5 ms·

Seriously, I spend WAY more time fussing with Windows than Linux on my dual boot machines. Windows has also destroyed the usability of their settings screens to

by larrik 8y ago

Seriously, I spend WAY more time fussing with Windows than Linux on my dual boot machines. Windows has also destroyed the usability of their settings screens to the point that I find configuring Linux far far easier than Windows.

towndrunk 8y ago
I wish windows would adopt something similar to chrome://flags for configuration. Easy to search and all in one place.
- amyjess 8y ago
  Isn't that what the registry was supposed to be before it turned into a monster? Personally, though, I've always preferred Firefox's (and old Opera's) about:config instead. It's far more flexible than Chrome's flags.
  - rzzzt 8y ago
    Quite a few years back I got a book from a friend, summarizing new and noteworthy changes in Windows 95 (you could make a good drinking game from it if you took a sip each time you encountered the expression "32-bit", it was all the rage). The registry was indeed intended to serve as a central storage for configuration, replacing .ini files scattered all over the system.
    - rbanffy 8y ago
      It could be easily replaced by a c:\Windows\etc folder full of .ini files and it'd be a vast improvement. I think Windows frowned upon lots of small files for performance and locking reasons - if some app decides to hold the file hostage, you'll end up needing to restart the system to be able to save a new version.
      - rzzzt 8y ago
        C:\Windows\win.ini was a previous problem point, it had driver related settings, OS preferences and some non-MS applications added their own keys to the lot as well.
        rbanffy 8y ago
        Of course the win.ini (and system.ini) became a mess. They should be in a folder, with each application having their own file with their own settings. And reading the file and then CLOSING IT so others could to stuff to it.
    - rzzzt 8y ago
      "Introducing Microsoft Windows 95" by Brent Ethington https://books.google.com/books/about/Introducing_Microsoft_Windows_95.html?id=biLYdV2Uj-MC https://books.google.com/books/about/Introducing_Microsoft_W...
- shittyadmin 8y ago
  You might consider trying the "GodMode" trick - still works in Windows 10 and has quick access to settings all over the place. I just remembered it after posting about digging for the network dialog and sure enough, network settings are right there, easily accessible.
  - Jaruzel 8y ago
    GodMode Trick: Create a new folder and call it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} Under Windows 10, it will hide the name, but the Icon will change. Click on the icon for wonders. The GUID is the important bit, you can replace 'GodMode' with anything, but it can't be blank.
    - mark212 8y ago
      that is excellent. Thanks for sharing
    - shittyadmin 8y ago
      Yeah, seems the real name for this is supposed to be "All Tasks" as you can see by putting shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} in the run dialog or address bar of an explorer window. GodMode is just a nickname it got from some power users it seems.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
shittyadmin 8y ago
Seriously, what a fucking mess they made with the new settings screens. I find myself clicking through 5 screens just to finally arrive at the old control panel for network interfaces to toggle my ethernet off.
- pheouk 8y ago
  not defending one way or the other, but remember North Carolina, Pennsylvania ncpa.cpl is the old network view, still very useful if i'm not in the cli :)
  - shittyadmin 8y ago
    Thanks. Good thinking. That will almost certainly be my route in the future.
- mixmastamyk 8y ago
  It’s so bad it now requires search to find say, the mouse settings.
babypuncher 8y ago
Meanwhile I can't even get sound to work properly in any Linux distro on my motherboard. Kubuntu 18.04 has a problem on both my laptop and desktop where a fresh install works fine until you run apt-get upgrade then kdm breaks and both machines boot to a black screen.
- tapoxi 8y ago
  That's the caveat, you need to buy hardware that was designed with Linux in mind. Throwing it on hardware where the designers only thought about Windows will always be a bad experience.
  - rbanffy 8y ago
    I am glad to say it seems very hard to find hardware that doesn't work on Linux.
- rbanffy 8y ago
  Would you like to share some details? A lot of people that can help lurk around here and it could be a simple issue.
  - babypuncher 8y ago
    I've been using Linux since 2003, even though I'm a .NET engineer by trade. Most of the problems (except the audio problem on one particular motherboard) were relatively simple for me to fix. I imagine it would have been a nightmare if I didn't have 15 years of experience under my belt. My point was that this shouldn't have been a problem in the first place, and I've always found Windows to be much easier to get up and running. I've always had to live in both worlds, and they each have their fair share of pros and cons.
- willtim 8y ago
  Make sure that Kubuntu is giving you a stable version of KDE. My issue with Ubuntu in the past has been that it too often takes unstable snapshots of upstream software in order to accommodate it's own self-imposed release schedule.
guhidalg 8y ago
I think you have to remember that you are in the 1% of people that want MORE control over a computer. Most users out there want more simplicity and flashier UI. Microsoft cannot please everyone so they opt to please the average users and developers just need to adapt.
- larrik 8y ago
  And yet, transferring files between my windows 10 computers feels like I need a network engineering degree. Half the time I need to fire up a Win7 VM and transfer from one to the other that way. Mac isn't better in that department, though (when talking to Windows, at least).

