Windows users have no negotiating power. Windows will continued to be monetized in user-hostile ways. Call it enshittification, call it the tendency of the rate of profit to fall, call it what ever you want. It won't reach a breaking point. It'll just get worse and worse, steadily and slowly.
I'm trapped because I'm a C#/WPF developer. But, the day after I retire will see a reformat and installation of Debian.
> The ideal, therefore, is an automated Windows detoxifier with a solid chain of trust; one that's rapidly updated to track new outbreaks of unwholesomeness; one that's constructed to be usable by anyone, and to be configurable so that the user can dial in what they want to go.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I was certain something like this already exists?
For home users I'd say the biggest thing that keeps them on Windows is gaming, but Valve have made excellent progress at getting games to run on Linux now.
For business users I'd say the biggest thing is Active Directory - being able to manage and micro-manage a fleet of hundreds or thousands of PCs by a small team is highly desirable.
AAA games work essentially flawlessly on Linux. Can't predict if there will be any sort of fuckery for the next gen games like GTA 6, but Cyberpunk 2077, RDR2, etc. all worked flawlessly with Proton.
I'll second AD -- ain't no way we're moving away from that or Azure AD (EntraID). I've done OpenIPA deployments before and AD is a fairly mature product all things considered. Like, if you think AD is shit, wait until you start messing with OpenLDAP implementations...
I know I have said this many times, but if you need Windows just use Windows 11 LTSC. It lacks almost all of the bulk and crap that Microsoft is trying to shove into Windows. And the things that are missing if you really need them are easy to install.
Don't believe Microsoft's "marketing" about LTSC that it won't work for a general purpose OS. I use this for my gaming PC and it is fantastic.
No need for any sort of debloat script that is doing untested things, LTSC is a working version of Windows.
Windows is an onramp for their online services and a data harvesting tool. The entire industry is going this way and we have enabled it through overly complicated abstractions and an obsession with "web-scale".
Start by building on-premise systems and you'll develop a different mindset.
A little offtopic, but this headline perfectly illustrates why I (a Black person, perhaps relevant) never much liked the term "micro-aggressions" in the way it was initiated.
Call the person out as e.g. racist or don't. Or call out the statement or whatever as stupid or messed up and make them apologize. But, nitpicking things as "micro-aggressions" and giving them this weird power, meh. Just say, "Hey, get a load of this a-hole" and move on.
Now, here it kind of works because they are micro and because it's not a human, etc.
but building such a free tool would only encourage more windows usage...
stop enabling abusers.
oem bundling should be seen for the extortion it is, and not one more red cent should go to Redmond
Over the last week, I helped 4 people get a piece of software working on Windows.
Something I found mind boggling is that the windows/search button doesnt load every time.
From my nvidia 3060 gpu laptop, to my tiny i5, to cheap refurbished laptops, all computers seem to have an issue displaying the search/windows button's data.
I believe if you wait long enough, it shows up, but sometimes you click off and re-click.
Anyway, its utterly mind boggling that the OS that has 90% of users has this issue.
(My guess is that its doing some sort of online thing and it wont display results until it gets the ads/sends data)
[sigh] I remember when modal windows were the only imaginable disruption to your work. The irony is, at least they had a clear purpose — and a close button.
I'm all for complaining about silly little things in computers. Can we not with "micro-aggression" though? Seems any chance that term had for being a useful one was destroyed by it being used in precisely the way that it was coined to identify.
I went looking for a write-up but I would have sworn ~2 years ago Microsoft had disbanded Windows as its own team, and put half the people under Azure and half under like Office or something.
Really feel like there's a Conway's Law explanation that would underscore the shift here. But I failed to find any links/coverage of the shift.
I’m using Windows 11 at my new job and wow, it really is horrible (always been a server OS user at work, Mac at home)
This whole thing about it opening links in Edge despite your preferences is just.. bizarre! It’s like they had a bet on “hey what’s the most user hostile thing we can get away with?!”
