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Microsoft killed Windows 10 to push Windows 11, but Windows sales crashed 27% as holdouts still refuse to switch
(www.windowslatest.com)
this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2026
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Switch to Linux you actual cowards.
It's not that hard.
Right.
Over and over I hear this from people who've clearly never managed a business environment where you have entrenched processes.
Or processes dependent upon specific software that has no Linux counterpart (CAD).
Even if an org could switch desktops to Linux, there's a massive cost just in the switching, then making sure it all works, then the lost production as employees figure out new ways to do things they've done for years.
Then what happens when you take on a new client or new vendor who only works with "this thing" that only works through windows? Now you have to spend time and money validating whatever solution you develop, instead of just using "the thing" which has already been validated through years of use by that ient/vendor and their clients/vendors.
Or when you're dealing with regulatory processes that have been addressed througjout your industry with a specific set of Windows tools, and those tools have been approved/validated by the regulatory agency or insurance agencies - and now you need to get the same process validated under Linux with Linux tools, hoping the regulators or insurers won't just say "nope, not interested".
BTDT, with alternate Windows tooling, and just got shut down because existing tools were available. "Why would you want to use a different tool when X process/tooling exists?"
It's just not realistic, even for many small orgs.
Switching is an investment in the business, not a cost. If you're already locked into proprietary software and you can't problem solve your way out of it, is it really your business at that point or are you a victim of racketeering? If the business can't adapt, one way or another it will fail eventually in any case. Not switching means you're giving more and more away and getting less and less in return. That also is not sustainable.
If you can still do the job your client is paying you for, they can be negotiated with on the terms of how that job gets done and what tools are used for it. That's what contracts are for.
As far as what people know how to use, they weren't born with CAD knowledge and things got done before CAD was a thing. New tools can be created, adopted or repurposed. Employees can be trained again, even if they grumble about it.
Regulators and insurance is a sticking point for sure, but they will follow if these tools become more ubiquitous or people start calling their representatives. Those businesses will lag behind, but those businesses are not the majority of businesses.
Change is inevitable and doing something the same way as it's always been done eventually becomes a major liability.
FreeCAD for CAD, PrePoMax, openfoam and calculix for FEA.
I wouldn't worry much, AI will free you from your CAD burden soon probably.
I love/use FreeCAD but let's not kid ourselves. It's nowhere near as capable or usable for serious engineering projects as the big name commercial CAD suites. It's starting to get there, but it has a very long way to go.
Blender, on the other hand ...
Sure but I highly disagre with you. I've been an engineer for 45 years. At least 20 of those years we did not have CAD and if FreeCAD had shown up, we would have jumped on it. Would you want to learn how to use an electric pencil eraser?
A true engineer doesn't blame his or her tools. It's people without experience who do.
Right, but it's the difference between using a beat up old hand saw and hammer vs selection of high end power tools to build a house. Either will get the job done, but one is significantly faster and less effort. There are also things that aren't feasible using just hand tools.
Solidworks has insane simulation capabilities and it's used in aerospace for that reason. AutoCAD has extensive, mature, specialized toolsets. Fusion 360's ease of use is unmatched and its built in CAM tools are phenomenal.
I've used AutoCAD, Fusion 360, Rhinoceros 3D, and currently use FreeCAD. FreeCAD feels like a buggier early 2000s AutoCAD in an alternate timeline that went with parametric modeling from the start. I often have to use weird workarounds to get the geometry I want -- particularly to maintain absolute and relative dimensions on parts I want to scale. The dimension reference system is clunky, the toolset is limited, and the simulation capabilities are ... primative.
I put up with it because I'm a FOSS fanatic and I'm not designing fighter jets or spacecraft. If I had to pick a CAD suite for a critical or complex project FreeCAD (as it is now) wouldn't be a contender. I do think that will change and look forward to it.
Actually, I'm gonna give you a bit of an orientation. AutoCAD sucks big time for anything other than whatever people think that thing is any good at. Fusion 360 is a desperate attempt to get users to purchase cad software without giving you much for it except for all the risk of one day disappearing like all the other packages and along all your time spent. Pro/E, Wildfire, Cro/E is a total heap of garbage along with its FEA package. And Solid works should be renamed to Solidoesntwork because its always been a wannabe ProE/inventor. All of these are garbage and I hate them dearly but I used them none the less because that's part of how I feed my family. If you really wanna brag about good CAD software with none piece of shit FEA garbage that solid works has, say UGNX, Ansys workbench and COMSOL. Those are holygrail can-do prerty much anything. With the solid works FEA, you can pretend that you know what you're doing. But with comsol you pretty much need a PhD or a good amount of exmerience or both. But like I said, a good engineer doesn't blame the tools. Good example... Microsoft office... What a piece of junk. Yet every idiotic company out there uses it! Why? Beats me! LOL. But have you tried saving? And it gives you that first entry field, so you carefully fill it out with your new file name and you go find a good place to save the file...only to find a new field to fill with the name of the file! Somehow thru a good 10 years nobody at Microsoft has ever though to fix that! They're focused on making the work area a little smaller. Specially when you're presenting... Hey can you guys see my desktop? Nahhhh! But you can see everybody's dumb face looking at you!!! Yet, I get to use that heap of junk every god damn day. I'm surprised they can sell this junk legally.