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Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

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Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#271

The only reason I use Windows in 2023 is for video gaming. Every other non-gaming PC I own is running Linux. Windows has become inferior to Linux in every other way. More upgrade headaches, worse resource utilization, worse desktop environment, more crashes, data collection, and now embedded ads. These technology companies have really demonstrated over the past few decades that they are unable to maintain reliable pr…

If it weren't for games, I'd swap over too.

But having to swap between either physical computers or dual-boot is just asking too much for me. I like my convenience. Having one OS that does whatever I want is good. Linux is getting closer with stuff like WINE, but I play too much obscure, old, heavily modded, or just games that have issues as it is - and don't want to add the OS into the mix. I like not having to worry about my OS being the problem. Just the other day I found out Old School Runescape's new launcher won't have Linux support, and I play that daily. :/

Some of the defaults in Windows suck, and I've had to disable some tracking and other crap I didn't like, but other than that it's been seamless for as long as I've had computers. That's good enough for me, even if it's a hodgepodge mess in terms of design.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want an OS where; out of the box, I can play any game made in the last 20 years, change my mouse scroll speed, or set my background to a solid color.

You can do all of those in Linux. For example, here's how to set the background to a solid color. Open a terminal and type the following four commands: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-options 'none' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background primary-color '#004000' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background secondary-color '#306030' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background color-shading-type 'ver…

this is hilarious.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Again, in order to be manipulative, I would have had to been intending to alter what someone else does. I had no such intent. What I did was express my opinion. You seem to be arguing that expressing an opinion is a bad thing. I'm not sure what I've said that made you so angry. The opinion I expressed was "unethical behavior is unethical regardless of who does it", which I would not have expected to be controversial.

You don't need active intent to be emotionally manipulative. Being manipulative is about control.

Your actions attempt to exert control over other people by making them acquiesce to your ethical demands, lest they want to be considered "bad guys" too. Hence the guy editing his post from his original point of empathy to something lesser.

>You seem to be arguing that expressing an opinion is a bad thing.

My main point that I haven't made clear is that individual bad or unethical actions don't make a person "good" or "bad". That's what I take exception to in your post.

That was my intent by pointing out that you could be considered a "Bad Guy" if we were to reduce people down to a single black/white moral adjective based on one of their actions.

Your recap of your comment is not controversial. It doesn't have any of the language I take exception to.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went ahead and installed Linux the moment I realized I had to go through a ton of hoops in order to install Windows 11 offline. I'm only ever going to use Windows for work machines that someone else is paying me to use, and even then, I might just start asking for a Mac instead. I'm over this awful OS nonsense they're doing to Windows. Whoever is in charge of the OS clearly does not care. If I were manning the ship…

I recently installed Windows 10 in a VM to port a program to Windows (Was a horror story). On the left side in the start menu I have ads and other crap: "Trending searches", "Trending videos from the web", "Games for you", "Trending news" and some other stuff like a reminder for the International day for Monuments and Sites. On the right side I have a weather/news widget from some really shady or local newspapers abo…

It seems there is enough pushback from Microsoft's enterprise clients because the W10 LTSC versions lack all the adware and most of the spyware that is pushed on the regular versions. Of course, they are not advertised anywhere and buying licenses through regular channels is impossible for a home user or a small company.

I haven't compared resource usage between my previous W10 Pro VM and my current W10 LTSC VM but it seems to start up much faster, and of course the aggravation from using it is way lower.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want an OS where; out of the box, I can play any game made in the last 20 years, change my mouse scroll speed, or set my background to a solid color.

You can do all of those in Linux. For example, here's how to set the background to a solid color. Open a terminal and type the following four commands: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-options 'none' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background primary-color '#004000' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background secondary-color '#306030' gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background color-shading-type 'ver…

I'm not sure if this is satire or not.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#277
post #96

MS Windows is the daytime television of operating systems: If you're still using it in 2023 you have only yourself to blame. It's not like there aren't better options at your disposal...

I tried to use Linux on my desktop for a year but ended up switching back to Windows for various reasons:

- Work apps that weren't compatible

- Awful screen tearing issues

- Bluetooth dropping out (mouse) and glitching (audio) all the time

- Games didn't work (and you can't screenshare with audio on Linux in Discord)

I'm sure I could have fixed these but after getting to the third page of Google looking how to solve a problem it was just easier to go back to Windows which I've (touch wood) never had stability problems with, it just works. I've never had it automatically update in the middle of the day, install apps that I didn't want by itself or delete any of my files.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#279
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

putting aside that 12% is still a fair bit, I wonder how much value it brings them in more intangible ways, that would only become obvious if they "lost" windows.

Developer mindshare. There are a huge amount of developers who want Windows (or really Visual Studio proper), and there is a meticulously tarred highway from Windows to Azure. The irony is that this bullshit will drive developers away, because they are some of the least likely to put up with it.

LOL since 2010 I've watched windows laptops disappear and mac laptops appear in pretty much every department i visit EXCEPT finance. There is exactly one engineer on my team that still uses windows but he admits that it's just inertia. Every piece of software he uses regularly either exists on linux/mac or can be replaces quite easily on linux/mac with no loss in productivity. Hell he spends most of his time in windows ACTUALLY in the linux subsystem.

I still have a single windows box and it's more or less a game console at this point and since getting a steamdeck I'm not sure it makes a ton of sense to keep it. Steamdeck+ps5 probably gives me all the gaming I want with less hassle.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#280
post #54

> As Microsoft puts it: “We are continuing the exploration of badging on the Start menu with several new treatments for users logging in with local user accounts to highlight the benefits of signing in with a Microsoft account (MSA).” What is Microsoft really thinking here? You have to go out of your way (and probably do a web search) in order to figure out how to install Win 11 without using a Microsoft Account. So…

It works for Apple.

You get a nice little upsell/upset every time you go into certain Apps. They call them "suggestions".

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