[German]10 years ago, Microsoft officially released Windows 10 version 1507. A free (forced) upgrade from Windows 7 and 8.x was included. Looking back, I can see a succession of disasters. The beginning of Microsoft's decline as a serious company; and today there are even warnings about Microsoft and Windows 11.
July 29, 2015: Windows 10 v1507 was released
It was July 29, 2015, when Microsoft generally released Windows 10 version 1507. This was preceded by a one-year public beta test, which was available to everyone via the Windows Insider Program.
A brief review: Windows 10 was launched after the gigantic flop that was Windows 8.x. With Windows 8.0 and the follow-up Windows 8.1, Microsoft claimed that it knew what was good for users and wanted to convert people to tile interfaces and touch operation.
When the Start menu from Windows 7 returned in the first betas of Windows 10, I was hopeful that Redmond had come to its senses. But soon the Windows 7 start menu was removed from the code base in order to implement a start menu with tiles. That was the first fall from grace, which was followed by many more.
There was the statement that "Windows 10 is the last Windows" – I know, a bullshit statement from Redmond. Windows 10 was supposed to receive feature updates twice a year, and Microsoft wanted to be able to announce 1 billion Windows 10 installations soon. Specifically, Terry Myerson made the statement at Build 2015 that the aim was to have Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2018 – the following screenshot is from Build 2015.
The 1 billion Windows 10 installations thing then dragged on into 2020 (see my article Windows 10 is on 1 Billion devices).
What else can I think of about Windows 10? Gigantic failures: Windows 10 version 1511 was released in November 2015 and the Anniversary Update was released a year later as Windows 10 v1607. With every feature update, it was a matter of trembling that it would somehow work and it could be observed that Microsoft had to recall the feature updates several times – it was a mess over a mess after each release.
Things only improved when the semi-annual feature updates were extended to annual releases and the so-called enablement updates were introduced. This meant that several Windows 10 builds received the same updates at the same time and the new version received the new features via an enablement update on the due date.
The first year of Windows 10 was also characterized by the forced upgrades from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Microsoft didn't miss a trick when it came to forcing users who refused to upgrade to Windows 10.
The highlight was dialog boxes as shown above, offering upgrades immediately or "tonight". Here on the blog, instructions on how to prevent the upgrade to Windows 10 were very popular. The bullying only ended when Microsoft lost the first lawsuits over forced upgrades and had to pay compensation. I covered the topic in the article Windows 10: Hiebe statt Liebe – Gratis-Update war ein Fehler in my German blog.
On October 14, 2025, Microsoft's "last Windows" will no longer be supported – at least a bit. This is because users can license Extended Security Updates (ESU) from Microsoft and continue to receive security updates for up to three years. There are also so-called LTSC versions of Windows 10, which will receive security updates until the beginning of 2032.
The ESU programs and the LTSC versions are for customers who have not switched to Linux or macOS in time, but refuse to use the "very last" Windows, which has the number 11 in its name. Because after the last Windows, the very last Windows 11 came onto the market. As a reminder: Windows 11 was cobbled together from a Windows 10 core and the broken interface of the scrapped Windows 10X. The current Windows 11 could also be more aptly described as a "continuing disaster", as it is simply paved with bugs. At the same time, Microsoft is treating its Windows 11 clientele to all kinds of gimmicks and nonsense. Which brings us to the next topic.
Warning about Microsoft, AI mumbo jumbo & Win 11
Actually, you only have to look at the last 10 years to see the disasters Microsoft has delivered. But well, occasionally I question myself – "are you perhaps the only person who sees Windows 11 critical and as a mess" because many people are using Windows 11 without any problems? (Here I use Linux Mint, Windows 10 22H2 (will use 0patch or move to LTSC systems.)
Ever since Microsoft has been on the AI trip and plastered everything with CoPilot that doesn't fight back, aversion to Microsoft seems to be on the rise. Colleagues at The Register published the article Windows 11 is a minefield of micro-aggressions in the shipping lane of progress on, July 28, 2025. The title says that Windows 11 is a minefield of micro-aggressions in the name of progress, as seen by Microsoft. The article can only be interpreted as an "Urgent warning about this vendor and Windows 11".
Workflow, productivity and enablement are the buzzwords used by software companies to justify their increasingly greedy raids on companies' IT coffers. According to The Register, at least the Vikings didn't pretend to offer monastery renovations and fancy haircuts on their raids.
Microsoft, on the other hand, is unfortunately going full steam ahead to turn the Windows 11 environment into an ADHD horror show, full of distractions, promotions and traps. With little effort, Redmond could turn Windows 11 back into an operating system simply for working. But Redmond is desperately relying on these sleight-of-hand tricks as a way to monetize.
Microsoft has brought out the heavy artillery of AI, writes The Register. Users are bombarded with a relentless barrage of features and functions that pretend to be the user's friend. It spies on users in the background and sends the recordings "home".
The Register says there is a word for intrusive, unwanted software that interferes with users' work to serve ads or trick users into unwanted interactions. The word also describes software that constantly monitors and exfiltrates what goes on between the user and their data. The Register then calls this evil word "malware". And this malware does not come from third parties, but is called Windows 11, provided and developed by Microsoft. The entire article from The Register reads to me as "Hands off Windows 11 and other Microsoft products". How much further can Microsoft fell?
