• oce 🐆@jlai.lu
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    2 months ago

    I am quite disappointed. Given the title, I was like, wow, a generalist PC gaming website recommending people to switch to Linux! Read the article, Linux is not mentioned at all, I don’t even know why it is in the title. Getting a few clicks from hippies?

  • Franklin@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    For anyone who still needs Windows, I recommend you try the Windows 10 LTSC IoT variant.

    It has support until 2032 and has all the bloatware ripped out. It’s extremely good.

    They even have a Windows 11 version. That’s also really good. But I’m guessing if you’ve avoided upgrading to Windows 11, you’d prefer to stay on 10 anyway.

      • Franklin@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        They typically don’t sell licenses to individuals and even if you were able to buy one for a reseller, it would be like $500.

        There are other ways of activating it, but they are a gray area, and I’d only be willing to describe them to you through DM

        • doctortran@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          But will those methods even survive future updates?

          The greater point is, the pattern is very clear with Microsoft and windows, and it will continue to get worse, and your options will continue to shrink. It would be better to just put any effort towards learning to use Linux and escaping the ecosystem rather than continually trying to find the ever-decreasing bits of freedom you can extract from Windows.

          • Franklin@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            The activation mechanism I use on my personal PC has been active for six years without issue, so I can only assume so. And yeah, migrating to Linux works for some people, sure. But there’s no harm in letting new people know there’s options.

        • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          This isn’t reddit, you don’t need to worry about being brigaded or cancelled for talking about piracy or J-Walking

          • Franklin@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            More so just trying to give the mods less to clean up if they have to. Plus I think links to it are a faux pas

      • toddestan@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Essentially, no. If you don’t care about the cost, maybe with a MSDN subscription.

  • nick@midwest.social
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    2 months ago

    Pirate a copy of windows 11 N. It’s the eu version that doesn’t have any of this dogshit in it.

    • Troy@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      Is there a “government” version or similar, where security is paramount? Like, how does MS sell windows 11 to the navy or whatever…?

      • doctortran@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Probably, but the activation of it would be stringent.

        The issue with any Windows OS going forward, no matter what version, is that Microsoft detests local desktop computing now, and so much of it is being ejected to the cloud. That includes all the various methods of managing it for enterprise customers. They’re slowly working towards the Apple model where the OS basically can’t live in isolation. If it touches the internet, it will phone home and kill itself if told to.

      • rmuk@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        For locked-down devices, they’ll be running LTSC or LTSB editions (Long-Term Support Channel/Branch), or Windows Embedded, which are simplified and heavily customisable versions of Windows. For general-purpose devices, they’ll be using Pro or Enterprise versions of Windows which, crucially, support Group Policy. Using GP it is very, very easy for a single admin to configure an arbitrarily large number of Windows machines to work exactly how they want them to work, including configuration options that aren’t otherwise exposed to the end user in any way.

        Edit: just to add: the lack of an equivalent of Group Policy is what is preventing Linux becoming widespread in businesses. If you think you know of a service for Linux that works like Group Policy, then you don’t know Group Policy.

      • zaph@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        I got out just before 11 released and had only been on 10 for a year or so. Military moves very slowly at rolling out the latest windows. I’d be extremely surprised if anyone who isn’t a very high rank running 11.

  • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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    2 months ago

    the problem is so many office workplaces use windows and google, so unless you want to bring your own computer and buy a wifi hotspot to take to work, you’re stuck on windows and google

    • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      My work all takes place in a Linux environment. Unfortunately, my workplace still mandates using Windows.

      I don’t require any Windows software for work. My boss just insists that I must use a Windows laptop, then do all of my work either in WSL or a traditional VM setup.

      It’s baffling.

      • doctortran@lemm.ee
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        Security.

        They want everything to be managed by Windows because they’re managing Windows themselves from Azure or Intune or whatever.

        Corporate IT around the country is basically being instructed that the best and only viable security policies are the ones Microsoft writes, which also just so happen to involve all of their products exclusively. Insurance companies are starting to demand compliance with Microsoft’s security recommendations. It’s going to keep getting worse, and even though there should be heavy regulation on this monopoly, there won’t be.

