KDE targets Windows 10 'exiles' claiming 'your computer is toast'

Encourages move to Linux but, for goodness sake, RTFM first

Linux desktop darling KDE is weighing in on the controversy around the impending demise of Windows 10 support with a lurid "KDE for Windows 10 Exiles" campaign.

KDE's alarming "Exiles" page opens with the text "Your computer is toast" followed by a warning that Microsoft wants to turn computers running Windows 10 into junk from October 14.

"It may seem like it continues to work after that date for a bit, but when Microsoft stops support for Windows 10, your perfectly good computer will be officially obsolete."

Beneath a picture of a pile of tech junk, including a rotary telephone and some floppy drives, KDE proclaims: "Windows 10 will degrade as more and more bugs come to light. With nobody to correct them, you risk being hacked. Your data, identity, and control over your device could be stolen."

Support for many versions of Windows 10 comes to an end on October 14. While there are ways of keeping support going, by either using a different version (such as the Long Term Servicing Channel incarnation) or paying Microsoft to keep the security updates coming, if an upgrade to Windows 11 isn't possible or desired, then the computer will indeed be trudging toward its end-of-life.

There are many reasons why users have yet to move to Windows 11. Some are related to enterprise IT policies, others are down to users hating the cosmetic and feature changes in the new operating system. Then there are users with hardware that is happily running Windows 10 now, but won't run the upgrade thanks to to Microsoft's draconian hardware compatibility requirements.

Microsoft's solution to the latter problem is, unsurprisingly, to purchase new hardware. KDE's answer is a Linux installation and its shiny new Plasma Desktop.

While the Linux desktop has come on in leaps and bounds over the years, and desktops, such as Plasma, are not as jarring for Windows users as they might have been in earlier versions, moving from Windows 10 to a penguin-tinged alternative is not straightforward, particularly if the Windows user is embedded in Microsoft's ecosystem. Things can get very complicated very quickly, and no small amount of handholding is needed.

Further down KDE's call to action, the organization is a little more open (pun intended) about the challenges of moving to Linux. "Installing Linux is not as hard as it used to be," KDE states, "but you must read the instructions to do so very carefully!"

Or you can find a Linux enthusiast to help guide you.

According to KDE, once up and running, the Linux world is a wonderful place. There's no data slurping (in Plasma at least), and KDE boldly claims "no viruses or virus-related scams." This writer is old enough to remember Apple making similar claims – until the malware authors began paying attention.

Linux malware does exist, and a user migrating from Windows 10 will still need to keep their wits about them. While KDE trumpets "no forced updates," users will need to apply patches when the inevitable vulnerabilities are identified and mitigated.

It's also important to realize that while support for many versions of Windows 10 will end on October 14, devices running the operating system won't suddenly stop working. Users not wanting or able to upgrade to Windows 11 do have options, and Microsoft recently confirmed that Microsoft 365 applications running on Windows 10 would continue to get security fixes into 2028.

Even so, while KDE's statement might be a little alarmist, it highlights the fact that once support finally ends for Windows 10, users who really don't want Windows 11 have other options that Microsoft might not be so keen on. ®