Microsoft's willingness to actively disrupt its users (whether it's through forced updates or artifical limitations) is indeed a tipping point for me. I always chose Windows for its convenience, and the fact that I could use it on my own terms. Clearly, this is no longer the case.
As for Stallman, there's a fine line between a madman and a genius. Reality has shown us that he definitely is not a madman.
Some people could see his point by thinking about it. To them he was a genius. Others thought he was a madman because his point was too hypothetical for them, but now that it's becoming a reality they can see he was a genius all along.
You may say that it's because they couldn't see the future, but RMS experienced it back in the 1970's at MIT. Things have not actually changed, they've just started to influence a wider swath of the population.
Ah, yes, how absolutely shocking that Microsoft should choose not to support a processor that didn't even exist at the time that version of Windows was released. Why, everyone knows, especially on HN, that updating and retesting software costs nothing at all and so that's why we all eagerly go back and retrofit all versions of software we've ever released, no matter how old, to support the latest hardware just as soon as it's released. This outrageous behavior is right up there with Ford not retrofitting anti-lock brakes on the Model T and VHS VCRs not providing a HDMI output. /s
(I'm sorry for the early morning jocularity but I just can't take this topic seriously.)
Upvoted because it's true: Microsoft has no obligation to support old software, any more than it has an obligation to respect its users. I mean, it would be nice if they did, but clearly they aren't in it to do good for the world.
But this stuff is built of a platform that allows standardized parts to work without a lot of extra support. This has always been the users' expectation, one that Microsoft has managed well -- you can use new hardware on your existing Windows, but driver support might be minimal.
This new tactic is a complete change of pace. We are seeing businesspeople make technical decisions.... hurl
As for Stallman, there's a fine line between a madman and a genius. Reality has shown us that he definitely is not a madman.