At this point, how much does Microsoft make per license? Like cost to customer and/or OEM for the system, plus selling scraped user data? $100 or something? Maybe they could make as much just selling perfect Linux binaries of Excel, Word, Outlook. Then charge small amounts for upgrades annually. Decouple the popular software from the OS.
They could still sell the OS to businesses (e.g. because they want ActiveDirectory). But for regular customers, make money off the software. It worked for Sega.
Given all the shittery Microsoft regularly commits against users, there is not a single moral conundrum in grabbing a copy of their OS with the abusive aspects cut right out, and resting easier.
Anyone here who mealy-mouths about this being wrong has their head up their ass. I really hope the "hacker" in hacker news can stand for at least a tiny modicum of something more than fervently virtue-signalling to an abusive dumpster fire of a megacorp.
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[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 49.3 ms ] threadI'm trapped because I'm a C#/WPF developer. But, the day after I retire will see a reformat and installation of Debian.
The only thing I'll miss is Directory Opus.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I was certain something like this already exists?
I'm an old man now. They moved my cheese. How dare they.
Also they put more tracking crap on the OS that I don't want.
For business users I'd say the biggest thing is Active Directory - being able to manage and micro-manage a fleet of hundreds or thousands of PCs by a small team is highly desirable.
I'll second AD -- ain't no way we're moving away from that or Azure AD (EntraID). I've done OpenIPA deployments before and AD is a fairly mature product all things considered. Like, if you think AD is shit, wait until you start messing with OpenLDAP implementations...
Don't believe Microsoft's "marketing" about LTSC that it won't work for a general purpose OS. I use this for my gaming PC and it is fantastic.
No need for any sort of debloat script that is doing untested things, LTSC is a working version of Windows.
Start by building on-premise systems and you'll develop a different mindset.
Call the person out as e.g. racist or don't. Or call out the statement or whatever as stupid or messed up and make them apologize. But, nitpicking things as "micro-aggressions" and giving them this weird power, meh. Just say, "Hey, get a load of this a-hole" and move on.
Now, here it kind of works because they are micro and because it's not a human, etc.
I am the only one?
Something I found mind boggling is that the windows/search button doesnt load every time.
From my nvidia 3060 gpu laptop, to my tiny i5, to cheap refurbished laptops, all computers seem to have an issue displaying the search/windows button's data.
I believe if you wait long enough, it shows up, but sometimes you click off and re-click.
Anyway, its utterly mind boggling that the OS that has 90% of users has this issue.
(My guess is that its doing some sort of online thing and it wont display results until it gets the ads/sends data)
My sense is this has been a problem for a long time and Microsoft presumably just doesn't care.
Use Linux. Windows is over if you want it.
Really feel like there's a Conway's Law explanation that would underscore the shift here. But I failed to find any links/coverage of the shift.
It's just a rant, and a poor one at that.
2. Win11Debloat - https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat
3. O&O Shutup - https://www.oo-software.com/
This whole thing about it opening links in Edge despite your preferences is just.. bizarre! It’s like they had a bet on “hey what’s the most user hostile thing we can get away with?!”
They could still sell the OS to businesses (e.g. because they want ActiveDirectory). But for regular customers, make money off the software. It worked for Sega.
First, tell Microsoft to fuck itself by not using its constantly-updated, parasitic, hostile bloatware version of Windows.
Second, without having to pay Microshit, simply download an LTSC version from the following source. https://massgrave.dev/windows_ltsc_links
Given all the shittery Microsoft regularly commits against users, there is not a single moral conundrum in grabbing a copy of their OS with the abusive aspects cut right out, and resting easier.
Anyone here who mealy-mouths about this being wrong has their head up their ass. I really hope the "hacker" in hacker news can stand for at least a tiny modicum of something more than fervently virtue-signalling to an abusive dumpster fire of a megacorp.