People still pay money for Windows?
Yep, they do
I did, just in April, for my new build. Luckily, in Germany, MS has to allow for the sale of OEM (SystemBuilder) licenses to the enduser. So i do not have to pay 260 Euro official MS price, retailers can sell around 130 Euro. So what that i do not get officicial MS support :p
Out of principle, i stay away from shady "used" keys for 10 Euro though.
I also paid back in the day for Vista (*shudder*) and 7. The 7 was then upgraded to 10, but that machine was given away as a whole unit, so i needed a new license.
In general though, i am very ambivalent regarding Windows 11. MS has surprisingly not crossed my line yet: A MS account is not required for 11 Pro. If it had been, i would never upgrade.
I will wait and see how strong the nagging will be, but if past experience is an indicator, i can easily wait until 2025 until i upgrade :p
Regarding the nagging of Windows 10, i can personally recommend O&O Shutup 10. That tool is a easy, everything in one place way to, well, shutup windows 10. You need to be careful with disabling anything marked yellow and red, but all the green option can mostly be disabled safely.
EDIT: @gmb42: As far as i know, if you have an active internet connection during installation, you *cannot* skip setting up an online account. That change came with 1909 or 20H1 if i remember correctly.
Office 365, which i am using, will ask after installation, to convert your account to an online one, if you hit the wrong button on first start. Other than that i have not encountered any nagging as well, but i have turned off OneDrive, online Search and Cortana, and generally do not use the MS Store *at all*.