French Held a Funeral for Windows 10, Carrying a Coffin in Protest Against Microsoft
A French environmental organization recently held a "funeral" for Windows 10 in the streets, protesting Microsoft's decision to end support for the operating system and demanding an extension of support until 2030. The organizations involved include Non-ViolentActionCOP21, Alternatiba, April, StopPlannedObsolescence, QueChoisirEnsemble, and ZeroWasteFrance.
They stated that while Microsoft earns billions of dollars in profit, forcibly terminating support for a widely used operating system through a "planned obsolescence strategy" will turn millions of functioning devices into electronic waste.
Protesters pointed out that manufacturing a new laptop requires approximately 800 kilograms of raw materials, and a large number of users are being forced to replace their devices due to the hardware requirements of Windows 11, which will further exacerbate the environmental burden.
Currently, 50,000 people have signed a petition calling on Microsoft to extend Windows 10 support from the current ESU one year to 2030.
Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and users can continue to receive security patches by paying or meeting specific conditions to join the Extended Security Update (ESU) program.
But protesters believe this is far from enough, and some participants even directly called on consumers to abandon Windows and install Linux on their existing computers.
Notably, the French government decided earlier this month to abandon Windows and switch to Linux to reduce its dependence on US technology, but historical experience shows that such migrations are not always smooth sailing; Munich, Germany, used Linux for ten years before eventually returning to Windows.
The possibility of Microsoft making concessions to these protests is extremely low. The company has repeatedly reminded users of the Windows 10 end-of-support timeline for years and is unlikely to change its plans because of the coffin procession in the streets of France.
However, this scene does recall the events of 2010, when Microsoft employees held a funeral procession for the iPhone to celebrate the launch of Windows Phone 7. Of course, we already know how that turned out.