    • GreyBeard@lemmy.one
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      And Google? I’m sure some companies use Google Apps for Business or whatevere they are calling it now, but the vast majority use Microsoft 365. Which does basically tie you to Windows, annoyingly. Especially if they are following industry and Microsoft best practices with MDM and Conditional Access.

      • solsangraal@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        lol we use google suite for email, calendars etc. but MS for SSO. our sister institutions mostly use MS 365, teams etc, so we also have to have all the MS crap in addition to the google crap

  • doctortran@lemm.ee
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    Last month, for the first time, Windows 11 was a more popular OS than Windows 10 in the Steam Hardware Survey. Of course, this is an imprecise science as people have to opt in to having their machines measured but it’s a sign of wider adoption. Windows 8, on the other hand, never made it big enough to do the same in its lifespan. Windows 7 was a very popular OS and adoption even to Windows 10 was fairly slow initially, partially down to that skepticism.

    You can’t cite the jump from 7 to 8 or 7 to 10 without also remarking on the fact users had far more.control over updates back then.

    Yeah, Windows 11 adoption is up, because most people don’t have a choice, or they didn’t care enough to stop it happening automatically, and don’t know how to roll it back. That doesn’t translate to approval.

    At a certain point, adoption rates just don’t matter anymore because increasingly the user doesn’t have a choice anymore.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      Of course, this is an imprecise science as people have to opt in to having their machines measured but it’s a sign of wider adoption

      They already account for that.

      • DesolateMood@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        They don’t, that quote is talking about the steam survey, which allows steam to read what OS the user is using. The point OP is making is that the only reason W11 is more popular than W10 is because Microsoft is forcing the update

          • pyr0ball@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            You know valve isn’t Microsoft right? Those are two different companies with different agendas?

            Steam asking for consent for a survey doesn’t make up for the lack of consent in updates pushed by an entirely different entity

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              2 months ago

              Right, and I’m not talking about Microsoft here. That’s why I only quoted the part about Valve’s stats and pointed out that it’s not necessarily an issue that users can opt-out of that statistics collection.

  • answersplease77@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Stop intimidating folks who just a computer that does work for them with “learn” linux as if linux is a programming language. Many linux distros are super user friendly and work exactly like windows UI.

    Beside, why do you think iPhones, as dumb and as bloated and as restricted and limited and overpriced they are, still are the most selling phones worldwide year after year? It’s because my 80 yr old mom knows how to use it.

    Most people and professionals in the world just want a machine to do their work and are not intrested in learning progamming or command lines to do it. Nurses, doctors and surgeons, non-computer engineers, artists, business managers, …etc, are too busy and occupied to even change the defaut settings or uninstall anything that comes with windows not because they love it but becuse not intrested and don’t care. Add to those groups most, actually all, girls I’ve ever met in my life. They have different hobbies and learning OSes is not of them. It’s like a girl saying “Soon Sephora will discontinue their HilightBrushExfoilioter and everyone who wants to wash their face needs to learn Mac’s DeepBeauty routines”. while dudes are like we know soaps but wtf is an exfoilating routine. Literally, they don’t know what linux is, and it’s not going to sell to tell them to learn.

    So tl;dr: I’m saying the thing that sells would be Pop OS or Mint, or anything that requires the least or none learning curve.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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      While this is true, learning some kind of programming - shell scripting or BASIC in olden days - is a very useful endeavor.

      It’s very convenient for everyone to be able to automate their work.

      And it’s not particularly different from cooking something once in a while.

      Not required at all to use Linux, of course.

      Though for operating systems … People here for whatever reason downvote things they fear, but even OpenBSD is simple enough. It does require using shell, but as compared to any other desktop OS I touched that’s just really negligible and is usually a copy-paste from FAQ.

      • frazorth@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        While this is true, learning some kind of programming - shell scripting or BASIC in olden days - is a very useful endeavor.

