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Windows 11: Just say no

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Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#131

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

Someone1234 wrote: post #21

Windows 11 is half-baked. But it isn't just half-baked because it was rushed out while ignoring all the feedback (although it absolutely was). It is also half-baked because Microsoft's management has no particular strategy or plan for what they want Windows to be. So Windows 11 just feels like an "and kitchen sink" where someone picked up an iPad, noted down a bunch of random features without rhyme or reason and then…

> and UI elements that haven't been updated since Windows 2K.

I use WindowBlinds to skin my Windows 10 to look like Windows 98. >.>

It doesn't work for programs that create their own title bars or remove them entirely (like Chrome, Firefox, and Discord), but I love having 3D buttons on my task bar and windows.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#132

Post by GoblinSlayer »

Zanni wrote: post #4
marcusb wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn’t mixed up, but it is idiomatic and somewhat provincial. “Just say no” is a reference to an anti-drug campaign from the mid-80s, instantly recognizable to just about anyone from the United States.

I think they're referring to the subhead, "In a few weeks, Windows 11 will arrive. Should you upgrade to it? Let me answer with a question: 'Should you stop hitting your head against the wall?'" which is not only challenging to parse but (as I read it) contradicts the headline.

I understood it as you should say no to the question whether you should stop hitting your head against the wall.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#133

Post by pitterpatter »

aseipp wrote: post #95
bananabiscuit wrote: post #80

What if they lock the next version of DirectX behind Windows 11?

That's how it's worked forever, basically; Windows 10 was the minimum requirement for DX12 and Vista with DX11 before that, with 6-7 year time gaps. The APIs also evolved slowly and incrementally with features between those years, but I don't think all of them were available in every operating system. DirectStorage for instance (allowing P2P DMA between your GPU and SSD) is only going to be available in Windows 11 ap…

>DirectStorage for instance (allowing P2P DMA between your GPU and SSD) is only going to be available in Windows 11 apparently.

Pretty sure they backtracked on that. "As such, games built against the DirectStorage SDK will be compatible with Windows 10, version 1909 and up"

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/directstorage-develop...

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#134

Post by Ronson »

rishav_sharan wrote: post #46

For me, the lack of a "Never combine" option for the taskbar has made win11 unusable for me. I have already reverted back to 10 and will not be updating again till this option is made available again. Its a huge productivity hit for people who are used to multitaking between dozens of open windows

No "Never Combine"? :( Tell me it isn't so. I can't remember when that combine thing was added but the first thing I do is get that binned straight away. I haven't used it long enough to even understand how it works.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#135

Post by mmerlin »

hbn wrote: post #89
jjoonathan wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite is when I see the result I want flash by and then I accidentally type the next character -- correctly -- due to momentum, and the result disappears. Then I delete the last character in an attempt to bring back the result, and then I try retyping the whole thing, but the correct result never reappears. It is gone. Only useless web results remain.

Yeah Windows Search is useless. I'd recommend Everything[0]. Though, it's more for general file searching than searching for programs. Can't remember if it learns your habits and pushes them to the top or not. Regardless it's instantaneous and I almost never use the Windows search since I discovered it https://www.voidtools.com

Thanks "Everything" looks like something I will install and use.

I previously used a manually-triggered disk search indexer called Cathy.exe which works well [1]

For "real time (i.e. without the pre-cached index) live searches of filenames and/or contents by keyword/grep I like "Agent Ransack" [2]

It's one of the few things I always use on every windows machine I login to

[1] https://cathy.en.lo4d.com/windows

[2] https://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#136

Post by ageofzfarm »

prirai wrote: post #52
throwawaysea wrote: post #13

This article seems to be making a point that you shouldn't upgrade to Windows 11 right now , since you might be encounter problems that result from the upgrade. But I have bigger apprehensions about Windows 11 than just that. Windows 11 feels like the culmination of a push to turn Windows into a walled garden service rather than a utilitarian operating system for generic computing devices. Dark patterns like forced l…

Using Linux is quite easier these days than ever before. About the usability: One command can update your system as well as all the apps installed. No hassle of shutting down your pc after an update. Limitless comfigurations to make the system your own. I would suggest using a community based distro, ones like Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, Arch (Slightly hard), KDE Neon, etc. There's a very large community and also wel…

What's really difficult for the average user is the installation process.

Debian is what I install to friends and family because the system is really tested, stable and does not annoy them with continuous update pop ups. Then every two years, we have a dinner at my place and I help them upgrade.

They tell me that their pc seems less "magical", that they feel they have more control over what it does.

The only real issue is compatibility with the office suite when the beancounter sends Excel sheets.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#137

Post by Someone1234 »

watermelon0 wrote: post #72
heurisko wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was trying to check Disk Partitions on Windows 10, so typed this into the search. It gave me a website with some freeware tool. I had to search around again until I found the actual system tool. I don't know what a regular user would have done. I'm not really a Windows user.

I've needed it enough time that I won't ever forget "diskmgmt.msc" command, and AFAIK it works since Windows XP. I'm not really sure what's so problematic with searching settings, but other platforms I use (macOS, iOS) are not really much better in this regard.

Disk Management is also in the Power User Menu, just right click the Start Menu orb or Win+X.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#138

Post by xtracto »

_Algernon_ wrote: post #63
amackera wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry, what? Why wouldn't you want a Lock Screen? That's a basic security measure, without a lock screen Windows would be a non-starter for any secure enterprise.

A lock screen without full disk encryption is security by obscurity. Change my mind.

It's a different type of security:

I leave my email, jira, slack, and other services logged in while I am working. When I step out of my computer I lock my screen to prevent other people in the room from using my account in those services.

I am aware that they can grab the hard drive and get whatever crap I've got there, but they cannot login into my email, bank, and other services. That's why the lock screen is useful for me.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#139

Post by dylan604 »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #96
GiorgioG wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why do they keep messing with the UI? UX folks don't get paid to leave things alone.

Nobody gets paid to leave things alone and maybe that's a big problem with the world.

Farmers can get paid to not grow crops.

Re: Windows 11: Just say no

#140

Post by toss1 »

Taskbar can no longer be moved.

That single "improvement" will keep me away for as long as possible. It's the first thing I change when setting up a new Windows environment, and have done it for over a decade. I'm enough not alone that I've seen in mentioned in multiple articles.

MS makes all kinds of noise about "reworking the UI from the ground up for true usability" or some such. Yet I have no idea what could possibly be the benefit to removing such functionality. MS says they listen, but obviously not.

Sheesh, another Windows 8 debacle coming at us.

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