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Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

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Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#71

Post by appstorelottery »

microtonal wrote: post #67
appstorelottery wrote: post #37

It's a pity Microsoft is taking this direction, it's almost like they are completely abandoning their old user base. I feel that they should be doing the opposite of what Apple is doing - remove telemetry and ads, perhaps charge for a "developer" version of the OS, encourage independent software development and help with discovery (i.e. give away free code-signing keys)... I moved away from Windows as my desktop in 2…

What is Apple doing? macOS doesn’t seem to have changed much in the last few versions, which is great, because it’s a mature OS. macOS had been completely uneventful for me the last few years and recovered well from the terrible Mojave/Catalina days with the slow overheating Intel MacBooks.

I suppose I'm talking about how they continue to lock-down the os, in combination with their App-store. For example, hooking into the kernel is now very difficult - apps like Little Snitch running on Sonoma have a much harder job. Apple has wholesale telemetry going on that nobody seems to talk about. Apple have very little commitment to backwards compatibility, which is something that Microsoft took very seriously. In terms of GUI, look at what Apple did with the settings menu - it's pretty horrible IMHO - however Microsoft still has the old Control Panel for users that have grown up with it. Distributing an app for OSX outside of the App Store is painful, no cert - the OS just won't run it, it requires diving into the settings menu and forcing it to run - in more extreme cases it requires command-line intervention to force it to run the application... so on and so on...

It's just a trend that makes me unhappy as a developer.

Contrast this with the "old" Apple in 2005/6, I could write a game, put it up for download as a DMG file - and even post it to Apple's website for help with promotion and discovery! There were plenty of 3rd party payment solutions available, Apple didn't take a 30% cut. What they were back in the day is actually helpful.

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#72

Post by Ringz »

jiggawatts wrote: post #52
Springtime wrote: post #39

Microsoft still haven't implemented a native vertical taskbar after all the years of it being in the top voted[1] request (part of the request to move to any side of the screen) and the fact it's been part of Windows for like 15 years. It's a dealbreaker tbh. Third-party tools that restored the W10 taskbar in W11 allowed users to continue having a taskbar that's usable for them yet the latest W11 betas show they're r…

It's because the Windows 11 UI was designed by people who've never used anything other that an Apple Mac. Yes, Microsoft hires employees with zero Windows experience to design their operating system. That's why the Windows 11 taskbar has the icons centred -- because Apple OSX does too. That's why there's no way to drag the taskbar around -- because Apple OSX doesn't allow this either. Etc...

Apple allows to drag the taskbar “around”. Mine auto hides away, since I barely use it (I try to use the mouse as little as possible).

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#74

Post by simooooo »

alok-g wrote: post #33

This is a deal breaker for me too. I updated to Windows 11 only once I found ExplorerPatcher. Were it not for sizeable investments in Windows-specific apps, I would have moved away. I am currently using: * ExplorerPatcher (replace taskbar) * OpenShell (replace start menu) * ProcessExplorer (replace task manager) * XYPlorer (replace file manager) * Utilities like Notepad++, Paint.net * Winsplit Revolution (Window mana…

There is no deal, you’re effectively modding an os in unintended ways

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#75

Post by alok-g »

Krasnol wrote: post #61
alok-g wrote: post #33

This is a deal breaker for me too. I updated to Windows 11 only once I found ExplorerPatcher. Were it not for sizeable investments in Windows-specific apps, I would have moved away. I am currently using: * ExplorerPatcher (replace taskbar) * OpenShell (replace start menu) * ProcessExplorer (replace task manager) * XYPlorer (replace file manager) * Utilities like Notepad++, Paint.net * Winsplit Revolution (Window mana…

The solution is in the article: you just have to rename the exe.

Yes, I read that. Solution for the time being ...

And hopefully though updates to the tools with regards to the security issues by itself keeps it all good.

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#76

Post by poisonborz »

wepple wrote: post #9
HlessClaudesman wrote: post #4

Not being able to customise my environment is a dealbreaker for me. I will be converting my day to day machine to Linux rather than being nagged into a user hostile OS upgrade. Clearly Microsoft has given up on powerusers, the people who notice and sometimes fix flaws in their monolith. Seems shortsighted.

What kept you on their platform this long if you don’t mind my asking?

Judging by replies here should really be a "why are you still on windows" askHN.

Besides other reasons here, when you have decades of experience on how things work, hundreds of little utils and tools... and you want to finally concentrate more on productive work in your life and not start the whole hurdle anew.

Maybe if a perfect, seamless VM environment would exist, but that still leaves the HW problems.

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#78

Post by xeonmc »

simooooo wrote: post #74
alok-g wrote: post #33

This is a deal breaker for me too. I updated to Windows 11 only once I found ExplorerPatcher. Were it not for sizeable investments in Windows-specific apps, I would have moved away. I am currently using: * ExplorerPatcher (replace taskbar) * OpenShell (replace start menu) * ProcessExplorer (replace task manager) * XYPlorer (replace file manager) * Utilities like Notepad++, Paint.net * Winsplit Revolution (Window mana…

There is no deal, you’re effectively modding an os in unintended ways

He is altering the deal. Pray that he don't alter it any further.

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#79

Post by alok-g »

simooooo wrote: post #74
alok-g wrote: post #33

This is a deal breaker for me too. I updated to Windows 11 only once I found ExplorerPatcher. Were it not for sizeable investments in Windows-specific apps, I would have moved away. I am currently using: * ExplorerPatcher (replace taskbar) * OpenShell (replace start menu) * ProcessExplorer (replace task manager) * XYPlorer (replace file manager) * Utilities like Notepad++, Paint.net * Winsplit Revolution (Window mana…

There is no deal, you’re effectively modding an os in unintended ways

I agree.

The very reason why those tools exist though is because there's a sizeable enough demand. What's under question is that 'unintention', all the more so when features are being removed, without leaving some settings in for power users. Some user experience changes seem backward steps.

Re: Microsoft blocks even more customization apps in Windows 11 version 24H2

#80

Post by eviks »

withinrafael wrote: post #30

There are plenty of reasons to skewer Microsoft, but this isn't one of them. Microsoft isn't blocking all customization apps here, of course. They're blocking known [1][2] unreliable, poorly written, high crash rate software that is extremely sensitive to OS changes, hotfixes, and/or upgrades due to the nature of the software (e.g. hooking functions, patching memory, etc). The block is geared towards a specific revis…

The other alternative to blocking is, of course, to offer good UI with robust customization capabilities so others could change "the nature of " their "software" to something more simple and less crash-prone
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