I build updated images of Windows (currently Win7, Win8.1, Win10 LTSC) via sysprep and have built many, many PC;s. I also use virtually all pro photo softwares… And maintain hundreds of silent installers. I have a little insight into software.
There are many, MANY reasons not to update to that debacle called Windows 10. Even though I have performance laptops that run it (only for lack for proper drivers for other operating systems – and WINE isn’t that good that I can abandon Windows due to softwares), on every other system that lets me I will either run Win7 or Win8. First of all, the 1.5gb update (or replace half the OS every month or two) is just an extremely bad model and has caused many issues. So with Win7 and 8.1 you have many choices and can decide which updates to install or not. Even if you use gpedit.msc to disable auto-updates in 10, when you run WU you will have no option to choose which updates install. You have to get wushowhide.diagcab and run it to hide the updates you DON’T want. Tell me that’s not backwards and has taken away the power of the user. I recently installed an automated, updated image I made of Win10 LTSC on my system (LTSC being the most tolerable of all 10s) and even with a 5,000 line registry tweak file (yes, it is tweaked into submission) the UI is still a true, deep shame and so much less fluid than Win7 that the overall user experience is choppy and deeply unpleasant at best. Win10 is truly a major step back in user experience and UI fluidity. I am an admin on a software forum as well and we have discussions like these many times, and as a general rule have found that people don’t actually feel Win10 is better from a user perspective. Usually, Win10 adherents just chime in with vague notions about outdated operating systems, but have not real insight into programming or what constitutes “security.” They don’t even know what a hosts file is but love lecturing others about what is obsolete or secure.
Adobe has the same situation with their 2020 apps, they won’t run on Win7 anymore. Well, actually not true. Audition can run but gives you error messages first, because they programmed a system check into it. My assertion that it is a built-in check against Win7 and even Win8.0 (why don’t you just slap customers in the face?) is one based on common sense and looking at the program files – and one made to illicit proof of it NOT being so by developers ( feel free to reply, devs). It is much more sensible to claim this than to claim such a check was not programmed into it.
About Win7 end of life (where is the argument for 8.0 then?), they estimate that even through 2020, the user base world wide will still be 35% (more than a third of all users in the world), much higher than after XP EOL, and the only reason it is even that “low” is because of preinstalled new hardware/machines, which is mainly how MS forces the change. But I agree it’s losing battle, compounded only by decisions of software companies to exclude the last great desktop OS. My point was DxO shoots themselves in the foot and it would easily be worth letting 3.x run on Win7. I will keep using 2.x without issue. I know DxO can’t help MS sucks so bad. Look at MS’ debacles for proof. They couldn’t make Win7 (Vista) work until too late. Fixing Vista cost MS 2 precious years during which time they majorly fell behind in many areas, culminating in Apple’s meteoric rise. Win8 was virtually unusable for many users; they got so much negative feedback (as early bird testers we tried most vehemently to persuade MS otherwise, but they never listen) – again culminating in MS doing a mea culpa of embarrassing proportions and putting the start menu back in (now sucking, in contrast to Win7’s or even XP’s), then to Win10 which is the leakiest OS in the history of Windows, the absolute worse OS to use from the perspective of security and privacy, pushing 1.5gb system updates either every month or every other month, no more service packs, no update control, lost all the precious lessons of years of Vista/Win7 UI research (oh yes, many man hours went into Win7 UI fluidity and user experience), to end up with a flat, choppy, Flintstones UI that would even shame a Win3.1 user. Nokia division bought, Win phones totally failed, but we still have people actually defending MS and Win10. Comments like yours are not about Win10 merit. It is just about stating the obvious (Win10 is it now, this is DxO’s decision). I already know all that. So I stand by what I said.
