Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has replaced the Hide Desktop icon with Copilot.
Microsoft in their infinite wisdom has replaced the Hide Desktop icon with Copilot.
Switch to Linux!
From Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/1as1yjk/microsoft_in_their_infinite_wisdom_has_replaced/
I must admit, "Linux becomes the refuge of luddites" was never on any bingo card I could have conceived of for 202X.
Huh? Isn't this about Microsoft changing out a button with a well established use, in order to take advantage of muscle memory and the unobservant?
Don't think it's much to do with people opposing technological advancement, but rather with opposing another company wanting to making a fool of them.
This is just another gripe about how Microsoft is putting AI into everything. If it's really just about the position of a button (which apparently can be changed in the settings if you still want it there) it's even more petty. Certainly not worth posting about on a general technology community.
The Luddites of Linux are one's desperately trying to convince people that Xorg is perfectly flawless and that Wayland is vaporware.
A luddite should ideally not involve in Display Server wars
If Linux Luddites could TELNET into Lemmy, they would be very angry with you!
It would mean corporate software support. And while you might still choose FOSS, it means money pouring into Linux—which is always a good thing.
"And the lord said unto John, come forth and install gentoo."
friendly reminder that https://theconversation.com/im-a-luddite-you-should-be-one-too-163172
That article attempts to paint Luddism in a positive light and then tries to redefine the term to mean something very for "neo-Luddites" anyway. I don't find it particularly compelling or well reasoned.
What do you mean? Vocal parts of Linux community is about 80% luddites
I've been using Linux since Ubuntu was in the single digits. Looks like windows entering the double digits is finally the end. I thought win10 would be able to stay relatively unmolested, but nope, copilot button and bullshit right there in the bar. Why can't you just leave us the fuck alone. Your driving everyone away who doesn't have a professional obligation to use your OS. I'll still have to keep a old win10 boot drive that never connects to a network so I can play games and use CAD that Linux can't. As a KDE fanboi they've added pretty much everything I've always wished for and plasma 6 is launching.
Now is my time. Fuck you Microsoft. I won't miss you.
10+ years with Linux as my daily driver (yeah I'm old). When my os updates, it's almost always with some feature that's pretty neat.
Nowadays the steamdeck or some combo of Linux with steam can play my games, do my work, and I actively make other people's lives better when I contribute.
Have you tried gaming on Linux lately? You don't need Windows anymore except if you use GamePass, because MS has locked that software down to Windows. The only problem game I had was The Finals until recently, and it now works on Linux. Besides that the only issue is I can't mod Baulder's Gate 1 because it requires injecting things and that doesn't work with Linux as far as I can figure out. The game runs fine.
Yes, I'm a long time mint user, and I was also a 1st batch steamdeck so I've seen how far just proton has come. There's still a handful of games that just won't work, work but not with the mods I need, or take a performance hit. I also have a driving simulator with a VR headset. I'm sure I could get it running on Linux eventually but windows just does it. Recognizes and just installed the drivers for all my hardware. And for VR, there are now a lot of solutions, but I've found windows to just be the fastest and best performing. I need every frame I can get running vr on a 2060.
I flirted with gnome this install around. I'm so lazy to reinstall yet again to get back to my previous plasma. Seriously Linux is a way better experience these days, I wish those that could would just give it an honest shot. The learning curve isn't too bad once you understand a couple things.
Didin't Linux had FreeCAD?
FreeCAD...is getting there. They're actually heading toward a 1.0 release, and bringing usability and convenience features. I'd say by 2025 it'll be a better value proposition than the "Free non-commerical use drawbackware" tier offerings from Onshape or Fusion360.
Ubuntu used to be animals!
It still is. There's an animal "codename" and a number for all releases.
Ubuntu used to be naked people!
I noticed this bullshit a few days ago on my Win 11 desktop! I found if you go check the settings of the start bar, you can hide the copilot icon in the lower right, and then there's a check box to enable the lower right hand corner to work as show desktop again. The functionality can be restore to exactly as it was, but what the hell were they thinking.
Enshitification, plain and simple.
Switch to Linux!
As a Linux user myself, let me tell you that telling people what they should/must do this is how you make people plainly ignore you and think you're just an annoying person.
People will keep using what works for them, be it Windows/Linux/MacOS even if with minor inconveniences. Same goes for browsers/services/etc...
"Microsoft continually makes their OS worse, but every time they do, Linux users come into the comment section telling me I should switch, so I'm not going to."
People don't switch just because of some minor inconvenience (as if Linux didn't have any...) and outside of Lemmy/the Fediverse echo chamber very few people are concerned about privacy. They will switch (maybe) if the new tool works better for them than thge previous one. Otherwise, why should they bother? Linux is my primary OS since many years, but it isn't everybody's cup of tea.
The thing is, is that it really doesn’t affect people in the way you guys seem to imagine.
I’ve used Linux, MacOS, and Windows. Currently use Windows for work as a C# . net, SQL / GraphQL, and React TypeScript developer and although I was shocked they’re all pro windows, coming from MacOS. Once you get used to it you don’t really notice the shit stuff as you just do what you’re doing.