        And learning sewing is useful, but I dont need it to wear clothes.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          It’s not comparable to sewing. That would be learning C++ and Qt.

          It’s comparable to making a sandwich.

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              Golly.

              C++ and QT is programming comparable to hard things in life.

              Shell scripting is programming comparable to usual things in life.

              Capisce?

          • knexcar@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            No, making a sandwich is more effort equivalent to sending an email, or maybe adding items to a shopping site cart and buying them. Both are fairly intuitive and don’t involve memorizing weird commands like “ls” and “cd” (“cd? But my computer doesn’t even have a CD drive!”).

            • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              OK, making borsch is a more fitting analogy. With it being edible and not yielding muffled “heresy” cries from people from Eastern Europe.

              Also you should be more creative with your sandwiches probably.

      • knexcar@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        No, most people don’t need to learn shell scripting to browse the internet, play games, or send emails. Especially if they have jobs that don’t involve a lot of computer work. And it’s unfair to expect them to learn that just so they can use their computer as they were before.

        • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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          Neither do I, but I do need shell scripting to automate tasks. I’m not against there being some visual user-friendly environment for doing that. That would be the right way to go, not saying people don’t need shell scripting. Something like Scratch.

  • SteelCorrelation@lemmy.one
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    2 months ago

    I’m a government contractor, so I’m stuck on Windows and Microsoft products for work. It really sucks, but the government ain’t switching to Linux anytime soon… if ever. At least Windows 11 Enterprise (or Government, whatever) should have a lot of this shit stripped out. I hope.

    • terminhell@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      Usually at that scale you create images with all this crap removed. When deployment time comes, the machines are reimaged from local/state IT.

      I feel bad for the average home user that, at this point views more ads than content, and all this telemetry collection to boot.

      • Letstakealook@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        I use 11 and don’t see any ads and have telemetry turned off. I’m not sure where this is coming from, but I keep hearing it, and it doesn’t mesh with my experience.

        I’ve personally thought about going back to Linux, and I still might next time I upgrade my MOBO, but the thought of all the effort it will take to get all of my hardware working again is exhausting. That was the greatest struggle before I even approached software issues. I’ve heard it is better these days, but I’m not an expert or a programmer, so I’m essentially relying that someone else has had my use case, solved it, and made it publicly available which is not always the case.

          • Letstakealook@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            That could very well be the case. I was on a beater laptop previously that was no longer functioning with windows and I needed something for school. I remember I that I wasn’t able to get the wifi card to work with Linux so I ended up getting an external card. It likely is different now and I have a proper desktop, but the experience was rough and I’m not eager to repeat it, lol.

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    As a Linux user this and posts like this piss me off. Linux is NOT and WILL NEVER be a replacement for any other operating system (except maybe Minix). By implying Linux is the same or similar enough to Windows you bring in Windows users who except everything to be the same. Fundamentally thats not a good thing for anyone, Windows users get confused and maintainers are encouraged not to deviate from Windows even in ways that make the OS better (for example KDE not going all in on tiling to appease Windows users). In my option Linux shouldn’t be recommended to anyone. Linux software maintainers should focus on the core Linux userbase and people who want their OS to look and function exactly like Windows/MacOS should just use Windows or MacOS.

    • Katana314@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I just did my install of Linux Mint. I have a number of complaints that are really the fault of Microsoft, other things tripping me up that are just about me learning differences; BUT I still find there’s some things Linux could take as lessons.

      One of them is keyboard shortcuts. I learned Windows shortcuts because they followed intuitive logic, like what role the “Tab” key has and what the Shift key is doing to adjust its action. Linux apps often make up their own logic around this, which even if it made sense internally, doesn’t work with apps like Firefox which are still using Ctrl+Tab to switch tabs, possibly to keep Windows parity. Then, since Linux is supposed to be built to customize, if I try changing the terminal to switch tabs using Ctrl+Tab…it just doesn’t let you; pretends you didn’t press anything. Stock boot of Linux Mint 22.

