Mixed feelings about this one. Some things actually look quite good (rounded corners, new icons in the File Explorer), other things look really bad (the widgets panel, almost every icon in the taskbar). Hope they manage to balance things out a bit more before I'm forced to upgrade.

I hope that it just fixes things that don't work properly.

Looks? Appearance?

They and all other "flim flam" hold no interest for me. Windows to me is just another tool - not a Swiss Army knife to work with - it is also not a life experience.

I'll leave all the rest to the Rudy Park's of the world - read this and next episodes

[gocomics.com ]

[Edit] Clarity

Windows 95 wowed me. Windows 98 wowed me. Windows XP wowed me.

Since then I'm just happy when things work properly, don't get complicated needlessly and don't cost me money just because they are new.

I get grumpy when settings I enjoyed are disabled 'for your own protection", like blocking any of the 23454234523 background processes checking in with 3rd party sites I didn't ask them to. Fingers crossed.

I like to wait several years before I switch to a new version of Windows (and most other new software), to allow time for a lot of the bugs to be fixed. Actually I'm still using Windows 7 on my main desktop now. This is my second Windows 7 desktop -- I bought it about 5 years ago mainly to get solid state drives.

When I buy a new desktop with a new version of Windows, it takes me at least a month to study it and then get everything set up the way I want it. So after I become efficient at using an old desktop, I like to hold onto it.

I really liked the old Windows XP and kept that desktop for about 8 years.

I really liked the old Windows XP and kept that desktop for about 8 years

Ditto here - I didn't update until Mr. Microsoft offered me his Windows 8 Pro for peanuts along with video software.

Actually I still have it on an old Notebook with Windows XP Pro that is compatible with old - yet very functional - surveillance hardware I use on the odd occasion. Same with the compatible software. None would work with later versions of Windows.

The local possums, or the rotten local rats don't care who, or what is watching, or if it is olden day stuff.

Sort of reminds me of Linux MATE

I really liked the old Windows XP and kept that desktop for about 8 years.

Heh ... I think I kept xp about that same amount of time, perhaps a year longer? Win7 still exists on some of my machines for legacy programs that do a ton of work that never upgraded (or I didn't write new code). Skipped 8 altogether. "Discovered Linux" for general work, so the Win 10 is merely a "check how it looks". Not sure about 11, will have to wait for the release before deciding to embrace or not.

Clearly there is a pattern of good software/sucks donkey balls from one version to the next. ;) If history is any indication it will be a dud.

95/98 - ME - XP - Vista - 7 - 8 - 10 - 11?
.

The version of Win I really liked was 3.11 for Workgroups. :)

Then again, I was an early OS2 adopter so what can I say?

Yes well remember back to the olden DOS days when odd numbered versions rocked, and the even numbered versions sucked something fierce.

That even number syndrome worried me with the advent of Windows 8, then rapidly followed by 10. The odd numbered 7 still has its legions of adherents.

Maybe I'm just too old at 79.

The odd numbered 7 still has its legions of adherents.

If they had not given away 10 for free there would still be a lot of people using it and they would be in the same boat as XP supporting it. I'm actually surprised there will be an "11", I was under the impression they were going to just continue to roll out updates and paid upgrades for ten so they wouldn't be in the position of having to support multiple operating systems.

Somehow this old commercial comes to mind every time a new OS comes out. Now more relevant than ever. [youtu.be...]

Was reading this morning that 11 is available for those in the insider program. Also, Win 11 will cater to Android Apps (via Amazon?).

Microsoft saw how well Google did with Linux base code (android), so it just makes sense that Microsoft might try it's hand with Linux (open source) as well.

The elements that were written for 10X are being incorporated into 11 since the 10X was being originally written to compete with the Chrome OS (the Microsoft Windows 10X project was discontinued in April? May? - or somewhere along that time frame)

Windows 10 EOL is sometime in 2025 I think and I've come away with the notion that Microsoft isn't going to try and force Windows 11 on to the users of Windows 10 like they forced Windows 7 users to adopt Windows 10 back in the day.

Upgrade to Windows 11 from 10 will be free of course.

As an aside, I find it interesting to see Microsoft struggling to regain it's foothold in the industry over all.

@ samwest

Somehow this old commercial comes to mind

Video unavailable - in Oz anyway

Finally....

Finally Mr. Microsoft Insiders sent me an email. I thought they had banned me for my unkind comments on how updates don't work.

Introducing Windows 11
Windows 11 combines a rejuvenated Start menu with new ways to connect with the people, news, games, and content you love.

Learn more about Windows 11
Bling, hype, marketing hype, junk galore... I couldn't identify one item of interest.
[microsoft.com ]

I'm still using Windows7 on my main desktop. About 5-6 years ago Microsoft offered a free upgrade to a newly-released Windows10 and kept urging me to convert, but I wasn't interested. Earlier someone here said that Microsoft "forced" Windows7 users to convert to 10, but that's not true. And from my statcounter logs I can see that others besides me are still using Windows7.

As for Windows11, maybe I'll get it with my next desktop, but that's a few years away. I try to avoid anything that's newly released.

Microsoft "forced" Windows7 users to convert to 10

Forcing Windows 10 was actually a thing back in the day.

There were a lot of people that went to bed one night with Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and woke up with Windows 10.

As I recall, it was a mess.

[computerworld.com...]

[reddit.com...]

[answers.microsoft.com...]

Thanks mcneely - I now vaguely remember that happening but didn't think of it when I made my post. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Just now looked at your Computerworld link, but still don't have a clear undestanding of how it heppened.

I wonder what percentage of Windows7 users were affected.

It still goes on. Unexpected updates. My weekend experience.

On one machine - leaving it on overnight because I was cloning some HDD - it stealthily updated my main Desktop to 20H2 in the wee hours of the morning.

Not content with that? It triggered both Firefox and Thunderbird to follow suit.

Having updated main PC to 20H2 it then decides upon further updates...

PROBLEM WITH THAT?

I am not the only person suffering from windows eternal update/restart/update/restart [time consuming] FOLLOWED BY

"Windows couldn't update - now rolling back the update"" [time consuming] - words to that effect. A nightmare fighting off updates when your defence measures are ignored and defeated.

UPDATE/ROLLBACK/UPDATE/ROLLBACK/UPDATE/ROLLBACK...

Worse? If you have - as I do - several other drives connected to the desktop which happen to have Windows on them?

They also get targeted - no matter your settings