Summary
- End of 10 educates on saving Windows 10 PCs by swapping to Linux for continued use.
- Their mission includes keeping hardware out of landfills and helping individuals install Linux.
- Consider installing Linux on your Windows 10 PC to extend its life instead of buying a new Windows 11 PC.
With Windows 10 losing support in October, people are looking for a way to protect their PCs from threats. If you ask Microsoft for a solution, it'll be very pleased to tell you that you should just get rid of all that hardware and buy a new Windows 11 PC. However, it's not the only thing you can do by a long shot; in fact, one can easily argue that this route is the most wasteful. If your PC runs just fine, why throw it out just because Microsoft wants you to?
If you don't want to get rid of perfectly good hardware, installing Linux is one alternative. If that sounds interesting, you'll want to check out "End of 10," a volunteer group dedicated to keeping processors out of the landfill and putting them to good use.
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End of 10 strives to save Windows 10 PCs from certain doom
As spotted by Tom's Hardware, End of 10's primary goal is to educate people on how they can keep their computers around when Windows 10 falls out of support without being a security risk. The group's main method is to swap out Windows for Linux, which doesn't have the same "expiry dates" as Windows has. That way, you can have what End of 10 calls a "brand-new old computer," which you can keep using as long as you'd like.
Here's how End of 10 describes itself:
If you bought your computer after 2010, there's most likely no reason to throw it out. By just installing an up-to-date Linux operating system you can keep using it for years to come.
Installing an operating system may sound difficult, but you don't have to do it alone. With any luck, there are people in your area ready to help!
Clicking the "Find someone to help you" button brings you to a directory of stores and places that signed up to the End of 10 project. These folks will gladly set up Linux on your computer and help you get started with your new OS. If nobody is around to help, you can instead check out the group's guides on how to install Linux yourself. Trust me, it's not as scary as you might imagine.
Fortunately, it seems the idea of moving to Linux when Windows 10 "dies" is gaining momentum. We've already seen PewDiePie give his blessings to Linux Mint in a move that inspired me to consider using the operating system when Windows 10 falls out of support. Maybe this will be the moment that Linux needs to propel its own user base to higher heights.