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Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

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Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#141

Post by wackget »

rationalist wrote: post #129
thunderbong wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the same, though. The parent comment shows two rows of different types - the upper row consists of the taskbar, and the lower row has the quick launch icons, drive links, and a music bar. Quite an interesting layout, imho.

I have a feeling that is due to several programs. One of which I recognize in the systray: 7+ Taskbar Tweaker https://ramensoftware.com/7-taskbar-tweaker

It's not. You can add quick launch icons and drive shortcuts natively (right click > Toolbars > New Toolbar). I only use Taskbar Tweaker to replace the Windows Aero-style tooltip with the standard jump list right click menu.

The media taskbar player can be added natively from older versions of iTunes, Windows Media Player, or others.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#142

Post by jesse__ »

hougaard wrote: post #26

Because the "UX" of Windows sucks, Microsoft will switch the "Kernel" to Linux? I don't get the argument. There are parts of Windows I don't like, so I have chosen a 3rd-party (often open-source) replacement. The exact same process as I do on Linux. I don't see why I have to switch to Linux to have that freedom. (and to be honest, I don't care where the taskbar is)

I think OPs point is that people are going to eventually abandon the sinking Windows ship, because gamers are going to soon abandon ship en-masse. That certainly tracks for me (mostly a non-gaming Windows user).

It follows that, at some threshold number of users, it becomes much cheaper to ship a Linux distro than to continue to support Windows proper.

:shrug:

Guess we'll see in 15 years.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#143

Post by wackget »

OsrsNeedsf2P wrote: post #91
wackget wrote: post #63

I'll consider switching to Linux when the GUI becomes as configurable as Windows 10 or earlier. For example, this is my taskbar layout: https://i.ibb.co/1GqKH27L/taskbar-layout.png To my knowledge, it's not possible to achieve anything like this layout on Windows 11, Linux or Mac. I did try it in various Linux distros a few times but frankly got sick of navigating the maze of window managers et cetera. I think someth…

Took me about 2 minutes to replicate on KDE Plasma[0][1]. I have a lot more things in my taskbar that I don't want to remove for this test, so it looks a little more crammed up. [0] https://i.imgur.com/esNjPNg.png [1] I didn't try to replicate it perfectly; things like smaller icons/etc are settings but cba

~~Sorry, I can't view the image due to annoying Imgur restrictions (and they restrict proxies/VPNs too).~~

Edit: I was able to find a proxy which works and I can see the image.

Your layout is kind of similar but not really - the Windows taskbar can be configured to work in both rows and columns, or a combination of the two.

So you can have a layout like my original screenshot above, or:

* in columns like this: https://i.ibb.co/Y4jJN6jh/image.png

* a mixture of columns and rows like this: https://i.ibb.co/5WsVmLgb/image.png

* at the top or either side of the screen like this: https://i.ibb.co/9mGmjnxs/image.png

* and in any position it can be resized: https://i.ibb.co/HLmh89qF/image.png

Shame they ditched all this in Windows 11 though.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#144

Post by fsckboy »

>In 2017 I predicted that most programmers would lose their employer employee bargaining power in the next 15-25 years. This was a pretty controversial take at the time, and I never wrote about it publicly, so it’s hard to claim too much credit for being right.

but that didn't happen either

the highest skilled programmers still make bank. the huge influx of more marginal "boot camp engineers" are in more precarious economic positions, but they weren't in the population of programmers that form the baseline for your comparison.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#145

Post by jesse__ »

wackget wrote: post #63

I'll consider switching to Linux when the GUI becomes as configurable as Windows 10 or earlier. For example, this is my taskbar layout: https://i.ibb.co/1GqKH27L/taskbar-layout.png To my knowledge, it's not possible to achieve anything like this layout on Windows 11, Linux or Mac. I did try it in various Linux distros a few times but frankly got sick of navigating the maze of window managers et cetera. I think someth…

If that's literally the only thing stopping you.. you could always just write it yourself ..

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#146

Post by p_ing »

wilsonnb3 wrote: post #130
tombert wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I was about to say. The NT kernel isn’t bad at all; it’s arguably better than Linux. It’s just that an OS is more than a kernel, and pretty much all the other crap in Windows is terrible. Honestly, what I would like them to do is make/support a modern Copy on Write filesystem so that System Restore actually works , and so that it’s easy to roll back when Windows Update borks your PC. You don’t need Linux for ei…

They already have a modern copy on write file system (ReFS), you just can’t use it on desktop Windows for some reason

Yes, you can use ReFS on desktop Windows.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#147

Post by okanat »

scott01 wrote: post #126
AndyKelley wrote: post #36

In effort to imagine something even funnier: ReactOS developers use Copilot to extract and copyright launder Windows source code, and then rather than fight it, Microsoft starts shipping ReactOS.

But if legal system decides the output of LLMs belongs to the entity that trained it, and given that Copilot has the capability to generate any possible code, that means Microsoft, via Copilot, will own copyright to all possible code in the universe, which will naturally allow Microsoft to acquire ReactOS.

That would cause huge big and small tech clashes.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#149

Post by doubled112 »

LexiMax wrote: post #123
Fwirt wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having been a longtime Windows user, an on/off Linux desktop user, and now primarily a Mac user, I really think it's just what you're used to. Each desktop environment has its own strengths and weaknesses, and trying to bend one to be like the other is going to end in frustration. The userland of each OS is sufficiently different that different desktop metaphors break in different ways when you try to port them. MacO…

> Having been a longtime Windows user, an on/off Linux desktop user, and now primarily a Mac user, I really think it's just what you're used to I've also used all three OS's in anger and largely agree. I like to call that sort of attitude YOSPOS, named after one of the technology-oriented subforums on Something Awful. It stands for "Your Operating System is a Piece Of Shit." Which OS? Your OS, whichever one (the roya…

Every OS sucks. Pick the one that you feel sucks the least for you at the time.

Re: Prediction: Microsoft will eventually ship a Windows-themed Linux distro

#150

Post by prima-facie »

I don't want Linux to become as popular as Windows currently is. Its quality would decline drastically as it would be subjected to all sorts of corporate forces.

I don't want it to become a commercially driven, adversarial OS like Windows and Mac OS.

I want it to remain the free, stable and decent OS it currently is, in a comfortable 3rd place.

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