      You’re right that they shouldn’t be changing just for aping the dominating competitor; that’s how we unfortunately got Chromium supremacy. I still think there’s gentle UX considerations they could handle more often though. Basically the type of thing decided in board rooms that engineers would lose interest in.

      • flashgnash@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Only thing better than perfect is standard as they say, if everything uses the same shortcuts it doesn’t matter if they’re crap

        I’ve kept most of the same logic from windows keybinds on my hyprland config because then when I have to use a windows machine it’s not completely backwards

    • Flatfire@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      This is…kind of stupid? There’s such a plethora of options in the Linux space for desktop environments, workflow customizations, configurability, etc. nothing is locked down by taking a Windows-style approach to a DE. Instead it follows a tried philosophy that’s only really been hampered by Microsoft’s decision to funnel users into an frustrating hole that removes the choice to disable or modify features you don’t like. KDE in particular has always been a Windows-style DE, and it’s currently one of the best options for modern features and extensive customizability. Hyprland is literally designed for linux enthusiasts. Gnome is the Mac analog, Xfce is your light-weight but functional, etc.

      You’re upset because people are looking for more options? That’s bizarre. I came from Windows, but I guarantee my setup is different than someone else who comes from Windows because that’s the flexibility that’s offered. No one coming from Windows wants it to be exactly like Windows, they just want to be able to use their computer in a way that allows them to work, to play games, to watch media, etc. It’s a computer. It’s your computer. It should be able to do what you want.

      • kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        Thats absolutely untrue, I see people complain all the time “Linux doesn’t look exactly like Windows therefore its not polished” or “Linux doesnt support every Windows app therefore its not ready”. When Linux users keep saying “Linux is a Windows replacement” or even implying it by suggesting it as an alternative to Windows 11 it creates expectations that can never be met. In addition im frustrated not because Windows users demand more options but because they demand less options. They demand one distribution to be “the Linux OS”, one singular desktop, and one way of doing things. Fundamentally when Windows users come in expecting Windows they have a Windows mindset.

        • Flatfire@lemmy.ca
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          Ah, my bad. I think I misunderstood your point and took you to be gatekeeping rather than just attempting to defend against misinformation or poor comparisons.

          You’re right, it’s not a Windows replacement. It shouldn’t be expected that it’s analogous to Windows. My previous statement was coming from the expectation that people moving from Windows to Linux as their primary OS of choice was that they were explicitly looking for the advantages offered by it, rather than simply expecting to get away from Microsoft while needing to adjust to nothing new.

          • kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            Ideally new Linux users would accept that things are different and we are starting to see it. Tiling window managers are gaining popularity especially with the announcement of the first true tiling (or rather dynamic) desktop environment (Cosmic). I think it would also be helpful if Linux users explained why things are different, sometimes its a lack of support (HDR, VRR, VR, etc) but sometimes like with anticheat there are good reasons for the absence. In addition the problem is that a significant amount of people want a “non-microsoft windows”. The solution is simple, people should view Linux in a way like MacOS (some windows apps don’t run but it has plenty of exclusive apps that don’t run on Windows).

    • mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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      To the Kwin maintainer, I can see why tiling isn’t a bigger deal. It’s not exactly about copying Windows; it’s more about not confusing most users. We already see tiling features, I’m sure they will figure out (1) more powerful features or (2) a way for other people to build off what they have. Let them cook.

      I do agree that Linux will never be a Windows clone. There’s no purpose in copying decades worth of bad decisions. Windows isn’t great, it’s just always compatible with hardware.

      • kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        2 months ago

        How exactly is tiling confusing? If people were willing to accept that Linux functions differently then tiling can became just another thing to learn. Its objectivity more efficient then stacking so why not?

        • mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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          If the tiling is automatic and the users dont know how to change the size of the window manually (if that window manager allows that).

          • kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            2 months ago

            What if on the first boot the tiling could be explained by a welcome app (kinda like what KDE has), it would explain all of the shortcuts and then you could bring up all of the shortcuts with a simple shortcut. I personally use Sway and I think i3 based WMs are better, I believe on pretty much all i3 based WMs its as simple as super + r for resizing mode and esc to leave.

            • mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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              I have a lot of respect for Sway and wlroots developers. They contributed heavily to the desktop Linux ecosystem. However, if you need to explain that much at first boot; you may overload some users. I’m sure tiling in Plasma will get better as they splify configuration and figure out better defaults.

    • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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      Well said. Then there is the entire ecosystem of programs and apps for which there is no real ability to install on Linux (and for which tools like Wine will either be buggy or even nonfunctional), and whose absence will just piss users off.

      As much as I love Linux and BSD, it is really only for people who are either mentally geared to shift off of Windows or whose minimal needs won’t notice the difference; it is not a drop-in replacement for Windows.

      For example, my octogenarian father has exactly such minimal needs except for one program: Quicken. Any bugs or issues running that as an installed desktop program on Linux would have him enraged and throwing the PC out the window. So he is still on Windows, and I am keeping my eyes open on how to properly neuter/excise Copilot once it drops.

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    2 months ago

    I made my move just recently. It was rocky, I ran into some issues and some of them were my fault.

    I’m willing to put up with it currently not because Linux has gotten markedly better, but Windows has decided (yes, decided) to become significantly worse. Microsoft could have done nothing and I would have stayed a loyal, koolaid-drinking consumer of theirs.

    • mrcleanup@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      I’m just starting out with Bazzite right now. Still awkward, but pretty painless, and all the gaming stuff like proton is already configured and baked in. I still need to figure out how to get stuff done though.

  • Golfnbrew@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Serious question : My desktop is incompatible with Win11, I run Win10, and I use it for web browsing, Excel, and a little Word processing. Nothing else. Can’t i just continue on as is? Not a gamer, not a heavy user…

    • VieuxQueb@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      The problem with that is that vulnerability will be found and used. Since it’s connected to the internet it will be exposed to attackers and could be infected with botnet viruses/tools and used to attack other computer/services.

    • NarrativeBear@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Look into Rufus, it will help you create a bootable USB with windows 11 and you can use it to do a upgrade or clean install from your windows 10 installation (clean install preferred IMO), it will even help bypass the hardware requirements and you can even remove the email account and use a local account. Make sure to use or write down your windows 10 activation/license for a clean install.

      https://rufus.ie/en/

      Guide: https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-install-windows-11-the-way-you-want-and-bypass-microsofts-restrictions/

      That being said you could potentially still run the old wondows OS, but as time goes on new exploits could be found that can compromise the OS. If its behind a firewall such as your router its safer, but there is still the possibility of it being infected way off into the future.

      Here is a video of windows XP running on a PC connected directly to the internet with no firewall. Its infected almost instantaneously. (Dont try this at home).

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uSVVCmOH5w

    • burgeoning@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Dual-boot Linux Mint, and install Microsoft fonts from the package manager to make documents more cross compatible. Should be a fairly easy migration for your use case. It took me about a year of dual booting to completely switch over to Mint, but it was worthwhile.

        • fossilesque@mander.xyzOP
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          2 months ago

          I switched to LibreOffice Calc. I program my sheets and don’t need all the bells and whistles of Excel.

        • Dharma Curious (he/him)@slrpnk.net
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          2 months ago

          If you’re using excel anyway, you’re probably not super worried about using non open source software. In which case, I find Google sheets to perfect. I use it for almost everything, because it’s just easier to use Google’s office suite for my school than it would be to use libre office, since everything backs up immediately across devices. I’ve never had any complaints about compatibility or format, and I’m literally being graded on my shit. I’d be preferable to use only open source software, from like a philosophical standpoint, but I also need things to function well in a world that expects automatic saving across devices and flawless compatibility to the arbitrary standard of Microsoft office

          • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
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            2 months ago

            I’m using sheets provided by my GOOG work account already. Was just asking in case someone absolutely needs to have the thick client of Excel.

            I think even web-Excel works well enough. I’ve used it recently through a sub provided by my university on my Mint laptop via Firefox.

