Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I still used Windows I remember there used to be a Windows "N" version. Some AIO ISOs will let you choose
Is the license the same between N and non-N versions?
Irrelevant! See vlmcsd on github.
De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
321–330 of 347 posts
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#322Suppose you are buying a new laptop ... does anyone else feel sad that their operating system has effectively turned into some weird social media marketing tracking data harvesting hybrid of a thing? But in the name of progress and security, you can't stay on Windows 10. So for me it's this weird middle ground right now .. waiting for either Windows to U-turn, die out, or for more work apps to port to OS X.
I switched to Qubes OS as my daily driver way earlier this year and I absolutely love it! It has a couple pain points (it's difficult to get a GPU passed through without tweaks, performance for certain kinds of loads may be suboptimal). It feels really good that the DominationGPT malware will have to break out of Xen to pwn me!
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#323Earlier quoted context omitted.
I always deploy the DBAN when I get my hands on a new laptop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darik's_Boot_and_Nuke
Somewhat off-topic, but fun fact about Darik of DBAN fame - he landed himself in hot water a few years ago when it was revealed he was a founding member of a white nationalist Canadian political party [1]. The party was later dissolved due to inactivity when its leader went to prison for antisemitic hate crimes [2] [1] https://www.thespec.com/news/canada/he-says-he-works-securit... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C…
>fun fact about Darik of DBAN fame - he landed himself in hot water a few years ago when it was revealed he was a founding member of a white nationalist Canadian political party [1].
Based! I appreciate his hard disk nuker even more now! :^)
Also, bringing that point up is as fallacious as an ad hominem in debate and is blatantly political. You are the establishment. Darik is not. I am not.
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#324Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pay for Enterprise and a lot of it is pre disabled. Others can be configured via group policy.
How do you get access to enterprise? Last I looked, I believe you had to create a company-relationship with Microsoft to be allowed to do that and there was probably a lot more cruft to do. Edit: and a quick scan of the Microsoft website says that you need to "Contact Sales" still.
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Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#325Earlier quoted context omitted.
I installed the N version once, and the lack of media codecs was infuriating. Most programs assume they are always present, so the error messages they give are cryptic and the average user won't guess the problem lies in their Windows having been N(eutered). What's worse, Microsoft website provides several guides that explain how to install the codecs, and they all contradict each other. I think https://support.micro…
I thought I would be clever and install the N edition of Windows 11, took me nearly two weeks to figure out what extra bits needed to be installed to allow a webcam to work.
Windows N(SA safe) :D
Jokes aside I am assuming if people are willing to go down the N route, they could probably also use tiny11 and just DIY install all drivers and codecs they need on that machine
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
macOS does not have a task bar and that paragraph specifically says that the flashing items did not even show in a news app. The criticism of Apple here says that they have a news app and that it shows news. It is not the same thing and it won't be the same thing no matter how many times you say it. It simply isn't!
The iPhone home screen performs the same function as the Windows Start menu. A news widget on one is the same as a news widget on the other.
Swiping away (to the right) from the Home Screen, will take you to the widget area from which you can immediately remove the news widget with two or so taps, and that setting will get preserved. So not really the same as pressing start to search for an app to launch. I think in your example the equivalent would be going to the iOS App Library list and then seeing ads and widgets there, which does not happen.
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#327I remember the first time I used a Windows system last year after tens of years on Linux/OSX, and it was really a somewhat strange experience: the moment I connected the ethernet cable I was instantly looking at random flashy news articles from another part of the world. Not in the browser, not in some kind of "News" app, but right in my taskbar! The most amazing part is that I did not even have to click on it – the…
> It feels like you don't really own this system but use it in some kind of public library. You don't, commercial OS manufacturers want you to see and treat your computers as app consoles, similar to game consoles. They successfully got you to view phones and tablets as app consoles, the rest of your computers are next. > What also caught my eye so much is the amount of branding around – there are Spotify, TikTok, Am…
> They successfully got you to view phones and tablets as app consoles, the rest of your computers are next.
Yes. Because it’s only logical. Go and watch what any person outside of tech circles do with their computer. Office, Chrome, Spotify, Steam, Minecraft. That’s it.
Saying this as a hardcore Linux and FOSS user.
Plenty HN folks cannot wrap their minds around that the world is in fact, changing once again from what they accustomed to.
