Microsoft spent 4 years stuffing Windows 11 with unwanted ads, forced Copilot integrations, stealing data to train its shity AI and other bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it.
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@nixCraft I am sorry, but I need to add: If you don't want age verification, don't use Linux with #systemd. https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954
@kobold correct there are many linux distros without systemd and then *BSD is free from that systemd nonsense.
IBM/Redhat and Poettering all into this age verification nonsense. Any distro or vendor into that stuff need to to be avoided for your own good.
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@nixCraft 99% of the reason I still have Windows is just gaming. The day Linux has a half-cooked alternative I'll be out.
@twit_terrorist same.. steam seems to be getting us closer.
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@nixCraft 99% of the reason I still have Windows is just gaming. The day Linux has a half-cooked alternative I'll be out.
@twit_terrorist
The day is today. Indo have a new notebook (a Lenovo Thinkpad E16 Gen 2 AMD) without Windows 8nstalled under Linux Mint latest version and it runs like a charm. I can play some older games ( like Skyrim LE or Fallout NV) smoothly. This isn't a gaming computer...
@nixCraft -
@kobold correct there are many linux distros without systemd and then *BSD is free from that systemd nonsense.
IBM/Redhat and Poettering all into this age verification nonsense. Any distro or vendor into that stuff need to to be avoided for your own good.
@nixCraft @kobold Get a grip on reality. It's a field in a JSON. Your name is in passwd. Every program on any Linux or BSD can call getpwnam.
Nobody forces you to set either. There is no enforcement mechanism and no verification, but there are legitimate uses for either, as there are legitimate interests in not setting either.
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@nixCraft 99% of the reason I still have Windows is just gaming. The day Linux has a half-cooked alternative I'll be out.
@twit_terrorist @nixCraft depends on what games you play. I use exclusively Linux for gaming for like 2-2,5 years now and i think i haven't met a game that i would want to play a lot and it wouldn't work on Linux. With that said, i don't play heavily competitive games with anticheats. I play two games with anticheat that works on Linux and these games are The Division 2 and Arc Raiders and i have zero problems with them
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@nixCraft I am sorry, but I need to add: If you don't want age verification, don't use Linux with #systemd. https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954
@kobold @nixCraft We have a list of open source operating systems without systemd. It's one of our most requested search criteria: https://distrowatch.com/search.php?ostype=All&category=All&origin=All&basedon=All¬basedon=None&desktop=All&architecture=All&package=All&rolling=All&isosize=All&netinstall=All&language=All&defaultinit=Not+systemd&status=Active#simple
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my advice is still the same. get a cheaper (used) thinkpad (or brand of your choice) and install Linux or *BSD that doesn't have corporate backing or age/kyc verification nonsense added. always install an ad blocker, script blocker, and dns level filtering just in case for your own safety (also install those on your parents and friends family computers).
say no to microslop and their stupid apps. enough is enough.
@nixCraft
I have two spare unused laptops, one with Linux (more than 10 years old, low spec) and one with W10 (Nov 2016).Which BSD should I try? Both SATA HDD. Download Link? Both boot from USB sticks. The Win10 model runs Linux Mint far better (I swapped HDD from a similar Lenovo).
I use Linux Mint + Mate & X11 100% since 2017. Dual boot Linux (Red Hat, Debian etc) since 1998.
Used Cromix in 1980s.
Tried Crostini on ChromeOS for 3 months (crippled and same HW now runs Mint natively). -
@nixCraft
I have two spare unused laptops, one with Linux (more than 10 years old, low spec) and one with W10 (Nov 2016).Which BSD should I try? Both SATA HDD. Download Link? Both boot from USB sticks. The Win10 model runs Linux Mint far better (I swapped HDD from a similar Lenovo).
I use Linux Mint + Mate & X11 100% since 2017. Dual boot Linux (Red Hat, Debian etc) since 1998.
Used Cromix in 1980s.
Tried Crostini on ChromeOS for 3 months (crippled and same HW now runs Mint natively).@raymaccarthy I like FreeBSD but you have to try out all of them because they do have different ways to do things.
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my advice is still the same. get a cheaper (used) thinkpad (or brand of your choice) and install Linux or *BSD that doesn't have corporate backing or age/kyc verification nonsense added. always install an ad blocker, script blocker, and dns level filtering just in case for your own safety (also install those on your parents and friends family computers).
say no to microslop and their stupid apps. enough is enough.