    • toddestan@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      You’re not getting anymore security patches, but as long as you keep your browser up to date and generally be careful about what you download and run (as you should already be doing) you’ll likely be just fine.

      I’d estimate sometime around 2029 or so the major browsers as well as security software will start dropping support for Windows 10 and at that point you may need to start thinking about moving to something else if you haven’t already done so.

      • Golfnbrew@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I can probably see a new computer by then… (my car hits 20 next year…) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

  • jaschen@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Real talk.

    I have been around long enough to know that this conversation has happened ever since Windows 7.

    And each time and every time an OS EOL I spend time investigating a couple of Linux distros to try that switch.

    This time is no different. From Redhat to Debian to Ubuntu to popOS to Mint. Each one is significantly better than the last.

    But even 2024, I’m having to spend time inside the terminal to make the OS act more like Windows.

    Tailscale has no native app. Gotta install it in the terminal. I want to use my touch screen in the browser to swipe the back button. Nope, I spent 2 hours on forums and ChatGPT and had to install something in the terminal. I was not successful. My Nvidia video card is not working properly. I gave up after.

    Why am I spending hours trying to make my experience like Windows when Windows is right there. Sure sure, privacy and advertising yada yada. Install Adguard and disable services that you don’t agree with.

    • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      I deal with this issue every few years grappling with a new linux install. And then gaslighted into thinking it’s a non-issue when asking for help. “No big deal, just copy these long lines into the terminal to install this thing that would take a single click on Windows”. Like being obstinant is a virtue

      • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        So you’re saying you don’t spend hours on a new Windows install?

        Or that things that take a moment on Linux may take half an hour on Windows, but God forbid it happens the other way around, unacceptable?

        I mean, things that take a single click on Windows are apparently not all you do to make Windows usable, otherwise installing it and setting it up would take less time, right?

          • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            The point frankly was that I don’t see your point.

            Unix-like systems have Unix shell as the most basic and universal interface.

            If your point was that it’s a downside that it even exists, then you are basically saying that something you can’t use should be taken away from those who can. Not many allies.

            • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
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              2 months ago

              I didn’t say it should be taken away, did I?

              My first computer was all terminal, all the time. It was called the Commodore 64. After that, MS-DOS on an IBM PC (& compatible). I can do the typity-type. But most new adopters of tech aren’t using terminals or command lines… they’re using touch screens and voice commands.

              Microsoft and Apple adapted, making their graphical user interfaces more robust, user-friendly, and compatible with modern workflows… and in turn, those workflows evolved syncretically. The terminal, or command-line, is still accessible, but it’s no longer the primary method for installing or accessing programs.

              No Linux distribution that I know of has reached the same level of usability, and I think it’s because Linux is a platform built by nerds, specifically for nerds to use. I’m a massive nerd myself, but I can see how a lot of new users, who are used to being able to use their computer with just a mouse, would feel excluded and unable to invest the time to learn to adapt.

              There’s no need for bad faith replies; there is nothing attacking nor scathing in my words.

              Is my viewpoint unreasonable?

              • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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                2 months ago

                That’s not what I meant, I just took a leap from complaining about the usual advice in the Web involving CLI to the only way to prevent it - as in having some particular GUI as universal, if not more, as CLI, for advice involving it to work.

                I mean, for example, in OpenBSD there are no distributions and X server is part of the base system, so they in theory could make a GUI configurator, but OpenBSD configuration is already much simpler than usual Linux, yes, with editing config files. It’s simpler than OpenWRT subjectively. That configurator likely wouldn’t be in demand.

                In FreeBSD they still could have some GUI configurator maybe not completely official, due to there being no X11 in the base system, but still functional. Maybe that even exists.

                But with Linux various distributions exist.

                If you are talking about user-friendly GUIs fit to do various stuff in a particular distribution, OpenSUSE’s one is better than those proprietary things you mentioned. I think Mageia and Calculate Linux too had nice GUI configurations, and maybe OpenMandriva. Obviously Fedora has one, as the go-to “user-friendly” distribution, being from Red Hat and all.

