows 10 computer is used for some necessary internet access. With a little help from friendly software, I was able to bend 10 into something usable. I keep reading that many folks are moving to Linux. You’d think Microsoft would rethink their latest monster, but apparently they aren’t. Me, I simply have no future OS plans.
Thank you Jim for sharing that information. I many not like Microsoft for their silly (being polite) business practices, but do enjoy using Windows as an operating system. As long as I customize it the way I want to use it using third party programs, I am okay, Mindblower!
I can do everything I want on Android. I think many people, like myself will drift away from windows to Linux or Android. The Apple people will stay put. I only used my Windows 10 laptop to enable printing. Now I can do it from my tablet. Done and dusted!
Thanks Jim
I too never started out as a Microsoft basher but after so many years of Microsoft treating its customers like cattle instead of customers I have become, shall we say, very jaded. However despite the “jade” I simply cannot understand why Linux is still the only alternative in 2026 when everything else these days is either copied or reverse engineered. How, after all these years (20 odd ?), Linux is still nowhere near taking the reins from Microsoft is a mystery to me and despite all the Linux devotees constantly braying “I moved to Linux and have never looked back.” These commenters are usually found lurking in the YouTube video comments sections for Windows software. I firmly believe most of them are probably still dual-booting Linux and Windows if they were really honest – otherwise why are they wasting their time loitering and trolling in the Windows columns instead of solely enjoying the Linux ones ?
If I could have an alternative Operating System to Windows that easily allowed me to access the internet for banking etc, do all my productivity (speadsheets, word processing), use (play) all my Steam gaming software and also talk to all my other devices without needing to learn any messy CLI commands to achieve it all, then I’d be in. I have dabbled with a few Linux “distros” over the years and yes, a lot of it works far better now they have all moved into the Windows-like interface, but it just somehow still seems clunky to me somehow. I can’t really put my finger on it. Maybe bias or just because it “feels” different, I don’t know. Then suddenly something doesn’t work like it does so easily in Windows and I abandon the attempt.
I had been an Android user for many years and finally moved to using an Apple Iphone instead of Samsung because I moved to an IPad from a Samsung tablet. Being in two different ecospheres that don’t always play well together can be painful. Unlike the Linux attempts, I actually found my life is a lot easier now – things just work and don’t need me to tinker. Never thought I’d worship at the altar of Steve Jobs but here I am. Maybe there is still hope for me with Linux yet !
As annoying as Microsoft is (I actually buy software to undo the cosmetic and system changes that Microsoft keeps forcing on us) I have yet to be convinced that Linux is fully the complete alternative – as yet at least.
Cheers
Reg
Hey Reg.
I have some news regarding a potential Windows alternative emanating from a major player. Stay tuned!
You spoke my mind, Jim. Here are a few observations:
1. I loved Windows 7 until Windows 10 came along. I had to be dragged by my feet to W10, but now, I am taking a page from Microsoft’s wishful rule – 10 “would be the last Windows operating system” I use. Period. Windows 10 ROCKS. As Mindblower said, I have fine-tuned my PC’s and laptops to precision, they are a dream to run every day.
2. People keep saying Android is enough. Sorry, there are many things I cannot, and will not want to, do on my Android phone or tablet. I will leave it at that.
3. Linux is overblown and Windows junkies will find it “clunky”, as Reg put it. I tried Linux a few times but lost interest as I am so used to the intimate details of Windows in ever way. A Mac? Hell, never!
It’s like being wedged between a boulder and a hard place.
I looked forward to WindowsX to give me a just reason to go mobile << it never happened.
No desktop alternative really came to fight against Windows dominance, thus uS had no reason to invest further. Perhaps an AI-based OS maybe in the horizon, though it may be as an app-like portableOS.
My current (2023/DIY Z790 mobo) with Win11Pro has been stuck on 23H2 and having tried dozen different (recommended and various weird) attempts to step up to 24H2 and/or 25H2.
🙁
Hey Randio,
I was in the same boat, stuck on Windows 11 23H2 with no update notifications. What did it for me was enabling the option to “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available”. A couple of days after enabling that option, the update notification came through.
That article is an accurate, brief, summary of the changes at Microsoft, and matches my opinions, for what they’re worth.
* Windows has become less reliable with each update (“Who needs QC? They don’t bring in money!”).
* My current PC’s are not designed for Windows 11, which demands TPM2 to protect digital rights, as much as the OS. Though I could use a workaround to foist the OS on the hardware, that invites future issues.
* MS has monetized every aspect of the OS, from login screen to browser to ads even in Windows Explorer, and I find that objectionable.
* Windows 11 makes it difficult or impossible to install with just a local account, so now MS has access to even more data.
BTW, this comment is written on a PC that had been Windows 10, and has moved to Ubuntu, with the old Windows OS kept in reserve for a single Windows app that does not run in wine.