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- No Thanks Windows 11, Hello Granny AI, Goodbye VMware
No Thanks Windows 11, Hello Granny AI, Goodbye VMware
Breaking down the Windows 11 situation (and why you can probably chill)
Podcasts.
Everyone's got one, but nobody knows who said it first…until today!
On this day in 2004, British journalist Ben Hammersley dropped "podcasting" while a piece on the rise of "amateur radio" for the Guardian like it was no big deal, accidentally naming an entire industry while brainstorming what to call this wild new trend of "audioblogging."
Think about it — this guy coined a term that would launch a million true-crime series and Joe Rogan's entire career. And he did it in a throwaway line, right between suggesting "GuerillaMedia" (yikes!) and probably going to make a cup of tea.
Now, speaking of things people are trying to make happen (and failing)…
Microsoft Users to Windows 11: "Thanks, But No Thanks"
We've all heard it before… "If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you do it too?"
Well, Microsoft seems to be having that exact conversation with Windows 10 users right now. Despite throwing everything but the kitchen sink at promoting Windows 11, users are treating the upgrade like a LinkedIn connection request from their ex – and for good reason. Between the heavy system requirements, missing UI features (RIP taskbar customization), and forced Windows Copilot integration, it's giving "thanks, but no thanks" energy.
The numbers don't lie. Windows 11's market share is growing slower than a loading bar on Windows 95 while Windows 10 is still dominating at over 71%. That’s like losing a dance-off to your dad at a wedding.
We're scratching our heads, too. The EE community is also debating with member donpick asking what we're all thinking: "Is this upgrade actually necessary?"
(Answer: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Microsoft's pitch is starting to sound like trying to sell sand at a beach — especially since most Windows 10 features that matter are just a toggle switch away. While some organizations are being strong-armed into upgrading by cyber-insurance demands, others are questioning whether the productivity hit from retraining staff and dealing with UI changes is worth the switch. It's like buying a Tesla when your Toyota Camry works perfectly fine — sure, it's newer, but at what cost?
Plus, once patches stop dropping in October 2025, any new Windows 10 vulnerabilities will be about as protected as your search history when tech support borrows your laptop, even with fancy firewalls and security tools trying their best to play defense.
It's the classic "pick your poison" scenario - either accept increasing security risks with Windows 10 or deal with the deployment headaches of Windows 11's stricter hardware requirements and interface changes.
Grandma AI Serves Revenge (With a Side of Virtual Scones)
Image Credit: O2
O2 just revealed "Daisy" — an AI grandma who's been wasting scammers' time by talking about knitting patterns and scone recipes. This digital nana does her bidding by keeping those pesky fraudsters on the line for up to 40 (excruciating) minutes with endless stories about her grandson – who usually helps with "all this newfangled technology" – and detailed discussions about the proper way to serve tea.
But here's the real tea: O2 trained their digital grandma by feeding her real scam call data and deploying her through fake contact numbers planted on websites that scammers frequently target, effectively turning the tables on fraudsters who think they've found an easy mark.
Every minute spent with her arguing over dinner etiquette is a minute they're not spending targeting vulnerable people. Consider that karma served, with extra bytes.
While watching scammers get a taste of their own medicine is satisfying, let's not forget we're now in a world where AI is cosplaying as someone's grandmother – that's about as comfortable as hearing a child's laughter when you're home alone.
Between this and deepfake videos, we're not sure which is more unsettling.
Rackspace Says "It's Not You, It's Your Pricing" to VMware
Rackspace's got wandering eyes that put Dave Grohl's to shame.
The cloud provider realized there's other fish in the sea and announced its ditching VMware. According to the Register, it all points to Broadcom's new VMware licensing fees are as popular as a JavaScript update notification.
Around 50 VMs have already made the jump to Platform9's Private Cloud Director, with potentially 3,000 more eyeing the exit. It's like someone update their dating profile while still being with their partner — except instead of "it's complicated," the relationship status says “it's about the cost optimization."
This move goes beyond corporate drama. It's a sign that tech companies are finally saying "enough" to predatory pricing. When a major player like Rackspace starts window shopping for alternatives, it's like watching the first domino fall in what could be a major shift in the cloud infrastructure game. Grab your popcorn, folks — this breakup's about to get messy.
While our writers dig through another 47 tabs of tech news... Let us briefly introduce you to Morning Brew – a newsletter that's actually worth your inbox space… in addition to Byte-Size, of course!
This isn’t traditional business news
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Save time, actually enjoy business news, and join over 4 million professionals reading daily.
⚙️ Tool Time
We recommend JetBrains.
The Czech-based company is basically the Pixar of development tools — they just keep dropping masterpieces. Their crown jewel right now is PyCharm: an IDE that makes Python development feel less like wrestling a snake and more like conducting an orchestra.
Sure, VSCode exists. But while free tools like VSCode are great (we love free stuff!), we really don't recommend paid tools unless we truly believe in them. Plus, sometimes it's worth investing moola in turning those 4am developer wishes into reality.
We're talking:
lightning-fast debugging it'll make your head spin (in a good way)
intelligent code completion that feels like it's reading your mind
refactoring tools that make cleaning legacy code feel less like archaeology and more like magic
For the data nerds out there, it comes with built-in support for Jupyter notebooks, Django, Flask, and more databases than you can shake a SQL query at. Plus, their AI assistant actually runs locally — no sending your precious code to the cloud gods.
It's like having an AI personal butler with an iron-clad NDA. No need to worry about them gossiping your code to the opps.
Hat tip to EE user Alex for this awesome recommendation!
Have a suggestion for next week’s tool time? Let us know!
👨💻 Job Opportunities
If you're someone who treats SEO like it's their Wordle streak and manages Google Analytics like they're playing Civilization VI — strategically and with scary attention to detail — then this role has your name written in its metadata.
This popular vacation rental app is looking for an engineer who handles Java like Homelander handles PR disasters and manages system architecture like Bobby Axelrod from Billions manages hedge funds — minus the criminal implications.
If you dream of automating workflows like Tony Soprano automates "waste management" and handling tech support with the strategic precision of Walter White handling his "car wash" business? Then look no further.
🛩 Industry Moves
Grubhub's Latest Delivery: Your Data to Hackers
Grubhub just had an oopsie moment with user data thanks to a third-party contractor who apparently missed the mandatory "Security 101" training. The breach affected students across 360 universities, proving once again that not even your campus meal plan is safe from cyber shenanigans.
While they're being coy about exactly how many users were affected, they did kindly rotate those "legacy system" passwords faster than the lunch lady dumping trays during rush hour.
Oracle and JavaScript Enter the Trademark Thunderdome
Oracle is getting spicy about their JavaScript trademark. The database titan is facing off against Deno Land in a legal battle that's more dramatic than the season finale of Severance.
Deno Land, backed by 16,000+ developers, filed a petition with the USPTO to basically free the term "JavaScript" from Oracle's iron grip.
The drama centers on three claims: JavaScript has become generic (like aspirin or zipper), Oracle committed fraud during their 2019 trademark renewal, and that they abandoned the trademark since they don't actually offer any JS products or services.
Oracle is trying to dismiss fraud claims while holding onto their trademark like it's the last slice of pizza at a local community hackathon – while buying time to fight the other charges.
💽 Data Upload
Our EE community's been busy solving the real problems this week:
That's all for this week! Stay curious, keep your systems patched, and remember: just because Microsoft wants you to upgrade doesn't mean you have to — at least not until October 2025. 😉
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Got news to share or topics you'd like us to cover? Send ‘em our way. We can’t wait to hear from you. Really.
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