The countdown has begun. On 14 October 2025, Microsoft will end support for Windows 10. This will leave millions of users and organisations with a difficult choice: should they upgrade to Windows 11, or completely rethink their work environment?
The good news? You don’t have to follow Microsoft’s upgrade path. There is a better option that puts control back in the hands of users, institutions, and public bodies: Linux and LibreOffice. Together, these two programmes offer a powerful, privacy-friendly and future-proof alternative to the Windows + Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
The move to Windows 11 isn’t just about security updates. It increases dependence on Microsoft through aggressive cloud integration, forcing users to adopt Microsoft accounts and services. It also leads to higher costs due to subscription and licensing models, and reduces control over how your computer works and how your data is managed. Furthermore, new hardware requirements will render millions of perfectly good PCs obsolete.
This is a turning point. It is not just a milestone in a product’s life cycle. It is a crossroads.
Possibly, I know it has been around for a while. I think it could be turned off when it was first implemented… I did a long stretch on Linux but went back to Windows in 2024 for work purposes and, while I love Libra Office for most things, PowerPoint has the edge over Impress or whatever the presentation program is.
Point is, can’t seem to get rid of the ribbon these days and go back to the “classic style”. In addition, while it’s bad in PowerPoint, but I accidentally opened a file with Word and it was a travesty beyond imagining. Everything takes so many unnecessary clicks, the ribbon changes whenever you change focus… It’s wretched.