LTSC, surprised the post doesn't mention that. No forced feature updates, no unnecessary preinstalled apps. I'm using them for years without any problems. There was only one extreme edge case where an app didn't work because it was hard coded to only work on Windows 10 Pro and couldn't do anything with the LTSC version.

Yes you can't get it legally as a regular end user but MSFT also doesn't care about piracy either. They don't lose money on you (they rather keep you as a Windows user than switch to another platform).

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 is supported until 2032, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 is supported until 2034.

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nairboon an hour ago | parent | next [-]

> Yes you can't get it legally as a regular end user

That's why it's not mentioned, it's not a product for "normal users", the audience described in the post.

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haunter an hour ago | parent [-]

But that's also kind of the point too: Windows Lite exists but MSFT is "gatkeeping" it to enterprise users only. Probably because they are paying for it.

	▲	CamperBob2 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Not even enterprise customers are allowed to use LTSC. Only hardware OEMs. It's asinine. They could charge $1000+ for LTSC licenses, but my data and digital sovereignty is apparently worth even more to them.

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martin_a an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Do these versions get regular updates or are they expected to run on air-gapped machines so nobody really has to take care of them?

	▲	haunter an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Yes but no feature updates, so for example LTSC 2021 is "stuck" on 21H2 from 2021. But it gets the regular security and bugfix updates, last one was June 9th See here (Enterprise and IoT Enterprise LTSB/LTSC editions): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/rel...
	▲	homebrewer an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		They receive updates on time. I've been supporting a few LTSC machines for friends and relatives, haven't ever seen them receive any unnecessary junk through Windows Update. Just bug and vulnerability fixes.

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pdntspa an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Yeah but who gets that legally

	▲	okanat an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Businesses with volume licensing agreements and Kiosk manufacturers can get the licenses pretty easy. Then can even negotiate a lower cost per device.