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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

#501

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0 »

gitaarik wrote: post #261
tcmart14 wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if I'd say its a choice between a squabble or no squabble, its just a different set of squabbles. For me, there are evenings when I am hacking away on a hobby project for 2 or 3 hours. Then suddenly just go, 'I wanna just veg out for another 2 hours then go to bed.' When I'm in that mood, I don't even want to be bothered changing machines. Just hit the steam icon and veg. Thats also bout the only time I…

Sounds familiar. Dual boot sounds nice but in practice isn't always that nice.

It was my experience as well. For the longest time, I had dual boot with a thought that I will switch between OSs as needed ( and as a back up if things break down ), but that never really happened and I spent majority of time on Windows ( and games ). Eventually, I just realized VM works better for me.

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

#502

Post by Workaccount2 »

hot_gril wrote: post #302
dkersten wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My last version of Windows was 7. After that I used a MacBook for work for a few years, and I somewhat missed windows for gaming (but mainly used a PS4 during that time so I got by). Then, a few years ago, I switched exclusively to Linux (I’ve usually had a dual boot or a second machine running Linux, but it was rarely my exclusive OS), and haven’t looked back. I’ve since also got a Steam Deck which has completely re…

Would not say that Linux gaming works as well as Windows gaming. Plenty of things won't work in Proton, at least not out of the box, and you're kinda restricted to AMD GPUs. That's fine cause I don't play video games anymore, but people who really care about that will put up with a lot of MS's BS. AoE2:DE is one example of incompatibility. Simple game (by modern standards) with no advanced anticheat.

Skyrim doesn't work well at all either. I'm blown away that probably the most re-released game of all time never added Linux support. Even before MS took over.

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

#503

Post by franga2000 »

politelemon wrote: post #481

> Honestly, it might sound weird, but macOS feels like the offline Windows experience of old to me. In fact, the operating system tends to stay classy and out of my way as far as possible. It does sound weird to be hoenst, as this has not been my experience at all. My Macs have never felt like my own, and the obtrusiveness has been of a different form. But reading through, my experience with Win10/11 has been slightl…

I occasionally use a mac at work and I do see what the author is describing, but this flips on its head the moment I go off the "happy path".

For most of the usual things I do, I forget Apple the company exists and just use the computer as a neutral tool. Windows 10 and especially 11 on the other hand makes Microsoft's "presence" known at every turn, kind of like I'm working in a team composed of 70% Microsoft sales reps.

But the moment I want to exercise control over a Mac, like install some software, I hit the Apple "bouncer", telling me that I need to identify myself and do everything through them.

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

#504

Post by pauby »

Numerlor wrote: post #492
BiteCode_dev wrote: post #486

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are in Europe, and heavily criticized on HN everytime they regulate. I love GDPR, yet so many complain about it for cookie banners, which are not even what the law requires: There Is No Cookie Banner Law ( https://www.bitecode.dev/p/there-is-no-eu-cookie-banner-law )

Reading through this thread as an user of Windows from the EU most of the issues I see mentioned here are just non-existent, like OneDrive nagging that has never happened to me

> just non-existent

You have just been lucky. Nothing more.

A classic case of it doesn't happen on _my computer_ so it must be a lie.

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

#505

Post by eska »

Last weekend I finally removed windows from my private laptop, dual boot from my desktop and set up WSL on my work laptop at least.

I thought that some things like games would stop working, but instead I had to install absolutely no drivers, fix nothing, video playback on my laptop has gotten better (before I often switched to 720p on YouTube) and even high performance requirement games on my desktop just work thanks to proton. It’s actually the year of the linux desktop for me now.

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

#506

Post by pauby »

hot_gril wrote: post #302
dkersten wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My last version of Windows was 7. After that I used a MacBook for work for a few years, and I somewhat missed windows for gaming (but mainly used a PS4 during that time so I got by). Then, a few years ago, I switched exclusively to Linux (I’ve usually had a dual boot or a second machine running Linux, but it was rarely my exclusive OS), and haven’t looked back. I’ve since also got a Steam Deck which has completely re…

Would not say that Linux gaming works as well as Windows gaming. Plenty of things won't work in Proton, at least not out of the box, and you're kinda restricted to AMD GPUs. That's fine cause I don't play video games anymore, but people who really care about that will put up with a lot of MS's BS. AoE2:DE is one example of incompatibility. Simple game (by modern standards) with no advanced anticheat.

> and you're kinda restricted to AMD GPUs.

No idea where that came from but it's not the case.

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

#507

Post by replete »

You could see where it was going when Candy Crush came installed with Windows 10 Enterprise.

If you treat Apple hardware like a subscription model where you make sure not to hang on to anything for too long (these engineering problems that happen after a couple years seems awfully convenient) then you get the arguably better OS / general computing experience without the risk of expensive hardware going wrong over time. And it's an expensive subscription model today, the days of a top spec Apple laptop for £1500 are gone, so a decent general computing experience is now at a premium.

Owning a MBP beyond a few years these days puts you in the ticking time bomb territory, at some point whether it's the soldered SSD endurance or an exploding SSD/T2 chip, it cannot be affordably repaired when it bricks.

In the meantime, hackintoshes have a little bit of life left, and Linux looks to me finally like its only another 5-10 years before the year of the desktop is here, and I say that positively having used it on and off for 25 years

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

#508

Post by surgical_fire »

donatj wrote: post #82

I used Windows from about 1993 to 2006. In 2006 I was given a Mac Mini as a thank you for completing an unpaid internship. I fell in love with macOS and have basically been a macOS user since. At the start of the pandemic I bought a PC to game on. 16-core Ryzen, 64 gigabytes of ram. I'd been kind of pleasantly surprised with WSL and just general improvements in cohesiveness. It's still got that Windows jank under the…

I switched to Linux Mint a couple of years ago and couldn't be happier.

So far I had one problem with a botched nvidia driver update, but with the magic of Timeshift, reverting that was painless, and I could upgrade properly later.

I haven't missed Windows a single time since making the switch.

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

#509

Post by safety1st »

ginko wrote: post #450
klooney wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably all the executives, PMs, and designers all use Macs.

Really? I thought Microsoft was pretty strict about dogfooding.

They used to be and I think it changed at some point, possibly around the end of the Ballmer era

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

#510

Post by hylaride »

usr1106 wrote: post #419
hawski wrote: post #390

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In every company I worked for (Germany, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland) it was all Windows laptops, that for the Linux component either used a VM, WSL or straight up servers.

I just don't want to work under such incapable management / IT department, that forces developers to use Windows. I have worked with Linux for 17 years and the last time I was forced to have a Windows VM was 14 years ago. Yes, it limits available jobs and probably doesn't pay any top salaries. But better than selling myself to people I don't respect.

Although I probably have my price, I too otherwise refuse to work for companies that'd force me to use windows. I've been lucky to be able to use macs since 2008 and some of those companies had linux users. Most top tech companies will happily give you a choice between a mac or windows. For me it has generally mean I don't work for banks, the government, or very large organizations that aren't recent tech companies.

That being said, at a certain scale or type of company centralized management, software support, and security risks mean "allowing" random people to run their own OS becomes difficult and risky. Lots of large older companies probably have proprietary software, too (thankfully more of this is becoming web based).

Yes, in theory linux is more secure and anybody who would want to use it is probably capable of taking care of themselves, but it is probably (at large companies) corporate lawyers and CISOs ruining the fun. And linux can have its own risks and dedicating a team to support (from a security perspective) them isn't economical for the what would be very small user base. Ye old big bank can't and arguably shouldn't allow it without an otherwise good reason.

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