00:00Hello Friend!
00:02Before starting, I want to take a moment to acknowledge someone from the ODC community.
00:07A fellow free and open source advocate with the user name Ewa.
00:12Actually, he left a brilliant comment on the last video I made.
00:16His comment was not only insightful but also true.
00:20He said like this.
00:22The most important thing about switching to GANU system distribution is the freedom it provides for computer users.
00:29Because it is free Libre software.
00:31Had Windows also been free Libre software, any specific version that is no longer supported by Microsoft could still be used by the users.
00:40Because there would be third party developers distributing forks of Windows.
00:46Windows 10 going end of life is only a problem because it is proprietary software.
00:51When GANU distributions go end of life, they get forked if there is still interest.
00:56Like what happened with Mandriva.
01:00This comment really stuck with me and eventually become the central idea for this video.
01:06So thank you Ewa.
01:07This video is built entirely around your thoughts.
01:11And I am really sorry if I am pronouncing the name incorrectly.
01:15Now let's get to the point.
01:17On October 14, 2025, an era of personal computing has come to an end.
01:23The Windows 10 operating system is officially dead.
01:26Not because it stopped working or your computer could not handle it.
01:30But because Microsoft has decided to end the support.
01:34It is not a technical decision.
01:36But a corporate one.
01:38A decision that instantly turns millions of perfectly working pieces of hardware and personal computers into Ewaist.
01:46And the irony is that Microsoft has chosen October 14, 2025.
01:52The same day the world observes International E-Waste Day.
01:56A day when the world is trying to recycle for sustainability.
02:00So this raises a compelling question.
02:04What if Windows were built on the philosophy of free and open source software?
02:09Just imagine a world where Windows operating system was not a proprietary software.
02:14A world where Windows users enjoyed the same freedoms that GANU Linux users take for granted.
02:21So let's go and see how that world would have looked.
02:25Especially through the key aspects of free and open source foundation.
02:33If the source code of Windows operating systems had been open.
02:37Volunteers could have simply removed the restrictive requirements like the TPM 2.0 lockout.
02:43That blocks older PCs from upgrading.
02:46Users wouldn't have to hack their way around an installer.
02:50It would have been legitimate, supported and transparent.
02:53Just like GANU Linux.
02:55Where various communities maintain compatibility with older systems.
02:59Long after the official vendors stopped supporting them.
03:06When Microsoft announced the 2025 end of life for Windows 10.
03:12The community would have stepped in.
03:14A group of volunteers and developers might have created a fork.
03:18Maybe called Windows Freedom Edition.
03:20Or Windows Libre.
03:22Or even Open Windows.
03:24Who knows.
03:24Picking up the development from where Microsoft left off.
03:28Just like the community did.
03:30And Mandriva became Magia.
03:32And Open Mandriva.
03:34Or CentOS become Alma Linux and Rocky Linux.
03:38When their corporate parents moved on.
03:40The community took over.
03:41And that is the magic of free software.
03:44When a project dies.
03:45The code lives on.
03:47And it rises again from the community.
03:53If Microsoft had open sourced Windows decades ago.
03:57The entire landscape of computing might have been different.
04:00Schools, offices and small businesses could have safely used PCs for years.
04:06Developers could have fixed bugs faster than Microsoft could ever imagine.
04:11Specialized forks of Windows could have existed.
04:14All community driven and user respecting.
04:16And Microsoft could have still profited by offering enterprise support, cloud services
04:22and consulting.
04:23Just like Red Hat and SUSE do today.
04:26Not by locking down the code.
04:28But by earning trust and providing value.
04:30And alternatively.
04:32Ganu Linux might have not existed in its current form.
04:36Or perhaps it would have evolved into something else entirely.
04:40Competing on pure merit rather than necessity.
04:44But let's come back to the reality for a moment.
04:47No matter how nice everything sounds.
04:50The question still remains.
04:52Would Microsoft ever actually do this?
04:55So, as a matter of fact.
04:56Back in the early 2000s.
04:59Bill Gates famously called open source a cancer.
05:02But by 2015.
05:04Things shifted dramatically.
05:06In an interview.
05:07Mark Russinovich.
05:09CTO of Microsoft Azure.
05:11Said something remarkable.
05:12And I quote.
05:13We would not rule out the notion that Windows might go open source.
05:18In fact, it is definitely possible.
05:21So, Microsoft has acknowledged the possibility.
05:24And under the leadership of Satya Nadella.
05:26Microsoft proved they were willing to open source some of their biggest projects.
05:31They released the .NET software framework as open source.
05:36Then Visual Studio Code.
05:37One of the most popular code editor in the world.
05:40Is open source.
05:41So, the capability is there.
05:43The possibility exists.
05:45Microsoft has already walked this path with other products.
05:49But the catch is that Microsoft knows that Windows operating system.
05:53Along with the MS Office suite.
05:55Are its two biggest cash cows.
05:58They generate enormous revenue.
06:00Not just from licensing.
06:01But from telemetry.
06:03Data collection.
06:04Targeted advertisements.
06:05And more.
06:06They have hundreds of millions of logged in customers.
06:09Open sourcing Windows would mean losing control over that ecosystem.
06:14And sadly.
06:15The world we are dreaming about does not exist.
06:18Every model I previously mentioned already works.
06:21Just not for Microsoft Windows.
06:24And as a result.
06:25Windows is still a proprietary software.
06:28Which means Microsoft have the control.
06:30And for Microsoft.
06:31Control is more valuable than innovation or sustainability.
06:36This end of support cycle is not their technical limitation.
06:40It is a business model.
06:41Designed to keep users dependent.
06:43To sell new hardwares.
06:45And to collect more data.
06:47This is not the first time this has happened.
06:49And it won't be the last.
06:50But like Windows 10.
06:54Not everything is lost.
06:55There is still a good news.
06:57The freedom we imagined already exists.
07:00This longevity.
07:01This transparency.
07:03This sustainability.
07:04It is the reality of GANU Linux.
07:06And the free and open source world.
07:09In the real world.
07:10Microsoft's philosophy is about controlling its users.
07:13But free and open source software is all about empowering them.
07:17You do not have to dream of a free and open source Windows.
07:21You can use the real free and open source operating system today.
07:25That respects you, your hardware and your freedom.
07:28So, that's it for now.
07:31And what do you think?
07:32Just like European Union users forced Microsoft to provide one year of extended support.
07:37Will Microsoft ever be forced to make a version of Windows that is truly open source?
07:43Or will they continue prioritizing profit over sustainability?
07:46Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
07:48And if you really want to explore the world where we turned this philosophy into practice,
07:53do check out the videos I have listed in the description below.
07:56And if you found this video helpful, please subscribe for more free and open source content.
08:01Thanks for watching.
08:02Until next time, keep switching to GANU Linux.
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