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#328>> Camera, Cortana, and Photos can now be uninstalled When a user would uninstall an app, would it actually be removed from the system, or just the icons and entries would be. Motivation for asking: Several built-in apps are listed in the Apps section of the settings as having just a few kB in size, which does not match how bloated in size apps typically are in the current times. I've seen mouse drivers occupy hundre…
I think for app uninstallation to be relevant it's not whether the app resides on disk that's important, it's whether it's interfering with how you use the system. E.g. for a browser it's just important that the browser isn't registered as the default browser everywhere, but you can install your own browser. Being able to "uninstall" an app in a relevant way means being able to make it appear as if you don't have it.…
Can you cite your law where "legally" uninstall doesn't uninstall the app binaries???
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#329Earlier quoted context omitted.
What you are talking about is not uninstalling. It's disabling. Uninstalling should remove application.
What you are talking about doesn't really have a good definition. If a windows app consists of 10 files of which 9 are used by other apps too, does that mean removing the only unique file to the app? Should it remove any configuration related to the app etc
These are easy questions, and it's been a very common experience since forever:
Shared files stay until you uninstall all apps that use that
User config can be removed with an extra option
Re: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
People are free to have their own opinions. But some things aren't matters of options, but hard cold facts. Windows, especially after Windows 10, has been actively hostile and repeatedly ignores the clear will of its users. At boot time, it regularly takes the computer hostage in an attempt to coerce me to mass-enable its many spywares. After disabling then one by one, I can login to my desktop only to find that it h…
I haven't experienced the "facts" you describe - which makes me think they are opinions, or personal perceptions on pretty standard product practices, rather than facts. Whenever there is a major update, they put a big button for me to enable Bing and a smaller button for me to not do that, and I just need to click on the smaller button. They sometimes enable brand new features I don't want by default, but they do th…
An opinion? Are you suggesting that all the abuse I've been subjected to by my Windows machine was just all in my head? Well, that's weird because instances of those abuse are well documented. The sheer number of those cases, the length Microsoft goes to, the level of contempt they show towards their users is unheard of in any other operating system in existence. I double checked, and I'm pretty sure my "perception" is in agreement with verifiable facts.
> Whenever there is a major update, they put a big button for me to enable Bing and a smaller button for me to not do that, and I just need to click on the smaller button.
This is not true. They're making it progressively harder to opt out of unwanted features. It's even impossible in some cases. Anyways, I clearly remember Windows booting into an unskippable full screen nag. The option to mass-accept various violations of my privacy was shown as a big blue button. The other option was concealed in a wall of text as a link, barely recognizable. After clicking on the link, I was greeted with a bunch of options that I had to toggle off, one by one. This isn't normal or acceptable. It's evil and manipulative, and the fact that they chose to do this at boot, when people need their computers the most, is beyond infuriating.
Here's just a little taste of the Windows experience:
# Privacy Violations
Windows 11 Update 23H2 is stealing users' IMAP credentials - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38212453
I noticed some disturbing privacy defaults in Windows 10 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9976298
Even when told not to, Windows 10 doesn't stop talking to Microsoft - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10053352
# User Interference and Coercion
Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21103683
Microsoft intercepting Firefox, Chrome installation on Windows 10 Insider build - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17967243
Outlook now ignores Windows' Default Browser and opens links in Edge by default - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36492329
Microsoft blocks EdgeDeflector to force Windows 11 users into Edge - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29251210
Microsoft has not stopped forcing Edge on Windows 11 users - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37461449
Windows 11 Officially Shuts Down Firefox’s Default Browser Workaround - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29579994
Last Windows 11 update changed all default browser settings to Edge - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30055222
Microsoft tests Windows account menu error badge when Microsoft Account not used - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35443361
Removing “Annoying” Windows 10 Features Is a DMCA Violation, Microsoft Says - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23486887
# Ads
Windows Now Showing Full-Screen Ads - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11167964
Why can an ad break the Windows 11 desktop and taskbar? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28404332
Windows 10 nagging users with Bing advertisements - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27337382
Microsoft begins showing an anti-Firefox ad in the Windows 10 start menu - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22288599
Windows 10 Tip: Turn Off File Explorer Advertising - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13835733
# Unwanted Features
Windows needs to stop showing tabloid news - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35323121