- KDE has a campaign to persuade Windows 10 users to switch to Linux
- Desktop — Environment Manufacturer accuses Microsoft of ‘Tech -Pressing’ with the end of support -time limit for Windows 10
- There are serious environmental considerations here, but at the same time the language used in this campaign goes too far
When Windows 10 comes closer to its end of life – and we get quite close now – there is a growing movement trying to persuade those who can’t (or not) change to Windows 11 to migrate to Linux instead.
Recently we saw the ‘End of 10’ project, which is a group of Linux enthusiasts who encouraged people to switch to one of the flavors (known as Distros) of this operating system as an alternative to Microsoft.
And now Windows latest marked that we’ve got ‘KDE for Windows 10-EXEK’, which is, we need to say, a little more fully in his attempts to persuade people to defect to Linux.
If you are wondering what KDE is, it makes a desktop environment called Plasma that comes pre -installed with some of the best Linux -Distros (and can also be installed with others).
The portal of the official KDE site does not draw any strokes that we are told: “Driving Windows 10 on your computer? On October 14, Microsoft wants to make it unwanted.
“It may seem like it will continue to work after this date a bit, but when Microsoft stops support for Windows 10, your perfectly good computer will be officially outdated.”
KDE then points out that if it is unmatched, which is what happens when support ceases, Windows 10 is uncertain and you open yourself to be hacked and also adds it: “New versions of your apps will not run, but Microsoft will still block you to upgrade to the next version of Windows until you buy the new computer.
“You will be forced to use your hard -earned cash and will be reluctantly polluting on the ground and the water like your old machine rats on a deposit.
“Even if you agree with this tech extortion now, in a few years, they will do it again, as they have done many times in the past.”
Analysis: To shoot the big guns
Ouch, with a word. It is quite the heavy cannon fire aimed at Microsoft. In fact, the KDE is accusing the Microsoft website of taking advantage of some kind of ‘tech extortion’ here -but is this fair? Not really, no, but it’s not quite baseless either.
The anger comes from the fact that Windows 11’s fierce system requirements mean that some Windows 10 PCs simply can’t have the newer OS because their CPU is too old (or they don’t have TPM 2.0, a security feature).
This can be an impossible problem to solve with a laptop (where hardware can not be replaced at all), and maybe even super-tricky on a desktop PC (you can end up upgrading basically everything, which can be far beyond many owners’ abilities or do not give any meaningful costs).
This enforcement of a higher PC Spec is done for what Microsoft claims is (primarily) security improvements with Windows 11, and this is a step that many organizations have criticized because it is likely to push a whole pile of computers on scrapheap. This is where the sharp images of landfill come into play, and this is an looking environmental disaster on the technical front, I would not argue against it.
Can Linux save your old PC from that fate? Well, yes it can, even if it’s not as simple as it. For less technical-knowledgeable users, a move to Linux will be a complex process where they may be wondering where to even start (choosing a good Linux distro for beginners, or maybe one similar to Windows would be a start).
And I can’t pretend that there are no serious shortcomings with Linux in some ways: It’s a whole new interface to learn, some of the apps you’ve spent money on may not work with us, and certainly some games won’t run (at all).
There are masonry walls that can be run against, including potential hardware or driver problems – and for a less experienced computer user, it will be a whole lot to cope, only rely on online support from the community to get them through. (Although I have to admit, the Linux community may not be blamed for their helpfulness).
I’ve covered this soil before, but for some more experienced Windows 10 users, a switch to Linux could be a viable enough way to keep old hardware alive. For the less confident tech types out there, maybe not so much.
As for calling Microsoft for extortion – yes, it goes too far. Windows is a paid operating system and as such it will not last forever. Windows 10 has been around for a decade, so really, it’s hardly bad value for money – especially to look like a few people got the upgrade for free anyway. You can also pay for another year of support for Windows 10 and it doesn’t cost a whole lot.
If I were going to Chuck Stones on Microsoft’s Windows Greenhouse, it would be to include promotional activity in a paid us and not charge the software in the first place. It is a serious frustration with windows. It would also be great to have the opportunity for expanded support for consumers who are also longer than a year (although it could still happen, Microsoft has not said it will still).
It is worth noting that some people working on KDE were part of the end of 10 project and there is also a link on the latter site. So it seems that KDE is really playing a big game to take advantage of unhappy types who feel that Microsoft is unfair with its Windows 11 system requirements, and that’s fair enough.
However, I think it would be wise to empty some of the language and the way this campaign is angled here.
