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My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

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Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#171

Post by zeppelin101 »

stateofinquiry wrote: post #150
zeppelin101 wrote: post #4

It's pretty sad, but with each iteration of Windows, it feels more and more impersonal and intrusive. There could be a mass migration to MacOS and Linux for many of us.

There is no perfect choice here. I left the MS Windows ecosystem in around 2001, did not really use XP or 7. I was on various linux distros until 2015- and for my needs at the time they were great! I used mostly desktops (power management/sleep not a big issue) and did not have to interop with "regular" users using MS Office, etc. I did some development, and in this area Linux excelled. I also had time to tweak and t…

I agree with all the points you made. Windows is very open in many ways - at least relative to MacOS. In my main laptop, I have 2 SSD slots and the memory is also swappable. Not to mention what's possible with something like the Framework laptops.

Meanwhile, Linux may be far more open, but a lot of hardware might not work at 100% feature parity (e.g. various peripherals, especially anything bluetooth).

It's also true that the interop situation has gotten far better on Windows. WSL works very well. But I'd also say that all 3 main OSs have much better interop than in the past. For example, gaming on Linux is more than viable, thanks to Valve. Finally, The Browser has become an OS of its own. And Electron-based apps like VSCode, Discord, and many others, are multiplatform.

Personally, I find all the 3 of the main OSs to be very compelling and impressive. They each have their own set of pros and cons. For someone who just wants things to work, MacOS is a great choice - but one that feels quite limiting (but some people feel a sense of freedom in that, actually). Windows also works very well in that regard. It's just that for many, it feels like Microsoft is treating us Windows-folk as dumb cattle and that they are taking our loyalty for granted. Meanwhile, Linux.. is hard to define. It's a lot of things and it's a constantly moving target. For me, I have found Linux on the desktop to have the most pain points. Not ones that I cannot manage or work around, but ones I'd rather not have to deal with.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#172

Post by dylan604 »

nine_k wrote: post #133
newzisforsukas wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Proton is a great project (and CodeWeavers deserve credit there as well), but why does it have to be a choice? I have been multi booting for 20 years, preferring Linux distributions the whole time, but other OSes when I want to use them. I recently started using a dedicated Windows system for gaming and other Windows favored tasks. I am running a KVM switch, using AMD Graphics on a Linux system and Nvidia on…

Not everyone has multiple desktop computers at home, especially powerful ones. (With an Apple device to top it up.) But hardware is more affordable than ever (unless you want a really powerful GPU). What's worse is that you have to separate the tasks between OSes, you can't easily have a default computer for everything, with everything relevant locally available. It's fine if you keep Windows for gaming, and want gam…

Why do you need multiple computers when you can have multiboot and use one computer to run different OSes?

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#173

Post by wpm »

jasonfarnon wrote: post #162
FredPret wrote: post #76

- no more solitaire - cortana - ads… ADS… in the OS - forced updates - windows live accounts (or is it microsoft.com? wait, no, I think it’s office.com?) - two system settings screens - major new versions after “last version of Windows ever: 10”

I actually thought everyone other than linux was forcing updates at this point. Do apple devices let you shut them off?

Apple devices don't even turn it on. iOS devices it's offered to you during setup, but on the Mac only Rapid Security Responses and XProtect autoupdates are on by default. Changes are a simple toggle. Auto check, on or off. Auto install, on or off.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#174

Post by dylan604 »

OptionOfT wrote: post #14

I can't even remove 'Recommended' from the start menu, not even on a Pro for Workstations. Every time I search on the start menu there is a web search, impossible to turn off. How is that acceptable? I install Edge Beta to test something, and the I uninstall it. All of the sudden my search provider in my normal Edge is reset. And the nagging everywhere. No I don't want 'back-up' my files (OneDrive is not backup, it's…

> Since when is 6.6.1.40 better than 6.6.1.72? Why would you do that?

well, recently, there was a compromised update to a software package and the recommendation was to roll back to a previous version. there are definite times when removing the latest not-so-greatest for a previous version is the best solution. there's no reason to lose the plot in your ranting. you just lose credibility in your arguments at that point

"The US federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has issued a security advisory recommending that the affected devices should roll back to a previous uncompromised version."[0]

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor#Remediation

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#175

Post by msm_ »

rsanheim wrote: post #111
nikau wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not justifying the shitty antics of MS, but most of the junk can be turned off by registry settings which most large organisations automate via GPO

This illustrates just how ridiculously screwed up Windows is now. No one should have to resort to registry hacking or the many scripts or hacks available to regain control over basic UX, privacy, or usability selections. It is absolutely absurd.

