The End of 10 is upon us. Is it time we gave up Windows?
The gig is up. Microsoft has ended Windows 10 support in the U.S. and most of the world.
The announcement comes despite the company’s commitment to provide users in Europe with no-strings-attached, free security updates for an additional year. Despite 40.84% of the estimated 1.4 billion people using Windows were still running Windows 10 as of September. Despite promises that Windows 10 was the “last version of Windows.” Despite as many as 400 million devices not meeting the hardware requirements for Windows 11.
FULU delivered more than 19,000 petitions on Tuesday calling for Microsoft to provide the rest of the world with the same updates it is giving to its European customers. At this point, it seems unlikely that the company will switch tack.
But that doesn’t mean that we, as consumers, can’t switch tack ourselves. We don’t have to accept an operating system that bakes advertisements into the Start menu or takes screenshots of our desktop every few seconds by default.
Ownership starts with your OS
That’s what our Right to Own campaign is about. It’s why we’re fighting to change Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a 27 year old law that allows device manufacturers to lock us out of modifying and customizing our stuff as we see fit.
Because the DMCA sanctifies digital locks, consumers are often forced to accept whatever changes—or ransomeware—the manufacturer wants to throw at them. When the maker of your exercise bike rug-pulls your ability to connect to a third-party app, there isn’t a secure, open-source software alternative you can flash onto your bike.
Fortunately, with PCs, we have Linux and all of its offshoots. And now may be a better time than ever to consider a shift. Those new to open-source operating systems will be well served by Linux Mint or Fedora. If you have coding or systems administration experience and want even more control, check out Debian or Arch. They’re free, they’re secure, and they aren’t trying to sell you stuff or turn around and sell your data.
If you decide to throw Windows, well, out the window, you won’t be alone. Some 7,862 of the 19,000 petition signers opted for open-source alternatives.
Asserting our Right to Own will take more than just passing legislation. Uninstalling Windows is a great place to start.
