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Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

philipbohun.com

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Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#161

Post by 9x39 »

WillAdams wrote: post #149
thesuitonym wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is easy to administer. Nothing come close to Active Directory + Group Policy, not even Entra ID + Intune. Windows in the enterprise is just a completely different beast to what you see in the home, or even small businesses.

If it's so easy to administer, why is my work computer a never-ending series of updates and reboots and annoyances such as a printer list which scrolls through several screen worths of clicks before I can find the right printer?

Rolling out the updates to a fleet is the easy administration he’s talking about, which is neither optional nor a trivial task.

Printer administration and Windows printer UX are different too, although the endless-printer-list-oh-god-its-not-even-alphabetical situation is more of an admin oversight to a clunky and low priority situation than anything. Small comfort, no doubt.

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#163

Post by rawgabbit »

bigfatkitten wrote: post #133
rawgabbit wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe businesses "need" Microsoft. Microsoft is entrenched in corporations for a variety of reasons and none of them because Microsoft is technically any good.

Most businesses of any sophistication need specialised software developed only for Windows. The local car dealership runs factory diagnostic software on Windows. The two-way radio shop tunes and programs radios using vendor software written for Windows. Your dentist runs their practice management software runs on Windows, and they Windows software to control other expensive equipment like X-ray machines and 3D scanne…

Those businesses need their software; Windows is an unfortunate side effect. Well those businesses are in a world of hurt as Microsoft forces them to upgrade to Windows 11. e.g., many ATM machines still run on windows XP because the big banks can shoulder any financial loss but small businesses can't. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250516-the-people-stuck...

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#164

Post by ThatMedicIsASpy »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #102

No they don't. Why should they bother? * Costs them money to make * Costs them money to maintain * Will only be used by a TINY subset of ultra-enthusiasts (no, neither HN or Reddit are majorities) * Every user on it is less telemetry and less advertisement The reality is that most users don't care, and will just use whatever seems to work fine. Finding out that 'oh yeah, feature/software X does not work on Windows Li…

They have windows iot. That can easily count as 'windows lite'

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#165

Post by not_a9 »

delta_p_delta_x wrote: post #77
CamouflagedKiwi wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also kind of pointless. Almost immediately, something will be installed that will require installing the .NET runtime, maybe multiple versions of it. If the argument is to try to prohibit it, then it just won't work as a platform, because too much existing software won't work on it. There's a lot of garbage I'd love to not have (all the stupid hardware config apps all the manufacturers push on you) but just havi…

> all the stupid hardware config apps Similar pet peeve, and I think the solution to this is the platform setting, adopting, and enforcing conventions. Something like what has happened with notebook trackpads[1] about a decade ago, and more recently RGB peripherals[2]—no more cancerous giant Electron app to move a few sliders and set an RGB hex code. [1]: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/win32/input-precis..…

> no more cancerous giant Electron app to move a few sliders and set an RGB hex code

That will also ship vulnerable drivers.

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#166

Post by 9x39 »

ramon156 wrote: post #126
Night_Thastus wrote: post #102

No they don't. Why should they bother? * Costs them money to make * Costs them money to maintain * Will only be used by a TINY subset of ultra-enthusiasts (no, neither HN or Reddit are majorities) * Every user on it is less telemetry and less advertisement The reality is that most users don't care, and will just use whatever seems to work fine. Finding out that 'oh yeah, feature/software X does not work on Windows Li…

I agree with your reasons but not with "the majority doesn't care". Sure they do. The internet is filled with Windows hate, and Reddit isn't as small as you remember it to be. The majority has no other option. Linux is too much trouble to learn and Mac requires a new device. What else are you supposed to do?

The majority also wants their stuff to work - the program that solves a problem or the hardware they bought, and all that surface area to support it is how Windows is Windows.

> What else are you supposed to do?

Customize. You can strip out entire features, often called “debloat” but it’s hyper specific. It couldn’t be a general purpose pc after, and a debloated gaming config might lack the support to run other kinds of apps, or vice versa.

They even have a lightly modified version called LTSC although it retains so much feature surface area so as to remain “Windows” it’s not like the article’s idea, but it exists.

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#167

Post by jasomill »

Melatonic wrote: post #144
nairboon wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes you can't get it legally as a regular end user That's why it's not mentioned, it's not a product for "normal users", the audience described in the post.

You can get it legally. Just gotta find a smaller VAR and convince them to sell you a single seat for testing purposes

It's not cheap, but getting it legally is easy, and you don't need a VAR.

Specifically, you can buy a single-seat Microsoft 365 E3 subscription directly from Microsoft for $432/year, which includes a license for a single user to use Windows Enterprise, including LTSC, on up to 5 PCs (along with other stuff, mainly Office).

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/e3

(click "try for free")

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#168

Post by xingped »

LoganDark wrote: post #154
xingped wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to realize that the majority of reddit "users" are either bots (especially now with LLMs making it so easy to generate text on the fly) or utterly braindead. Just last week I got banned and comment deleted from a subreddit calling out someone for deliberately spreading false information. Their comment? Still there. I have one friend who just loves listening to AI readings of AI-generated drama farming conten…

Bigots can exist without being paid shills...

This is also true, but for what I was calling out, people do pay off mods to supress or promote certain content on the subs they moderate or mods push their own sites or products if they have something to push.

Re: Microsoft Needs Windows Lite

#169

Post by thesuitonym »

WillAdams wrote: post #149
thesuitonym wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is easy to administer. Nothing come close to Active Directory + Group Policy, not even Entra ID + Intune. Windows in the enterprise is just a completely different beast to what you see in the home, or even small businesses.

If it's so easy to administer, why is my work computer a never-ending series of updates and reboots and annoyances such as a printer list which scrolls through several screen worths of clicks before I can find the right printer?

Probably because you insist that your computer be on at all times, never save your work, and don't allow it to reboot while you're away.

That, or your IT team sucks. The problem with Windows being so easy is that any idiot can do it, and they often do.

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