Installing Linux will save them. 240M computers.
Yeah good luck explaining how to install, use and maintain Linux to people who can barely do email.
I’m not gonna tell them to install Arch from scratch. I’d wipe-install Pop for 10$ because it’s literally just clicking “next” a couple of time while watching TV.
Installing Lime and Untabu is easy as hell. The issue is games. I cannot with good confidence intall it on my kid’s laptop and think it won’t break to play what he wants to play. We are divorced. It happens. But devs for Pete’s sake, make games work on every OS. It’s not your choice what we need for our PC needs.
I used to feel that way too, but after trying games on Linux again recently (got a steam deck) I have yet to find a single game that doesn’t work on Linux at this point. I’m not even exaggerating, literally every game I’ve tried works without issue, even if it’s “Windows only”.
I have yet to get Fortnite and Fall guys to work. I know there is a steam deck work around. But getting them to work has not ended in a success yet.
I’ll figure it out before dropping 500+ bucks on a new PC.
Oh man. What a headache. I’m a seasoned Linux user but I couldn’t get my Nvidia GPU working on my Linux machine.
I had to switch back to Windows to be productive
Learning how to use open source alternatives to proprietary software on Windows is the starting point before transition to Linux.
Before that, learning how to use open source alternatives to proprietary software on Windows is the starting point before transition to Linux.
I used to have a positive attitude to Linux and even used Tails but you Linux bros are so annoying I really dislike the OS
That’s a very weird sentence. I don’t like X because X enthusiast are so annoying.
It’s like saying “I used to have a positive attitude to pasta and even cooked rigatoni but you Italians are so annoying I really dislike the pasta.”
Time to start a nonprofit that cleans up old machines and installs Linux on them for deserving poor folks.
Tons already exist. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest then make your donations to https://www.freegeek.org
Finally cheaper hardware in the used market
You know who throws away computers? WASTEFUL people. There’s always a use for older, “obsolete” technology. Today’s tablet could become tomorrow’s clock or picture frame. Today’s computer could become tomorrow’s server or game system or video player. You just have to have a little creativity and some knowledge of tech.
I used to think the same way as you before realize someone garbage it’s someone else treasure, so now I sell anything too old for my uses to add some extra money and get new stuff, usually don’t throw away anything, for example I like to disguise old laptops and CPUs to sell the working old parts to people who repair industrial old equipment, plenty of people willing to pay good money for some pieces of old shitty hardware.
I don’t think it’s fair to blame individual consumers. The whole consumer electrics industry is predicated on planned obsolescence and getting the consumer to buy the latest devices. In reality computers and smartphones have stagnated in terms of functionally for every day people and frequent upgrades aren’t necessary.
Here Microsoft has colluded with hardware manufactures so Windows 11 will obsolete perfectly usable computers. What choice does the consumer have to fight back? Regulation is needed to force consumer electronics to be sustainable and long lasting.
At the end of the day, consumers enable this behaviour by majoratively buying into their bullshit. If people just stopped supporting the bearers of bad practices, companies like Microsoft would change tack in a nano second to remain commercially viable.
To add to the valid points others already made - some people simply don’t have the inclination or know how, or even just the physical space to store all these old machines. Yet those machines going to landfill are still almost certainly the responsibility of those who not only made them barely last a couple of years, but who invest billions if not trillions on developing a newer version no one wants, and selling it (or forcing it) on people despite no one really needing it…
Send Windows 11 and their stupid trusted computing initiative to the landfill instead.
Windows 11, finally bringing the year of Linux on the desktop.
I think most people would rather throw away their computer than learn to click a different icon.
All those computers would run amazing with Linux.
Sure, or just windows 10 even. My custom build still smokes most mid and entry level off the shelf pcs but is ineligible for win11 BS requirements. As a result, my start button is still way over on the left side! What in the hell is the alure of 11 that people feel the need to toss their system? I don’t see it.
Security updates and general support. That’s basically it
No. Windows 10 is still fully supported and receives security updates in a regular schedule.
I think the “researchers” may not actually have gathered any data on what actually happens in these types of scenarios. beyond people just keeping on with old os which a lot will unless MS intentionally sends out a brick-update.
lots of countires/municipalities have WEE programmes to try to prevent electronics from getting to landfil - especially until things like batteries and other toxic or dangerous chemicals can be removed.Or the headline is pure clickbait garbage - it’s bad enough that i’m not going to bother clicking and read any more filth.
Send the 7th Gen and better ones to me for plex servers.
I’ll take them for free
I am prepared to pick them up and show some leg, as a bonus.
Know what? Just send them to me.
The landfill is a rude thing to call linux
How dangerous can it be to run an old OS anyways? Been doing it for years. Might actually be a good thing now that the forced updates are gone.
Sometimes very dangerous, as an example a company may pay for security updates for windows XP, but you won’t get these updates. Say someone takes a look at what changed, finds a buffer overflow or other easily exploited bug, embeds that in a program, and pays to have it bundled with some freeware. One of these exploits could even infect you just from visiting a webpage.
Security updates are annoying but they’re the one kind of update Microsoft is actually justified in pushing
Hmmm… I guess it’ll be a new thing, you know, new problems for old tech… Maybe some of the guys from ReactOS will find some old canonical guys to work with and build a new alternative to windows 7 for all the old computers out there. As for how they’ll make money it’ll probably be great for keeping all the old OEM’s and engineering software companies by keeping their old product lines somewhat relevant
I’d like to know too.
I wonder what said researchers though about windows xp or 7 reaching EOL…deeer
