"windows 11 upgrade ready!" "your computer is eligible for windows 11!" "download windows 11 now!"
Taps the sign
The presence of alternatives is helpful but not the same as having the default option not shit itself to death to enrich people who would squeeze your entrails into the torment nexus for an extra dime if they thought they could get away with it.
Microsoft is not going to backtrack and suddenly make a good OS. That dream is dead. it is up to you and you alone to regain your agency over your computing. You have to stop simply eating the first thing that's put in front of you. It is rarely the best thing for you.
The (temporary) solution is to use Windows 10 LTSC. It's free from all the bloat and Copilot 🤢 and will get security updates until 2032 AND you won't have to learn a whole new operating system to use it. I've been using it for years and it is by far the snappiest windows 10 experience I've ever had. You can switch over to it without losing any of your existing data.
The real and permanent solution is, yes, to overcome your fear of learning something new and break away from the malicious convenience on offer by big tech companies like Microsoft (and stop being a pussy /gen /lh) and learn to use Linux on the side before Windows 10 LTSC gets cut off from security updates in 2032. You've got plenty of time, and there's never been a better time to do so.
To approach this, you can set up your PC to dual boot Windows 10 LTSC and Linux at the same time. However, in spite of the convenient and cheap nature of not having to buy and insert new hardware, that process can be daunting for the average user. Otherwise if your PC has the space to plug in another drive or if you have an old spare PC laying around, install a Linux distro there and mess around with it like you would normally use your PC. Using it as if it were your normal is the best way to get used to not being wrapped around Microsoft's little finger.
Regardless, I seriously recommend that you take up researching how you can do this as it is the cheapest way to start the long process of breaking off your reliance on Windows. It's not going to be easy, not convenient, not quick, and on occasion you're gonna have to troubleshoot more than you ever have before, but you'll be all the better for it by the time you're absolutely forced to use Windows 11 or nothing. I still rely on Windows a lot, but way less than I thought I would need to with my dual boot set up.
Remember, it is up to you to do this. It's totally in your hands. Anyone can do it and everyone really should. There is no going back to a Windows that isn't actively hostile to you. You have to stop simply eating the first thing that's put in front of you. It is rarely the best thing for you.
