Hi flailman,
when I say (or someone else says) "Windows 8 is dead", what we mean by that is, the support has completely ended. So it is better to use Windows 10 because, as mentioned earlier, general support for Windows 8.1 has also already ended and extended support (for security patches) according to current information ends in 2023. (If you should buy a computer with Windows
8, you should at least update it to Windows
8.1, if it is connected to the Internet.)
If a computer is NOT connected to the Internet, you can of course (with compatible programs) work with it
indefinitely.
But almost all programs are
updated regularly. To ensure the best possible compatibility, I therefore recommend using a Win 10 computer.
(I occasionally also use computers with Win 8.1, Win 7 or even XP. For example, I still use Win 7 and Win XP
Netbooks for my live performances. But all of these computers are NOT connected to the Internet.)
Best regards,
Chris