                No Linux distribution that I know of has reached the same level of usability, and I think it’s because Linux is a platform built by nerds, specifically for nerds to use.

                So you have tried all in the list above and have this impression?

                I hate GUI configurators due to my own personal issues with modern UI\UX. They make me anxious. But OpenSUSE’s one in particular even for me felt as good as it gets.

        • jaschen@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          I have never spent hours on a Windows install. Full stop.

          This is my routine. Install windows, sign in. Install tailscale. Change my trackpad settings. Done.

          My Adguard takes care of the rest.

          • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            So you are an Edge user then, without any non-MS desktop software, I take it?

            A lot of time we spend installing Unix-like systems is, well, picking unnecessary stuff, like themes, fonts, moving widgets on a taskbar, moving profiles for various software, like Firefox, qBittorrent, aMule … , setting up audio players.

            If I could do that on Windows to any satisfactory result, I would.

            If I don’t count that, installing the OS itself usually takes me like 15 minutes maybe. Not counting the time to write the image, or the time to free a partition, or something like that.

            • jaschen@lemm.ee
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              2 months ago

              Yes, I use edge.

              On Linux, you would get random things you have to fix. Oh, weird, the back button on my mouse doesn’t work in Firefox. Hm… Interesting, my Nvidia video card isn’t working correctly. Ummm, my laptop doesn’t go to sleep when I close it, but overheats it instead. Random shit like this.

    • kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      2 months ago

      Because posts like these are fundamentally misleading, Linux isnt a Windows replacement nor is it meant to be (it also wouldn’t make sense since Linux is older then Windows, at least the NT kernel). Honesty if you’re trying to make Linux as similar to Windows as possible just use Windows.

    • mrvictory1@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      If you still have time & energy to troubleshoot you can create posts for your issues. ChatGPT may give incorrect advice.

      I switched because my OS drive was HDD and Win10 was slow & unstable. The background tasks of Win put heavy load on the PC because I didn’t have an SSD. Linux was also slow but a bit more bearable, plus it was stable. Did an SSD upgrade years later.

    • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
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      2 months ago

      I just open things in new tabs with the mouse wheel click, then press ctrl-w to close the tab.

      I don’t play their games

      • villainy@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Yep good call. I’m usually on my phone where tapping the link and swiping to go back is the natural behavior. I can scroll up and close the browser instead but habits are hard to break.

        • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
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          2 months ago

          Yeah but I’m already on the keyboard at that point. Easier for me to ctrl w to close the current tab then it is to move my hand and move the cursor to the tab then middle mouse again.

          Very recently have I started in the habit of ctrl tab and ctrl shift tab to change tabs instead of even clicking them.

          I’d love to throw the mouse in the garbage for day to day tasks tbh.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            Yup, same, my workflow is very keyboard centric. But sometimes I’m just reading a bunch of stuff and scrolling (scrolling on anything other than my ThinkPad w/ trackpoint sucks IMO), so I already have my mouse in hand.

            It’s good to have options. I figured someone may be unaware that you can middle-click to close tabs.

    • flashgnash@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      I literally used this as an example to demonstrate gaming on Linux is easy now

      Works perfectly out of the box, all you gotta do is install steam, download it and click play

    • bitwolf@lemmy.one
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      2 months ago

      You can through Proton still. It still is a Platinum game even though Epic fucked it up

    • kugiyasan@lemmy.one
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      2 months ago

      You install Steam, enable proton compatibility (on all games or on RL specifically), download and launch the game. Even more chance that it works on the first try with Arch linux-based distro, since the kernel version is closer to the ones running on the Steam Deck.

      If you got the game from the Epic Games store, you download and install Heroic games launcher and proton. In the game settings, you specify the install path of proton and it should be good to go

      • Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        I don’t see it available in Steam though, only Epic through Heroic launcher. I haven’t been able to get it to work though, just get a black screen.

        • flashgnash@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          Have you got your filters set to only Linux native games or something? Little penguin icon in the steam search bar