Windows 7 marketshare jumps to nearly 10% as Windows 10 support is about to end

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Questioning the Windows 7 “market share jump”

  • Several commenters doubt the Statcounter report, noting that Windows 7’s share appears to spike unrealistically (e.g. ~41% in Asia on a single day).
  • They argue this looks like a measurement or data-classification error rather than mass migration.
  • Firefox hardware telemetry reportedly does not show a corresponding Windows 7 increase.

Why some users prefer Windows 7

  • Many describe Windows 7 as “peak Windows”: modern enough, but without aggressive telemetry, dark patterns, ads, or cloud lock‑in.
  • Classic modal dialogs (“Yes/No” instead of “Yes/Maybe later”) are seen as symbolic of clearer consent and less manipulative UX.
  • Old-style Control Panel and theming (Aero, third‑party visual styles) are praised as more functional and attractive than later UI changes.

Critiques of Windows 10/11

  • Strong complaints about:
    • Forced or hard‑to‑avoid updates and restarts that can kill running workloads and lose unsaved work.
    • Difficulty fully disabling Windows Update, with services and tasks that re‑enable it.
    • Telemetry that can’t be fully turned off on consumer SKUs and ad‑like content (Spotlight, Start menu “recommendations,” Bing Rewards, sweepstakes).
    • MS account requirements, OneDrive/Edge/Copilot nudging, and “setup nags” like “Let’s finish setting up your account.”
    • UI regressions: sluggish context menus, broken/annoying search, immovable taskbar, simplified/right‑click menus hiding options, keyboard layout bugs.

Security vs usability and “going back” to 7

  • Some argue reverting to 7 is irrational: architecturally weaker security, no official patches, and future loss of mainstream browser support.
  • Others counter that real‑world risk isn’t obviously worse than trusting a heavily instrumented modern Windows, and that in locked‑down, low‑exposure use (e.g. NATed, minimal browsing) Windows 7 remains “good enough.”

Alternatives and workarounds

  • Suggestions:
    • Use Windows 10/11 Enterprise/IoT/LTSC editions, which strip ads/bloat and allow more control, though licensing is awkward for individuals.
    • Debloat scripts and third‑party tools (e.g. classic start menus, Explorer patches, privacy togglers).
    • Switch to Linux (often KDE/Plasma) or macOS; run Windows in a VM when strictly required.
  • Some note that corporate software, Office/Excel, ODBC drivers, and Windows‑only tooling still anchor many users to Windows despite frustrations.