To be fair, Linux configuration is not exactly straightforward in comparison to Windows. Dozens of obscure config files (each with a different syntax), stored in various random places in the filesystem, with the general expectation that every user should be able to run a terminal command once in a while to fix something.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Linux lover and user, but from an outside perspective Windows registry (a central, structured database of configuration for everything) looks easier.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#176

Post by userbinator »

I really hope there will be some way in the future to get a version of Windows (that's not for enterprise users) which gives you the choice to have Microsoft butt out of the daily running, appearance, and settings of your computer.

I have not looked much at the OS-modding scene recently, but there used to be huge communities around deep customisation, and they produced "distros" of Windows with very different defaults and much of the annoyances removed, and popular useful thirdparty software installed. It's not 100% legal of course, and that "choice to have Microsoft butt out" is usually an absolute --- no updates at all except ones you manually install, some things might not work (possibly a feature for some), and you are truly on your own (with the community) with those mods.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#177

Post by directevolve »

bachmeier wrote: post #75

> Linux Respects Its Users Maybe I'm just ranting, but Ubuntu seems to be by far the most common distro for Windows users, and they're definitely not perfect in this respect. I've been running Linux as my main OS for about 20 years and I can't rid myself of snaps. Synaptic will show that the package provided by Mozilla is the latest version and the snap is the installed version. If I reinstall, it goes back to the Mo…

I switched to Ubuntu from Windows gradually over the last two years and have now dropped Windows entirely. I agree, Ubuntu isn't perfect, but I was a Windows user for about 25 years and the difference in terms of control is night and day.

By the end, it was like Windows was shoving me into things like OneDrive that I hadn't (at least deliberately) installed, didn't want to use, and didn't understand. This set me up for a risk of breaking things when I'd treat it like the regular Windows filesystem, and eventually I did break Windows and had to reinstall.

I've had none of these problems with Ubuntu. I wouldn't be surprised if alternative Linuxes are even better, but I'm satisfied enough with Ubuntu that trying alternatives isn't a priority.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#178

Post by PhoenixFlame101 »

rsanheim wrote: post #111
nikau wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not justifying the shitty antics of MS, but most of the junk can be turned off by registry settings which most large organisations automate via GPO

This illustrates just how ridiculously screwed up Windows is now. No one should have to resort to registry hacking or the many scripts or hacks available to regain control over basic UX, privacy, or usability selections. It is absolutely absurd.

While I agree with you, the registry is the windows way of hiding away config files. It's either the GUI, or it's the registry.

Linux alternatively uses config files directly meant to be altered by the end user. It's less user-friendly, but better than the registry.

The real crime is having a registry in the first place instead of a .config directory.

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#179

Post by userbinator »

giantrobot wrote: post #122
nikau wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not justifying the shitty antics of MS, but most of the junk can be turned off by registry settings which most large organisations automate via GPO

Until some update resets all those values behind your back.

Would MS dare to do that to their enterprise customers who make up the majority of their Windows license revenue?

Re: My Windows Computer Just Doesn't Feel Like Mine Anymore

#180

Post by abhinavk »

newzisforsukas wrote: post #86
silverquiet wrote: post #10

About a year ago I dumped Windows from my personal PC for good. I ran a Linux desktop at work for a decade, but my Steam collection get me with at least a bit of a tether to Microsoft. But Valve finally made Linux gaming a reality. I hope more people can make the switch someday because I'm quite happy with the system (Pop!_OS is my distro of choice these days).

I think Proton is a great project (and CodeWeavers deserve credit there as well), but why does it have to be a choice? I have been multi booting for 20 years, preferring Linux distributions the whole time, but other OSes when I want to use them. I recently started using a dedicated Windows system for gaming and other Windows favored tasks. I am running a KVM switch, using AMD Graphics on a Linux system and Nvidia on…

If you have two GPUs, you can run a Windows VM in Linux and configure GPU passthrough for Nvidia card.

[1] Doesn't work for games requiring kernel-mode anti-cheat.

[2] https://looking-glass.io/ to use both GPUs on the same monitor.

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