Counterpoint - in nearly all cases (and I would say essentially all cases since Windows 8 was released), this was software that the user didn’t decide to instal

Counterpoint - in nearly all cases (and I would say essentially all cases since Windows 8 was released), this was software that the user didn’t decide to install at all. Instead, it was installed for them by either their OEM or was included in Windows or by a browser maker or was part of some other software package (that almost certainly didn’t require it). So removing something that is a proven security risk, that the manufacturer actively deprecated years ago, and that it is shutting down server side in two weeks, seems to be far different than removing something that was a core part of the operating system. And even then, as others have pointed out, software updates remove features from software all the time. I totally agree that it feels weird and is bad if an update actively uninstalls something for legal reasons, like Amazon taking stuff off of Kindles remotely, but we're talking about software the user didn’t ask to install and that the maker is shutting off anyway. The vast majority of Flash usage was web-based and the web version will cease to be supported at the server level and at the browser level in a matter of weeks. Users that deliberately want to run insecure software or outdated web browsers have that option, and there are plenty of alternatives to display archival content. Any non web-based Flash applications have been written using Adobe Air for over 12 years (and desktop Flash apps have always been a rarity anyway), and Adobe Air isn’t going away. If there really is a self-contained app (probably a game) that wasn’t packaged using Adobe Air that absolutely relies on an ActiveX plugin, there are alternatives the user can find and use. Technology becomes obsolete. And software stops running. At least there are preservation efforts out there. There are infinitesimal edge cases where a user knowingly and specifically installed Flash Player for non web-based purposes. Those users are going to be given a warning before the application is removed, allowing them time to find an alternative way to access those files.