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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

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It's not the only thing, although it is a big one. Honestly Windows just feels better to me and works the way I want it to. It might help that I've always used enterprise versions so I've never had to deal with the awful bloatware. The few things I do want to disable are pretty painless to remove through the group policy editor or one of many freeware GUI tweaker programs.

Fair enough :) There's a lot to be said for being comfortable in your environment

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

#162

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

Format C: /DevDrv /Q

EDIT: Just to be clear, if you don't understand when you'd use this command, do not use it. I suddenly realised people might not be familiar with formatting, and don't want to be responsible for the destruction.

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

#163

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…

Does it really matter if NT kernel is good or not? I don't think so. What matters if it's cheaper to use Linux kernel instead of Windows kernel in terms of expenses. Just an example. Microsoft developed several browser engines: first Trident, then EdgeHTML. Edge wasn't bad, it was on par with Chrome, may be slightly behind, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with time. But Microsoft decided to abandon it and use Blin…

There is a world where Microsoft could make yet another soulless decision to kill something good they already have on the theory it would save some money, on the mistaken belief that the kernel is the problem with Windows.

One would like to believe that as far gone as they are on Windows, they’re not that far gone. But hey, anything could happen.

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

#164

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…

No, both NT and Linux kernels are bad because they are monolithic and not sandboxing-first.

NT is hybrid kernel, it has microkernel features, particularly with drivers if I understand correctly.

But that said, I didn't say either were "good", I said that NT is "arguably better".

ETA: I reread my comment; you're right, I actually said that NT "isn't bad at all". I stand by what I said mostly though; that doesn't imply it's "good" necessarily, just that it's arguably better than Linux.

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

#165
People have been predicting this for 30 years.

None of the problems in Windows are related to the kernel.

In Fact Windows NT and its display server and compositor, most APIs are fine. In some cases superior to Linux.

Its just that they ship several giant UI turds on top of it, and candy crush copilot apps preinstalled.

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

#166
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You "never understand" these posts and then list off a ton of crap I shouldn't have to do to an OS to make it usable. The default experience of using windows is downright user-hostile and it reveals the thinking of the corporation behind it. Yeah, you _can_ do all that to make it somewhat usable, but when alternatives exist that are much less of a pain, I'll be taking those.

My experience of Linux (and Mac OS) has been the opposite; they are extremely painful to make usable. Yes, I have to disable a lot of stuff to get Windows the way I like it. But that's still exponentially easier than having to add, install, or perhaps even buy a lot of stuff to maybe get Linux/Mac to behave kind of how I want it to.

[deleted]

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

#167
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…

I'm pretty sure, you can do this stacking 2 panels in XFCE4. Maybe except the multi row start button but if you really need that, you could even create a 3rd panel.

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

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 obsess somewhat about my computer's UI, but not to this degree. I want to maximize usable screen space, so just want the status bars slim and out of the way. I want to see the cpu/memory/swap/network/disk usage, which is easy. Lucky me!

However, if status bars are what you obsess about, Linux would love to have you! Many status bars are available[0], most of them open source and wildly customizable. You can configure one of the existing ones, fork an existing one, or write your own.

[0]: see eg https://wiki.hypr.land/Useful-Utilities/Status-Bars/

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

#169
post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It's not easy to set up is it? I just installed Windows 11 on a laptop two days ago and I don't remember seeing an option to choose it.

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

#170
I remember when people said that Windows ME/Vista/8 was so bad that Microsoft would fold/abandon Windows. I don’t think they’re going to going to give up on all that enterprise support money because they made an operating system that ordinary users hate. They have done that so many times already.
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