5 ms·

Surprisingly, I'm not sad at all. I've been using Windows for a long time and recently purchased a new computer with Windows 11. It's such an abomination that i

by binkHN 3y ago

Surprisingly, I'm not sad at all. I've been using Windows for a long time and recently purchased a new computer with Windows 11. It's such an abomination that it forced me to try Linux for the very first time on my production machine, and I'm very pleased with the results. A thank you to Microsoft for giving me a reason to look somewhere else, and a sincere thank you to the open source community for all the work they've put into Linux on the desktop.

bee_rider 3y ago
There are some downsides to Linux, though. For example if you are made to use Windows at work you will feel sad, having seen what else is possible.
- 2Gkashmiri 3y ago
  you can access windows rdp from linux so there is that. i have a work machine that is w10 but i have neon. i use krdc/remina to rdp into it and everything just works. there is vm you can do but yeah, there are options
- binkHN 3y ago
  Fair. I still have a Windows VM that I keep around; looking forward to the day that I can delete it.
  - 3seashells 3y ago
    Amber OS.. Unchanging, fossilized, windows 7, without internet, one restore point..
- shiroiuma 3y ago
  If you don't like the tools you're given at your job, look for a better job. Having to put up with a less-than-ideal work environment is part of the job, and it's your job to evaluate the job offer and how it compares to other offers (salary, benefits, location, work quality/type of work, work environment). I use Linux at work, and have for many years, but of course not everything is ideal: I'd like to have more control over the HVAC for instance. It's not enough to make me look for a new job, though, but perhaps for some people it could be. Having to use Windows for development, however, would be a hard no for me. But for some Windows haters, other factors might be enough to make them put up with it: high salary, convenient location, etc.
qwertox 3y ago
I'm currently in a phase where I'm deciding if I switch to Linux or MacOS. But it has become clear that staying on Windows is no longer an option. I've been a Windows user since version 3.0. Maybe even earlier versions since I was using DOS initially. It's sad to see into what they've turned it. Well, they'd just have to stop the spying and it would be somewhat tolerable, but that's not an option for them.
- julianeon 3y ago
  As someone who’s been on Linux on and off for close to a decade (full time last few years) I’ve noticed something interesting. Now that so many apps have a browser version and prioritize the mobile version, the isolation caused by being on Linux keeps decreasing. Between your phone and your browser, that’s not quite 100% coverage, but it’s very good and improving all the time. You use your phone when you need a work app you can’t get on Linux, and if you can, the browser version of the app. And of course if it natively supports Linux there’s no problem at all. A decade ago, being all Linux was basically untenable. Now I barely have to mention it to people. It’s been a dramatic change in a short time span.
  - TheCapeGreek 3y ago
    I've been on linux for the better part of the last 6 years. Legitimately the only times I can recall _not_ being able to do something on Linux were a handful of use cases: - Multiplayer games: Steam Proton largely solves compatibility for a lot of games now, but the included DRM and anti-cheat for some multiplayer games made them unplayable. - Certain specialist tools like Photoshop, some CAD software, etc. Open source in this space is better in compatibility. For the rest of the time I'd do the same as you say: stick to web apps, use the mobile version, etc. I switched to Mac this year because the M1+ battery life is best-in-class for the price, and I sorely needed a cheaper solution for work than an inverter + batteries to survive South Africa's loadshedding. That, and that some Laravel tooling is smoother on macOS than anywhere else these days.
    - pipes 3y ago
shiroiuma 3y ago
Exactly, and this is why I'm not really happy about this news from the EU. It's just going to help MS cement its position instead of pushing people to look for alternatives. Isn't there a Sun Tzu saying about not interfering when your enemies are shooting themselves in the foot?
cowl 3y ago
the problem is that many many companies have standardised on windows as desktop. you as an Employee do not really have a choice. At first you still try to use windows at work and linux at home but the little differences in muscle memory become too much so sooner or later you cave and use windows at home too.
- dmichulke 3y ago
  > sooner or later you cave and use windows at home too No way in hell. If my employer wants to reduce my productivity (by enforcing Windows), so be it, he'll have to deal with the consequences. But using Windows is from a data-privacy and security standpoint (ironically, the same reason I'm supposed to use Windows at work) an absolute no-go. Just look at how the new outlook handles your email credentials. Absolutely. No. Way.
  - cowl 3y ago
    > But using Windows is from a data-privacy and security standpoint (ironically, the same reason I'm supposed to use Windows at work) an absolute no-go. I agree but the real reason they use Windows is not security, but security theater. 99% of the companies only care about the checklists in their auditing and compliance forms not for the real security. The market of said checklists and compliance forms is cornered by Windows Consultancy groups. The only real OS actor here was RedHat and this is the main reason why they became successful imo.
- fho 3y ago
  Having recently started a job and being forced to use Windows for the first time in ... 20 years, I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. It's been some month and I now start emojis with "(" instead of ":" ... ... also I am surprised what a shitstorm "finding a place to save a file" is. I was amused by a former student of mine who claimed that she "only had the files in Excel!", but now I can understand that the file dialogs in Windows literally have "folders" for different programs. With OneDrive folders, other OneDrive Folders, local folders, Application folders, Network drives I completely understand how people get confused ...
- 3y ago
m463 3y ago
note that ubuntu is trending towards the bad behavior that windows and macos are trying to normalize. it talks to the mothership behind the scenes, it forces updates, and although the package manager should be your friend, they have sort of weaponized it so you can't uninstall their packages easily. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1434512/how-to-get-rid-of-ubuntu-pro-advertisement-when-updating-apt https://askubuntu.com/questions/1434512/how-to-get-rid-of-ub... https://askubuntu.com/questions/135540/what-is-the-whoopsie-process-and-how-can-i-remove-it https://askubuntu.com/questions/135540/what-is-the-whoopsie-...

by binkHN 3y ago

bee_rider 3y ago

There are some downsides to Linux, though. For example if you are made to use Windows at work you will feel sad, having seen what else is possible.

