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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

#381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my comments here over the years, I have occasionally mentioned how I don't do business with certain companies or use certain sorts of products because I find the companies objectionable. What I find interesting/hilarious is how often someone will reply to me saying that my life would be so much easier if I just gave in and used them anyway, or (worse) how I'm being wrong in some way by being selective about who I…

> That borg-like "you will be assimilated" sort of commentary is fascinating, disturbing, and goes far to illustrate how there are ordinary people who absolutely don't want you to exert your economic authority. I've learned not to underestimate the extents to which people will go to rationalize their cognitive dissonance. In person, my tactic has just been to self-censor more - I guess I'm tired/lazy and don't want t…

>I've learned not to underestimate the extents to which people will go to rationalize their cognitive dissonance. In person, my tactic has just been to self-censor more - I guess I'm tired/lazy and don't want to be bothered unnecessarily.

I couldn't agree more. As someone with decades of infosec experience, I stopped trying to get my family members (especially those who don't have any technical background) not to use abusive products/services, especially on their smartphones years ago, because I got sick of having to hear about how wrong I was from folks who wouldn't know good security hygiene if it came up and bit them.

It just wasn't worth the argument.

As in most situations (not just tech/infosec), some lessons can't be learned from others, the mistakes must be experienced personally to actually get it. Those lessons are different for everyone, but are pretty ubiquitous. I've certainly been there myself.

Edit: Corrected prose to actually make sense.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#382

First it was Apple who fucked up the butterfly keyboard and out of spite I just said "no thanks" and bought a HP laptop with a beefy GPU instead. Never looked back, until now. I'm using Windows on the said laptop and just in the last couple of months they have started adding more and more "interactive" horseshit that is simply meant to peddle their Edge browser and Bing search engine. I mean, did you know that Micros…

Why not Linux?

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I vaguely remember a time when browsers would install all kind of crappy add-ons, or any other software installer for that matter. Now we reached a point were the OS does it...

Did the browser do that install, or did the user install something on their own that came with additional software? the infamous purple gorilla or whatever it was that you thought you were installing one thing, but a whole other thing was installed at the same time. sourceforge's dark UI of downloading software, but also downloading/installing a whole other program hidden behind a vaguely worded auto-selected checkbo…

Opera browser did bundle some Mcafee stuffs.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#384
post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, and I'm personally fine with it. I'm one of those kooks at work who requested a Linux workstation, much to the chagrin of the IT department. But as long as there is a conversation between Windows and Linux that includes using the terminal, you've lost the "normie" segment of the population, which is going to preclude most people from even considering it. This fact is invariably met with much wailing and gnashin…

And we're fine with it. They can suffer Windows or MacOS, it means nothing to me.

I'm not entirely fine with it, because I suspect Valve will only continue investing in Linux gaming if there's a potential market for it.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#385
Sometimes I feel so damn lucky that I use an OS like FreeBSD (or alternatively GNU/Linux when working) where literally nothing gets in your way. It's ridiculous that a paying product stamps ads in front of your face just like that.

I really feel sorry for the people that are not techies that then they just get hit by the next furious wave of ads when they proceed to browse the web, without installing any browsing counter-measures.

When I go back in time in my mind and remember the old days where I played on Windows 95/98/XP platforms, those were damn clean OSes by today standards. I can't understand how they have gone this way and ruined what is supposed to be their flagship product.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only thing keeping me on Windows is the anticheat software employed by games like MWII.

I refuse to use software as intrusive as the anti-cheat stuff, just not worth it.

That's my position as well.

Even if we just look at it from a hedonistic perspective. I play games to be happy and destress. Windows' abusiveness and anticheat software make me unhappy and/or stressed. For pure hedonism I'm better off with Proton and a smaller selection of games.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#387
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's obvious what are they thinking: "This gives us conversions, this gives us money, what are you gonna do, pay 3000$ for a Mac?"

I'll pay $0 and install Linux instead. I'll recommend it to others too. Hell I'll do literally anything in my power to run Linux, including reverse engineering Windows software. I refuse to accept ads in my OS.

Running Active Directory would be easier than that

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#388

Earlier quoted context omitted.

XP was the best OS and I miss it. You had to switch it to use the classic 95/97/2000 skin, of course :) I haven't used Windows since.

What made you dislike Windows 7?

Sorry, that was very misleading wording on my part. I started a job where they gave me a Linux machine that was lying around. When it was clear I was going to stay they said I could get whatever I wanted. I was going to get a Windows machine but since everyone else was on a Mac (and it was the time when the 27" iMac was brand new) I decided to follow suit and that's what I've been on ever since.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#389

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It completely makes sense to find ads for apps in the App Store.

Sure, it makes sense. They’re still intrusive, unavoidable, unwanted, and make the experience worse. It would also “make sense” for “sudo apt install firefox” to show me an Google-sponsored ad to instead consider Chrome.

This topic is not about ads in app stores, it’s about ads in unavoidable interfaces that you must interact with on a daily basis, like the Start Menu, security icons, explorer windows, etc. the App Store in iOS can easily be moved into a folder and never looked at again unless you want to install a new app.

Nobody is saying the App Store ads aren’t annoying, but I am saying that it’s nowhere near the same level of intrusiveness as these Windows changes, because you can easily avoid the App Store, and when you do open it you know what to expect.

Re: Microsoft plugging more ads into Windows 11 Start Menu

#390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never used linux. After a hundred frustrations with my new laptop that runs Win11, I'm now looking to install ubuntu. Windows pushed me there.

You'll be trading one set of known frustrations with another set of unknown frustrations. A few years ago, I ran Fedora w/ KDE Plasma. What _seemed_ to be random is the GTK fonts throughout the UI changed to a mono-spaced font regardless of what the control panel showed. It "resolved itself" within a few weeks. I don't know if it was an update that caused and subsequently resolved the issue, or something else I did.…

> I have different frustrations with both Windows and macOS.

Agreed.

However, I can continue to feed the Microsoft maw, or I can make a different choice. I choose to tell Microsoft to pound sand.

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