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Many people are seemingly still conflicted about Microsoft's unpopular decision to pull the plug on Windows 10, which happened last month on October 14. Multiple reports suggest that the operating system's death has left approximately 400 million PCs unsupported.
Of course, users have a couple of alternatives at hand, including upgrading to Windows 11 (but your device must meet Microsoft's stringent hardware requirements for the operating system), signing up for the Extended Software Updates (ESU) program which will extend support for Windows 10 for an additional year, continue using the OS without support (which may make you susceptible to privacy and security nightmares, or ditching Microsoft's Windows ecosystem entirely.
While we're still in the early days of Microsoft ending support for Windows 10, a damning report seemingly suggests that a large number of users have ditched Microsoft's Windows ecosystem for Linux.
As spotted by Tom's Hardware, Zorin, a Linux-based operating system designed to rival macOS and Windows, recently surpassed a million downloads following the release of a new update, which bumped it to version 18 of the Linux distro.
We're thrilled to announce that Zorin OS 18 has amassed 1 million downloads in just over a month since its release, breaking all previous records.
Zorin OS
Perhaps more interestingly, Zorin's developer claimed that 78% of the downloads were from Windows devices. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all 780,000 downloads came from Windows 10 users abandoning Microsoft’s Windows 11 in favor of the Linux distro.
According to TechRadar, the surge in downloads may stem from several factors, such as users driven by curiosity who download the operating system but never complete the installation process.
Zorin OS delivers strong performance even on older devices, as the debate over planned obsolescence intensifies following Microsoft’s end of support for Windows 10. It also offers enhanced privacy and a user interface reminiscent of the familiar Windows ecosystem.
Elsewhere, a group called End of 10 has been pushing for users to transition to Linux, leading up to Windows 10's imminent death. The campaign urged Windows 10 users to abandon Microsoft’s ecosystem altogether and adopt a Linux distribution on outdated devices, highlighting the absence of ads and telemetry tracking as its main selling points.
This news comes after Microsoft highlighted its decision to evolve Windows into an agentic AI OS, which was received with backlash from users.
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