Not all versions of Windows were created equal, at least not according to Windows users. Windows XP was a legendary operating system that Microsoft found hard to replace. It didn’t help that XP’s successor, Windows Vista, was basically an Edsel-level bust.
Nearly two decades later, Microsoft faces a similar, if less pronounced, dilemma. The days when the release of a new Windows OS could command a good chunk of mainstream media attention have mostly passed, but Microsoft’s end of support for Windows 10 in October 2025 did make a few ripples around the internet.
It’s hard to replace a perfect (Windows) 10
Like Windows XP, Windows 10 is — was? — a beloved OS. As for Windows 11, which is somehow already four years old, the jury is still out. While it won’t come close to touching the depths to which Vista sank, it’s not exactly popular.
Instead of making the free migration to the “new” version of Windows, users are rethinking their options. Some want to stay on Windows 10. Others are looking outside of Windows completely and moving to Linux.
In fact, after finally passing Windows 10 in market share among Windows operating systems in July 2025, Windows 11 actually started losing market share, a trend that continued at least through September. But that’s not the weirdest market-share statistic.
This is: Windows 7, introduced in 2009 and long since left in the dustbin of history by Microsoft, rocketed up from a flatline of about 2% of Windows market share to nearly 4% in August and nearly 10% in September!
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What are the alternatives to Windows 11?
Users who just can’t stand Windows 11 do have options. Few are simple. Almost none are particularly safe. None will really work for businesses or service providers. (One word of advice: Don’t move to Windows 7.)
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