2Gkashmiri 3y ago
you can access windows rdp from linux so there is that. i have a work machine that is w10 but i have neon. i use krdc/remina to rdp into it and everything just works. there is vm you can do but yeah, there are options
binkHN 3y ago
Fair. I still have a Windows VM that I keep around; looking forward to the day that I can delete it.
- 3seashells 3y ago
  Amber OS.. Unchanging, fossilized, windows 7, without internet, one restore point..
shiroiuma 3y ago
If you don't like the tools you're given at your job, look for a better job. Having to put up with a less-than-ideal work environment is part of the job, and it's your job to evaluate the job offer and how it compares to other offers (salary, benefits, location, work quality/type of work, work environment). I use Linux at work, and have for many years, but of course not everything is ideal: I'd like to have more control over the HVAC for instance. It's not enough to make me look for a new job, though, but perhaps for some people it could be. Having to use Windows for development, however, would be a hard no for me. But for some Windows haters, other factors might be enough to make them put up with it: high salary, convenient location, etc.

qwertox 3y ago

I'm currently in a phase where I'm deciding if I switch to Linux or MacOS. But it has become clear that staying on Windows is no longer an option. I've been a Windows user since version 3.0. Maybe even earlier versions since I was using DOS initially. It's sad to see into what they've turned it. Well, they'd just have to stop the spying and it would be somewhat tolerable, but that's not an option for them.

julianeon 3y ago
As someone who’s been on Linux on and off for close to a decade (full time last few years) I’ve noticed something interesting. Now that so many apps have a browser version and prioritize the mobile version, the isolation caused by being on Linux keeps decreasing. Between your phone and your browser, that’s not quite 100% coverage, but it’s very good and improving all the time. You use your phone when you need a work app you can’t get on Linux, and if you can, the browser version of the app. And of course if it natively supports Linux there’s no problem at all. A decade ago, being all Linux was basically untenable. Now I barely have to mention it to people. It’s been a dramatic change in a short time span.
- TheCapeGreek 3y ago
  I've been on linux for the better part of the last 6 years. Legitimately the only times I can recall _not_ being able to do something on Linux were a handful of use cases: - Multiplayer games: Steam Proton largely solves compatibility for a lot of games now, but the included DRM and anti-cheat for some multiplayer games made them unplayable. - Certain specialist tools like Photoshop, some CAD software, etc. Open source in this space is better in compatibility. For the rest of the time I'd do the same as you say: stick to web apps, use the mobile version, etc. I switched to Mac this year because the M1+ battery life is best-in-class for the price, and I sorely needed a cheaper solution for work than an inverter + batteries to survive South Africa's loadshedding. That, and that some Laravel tooling is smoother on macOS than anywhere else these days.
  - pipes 3y ago

shiroiuma 3y ago

Exactly, and this is why I'm not really happy about this news from the EU. It's just going to help MS cement its position instead of pushing people to look for alternatives. Isn't there a Sun Tzu saying about not interfering when your enemies are shooting themselves in the foot?

cowl 3y ago

the problem is that many many companies have standardised on windows as desktop. you as an Employee do not really have a choice. At first you still try to use windows at work and linux at home but the little differences in muscle memory become too much so sooner or later you cave and use windows at home too.

dmichulke 3y ago
> sooner or later you cave and use windows at home too No way in hell. If my employer wants to reduce my productivity (by enforcing Windows), so be it, he'll have to deal with the consequences. But using Windows is from a data-privacy and security standpoint (ironically, the same reason I'm supposed to use Windows at work) an absolute no-go. Just look at how the new outlook handles your email credentials. Absolutely. No. Way.
- cowl 3y ago
  > But using Windows is from a data-privacy and security standpoint (ironically, the same reason I'm supposed to use Windows at work) an absolute no-go. I agree but the real reason they use Windows is not security, but security theater. 99% of the companies only care about the checklists in their auditing and compliance forms not for the real security. The market of said checklists and compliance forms is cornered by Windows Consultancy groups. The only real OS actor here was RedHat and this is the main reason why they became successful imo.
fho 3y ago
Having recently started a job and being forced to use Windows for the first time in ... 20 years, I wholeheartedly agree with that statement. It's been some month and I now start emojis with "(" instead of ":" ... ... also I am surprised what a shitstorm "finding a place to save a file" is. I was amused by a former student of mine who claimed that she "only had the files in Excel!", but now I can understand that the file dialogs in Windows literally have "folders" for different programs. With OneDrive folders, other OneDrive Folders, local folders, Application folders, Network drives I completely understand how people get confused ...
3y ago

m463 3y ago

note that ubuntu is trending towards the bad behavior that windows and macos are trying to normalize. it talks to the mothership behind the scenes, it forces updates, and although the package manager should be your friend, they have sort of weaponized it so you can't uninstall their packages easily. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1434512/how-to-get-rid-of-ubuntu-pro-advertisement-when-updating-apt https://askubuntu.com/questions/1434512/how-to-get-rid-of-ub... https://askubuntu.com/questions/135540/what-is-the-whoopsie-process-and-how-can-i-remove-it https://askubuntu.com/questions/135540/what-is-the-whoopsie-...