What's the latest verdict on Windows 10 LTSC?

Windows vs. Linux aside, has anyone used LTSC 2019? How's that experience been?

And has anyone modified an LTSC install to force Windows Store ability into it?
 
We tried using it at work (banking industry) and had problems with it that outweighed the benefits. Just too much software incompatibility issues we experienced. Banking industry has a lot of poorly coded software and last minute rollouts. No idea why certain software just didn't work but we had a terrible time with it. So, we stuck with 10 Pro and now are working on tweaking it to an acceptable level.
 
Gilthanis said:
We tried using it at work (banking industry) and had problems with it that outweighed the benefits. Just too much software incompatibility issues we experienced. Banking industry has a lot of poorly coded software and last minute rollouts. No idea why certain software just didn't work but we had a terrible time with it. So, we stuck with 10 Pro and now are working on tweaking it to an acceptable level.
Click to expand...

Wow, now there's a twist I wasn't expecting. Possibly because LTSC is a frozen release resulting in incompatibilities with bleeding edge software?
 
Mazzspeed said:
Wow, now there's a twist I wasn't expecting. Possibly because LTSC is a frozen release resulting in incompatibilities with bleeding edge software?
Click to expand...

Its missing more behind the scenes too. I've seen people have issues with games where its missing parts/services that come with regular Windows. I know personally I just couldn't get anything that ran VAC on Steam to work correctly. People say that its missing just the "bad" stuff that comes with Windows 10 but in reality its stripped of even things that are quality of life related and also needed for some games/programs to work correctly. Since Microsoft is assuming LTSC is going to be used for basic static-use software.
 
Gilthanis said:
We tried using it at work (banking industry) and had problems with it that outweighed the benefits. Just too much software incompatibility issues we experienced. Banking industry has a lot of poorly coded software and last minute rollouts. No idea why certain software just didn't work but we had a terrible time with it. So, we stuck with 10 Pro and now are working on tweaking it to an acceptable level.
Click to expand...

Can I ask how recently or far back this was? Not that I imagine much has significantly changed in LTSC since (that would change the outcome), just curious about general time period'ing.

AltTabbins said:
Its missing more behind the scenes too. I've seen people have issues with games where its missing parts/services that come with regular Windows. I know personally I just couldn't get anything that ran VAC on Steam to work correctly. People say that its missing just the "bad" stuff that comes with Windows 10 but in reality its stripped of even things that are quality of life related and also needed for some games/programs to work correctly. Since Microsoft is assuming LTSC is going to be used for basic static-use software.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that would be a deal-breaker for me, as well. How recently was this that you couldn't get VAC to work correctly? Which LTSC version?


I had hoped LTSC could be tweaked to work, having heard how nice it can be without all of 10 Pro's bloat, but unfortunately, it just seems to have too heavy of compromises to make the jump. Back to W10 Pro I go, I guess. Now the excitement in deciding between 1809/1903/1909... awesome.
 
AltTabbins said:
Its missing more behind the scenes too. I've seen people have issues with games where its missing parts/services that come with regular Windows. I know personally I just couldn't get anything that ran VAC on Steam to work correctly. People say that its missing just the "bad" stuff that comes with Windows 10 but in reality its stripped of even things that are quality of life related and also needed for some games/programs to work correctly. Since Microsoft is assuming LTSC is going to be used for basic static-use software.
Click to expand...

Cheers AltTabbins, I honestly did not know that as I'm sure a great many others didn't also. So, basically you're best to stick to Windows 10 Pro for gaming?
 
Coldblackice said:
Can I ask how recently or far back this was? Not that I imagine much has significantly changed in LTSC since (that would change the outcome), just curious about general time period'ing.



Thanks, that would be a deal-breaker for me, as well. How recently was this that you couldn't get VAC to work correctly? Which LTSC version?


I had hoped LTSC could be tweaked to work, having heard how nice it can be without all of 10 Pro's bloat, but unfortunately, it just seems to have too heavy of compromises to make the jump. Back to W10 Pro I go, I guess. Now the excitement in deciding between 1809/1903/1909... awesome.
Click to expand...

I believe we officially pulled the plug around June or July. I do not recall the exact version. We just don't have the time to keep testing ways to make stuff work when it works out of the box in Pro.
 
I asked our Engineer that creates the image and we were still using 1809 when we stopped.
 
What's the latest compatibility verdict on LTSC? And what exactly is the difference between it and the Enterprise version?
 
Windows is utter shit altogether. Even the LTSC version is no different.
The flood of updates twice a year cracks all of the things that work fine until then.
Instead, move on to the stable Linux releases.
Make space on them to install Windows and use it to test whatever you need to test twice a week.

I personally use OpenSUSE Leap.
If you want cutting edge software then opt for OpenSUSE Leap.

I hope this helps!
 
I run LTSC and love it, that's all I have to say. I have no problems with it, there are improvements here and there that I've noticed over the 2016 release. I can't imagine running normal windows with all of the bloat. Just disable updates after everything is initially updated and installed. I skipped Win8 all together and came right from Win7 a while ago holding on for a long time. If anyone is still running Win7, no I would not go back. LTSC is much better.
 
My limited uses of Linux typically bork worse with updates than Windows. Windows just works for me 99% of the time. Linux not so much. Ubuntu, Mint, Suse, others.... So, definitely YMMV on experiences. As far as LTSC went, my previous employer tried it and there were just a lot of random stuff that just did no work right. The Pro and Enterprise (non LTSC) versions worked fine with identical setups. I have no idea what the latest versions are like now.
 
