It’s truly amazing how much Microsoft has dominated the OS market share with Windows over the years. The default Bliss wallpaper in Windows XP is still probably the single most viewed image of all time—not some piece of Renaissance artwork that was painstakingly crafted hundreds of years ago that people travel from all over the world to see, but a desktop background that Microsoft purchased and included as an afterthought.
"The Windows XP 'Bliss' wallpaper remains one of the most viewed images globally."
I also wouldn’t be surprised if the startup sound for Windows XP or some other ubiquitous Windows sound effect is one of the most common sounds ever heard. While the faces of The Beatles are more recognizable worldwide than even the face of Jesus Christ, the frowny face with a blue background that became the new blue screen of death starting with Windows 8 might eventually eclipse that level of fame, especially after the CrowdStrike incident.
Microsoft’s Commitment to Windows Fans
Despite the unmatched fame of Windows, Microsoft has shown little respect for the fans and users of their product. They told us back in 2015, when Windows 10 was released, that it would be the final version of Windows.
"Microsoft had initially claimed that Windows 10 would be the final version."
Now, even though I had personally been using Linux Mint for a few years at that point, I was happy to hear about a standardized version of Windows. I thought it would be the last version I’d need to learn in order to provide technical support for family or for the occasional time I find myself needing to use Windows. Yet, in less than a year, Windows 10 will reach its end of life, meaning it will no longer receive security updates. This means Boomers who rely on us for technical support will need to move to a newer OS to keep their digital security intact.
The Push for AI in Windows
As you probably know, every tech company is shoehorning AI into their products if they haven’t already, and Microsoft is no exception. The Co-pilot feature, which I thought would only be enabled on newer Co-pilot Plus PCs with neural processing units, was recently enabled on Windows 10 and 11 machines after an update. A strange rainbow icon appeared next to the Start menu on a 15-year-old desktop, which is only used for checking emails, basic word processing, and occasional Bible study Zoom calls. The users don’t need, nor want, artificial intelligence in their OS.
"AI-powered search results for medical information are often misleading, with 66% of results potentially harmful."
It was already bad enough when the Start/Search menu became connected to Bing and started searching the internet for files and programs users were trying to search for locally. Now, with AI integrated into these searches, the first results are often generated by Bing’s AI. These results are sometimes hilariously wrong, like recommending using glue to thicken cheese on a pie or claiming there are 150 Planet Hollywood restaurants in Guam. AI results can be much worse than funny answers to trivial questions.
Windows Recall and Privacy Concerns
Speaking of Microsoft’s AI features, the Recall feature has returned. If you installed the 24H2 update for Windows 11, Recall, which takes screenshots of your desktop every few minutes or whenever there’s a change in your windows, was reactivated. This feature stores these screenshots securely on your device, supposedly to help users search back through their activity.
"Recall in Windows 11 reactivates frequent screenshots to support activity tracking."
If Recall is fully enabled on your computer, you can disable it in Windows settings under Privacy & Security. Disabling Recall this way is recommended because turning it off completely could actually break your Windows installation. If you delete all files related to Recall, the modern File Explorer with dark mode and tabs will stop working, defaulting you back to the Windows 7-era explorer.
Microsoft’s Vision for Control: From “My Computer” to “This PC”
Another trend over the years is the shift in language from “My Computer” in Windows XP to “This PC” in recent versions. I’m sure somewhere in the user agreement, Microsoft has always stated that the computer isn’t truly yours when you use Windows, but it feels like this wording change was a subtle hint about what was to come. It’s as if Microsoft wants us to see our computers as merely terminals for their ecosystem, rather than personal devices we control.
The solution I recommend? Consider switching to a desktop Linux operating system so you can finally have some control over your computer. And yes, I’ll be looking into distros and themes that can recreate the feel of Windows 10 before its end of life. That way, more of my older folks can join the Linux community, which offers more privacy and control.
If anyone has suggestions for software that can achieve a Windows-like experience on Linux, feel free to share in the comments below.