I've begun upgrading systems recently, since you can still get the Windows 10 upgrade for free. No idea how long that's going to last.

While I've held on to Windows 7 for a long time, even long after 10 came out, I've now gotten used to 10 (and it's been improved since its initial release, of course). We won't talk about Windows 8, much as with Windows Vista, but 10 is a good successor to 7 in my book.

Have you made any plans to retire Windows 7?

.... just updated a Windows 7 box last night. The simple updates took hours, "again", of course. I'll let whoever buys it worry about paying for Windows 10 if they want to ... I'll be more than happy to let someone else sit around for 12 hours while they wait for Microsoft to do their thing during the upgrade.

3 of the most successful Windows operating systems in my book are 98, XP, and 7 -- Too bad Microsoft struggled so much over the years to get it right.

Windows 7 was quite literally "retired" around here years ago. Windows 10 is indeed a fitting end, I feel, to Microsoft's long line of "hit-or-miss" operating systems as we find ourselves looking beyond Microsoft to the ever engaging world of open source.

I can think of a few friends and rellos who will be more than miffed. Some will have to part with money because the "real reason" they didn't move to Win 10 had more to do with incompatible hardware.

the "real reason" they didn't move to Win 10 had more to do with incompatible hardware.

Yep, I'm typing from a Vista machine that is still faster than all my "7" machines and is still my workhorse.

Saying that I do have "10" on smaller machines but their constant updates (supposedly on Tuesdays or whenever) are a pita !.!.! However the vast majority of machines I look after are "locked down" to agreed "Net accessible" specifications ... basically, do not frak around!

7 support will be around for some time after EOL ... businesses and enterprise have too much invested to give it up, and MS is offering PAID support after EOL ...

I suspect, having seen the EOL of 98 XP and Vista that really necessary updates will be made available to the public when necessary.

My workhorse is Win7 Not that impressed with 10... but do have a "do nothing" machine on that OS ... and it is locked down tight ... and is my experimental for deleting/neutering the "wonderful enhancements and User Stuff" Redmond is so eager to apply.

There remain apps that I wish to continue using (PS5, for example ... yeah, I know...! and WP6... the latter I am converting files like crazy to more generically functional file types... and no, not all file converters out there can do the job).

I suspect I will eventually make a clean break of MS and move to Linix complete at some point. What I see embedded in the Win10 future is not to my liking as it represents a move back to centralized computing and I like to ride the range... FREE. :)

tangor, in one year from now, unless you are an enterprise customer, there will be no further updates.
It's the security aspect which could be a problem for the user, or even becoming a zombie for a bad actor.

Of course, you can still run it, but, slowly, other software on the OS will no longer be supported, too.

Yup, Linux may be the OS of choice for many that don't want the MS koolaid.

For sure, it will be possible to use Win7 for some time, but unfortunately new hardware do not support it. At the same time, for an old hardware Win7 is much better, than Win10, even if such software supports it. For example, it can cause overheating and similar problems, so in that cases it will be better to avoid the upgrade.

Windows 10 hardware requirements are identical to Windows 7 other than it needs a CPU supporting NX. It boots and restarts faster. Benchmark after benchmark shows 10 is faster overall than 7. And the Windows 7 look and feel can be accomplished for free with Classic Start Menu. I was one of the naysayers for a long time, but after switching and using Classic Start Menu, there's no way I'd go back to 7 even if support continued.

@engine ... time and again when egregious holes were patched for EOL systems (98, XP, Vista) the release was made ... commonsense on MS's part to keep their ecosystem alive. On the OTHER HAND, incremental updates disappeared ... and that is how it should be.

@J C Anderson ... Welcome to Webmasterworld, just in case nobody said it!

@motorhaven ... Win10 is 7 repackaged with web inserts (back to centralized computing "as a service", with some bells and whistles for ecom and, not to be discounted!, a bit more security. The "faster" is in eye blink differences. :)

You won MS! This summer I am buying a new machine (You F-ing Software company) to appease you. Switching from a stable system to god knows what. Create a Stable OS and I will gladly buy a membership.

Microsoft and their Windows builds have been creating insecure systems for years ... by that I mean, there are operating systems that Microsoft puts together that people just fall hopelessly in love with and will never give up on ... Windows 7 is how old? Windows Vista is how old? --- How many people out there have purchased an OEM Windows 10 build in the past year only to wipe the HD in order to install Windows 7? ... My guess is probably millions. Next question --- How many people are going to stay with Windows 7 post EOL? ... Probably millions -- It'll be just as it was back in the days of XP.

Does Internet Explorer 6 ring a bell? Yes ... Microsoft builds this stuff and then lets it run lose on the net forever. Their operating systems aren't really any different than that.

When Vista came out, I ran right down to the store and bought my wife a new machine and it wasn't even a week later she asked me to downgrade it to XP.
Back in the day I had a helluva time letting go of Windows 98 -- As a matter of speaking, I found myself running 98 'till XP came along. (ME was a total non-starter)

The requests for downgrades stopped as soon as I put my wife on Linux -- Why do you suppose that is? She's just an average every day computer user, so why no downgrades? .. Because 19.1 is so much better than 18.5 ... that's why. No fuss, no muss ... just straight forward improvement.

Linux and MAC do a way better job at implementing their LTS than Microsoft does. When it's done, it's done, and the systems they build are liked well enough and trusted well enough because each upgrade comes with something that's better than before --- We actually find ourselves wondering what Linux and MAC might come up with next, so upgrading is something we might look forward to, as opposed to Microsoft and wondering how they plan to screw this, that, or the other up on the next build.

Sure, Windows 10 works well enough I suppose. I have clients that use it and are quite happy with it. The irony here is that though these clients are wonderful people, they are still the most likely to complain about privacy. Every operating system is going to have it's own set of issues I suppose, but if one is worried about privacy, then Windows 10 is the last operating system you should be using.

Windows 7 was the last operating system from Microsoft that I ventured to use in a somewhat meaningful way ... and even then, it was dual-booted with Linux at the time -- I had more Linux boxes here being used even as far back as before the XP EOL was announced, so I've sort of been at this a while.

And speaking of wiping the HD's ... Sure ... Wife bought me a new HP ProBook in October with an OEM Windows 10 build on it --- Long story short? Windows 10 never made it to the welcome screen.