Gilthanis said:
My limited uses of Linux typically bork worse with updates than Windows. Windows just works for me 99% of the time. Linux not so much. Ubuntu, Mint, Suse, others.... So, definitely YMMV on experiences. As far as LTSC went, my previous employer tried it and there were just a lot of random stuff that just did no work right. The Pro and Enterprise (non LTSC) versions worked fine with identical setups. I have no idea what the latest versions are like now.
Click to expand...

That must be a terribly limited Linux experience from around 2013 or earlier. As someone with vastly more experience, I have no updating issues under KDE Neon - To emphasize: Not, one, single, issue in the whole time I've been running it. Linux works for me 100% of the time.

As a tech in the field, I'm still rectifying printer issues as a result of Windows [cough] update. LTSC suffers issues as a result of no updates breaking software compatibility.
 
Mazzspeed said:
That must be a terribly limited Linux experience from around 2013 or earlier. As someone with vastly more experience, I have no updating issues under KDE Neon - To emphasize: Not, one, single, issue in the whole time I've been running it. Linux works for me 100% of the time.

As a tech in the field, I'm still rectifying printer issues as a result of Windows [cough] update. LTSC suffers issues as a result of no updates breaking software compatibility.
Click to expand...
Someone installing a lot of user repositories may experience more trouble... Or trying to do things the Windows way and install graphics drivers from the manufacturers website instead of using the provided versions...
 
Mint 19.2 was the latest to go down. Black screen blinking cursor. 3 other Mint VM's in the same ESXi box are still going strong. Identical setups. All basic core install with only the BOINC software pulled from repository. Only updates are the system updates that are found by default. No other tweaking. It happens and no, not limited to 2013 or earlier. Face it, no OS is perfect and though they both have their strengths, they both have a ton of weakness. Linux remains an elitist personality OS on desktops and still rule servers. Plain and simple.
 
Gilthanis said:
Mint 19.2 was the latest to go down. Black screen blinking cursor. 3 other Mint VM's in the same ESXi box are still going strong. Identical setups. All basic core install with only the BOINC software pulled from repository. Only updates are the system updates that are found by default. No other tweaking. It happens and no, not limited to 2013 or earlier. Face it, no OS is perfect and though they both have their strengths, they both have a ton of weakness. Linux remains an elitist personality OS on desktops and still rule servers. Plain and simple.
Click to expand...
Wow my 72 year old mother is an elitist then...
 
I had serious problems with mint 20.04 too. Same with a well known youtuber who’s entire channel revolves around his love for the distro. I tried it shortly after release so things might have been fixed since then. I still recommend Pop over anything else, it’s been the best experience for me in the last few years.
 
Mazzspeed said:
As someone with vastly more experience, I have no updating issues under KDE Neon - To emphasize: Not, one, single, issue in the whole time I've been running it. Linux works for me 100% of the time.
Click to expand...
I could say the very same about the 275+ desktops I support running Windows 10. OSX updates have broken several times on the 5 we have, and their enterprise support is laughable, at best. Sending a laptop out for three weeks to get a battery recall rectified? No thanks. Windows 10 updates aren't anywhere near as bad as some people make them out to be. I also support 425 Windows Servers that occasionally have stuck updates, but that could very well be WSUS and not the update process itself. We have about 40 or so CentOS servers that have been about 98-99% stable through updating, but they typically aren't hit very hard.

There's no harm in using the OS that best fits your needs, and I'd argue that the majority of readers on this forum DO know what they need. As someone who supports multiple platforms and operating systems, they all have their pros and cons. None are a one-size-fits-all.
 
tool_462 said:
I think he meant the attitude of Linux > Windows in every way and that people act as if Linux is infallible.
Click to expand...
I think he knew this as well. However, by his statement we also know where he gets it from. ;)
 
DeaconFrost said:
I could say the very same about the 275+ desktops I support running Windows 10. OSX updates have broken several times on the 5 we have, and their enterprise support is laughable, at best. Sending a laptop out for three weeks to get a battery recall rectified? No thanks. Windows 10 updates aren't anywhere near as bad as some people make them out to be. I also support 425 Windows Servers that occasionally have stuck updates, but that could very well be WSUS and not the update process itself. We have about 40 or so CentOS servers that have been about 98-99% stable through updating, but they typically aren't hit very hard.
Click to expand...

Now lets move out of the realm of corporate networks where Windows desktops are tightly controlled, updating using WSUS and safely tucked behind Linux servers, and snap back to the real world with average users where Windows is fraught with issues. Considering operating systems overall, the most popular OS globally, being Android, suffers almost none of the issues Windows suffers from.

IMO, MacOS is also far from perfect.
 
Last edited:
When users start using Android like they do a desktop OS on a daily basis, then bring it up. Apples to oranges there. And I would have to say that even outside that tightly knit corporate environment, the Windows vs. Linux argument still stands. The only difference is the shifting of the stupidity of the end user rather than where the OS is lacking. I would argue in this case that Windows is easier for 1. familiarity and 2. requires command line usage less. Yes for outside corp. environments most people will never touch command line in Windows. Good luck fixing or using your Linux desktop much without some interaction there.
 
Mazzspeed said:
Now lets move out of the realm of corporate networks where Windows desktops are tightly controlled, updating using WSUS and safely tucked behind Linux servers, and snap back to the real world with average users where Windows is fraught with issues. Considering operating systems overall, the most popular OS globally, being Android, suffers almost none of the issues Windows suffers from.

IMO, MacOS is also far from perfect.
Click to expand...
I've had quite a few Android issues after updates. My most recent one involves my time randomly losing an hour. Android is the best OS for my mobile devices, but it isn't perfect by any means. It's just less of a hassle than anything iRelated. WSUS brings about some of it's own issues, and I most certainly wouldn't say that our servers are "tucked safely behind Linux servers". Our externally-facing servers are split about 50/50 between Windows and Linux.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top