by larrik 8y ago

towndrunk 8y ago

I wish windows would adopt something similar to chrome://flags for configuration. Easy to search and all in one place.

amyjess 8y ago
Isn't that what the registry was supposed to be before it turned into a monster? Personally, though, I've always preferred Firefox's (and old Opera's) about:config instead. It's far more flexible than Chrome's flags.
- rzzzt 8y ago
  Quite a few years back I got a book from a friend, summarizing new and noteworthy changes in Windows 95 (you could make a good drinking game from it if you took a sip each time you encountered the expression "32-bit", it was all the rage). The registry was indeed intended to serve as a central storage for configuration, replacing .ini files scattered all over the system.
  - rbanffy 8y ago
    It could be easily replaced by a c:\Windows\etc folder full of .ini files and it'd be a vast improvement. I think Windows frowned upon lots of small files for performance and locking reasons - if some app decides to hold the file hostage, you'll end up needing to restart the system to be able to save a new version.
    - rzzzt 8y ago
      C:\Windows\win.ini was a previous problem point, it had driver related settings, OS preferences and some non-MS applications added their own keys to the lot as well.
      - rbanffy 8y ago
        Of course the win.ini (and system.ini) became a mess. They should be in a folder, with each application having their own file with their own settings. And reading the file and then CLOSING IT so others could to stuff to it.
  - rzzzt 8y ago
    "Introducing Microsoft Windows 95" by Brent Ethington https://books.google.com/books/about/Introducing_Microsoft_Windows_95.html?id=biLYdV2Uj-MC https://books.google.com/books/about/Introducing_Microsoft_W...
shittyadmin 8y ago
You might consider trying the "GodMode" trick - still works in Windows 10 and has quick access to settings all over the place. I just remembered it after posting about digging for the network dialog and sure enough, network settings are right there, easily accessible.
- Jaruzel 8y ago
  GodMode Trick: Create a new folder and call it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} Under Windows 10, it will hide the name, but the Icon will change. Click on the icon for wonders. The GUID is the important bit, you can replace 'GodMode' with anything, but it can't be blank.
  - mark212 8y ago
    that is excellent. Thanks for sharing
  - shittyadmin 8y ago
    Yeah, seems the real name for this is supposed to be "All Tasks" as you can see by putting shell:::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} in the run dialog or address bar of an explorer window. GodMode is just a nickname it got from some power users it seems.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

shittyadmin 8y ago

Seriously, what a fucking mess they made with the new settings screens. I find myself clicking through 5 screens just to finally arrive at the old control panel for network interfaces to toggle my ethernet off.

pheouk 8y ago
not defending one way or the other, but remember North Carolina, Pennsylvania ncpa.cpl is the old network view, still very useful if i'm not in the cli :)
- shittyadmin 8y ago
  Thanks. Good thinking. That will almost certainly be my route in the future.
mixmastamyk 8y ago
It’s so bad it now requires search to find say, the mouse settings.

babypuncher 8y ago

Meanwhile I can't even get sound to work properly in any Linux distro on my motherboard. Kubuntu 18.04 has a problem on both my laptop and desktop where a fresh install works fine until you run apt-get upgrade then kdm breaks and both machines boot to a black screen.

tapoxi 8y ago
That's the caveat, you need to buy hardware that was designed with Linux in mind. Throwing it on hardware where the designers only thought about Windows will always be a bad experience.
- rbanffy 8y ago
  I am glad to say it seems very hard to find hardware that doesn't work on Linux.
rbanffy 8y ago
Would you like to share some details? A lot of people that can help lurk around here and it could be a simple issue.
- babypuncher 8y ago
  I've been using Linux since 2003, even though I'm a .NET engineer by trade. Most of the problems (except the audio problem on one particular motherboard) were relatively simple for me to fix. I imagine it would have been a nightmare if I didn't have 15 years of experience under my belt. My point was that this shouldn't have been a problem in the first place, and I've always found Windows to be much easier to get up and running. I've always had to live in both worlds, and they each have their fair share of pros and cons.
willtim 8y ago
Make sure that Kubuntu is giving you a stable version of KDE. My issue with Ubuntu in the past has been that it too often takes unstable snapshots of upstream software in order to accommodate it's own self-imposed release schedule.

guhidalg 8y ago

I think you have to remember that you are in the 1% of people that want MORE control over a computer. Most users out there want more simplicity and flashier UI. Microsoft cannot please everyone so they opt to please the average users and developers just need to adapt.

larrik 8y ago
And yet, transferring files between my windows 10 computers feels like I need a network engineering degree. Half the time I need to fire up a Win7 VM and transfer from one to the other that way. Mac isn't better in that department, though (when talking to Windows, at least).