Windows 11 Deprecated

A New Era of Desktop Computing Has Arrived

The dawn of this week heralds an epoch that many have eagerly anticipated for years. For decades, critics pointed fingers at Linux as being unripe or amateurish when it came to desktop user operating systems. However, the times are changing and how! Although Microsoft continues its reign in terms of installed copies among MS Windows users, alternative offerings now surpass this giant.

ChromeOS (created by Google) is prevalent on numerous consumer laptops today while MacOS remains popular within Apple’s loyal community. Nevertheless, for those seeking a versatile yet swift system that can be tailored to individual needs without compromising performance or user-friendliness—Linux takes first place on the podium!

Two significant companies managing Linux packaging and distribution have recently released their latest versions this month: Redhat with Fedora 40 & Canonical unveiling Ubuntu 24. With numerous very positive reviews flooding the Internet, I won’t reiterate what’s already been said.

Production Ready? – Absolutely!

My current project involves collaborating with another system administrator, deploying desktops running on the new release for all employees at a medium sized company. Initially set to use Ubuntu 23, we found that upgrading mid-rollout was worth it due to improved stability and usability features in version Ubuntu 24. While conventional wisdom dictates waiting six months before introducing software systems into production environments, this doesn’t apply here given Linux’s conservative release schedule and production testing.

Employee Approval – Passed

Our test group employees took a liking towards the new desktops running Ubuntu while the company’s owners appreciated zero perpetual license fees for their application suite alongside enhanced security measures and streamlined business processes management capabilities—all of which translate to substantial savings in overhead costs!

Enhanced Security – Passed

A critical aspect often overlooked when comparing MS Windows with Linux, lies in default user permissions. Linux’s more restrictive approach reduces vulnerability against malware compared to Windows’ less stringent permission settings. Cybercrime is rapidly on the rise, so this was our number one reason to implement a system designed with end-to-end security from the operating system up.

Total Privacy – Passed

As detailed in other articles on this site, our new Linux system deployment was tested to see what information is allowed to enter and leave the company’s internal network. Yes, you guessed it. We detected nothing! All of the usual Google, Microsoft and Apple tracking, the company was concerned about, was stopped, permanently.

Productivity Speed Upgrade – Passed

The two main issues relating to MS Windows in relation to speed and obsolescence are the amount of unwanted extra software the is installed with every installation (bloat) and the need to upgrade PCs on a frequent basis in order to “just run Windows”. In contrast, we installed Ubuntu with a “minimum” set of packages required to run a standard office and just added some apps required to support non-standard functions within the business. Their was not question that the new Linux installation resulted in a noticeable improvement in speed, even on PCs that were over 10 years old.

Effortlessly Keeping Up With Technology – Passed

Finally, imagine this, upgrading the entire Linux system from one major release to the next, is as simple as entering a single command, locally or remotely:

sudo do-release-upgrade -d

After answering relevant questions about customised configurations and rebooting your PC, you’re all set running a sparkling new release! I challenge you to try this with MS Windows.

Both Ubuntu and Fedora major releases occur every 6 months. Given the attitude to releases shown by Redhat and Canonical in the quality of each new release, this is no longer a cause of major disruption to company operations, if the decision is made to upgrade.

Goodbye MS Windows 11

The term “deprecated” is commonly used for software systems and signifies that code has been replaced or superseded by new code. With the recent release of these new Linux releases, it is safe to say that Windows 11 can be considered deprecated as it’s being succeeded by more advanced alternatives—specifically Linux Distributions like Fedora & Ubuntu—that offer greater functionality with enhanced security measures at no cost.

If you are still on the fence considering whether to dump MS Windows, stay tuned as I will shortly be updating the eBooks on this website to reflect my most up-to-date experience in installing Linux on brand new Lenovo computers.