4 ms·

Setting up a new PC used to be fun, now it is ad-ridden nightmare

39 points by bundie 10mo ago

adyashakti 10mo ago
get a Mac.
- AlotOfReading 10mo ago
  MacOS is less overtly distasteful than Windows about the advertising, but not fundamentally different. Consider the incredibly sticky notifications to get you to use Apple services (like icloud) and the number of preinstalled apps that show ads (like stocks). I think a lot of Microsoft's fumbles over the years have been bad attempts at copying Apple, including the onedrive pushiness.
- walthamstow 10mo ago
  I would have said the same 5 years ago but now macOS is quite bad itself. If you follow their lead (click blue) you'll end up setting up an iCloud account, syncing your life to them, enabling Apple Intelligence, telemetry, and a load of other shit. Then you get to the desktop and your dock has 30 icons in it already, some of which require subscription, and it's too full to understand what each one is. And don't get me started on the default over-inflated display scaling that makes great screens look like they're from 2012!
  - tim333 10mo ago
    People say that but it's not really hard to turn things off.
    - deleted 10mo ago
      [deleted]
    - walthamstow 10mo ago
      You hear people saying it's a problem but you discount what they say because you know better yourself? I'm perfectly capable of setting up macOS to my liking, but I think it's important to consider all users. The abuse of default settings is quite rampant.
      - tim333 10mo ago
        I say that because I've been using macOS for the last decade and haven't found clicking the occasional 'no' on would you like to pay for iCloud much of a burden. Also my 89 yr old mum has switched to mac and not had that particular issue. Some other issues like MS Outlook not importing her 40GB email file which had built up over a couple of decades on Windows, but not ads etc.
    - ThrowawayR2 10mo ago
      It's not really hard to turn things off on Windows either.
metalman 10mo ago
buy a mini pc ,sans OS,with whatever hardware features and install a linux flavor, or two,or three. buying from the duopoly is like hitting yourself in the face with a brick, it feels realy good, when you stop. the market is bieng divied up into two types of software, factory stock, and aftermarket malware.
stavros 10mo ago
The title should be "setting up Windows used to be fun". Which yes, I agree, but luckily it has never been a better time for Linux usability. Even ~100% of games work.
racked 10mo ago
I had my new Win11 PC preinstalled by the vendor and then immediately ran Win11Debloat on it. It's been quite painless that way; not many nuisances except a few OneDrive popups to extinguish and the typical forced reboots after updates. https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat
- dikip 10mo ago
  [dead]
pjmlp 10mo ago
The irony of complaining in a Website full with endless amount of ads all over the place.
catgirlinspace 10mo ago
It still is fun with Linux. Running NixOS and configuring my entire system with it is possibly the most fun i’ve had in a while with setting up a computer, or just using one at all.
cyber_kinetist 10mo ago
A nice tip: make sure to install the LTSC version of Windows 10, which is the most perfect setup you'll ever have (well, other than installing Linux) No Cortana, no Copilot, no Windows Apps. Just pure unadulterated Windows, with extended support until 2032 (if you install the IOT version)
- theothertimcook 10mo ago
  Can definitely recommend the iOT version, use Chris Titus tool to setup Winget and other missing bits and it's as good of an experience as you can have on windows, actually uses less resources at idle than an Ubuntu gnome install
vancroft 10mo ago
Setting up my PC with PopOS recently has been really fun. Everything is snappy and fast, and no bloatware crap.
Havoc 10mo ago
The new pc is still fun. Maybe just pick a better OS
Ir0nMan 10mo ago
Clicking through to read a blog article used to be fun, now it's an ad-ridden nightmare.

39 points by bundie 10mo ago

adyashakti 10mo ago

get a Mac.

AlotOfReading 10mo ago
MacOS is less overtly distasteful than Windows about the advertising, but not fundamentally different. Consider the incredibly sticky notifications to get you to use Apple services (like icloud) and the number of preinstalled apps that show ads (like stocks). I think a lot of Microsoft's fumbles over the years have been bad attempts at copying Apple, including the onedrive pushiness.
walthamstow 10mo ago
I would have said the same 5 years ago but now macOS is quite bad itself. If you follow their lead (click blue) you'll end up setting up an iCloud account, syncing your life to them, enabling Apple Intelligence, telemetry, and a load of other shit. Then you get to the desktop and your dock has 30 icons in it already, some of which require subscription, and it's too full to understand what each one is. And don't get me started on the default over-inflated display scaling that makes great screens look like they're from 2012!
- tim333 10mo ago
  People say that but it's not really hard to turn things off.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
  - walthamstow 10mo ago
    You hear people saying it's a problem but you discount what they say because you know better yourself? I'm perfectly capable of setting up macOS to my liking, but I think it's important to consider all users. The abuse of default settings is quite rampant.
    - tim333 10mo ago
      I say that because I've been using macOS for the last decade and haven't found clicking the occasional 'no' on would you like to pay for iCloud much of a burden. Also my 89 yr old mum has switched to mac and not had that particular issue. Some other issues like MS Outlook not importing her 40GB email file which had built up over a couple of decades on Windows, but not ads etc.
  - ThrowawayR2 10mo ago
    It's not really hard to turn things off on Windows either.

metalman 10mo ago

buy a mini pc ,sans OS,with whatever hardware features and install a linux flavor, or two,or three. buying from the duopoly is like hitting yourself in the face with a brick, it feels realy good, when you stop. the market is bieng divied up into two types of software, factory stock, and aftermarket malware.

stavros 10mo ago

The title should be "setting up Windows used to be fun". Which yes, I agree, but luckily it has never been a better time for Linux usability. Even ~100% of games work.

racked 10mo ago

I had my new Win11 PC preinstalled by the vendor and then immediately ran Win11Debloat on it. It's been quite painless that way; not many nuisances except a few OneDrive popups to extinguish and the typical forced reboots after updates. https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat https://github.com/Raphire/Win11Debloat

dikip 10mo ago
[dead]

pjmlp 10mo ago

The irony of complaining in a Website full with endless amount of ads all over the place.

catgirlinspace 10mo ago

It still is fun with Linux. Running NixOS and configuring my entire system with it is possibly the most fun i’ve had in a while with setting up a computer, or just using one at all.

cyber_kinetist 10mo ago

A nice tip: make sure to install the LTSC version of Windows 10, which is the most perfect setup you'll ever have (well, other than installing Linux) No Cortana, no Copilot, no Windows Apps. Just pure unadulterated Windows, with extended support until 2032 (if you install the IOT version)

theothertimcook 10mo ago
Can definitely recommend the iOT version, use Chris Titus tool to setup Winget and other missing bits and it's as good of an experience as you can have on windows, actually uses less resources at idle than an Ubuntu gnome install

vancroft 10mo ago

Setting up my PC with PopOS recently has been really fun. Everything is snappy and fast, and no bloatware crap.

Havoc 10mo ago

The new pc is still fun. Maybe just pick a better OS

Ir0nMan 10mo ago

Clicking through to read a blog article used to be fun, now it's an ad-ridden nightmare.