Hahaha very funny analogy and also very true. Ideally, yeah you’re 100% right. But in practicality, Linux/GNU is only free if you have time to spend. I do run Debian and openSUSE on some machines because there are use cases where it is unparalleled. However, there are times where you have to get hacky and pour over documentation to get it to do what you want for applications that would just work right out the gate with Windows, so the choice is obvious if you’re running against a clock or lack technical skills.

Secondly yes it is sketchy but I would compare it to finding sources of information in the world of academics. All about where it comes from and if the affiliated community is trustworthy/expert enough to verify integrity.

The individual I was referring to has been using LTSC since it’s launch 9 years ago and has never had a security breach (knock on wood). Their initial motivations were to avoid being part of the MS botnet and being fed up with advertising on software they’d paid for, but seeing the regression of the OS to its current state serves to confirm their sentiment.

TL;DR sometimes there’s no practical choice but Windows and ltsc is the best one, if you’re careful

Or the year of grand piracy. “Someone I met” told me that while it is nearly impossible to purchase a legit copy, Windows 10 IoT LTSC is going to be supported until 2032. It is truly Windows as its meant to be without tons of bloat, telemetry, ads, and the option to decline feature updates. Scripts readily available on the web to activate the product, runs so cleanly and efficiently.