On Mon, 10 Aug 2015 16:57:08 -0400, ". . .winston"
wrote:

(PeteCresswell) wrote on 08/10/2015 2:16 PM:
Somebody is asking me to help them select a Windows laptop.

It's really the blind leading the blind, but I cannot convince them of
that.

My gut says to avoid 10 if at all possible (forced updates, for
instance)... and go with the familiar 8.1 with Start8 or, if possible,
7.

What think Those Who Know?

Ask them if they'd like a MSFT operating system that stop receiving
security updates in 4.33 years.

If they say no...then your choices are Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

As pollsters know, you can usually get the answer you want if you ask the
question in the right way. Above, if the intent is to encourage someone to
choose 8 or 10, that's a good question to ask. OTOH, given what we know
about 8 and 10, they are both immediately disqualified for consideration,
making the choice an easy one.