@nixCraft I like that Zorin 18 defaulted to Brave browser, which has ad blocking. -
Microsoft spent 4 years stuffing Windows 11 with unwanted ads, forced Copilot integrations, stealing data to train its shity AI and other bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it. Reasons for a Change of Heart:
1 Increased Linux gaming
2 Apple's entry into the low end PC market with 0 forced AI
3 The "Microslop" social media shaming campaign
4 Increased costs due to AI leading to almost 0 ROI since there is no consumer demand https://www.sambent.com/microsofts-plan-to-fix-windows-11-is-gaslighting/@nixCraft What do YOU like for a Linux gaming platform?
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@thomasdorr @nixCraft You don't have to use Windows on almost any laptop. Even Huawei/Honor laptops can run Linux. And their metallic cases are top-notch.
@m1rk0
For us, definitely.For (pick old relative) it is not usually a good plan.
Also it is likely that the device cost includes the microslop tax
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@raymaccarthy I like FreeBSD but you have to try out all of them because they do have different ways to do things.
@nixCraft
I would have done that maybe 20 years ago. Now I'm only interested in using it. That's why I mentioned I'm happy with Linux Mint + Mate + X11. I have also Cinnamon, XFCE, ICeWM etc installed on some to look at and as fall back if I break Mate.
I might have tried Free BSD very long ago (I did once install Xenix from floppies).
I also have Pi4B (2G RAM) with only SD Card. It's gathering dust.
I see https://www.freebsd.org/where/Do I download memstick.img?
https://download.freebsd.org/releases/amd64/amd64/ISO-IMAGES/15.0/ -
my advice is still the same. get a cheaper (used) thinkpad (or brand of your choice) and install Linux or *BSD that doesn't have corporate backing or age/kyc verification nonsense added. always install an ad blocker, script blocker, and dns level filtering just in case for your own safety (also install those on your parents and friends family computers).
say no to microslop and their stupid apps. enough is enough.
@nixCraft I've seen several times people recommending the ThinkPad. Why do you recommend that particular model ?
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there is an old saying: vote with your wallet. Microsoft is now finding out that people have choices. This is not the 90s or 2000s of Bill Gates era anymore where you can abuse everything and get away with it.
@nixCraft A good reminder. I have a day off today and 2 workstations that need an upgrade from Win 11 to a flavour of Linux.
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@nixCraft 99% of the reason I still have Windows is just gaming. The day Linux has a half-cooked alternative I'll be out.
@twit_terrorist @nixCraft protondb.com
have fun

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@twit_terrorist @nixCraft depends on what games you play. I use exclusively Linux for gaming for like 2-2,5 years now and i think i haven't met a game that i would want to play a lot and it wouldn't work on Linux. With that said, i don't play heavily competitive games with anticheats. I play two games with anticheat that works on Linux and these games are The Division 2 and Arc Raiders and i have zero problems with them
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Microsoft spent 4 years stuffing Windows 11 with unwanted ads, forced Copilot integrations, stealing data to train its shity AI and other bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it. Reasons for a Change of Heart:
1 Increased Linux gaming
2 Apple's entry into the low end PC market with 0 forced AI
3 The "Microslop" social media shaming campaign
4 Increased costs due to AI leading to almost 0 ROI since there is no consumer demand https://www.sambent.com/microsofts-plan-to-fix-windows-11-is-gaslighting/@nixCraft we need to criticize them more
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D drajt@fosstodon.org shared this topic
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there is an old saying: vote with your wallet. Microsoft is now finding out that people have choices. This is not the 90s or 2000s of Bill Gates era anymore where you can abuse everything and get away with it.
@nixCraft TBH, I feel like we had more desktop choice in the 90's. Amiga was still kicking, Sun was still kicking, Atari was still kicking, OS/2 existed, IBM DOS7 existed...
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Microsoft spent 4 years stuffing Windows 11 with unwanted ads, forced Copilot integrations, stealing data to train its shity AI and other bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it. Reasons for a Change of Heart:
1 Increased Linux gaming
2 Apple's entry into the low end PC market with 0 forced AI
3 The "Microslop" social media shaming campaign
4 Increased costs due to AI leading to almost 0 ROI since there is no consumer demand https://www.sambent.com/microsofts-plan-to-fix-windows-11-is-gaslighting/@nixCraft as always, shitting on ms always has a positive effect.
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@nixCraft TBH, I feel like we had more desktop choice in the 90's. Amiga was still kicking, Sun was still kicking, Atari was still kicking, OS/2 existed, IBM DOS7 existed...
@Emerson61 @nixCraft
all listed were proprietary or closed source. although users could run programs freely.now we have linux and many bsd options. maybe also some other open source operating systems.