- cross-posted to:
- hackernews
- cross-posted to:
- hackernews
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Avoid Windows and avoid Ubuntu if possible. Try Linux Mint for example: https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=322
Ubuntu is alright.
Also currently it is kind of confusing how some things are snaps and some are not. Can lead to conflicts in the app store.
That’s one of the main critiques with Ubuntu, they basically force snaps upon their users and make it INCREDIBLY difficult to disable
I still use it because I like the community and it is incredibly user friendly for most people.
Amongst many other issues
In fact, if you want me to create an account on your servers, you are first required to register your OS on my own website.
I love this sooo much!
“I have another device running Windows 11. It’s festered with ads”
I have 3 Windows 11 installations, one work machine, one home machine, and an SSD boot drive for the Steam Deck (some games require Windows 11).
I agree, the ads enabled by default on Win 11 are annoying. But it’s not rocket science to turn them off. In fact, it’s easier to remove the ads from Windows 11 than it is to spin up and learn how to use a Linux distro (and I have three of those myself, file server, media server, standard Steam Deck).
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-remove-most-annoying-ads-from-windows
"Settings > Personalization > Start and disable Show suggestions occasionally in Start (Windows 10) or Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more (Windows 11).
If you have a problem with any of the live tiles that Windows 10 has stuck on your Start screen—some of which are pre-installed junk or trials—right-click on the one that’s bugging you and choose Uninstall to remove the app. Alternatively, right-click and choose More > Turn Live Tile Off to turn it into a simple shortcut to the app.
Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and switch your background from Windows spotlight to Picture or Slideshow.
Settings > System > Notifications & actions and unchecking Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows. You can also untick Show me the Windows welcome experience, which shows those annoying tours after Windows updates, as well as Suggest ways I can finish setting up my device.
In Windows 11, open Settings > System > Notifications and disable Suggested from the Notifications from apps and other senders section. You’ll also need to scroll down and unfurl Additional settings to disable options like Show the Windows welcome experience and Get tips and suggestions.
Disable Ads From Bloatware
Some of the “ads” you see pop up as notifications may not be from Microsoft at all. Instead, it could be bloatware installed by your PC maker. For instance, working on a Dell laptop, I found that SupportAssist, My Dell, and Partner Promo are added by the manufacturer. A Lenovo ThinkPad, meanwhile, has Lenovo Commercial Vantage. But I noticed that Microsoft no longer includes these apps in my Notifications settings. Instead, I had to track down Lenovo’s app, open to its Preference settings, and disable certain messages myself. These programs can also be uninstalled completely, if you prefer.
Settings > Privacy & security > General and disable the Show me suggested content in the Settings app option.
Get Ads Out of File Explorer
Open File Explorer in Windows 11, click the ellipsis icon, then select Options from the menu. If you’re still on Windows 10, click View > Options > Change folder and search options.
Click the View tab in the window that appears, scroll down to Show sync provider notifications and uncheck that box. This should prevent ads from showing up in File Explorer again.
Settings > Privacy > General and turn off Let apps use advertising ID, if you’d rather have non-targeted ads. In Windows 11, it’s called Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID."
Dude that’s a ton of work and TBH installing Linux sounds much easier.
Mate that’s like 10 things to do. Installing Linux and learning it is easier
OP has indicated they’re hostile to advice, which is unfortunate since, assuming a person insists on keeping Windows, they need to switch to Win 11 for best security practice.
Your advice is good. I hope they read it.
I hope they read it.
shakes magic 8ball
All signs point to no.
I’m on fedora kde and Manjaro
Newbies…Go with OpenSUSE Tumbleweed. Thank me later.
Go with Linux Mint. Thank me later. https://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=322
Why do people love openSUSE so much? Its noticeably slower on my systems I’ve tried it one at the very least.
Tumbleweed is my daily driver. Would not recommend for newbies. Too many updates, too often. Go with Leap.
Tried to love TW. 100% no-go. From the start, only hassles.
Pushed back to Mint where things work.
Thanks for your thrilling contribution.
I replied in earnest and was thanked with an immediate downvote. Your response is the right one: This is a technology space, let’s support contributions that keep that in mind. This was a dull read expressing nothing but a backwards mentality.
First, let me say I appreciate both this and your main response. I agree it is a backwards mentality.
But if I may offer some feedback on the remainder of your post: in my opinion, anyone that use words or substitutions like “M$” or “Micro$oft” or whatever immediately strike me as a person not engaging in good faith, and trying to rile others up for likes or upvotes; but not looking to engage in serious discourse.
You’re welcome to your opinion, and I might even agree with it and the sentiment behind it, but using 20 year old memes that were only leveraged by teenagers when WinXP was retired and likely never bought a Microsoft product anyway probably isn’t going to resonate.
Please do not take this as my endorsement of Microsoft — it is not — but I also want to have a meaningful discussion and not just trade memes and quotes back and forth in a big circle-jerk against “M$”.
Finally, please know my intention here is not to be mean to or humiliate you. Text doesn’t have the nuance of intonation and inflection of an in-person conversation, and this message may suffer from the same. Please feel free to message me if you’d like to discuss further outside this forum.
There was an older senior engineer at a company I used to work for who insisted on referring to non-technical staff as “business critters”, and it made everything he said sound sarcastic and condescending.
So I do get where you’re coming from.
While I shorten Microsoft to avoid algorithmic and AI attention, I can see how it may detract from my comment. It isn’t a “20-year-old meme that was only leveraged by teenagers when WinXP was retired” — it may seem that way to you, but everyone I know in tech types it for the aforementioned reasons and because it’s faster.
Microsoft has proven repeatedly that they are a hostile, monopolistic force in the tech sphere, actively and successfully lobbying to retain their stranglehold on desktop and productivity markets. They support genocide and silence internal opposition at all costs. It is not an argument in poor faith to point that out. They are motivated solely by money and always have been. They are not a good entity in the tech space for anyone who prioritizes user experience, privacy, non-violence, security, and accessibility.
While I appreciate your input, and will strongly consider limiting my use of that abbreviation in “mixed” tech spaces, I cannot and will not pretend that Microsoft deserves better.
I get the frustration, but at this point, Windows 10 is no longer supported and the push to get people off of it is partially related to the inevitable flood of hacking that follows an OS deprecation. Vulnerabilities are immediately exploitable for any user still on the old OS.
Microsoft is indeed evil, and Windows 11 sucks, but running an unsupported OS carries real risk. I agree that there should be some way to finalize the decision to keep using it and to waive liability for Microsoft, but of course they’re motivated to get you to switch. There are means of bypassing the hardware requirements. There are also some very well-supported and user-friendly Linux options.
Win 10 is ten years old. It’s time to let it go.
Microsoft could be massively less dickish and drop the requirement for TPM 2.0. It doesn’t do anything notable and that one decision would change OP’s experience from ‘stop pestering me to switch if you won’t even let me switch’ to ‘I guess I’ll press the button’.
I think they may benefit from relaxing their hardware requirements across the board in a cost of living crisis. The CPU list — no rules to determine if your CPU is valid, there’s just a list of acceptable ones — is particularly hostile imo.
Wait, it is really 10 years old…
Noooooooo
