Seriously though, in W11 it's super easy to disable this shit.
Start Menu:
Personalization > Start > “Show recommendations for tips, app promotions, and more.” (OFF)
Lock Screen:
Personalization > Lock Screen > Change from "Weather 'and more'" to "None".
Search:
Settings > Search > Permissions & History > Turn it ALL off. Cloud, Work/School, etc.
Microsoft believes if they worsen the enshitification of Windows 10, more people will just upgrade to 11 quicker.
I decided to move to Linux and my other family went with Macbooks.
Sadly, I'm at a Microsoft office and do not have this option for my work machine.
It does look like I'll be forced into Linux on my personal machine before too long, though.
Not much to be done with a work machine, but for personal use, I believe the more people moving away from Windows the better.
Buy an expensive license
Install the software on hardware you own
Company puts ads on it that weren't there when you bought the license
2024 is wild. Run Linux.
It's kinda like AAA game companies waiting for a couple of weeks after a title's release (and all the reviews are done) before rolling out the micro-transaction market (and the corresponding game-balance adjustments).
Funny how when Windows XP had dial-in activation we warned that this would drift over to games if we tolerated it, and then it did.
100%. Every time consumers tolerate something, it will get worse. On the other hand, it seems so simple to tell people "just don't buy a product that does X", but in practice, it's almost impossible to get people to stop giving these companies money.
but in practice, it’s almost impossible to get people to stop giving these companies money.
This is why consumer-protection regulations are necessary.
I jumped ship to PopOS a few months back.
There are some issues, like Bluetooth not starting without some terminal commands, I think I have to wipe or otherwise mess around with my 1TB NTFS storage drive to mount it and stuff like that.
But all the games I've tried to play work fine.
CPU: 3700x GPU: 4090
IS THE ENTIRE FUCKING ECONOMY BASED ON ADS???? WHO THE FUCK IS PAYING FOR ALL THESE SHITTY ADS??? WHO EVER YOU ARE, GET FUCKED WITH YOUR PRODUCT!
Yeah yeah, Linux is our saviour.
I call bullshit. Charge Microsoft criminally. Sue them into the ground! We will never get enough people to truly harm them just by leaving, so we need to FUCKING DESTROY ANY COMPANY THAT PULLS THIS BULLSHIT!
Sue them for what exactly?
Because I hate them. It should be a criminal offense to be on my bad side
ShutUp10 for the win.
(Linux for the real win).
ShutUp10 is the equivalent of being in an abusive relationship and telling yourself "it'll be okay if I just don't upset them and stay out of their way". You know it'll happen again. You're just in denial and kicking the ball down the road a bit until they do it again. Use it to buy yourself time to make a plan to get out of the relationship. The sooner you leave, the better off you'll be.
The fact that people pay hundreds of dollars for this OS to get advertised to is insulting. Same energy as these smart TVs that feel like they have the right to show you ads.
If I'm dictator, I'm making this shit illegal, full stop.
If they can’t bring the people to Win 11, they bring Win 11 to the people instead?
Just install Linux, it’s not that hard. Or at least get a Mac or a Chromebook…
Windows 10 will be my last Windows operating system. It’s been fine and it works well enough. I’ve already started setting up a drive with Linux Mint 22 for use moving forward.
I just recently installed the windows 11 LTSC IOT enterprise edition, it contains no ads and is meant for corporate use. I got it off of the massgravel Dev site. The only thing pre-installed is the edge browser. Boots way faster and my games are right there. I have it dual-boot alongside Ubuntu. I recommend it if you have to use windows for some programs.
Earlier this year, Microsoft introduced a so-called "Account Manager" for Windows 11 that appears on the screen when you click your profile picture on the Start menu. Instead of just showing you buttons for logging out, locking your device or switching profiles, it displays Microsoft 365 ads. All the actually useful buttons are now hidden behind a three-dot submenu.
How the fuck are people OK with this?!
They're doing a good job getting people to move to Linux or MacOS
Well, I was gonna run win10 until its service life ends next year. I guess MS want to speed up the timeline a little.
Arch here I come.
Dang I thought Windows 10 would be safe from this for some reason. Silly me.
no security updates, only ads
I'm in the EU and use Windows 10 LTSC so I mostly clear off of this bulshit. A few months ago I bought a cheap refurbished laptop to use occasionally and decided from day 1 it would be Linux Mint only since I only use it for the basics.
A few months later and I'm surprised how far Mint came. It's so easy to use. Customizing it was a bit harder but nothing major. And to my surprise...even games. I threw a couple of games at it and everything the computer can handle would run. I was from the time where gaming on Linux was a no-no.
When LTSC support goes, I'll most likely go full Linux. The only problem is the Adobe software but maybe I can fix that with a virtual machine.
Funny. Not long after all the spyware was inserted into Win 10, they imported it into Win 7, and we got a general notice to not install those updates (or uninstall them).
Yeah, Microsoft was always a shit.
What's keeping me running Microsoft? A collection of Steam games that I love. Do they work on Linux now?
93% of the top 1000 Steam games have a Linux rating of Silver (playable with minor issues) or better.
You can check the rating of your own collection here: https://www.protondb.com/dashboard
If they advertise, then the OS needs to be free. I'm not paying for an OS that profits off me too.
I have to use a windows 11 machine for work, and it genuinely surprises me how terrible it is. I don’t understand the opposition to local accounts - if I’m working somewhere with public WiFi/capture portal, I have to use my phone as a hotspot first.
The PIN log in seems to roll a random number and decide each morning whether it is going to work or not.
I also got a laptop with 11 on it for gaming. So much spyware I’ve had to uninstall, configuring anything is a nightmare. I was trying to adjust my mouse sensitivity/figure out why the scroll wheel is either 0 or to the moon, but even when you dig into the control panel, half the settings are missing.
I also had to turn off my WiFi and google commands to make a local account, because otherwise Microsoft accounts are mandatory.
Every change seems to make the experience actively worse for the user.
🐧
Some advice for anyone who is seriously considering a move away from Windows:
For reference, there's a lot of diversity among people running Linux, from software developers to secretaries, from children to octogenarians. I imagine it's easier for kids, since they don't have as much to un-learn, but the Grandparents in my family switched to it from Windows and didn't want to go back. If they can do it, I think it's fair to say that many others can, too.
Learning Linux gets more tempting every day. Either that or government needs to pass laws against shit like this but I doubt that will ever happen.
Let me give you a tip. Theres nothing to "learn" it's just a different way of clicking on some things. If all your gonna do is use steam and Internet browser just do it. There is nothing magical. Just use popOS or Ubuntu. They're made for ease of use.
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
