[N-Krause]

While you're at it, you might as well downgrade to Win7. No jokes aside, if all the software you want runs on it, it is fine. Just no security update etc.

I would suggest just switching to Linux and using a VM for things that NEED to be Windows. Games that run kernel level Anti-Cheat won't run, but tbh nothing I would suggest installing anyway.

[engeljohnb]

> VM for things that NEED to be windows.

The big two that spring to mind are online games and Adobe softwares. I don't think a VM can usually meet the performance needed for either.

I do wish more artists would take a chance on open source softwares, but most of the ones I know are still insistent that nothing can ever come close to Adobe. But that's a rant for another time.

[Borealid]

Games run pretty great on Linux, but if you do want a VM, passing through a graphics card to that VM via vfio provides 95%+ the performance of native.

Virtual reality headsets with dual 4K screens running at 75Hz+ perform well on a Windows VM done that way. A normal flatscreen game is going to be just fine.

[netsharc]

I stayed on Win7 until December 2023, until there was some exploit that was attackable by just viewing an image, so just browsing the web would've made it vulnerable (I believe in the WebP format).

Although it seems there are people still Frankensteining Win7, and even patching DLLs to make the newest browsers/apps still run on it.

Famously MS Teams was really screwed up, but I had to use it for work..

[abcd_f]

Browsers are the problem.

Firefox outright refuses to install on older Windows versions for a couple of years now. Very lazy and negligent move on Mozilla's part.

[ivanmontillam]

If you were as resource-constrained as Mozilla is, you'd drop support for unsupported platforms anyway.

[jonbiggums22]

According to this they still support windows 7 through extended support channel: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7...

Chrome dropped support two years ago or so.

[abcd_f]

"Firefox version 115 is the last supported Firefox version for users of Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1."

That's a version from over 2 years ago.

[1718627440]

ESR version doesn't mean it has never received changes for 2 years.

[abcd_f]

The problem is not the lack of patches. The problem is with websites refusing service based on client's version from the user-agent or breaking by using cutting edge features without a polyfill.