Windows 11 Coming Soon

This is exactly the reason that so many people have looked for other alternatives to using a windows computer.
Windows 11 has been out for several years now, and they are still trying to get people to upgrade to that operating system, and there are even a lot of people who are still on an even earlier version of Windows before Windows 10 that have not wanted to upgrade even to Windows 10.

More and more people are using a tablet of one kind or another, and if they type a lot, then they use an external keyboard, which makes any tablet into an almost-laptop.
People who need a larger screen connect to a large monitor or even a television set.

Another great option that many people have done, is switched to a Chromebook, which runs on the Google Chrome operating system, has built in virus security, is simple to use, and updates regularly.
Because Chromebooks use online storage, they are much cheaper to buy than a regular computer or laptop, and for many years, they were what school children used.
Now, because so many people, especially seniors, want something without all the hassle of Windows, they are switching to a chromebook, and google has done a lot of upgrades to meet this new market. There are dedicated channels on youtube to help newcomers get the most use from their new Chromebook even.

The same thing has happened with Amazon Kindle, which used to be pretty much just a device for reading books, or maybe watching movies and videos or listening to music.
Now, the latest Amazon Fire tablet is much more lightweight, and when an external keyboard is added, performs like a computer does, and sells for under $100.
You can add memory chips to the Kindle for extra storage, so they are somewhere in between a regular computer and a Chromebook.

Windows just can’t compete with something that works that well and is so inexpensive, and Microsoft is having a terrible time trying to coerce people to upgrade their old Windows computers and buy their expensive new systems when there are so many other better options for people instead.

 

There are lots of concerns over WIN11 spying on you. (For now, the following is purportedly limited to a specific PC with a specific CPU designed to do this.)

WIN11 takes screenshots every few seconds as you use your PC and implements Artificial Intelligence that allows you to "search your history" by analyzing the screenshots. Every website you visit, every password you use, every personal photo you look at, every e-mail you type and every time you manage your finances (from Excel to checking your bank account statement) is going to be analyzed and stored. Theoretically, this AI analysis of your activity is only available to the user. We are to trust that the analysis is not being sent to Microsoft or to other parties. Initial push-back has caused Microsoft to claim that the PCs will ship with this fuature turned Off rather than being automatically turned On.

As intrusive as this sound for individuals like us, it is a nightmare for businesses in general as well as for privacy-driven industries (legal, financial, medical, etc.)

Maybe it's time for me to consider a Mac.

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I worry about privacy. I trust Google less than I trust Microsoft.

 

I think that this is an issue, regardless of ANY device a person uses to go online with, from any company. Almost every one also uses an AI assistant, and there have been so many reports of that “assistant” answering when no one was talking to them, or thought that it was turned off, that we are probably being spied on no matter what device we use.

Some people (I think Mary Stetler) use a Chromebook, but do not make an actual user account, they use a guest account. This severely limits the things you can do with the Chromebook because it is in guest mode, but it apparently also stops some information from going back to google, or at least people think it does.

There has been talk about television sets spying on people, and that has been out there for YEARS now, way before we even heard of google spying on us.
I pretty much just assume that anything the government wants to know about any person, they already have a way to spy on them, unless a person lives in the middle of nowhere and has no communication with anyone, and even then, we have satellites that can spy into anywhere on earth.

 

You may be right about that, but I've not reached the point where I'm gonna give up control, even if it is an illusion.

 

Google has all your passwords, even if you don't have a Chromebook. Apple has a new major version coming up next fall, and I understand it will incorporate AI, too. So, our secrets aren't safe unless we all go back to PC-DOS. Maybe there are safer Linux versions, but I wouldn't count on it. OS/2 was superior to anything that came later but wasn't allowed to succeed.

 

The comments in WIN11 articles have a smattering of "This will push me to finally switching to LINUX." Could be nothing but tantrums.