this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025

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317

E-waste or Linux? Charities face tough choices as Windows 10 support ends (www.techspot.com)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

74 comments fedilink hide all child comments

In a nutshell: As Microsoft prepares to end free security updates for Windows 10 in October, a significant challenge looms for charities that refurbish and distribute older computers to those in need. With an estimated 240 million PCs unable to meet the stringent hardware requirements for Windows 11, these organizations face a difficult decision: provide potentially insecure Windows 10 systems, send them to e-waste recyclers, or explore alternative operating systems like Linux.

Microsoft's requirements for Windows 11 include a 1GHz or faster CPU with at least two cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, Secure Boot capability, and TPM 2.0 compatibility. However, the supported Intel CPU list only goes back to 8th Gen chips, introduced in 2017, while the AMD list includes Ryzen 2000 series and above.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 2 months ago (2 children)

However, Linux still lacks some popular applications, such as Microsoft Office and Slack, though alternatives are available.

Lol nice bait. Real talk though, just toss shortcuts to word.office.com, excel.office.com and outlook.office.com on the desktop and nobody will be any wiser

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Or use Libre Office which just does the same without costing you money or data.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Slack

??? Slack works just fine on Linux

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Yeah there's a reason I didn't even call that one out and just called it a bait. It's in flathub, frequently featured in flathub, and in the same article they spoke with a nonprofit that stated they preload older computers with Linux Mint now, which has a graphical software center that covers both Flathub and the Ubuntu repos

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

Quality reporting right here

[+] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (3 children)

The choice is hard because many charities already have a hard time maintaining what they have. To move to linux, they'd need people to know linux. Many volunteers that support this stuff simply don't and are barely power-users themselves. I spend a good chunk of my day interacting with JUST windows users who have no idea how a computer actually works... they just know how to barely operate windows.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago

I would also like to mention the situation of printers. I can get my office printer working on chromeOS, Windows, Mac, but no Linux distro (other than chromeOS) wanted to play nice with it.

[+] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

okay but windows will at some point become unusable.

Why would windows 10 magically become unusable? It's not like Microsoft is going to send out a firmware brick at the EoL.

You know that you can still install XP today and get online... With minimal work you can actually get online completely on modern sites.

The same could be said for any linux distro.

[+] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

yes. windows xp was a fully local OS, and when you installed it, you stilled owned your computer. these things are not true of windows 10.

Yes you can? It's windows 11 that tries to lock you out, and even then you can install it without internet if you know the magic incantation...

But windows 10 will just install with a local account if you don't give it internet (unplug ethernet and never setup a wifi).

sure, and I could say you’re a chainsaw juggling pedophile lizard person who came from the future to make sure flavored foams don’t have a resurgence in upscale dining at any cost because the consequences, drawn out 200 years, are so much worse than fascism and several possible extinction events. saying shit is easy. doesn’t make it true.

The fuck? Any linux install will eventually become unsupported. That is my claim to counter your nonsense claim of Windows becoming unusable.

Go take your pills.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

There's a barrier of entry to linux for sure BUT it really depends on the distro.

The issue I think is "marketing". I'm sure most of these computer agnostic folks would be fine using Linux Mint or Ubuntu but to someone who doesn't understand these things, just the fact that there's a choice to make there is probably barrier enough.

If we lower the barrier of entry for installation and choice for them, the decision to switch becomes way easier, I think.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think it should be viewed as a trade-off. If you want cheaper refurbished PCs you'll have to tolerate adjusting to Linux. If you want to deal with Microsoft you'll have to pay for it: Licensing and new hardware and all.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

So, the question becomes: does a particular charity have a shortage of tech people working for them or a shortage of money? Which would be easier to get?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

mint, ubuntu, kde neon mabye... many more

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (1 children)

IMHO each new version of Windows looks & feels different to the last anyway, so most (general users) wouldn't know the difference - they just need a web browser an email client and an office suite.

That 1 Windows-only program they use is probably not compatible with the next version of Windows too

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

That 1 Windows-only program they use is probably not compatible with the next version of Windows too

No it probably is, Microsoft puts a ton of effort into backwards compatibility

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Yeah a lot of problems with Windows can actually be explained by some kind of backwards compatibility lol

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