I bought (UK) Windows 7 Pro (retail) many years ago, tied to an MS account for licensing. Free upgrade to Windows 8, then Windows 10, followed eventually by my current Windows 11 Pro.
No ads in the OS that I've ever noticed, and the minimal pre-installs (Candy Crush, Office 365 etc) are trivially deleted upon OS installation.
That's 3 upgrades of Windows at no extra cost, and all 4 versions without advertising significant enough for me to remember seeing. And to be honest, even though I'm about 70% a Mac user due to the M1 hardware, and maybe 10% Linux, Windows remains very productive for me (more so than the others) so it's been a bargain.
I appreciate opinions vary, but despite occasional comments in HN about Stockholm Syndrome or not knowing what the alternatives are like I personally enjoy Windows. Yes, even Windows 11. And not just for games.
I bought (UK) Windows 7 Pro (retail) many years ago, tied to an MS account for licensing. Free upgrade to Windows 8, then Windows 10, followed eventually by my current Windows 11 Pro.
No ads in the OS that I've ever noticed, and the minimal pre-installs (Candy Crush, Office 365 etc) are trivially deleted upon OS installation.
That's 3 upgrades of Windows at no extra cost, and all 4 versions without advertising significant enough for me to remember seeing. And to be honest, even though I'm about 70% a Mac user due to the M1 hardware, and maybe 10% Linux, Windows remains very productive for me (more so than the others) so it's been a bargain.
I appreciate opinions vary, but despite occasional comments in HN about Stockholm Syndrome or not knowing what the alternatives are like I personally enjoy Windows. Yes, even Windows 11. And not just for games.