You can buy a used mini PC for less than the price of a new Windows 11 license. I know there are cheaper license sites out there (unclear how legit they are) but this way you get a Windows license and a spare PC to run Linux!

I have around 30 windows 7 pro COAs (used to work in a pc repair shop, pulled the COAs on every dead pc that came through). Most of them are from dells, but I haven’t had an issue activating on custom pcs. If anyone wants one, let me know

Okay, I'll use the Microsoft-endorsed activation tool

On 10 right now, but honestly have had enough of the whole Windows ecosystem. (Like today I ran across a look at these exciting Windows 11 September updates! woo! aren't you excited! video, and it was almost all embarrassingly cosmetic. Except for the part where they're finally adding native support for archive formats (.7z, .rar, .tar) that everyone else has supported for decades: how fucking charming am I supposed to find that announcement after all these years of using 3rd party apps, when the probability of the native support being buggy as hell is very high? And that was just one example; there's a full list in the description box.

No thanks. It's clear they did all this just to be able to simultaneously slather AI hooks all through the OS works, free for now but not forever, and I'm just not interested in that either. Nothing against AI, I just don't want it integrated into my OS. I also like my privacy, believe in keeping my own shit on my own computers, and enjoy not having a significant portion of my hardware computing load dedicated to the collection and sale of my data.

But MS isn't the only game in town anymore. I tried some hardware-light Linux distros on a 13 year old MacBook recently just to see what the fuss is about, and was gobsmacked at how well they ran with 4GB of RAM and a slow (by today's standards) processor. Holy shit. So I did a bit of hardware upgrading so I could run even more, and yesterday I installed Fedora 38 with KDE Plasma on that same MacBook with 16GB of RAM and a 1T SSD. It picked up every bit of that hardware on its own, too; I didn't have to configure a thing.

It's almost too easy, lol. It's Linux so I thought I was going to be overwhelmed with command line shit, but no, not at all: the few times I needed the command line, the exact syntax was a web search away, with plentiful discussion, documentation, and even demo videos to choose from.

And if I don't like it, I can try as many as I like off USB drives until I see something I like and decide to install that instead, and there are literally dozens, if not hundreds of distros now.

So Microsoft can keep that AI-ridden ad-ware Windows 11 shit. I'll keep 10 for now (installed on a 7 license, lol) until I'm fully comfortable with Linux, and then that's that.

Put it this way. I now have a screaming fast machine that runs on 13-year-old hardware where every software I could want for it is free, open source, and backed by a gazillion gurus both pro and amateur for whom no question is too arcane; why the hell should I give that up for the baggy, bloated, slow, privacy-invasive advertising delivery service that is Microsoft Windows?

I know there will be issues with Linux as I get to know it and use it, just because there are issues with every OS. There may even be things I find I can't get past, and if that happens I try other distros or suck it up, lol. But fuck MS if they think I am going to pay actual cash to help them serve up my privacy while they deliver unwanted ads to me every time I boot it up.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, lol.

You guys are using keys?

My first legit Windows Version I installed(not pre-installed) was when my university gave keys out for free.

Before that I used sketchy tools to activate my Windows. Since I am using Linux only my vms don't get activated. Windows 10 runs fine without activation.

I wish we could just get back to an updated version of 7. Everything since has sucked.

I've had the same Win8 Pro key that I purchased for $40 when it released 12 years ago. I've used it for Win10 and 11. Is this saying if I format my drive and reinstall Win11 that I won't be able to activate using this key anymore?

It had to happen eventually. To be honest I'm surprised Microsoft still charges for Windows when Apple, Google Chrome OS and Linux offers their systems for free.

In my case I run Windows 10 in a VM on my Linux machine just to use the Canon printer which the box said supported Linux but after I bought it, their website says they no longer support Linux.

So I'm forced to use Windows.

Btw, if you use Linux ain't buy a Canon printer. If you can, get Brother.

Install Linux and don't have to deal with any of the shit Microsoft software

No problem. I’m still staying on 10 though.

Wym man I pacman -Syu 20 times a day with no problem. You guys need keys?

Not like I wanted to, my older PCs running windows 7 aren't eligible for Windows 11 anyway

Jumped the windows ship long ago. So glad I don't need to deal with this nonsense anymore.

So I can't upgrade my sistem that works perfectly fine because it doesn't meet one of their frivolous requirements. And now I can't use the key that I legally purchased? Sounds like MS doesn't want me to use their products.

I have some trusty KMS activator that I have to use every year once, so far no problems