I would still rate my experiences in this order though: MacOS, Linux, Windows. Best to worst, but like I said even though in now use the worst in my opinion it really doesn’t have much of an impact. Plus if I were to use Linux I’d need to geek out and waste so much time configuring it and I’m past that stage.
Maybe they are not Linux users, maybe they are Microsoft employees trying to keep you on Windows by making Linux users look obnoxious.
Exactly. As a musician many paid music plugins simply don't work on Linux because of all the installers attached to them. Also, I design with the Adobe suite for my work, also not viable on Linux (I believe?). I would love to use Linux, but for my needs it's simply a no go.This is what annoys me about all the "just use linux" comments. There are usecases where it's simply not an option.
I've gotten every single Windows VST I've used working on Linux with WINE. Some of them require extra work (Serum and anything needing Native Access specifically), but they still work.
I've also tried both Ableton and FL Studio in WINE, and they both work fine as well.
Adobe suite is something I don't have experience with, though.
Agreed, not just plugins its also Ableton Live for me! There is nothing that scratches that for me, bitwig does look promising eventually though. :)
Then on top of that wanting to develop games without learning another game engine (I'm far into a game, and can't change engine without starting again)
And I wanna play Baldurs Gate 3 again dammit! (To be fair I think that might work and haven't looked) :) .
I used Linux for 5 years and loved it, have a pi and a degoogled Foss phone as much as possible. I am an ally to it all, but have usecases which dictate Windows ... I think it's not unreasonable to want something to get better without binning 70℅ of why I use my computer. :)
Edit: I just learned this thread, wine might work with Ableton, this is great news :)
I'm gonna keep eating unhealthy food in large quantities, nobody should tell me what to do or what works for me...
Hey, just keep doing whatever you want. Just rest assured that virtually everybody is going to plainly and silently ignore you.
Wow, Microsoft are always so innovative! I never thought that the Win11 taskbar could get any shittier, but somehow they managed it. It's great to see those thousands of engineers being put to good use.
Install this. You will thank me later.
classic shell does the same thing for free I'll pass
Not open source. Use:
- Open Shell
- brings a normal Start Menu back as well as an optional taskbar in Explorer
- Explorer Patcher
- revives Explorer's "commented-out code", bringing back functionality from previous Windows versions: optionally translucent taskbar without blur, seconds display in calendar popup, optionally the weather widget and many many more
- CTT winutil
- installs/updates various free programs for you with one click, one-stop-shop for all kinds of recommended debloat/freedom settings
- MSEdge Redirect
- self-explanatory: all Bing queries from within the OS apps go to your preferred search engine & default browser instead
- Open Shell
just switched to Linux for the first time this week!
One of us! One of us! One of us!
More to the penguin army! Welcome
How much searching did you have to do? Be honest. Ever try to mount a network share permanently yet?
As someone on Manjaro for over a year, I did have a few searches, but they were rare and mostly related to obscure things I needed.
Not even close to the "search a fix every 10 minutes" experience I was promised.
I did, and it was fairly straightforward according to the documentation I found. This was a couple of years ago but I’m pretty sure I needed to figure out how to use nano, then type some magic words into fstab along with the IP and password, and I haven’t had to mess with it ever since.
... You guys might shit on it, but that's incredibly smart on their part. Ten years or more of that button being there and now suddenly something else replaces it, just imagine the amount of people accidentally hitting the button and being introduced to copilot. This was a very deliberate change.
It's Smart as in, MLM scheme smart. Not honorable, just smart. Like a thief that is clever about not leaving fingerprints.
That's exactly why we shit on it
I'm pretty sure there's a term for it. Google did it with shopping and images, Instagram changed the home button with some advertising thing (dont remember the exact details).
Dark pattern.
Phishing?
Nobody said it wasn't deliberate. It's still shitty af.
And the thing failed the things I asked it to do so far. It's not very helpful with actually getting things done.
That's why there are 3 of them now. One there and two in the corners of the start menu popup
Dark pattern smart.
This being "smart" is entirely based on the assumption that the average user who's actually trying to just get to their home screen won't be pissed when the bloated chatbot pops up instead. And that assumption is wrong.
If being an asshole is smart, I'd rather be dumb.
Just once I would love to open one of these threads without seeing people shitting... on Linux.
Linux is not even the one doing anything wrong but people gotta rag on whoever recommends it as an alternative. This is getting more annoying than however annoying they say Linux users are.
edit: Just to make clear because some folks aren't getting it, this is not an invitation to argue about how you feel about Linux and Linux users. I. don't. fucking. care. I don't even use Linux. Take it to someone who cares.
People be like:
As is everyone taking every possible opportunity to mention Linux. It's not like we don't know it exists, we don't need constantly reminding that it's an option.
Although it isn't an option for a vast number of reasons, but mostly because corporate IT requires systems that run only on Windows. Therefore the only solution is Windows so the fact another operating system exists is utterly irrelevant and yet somehow you guys constantly keep mentioning it. Then we constantly have to point out that lots and lots of programs don't run on Linux and then you will inhibitively start going on about Wine. It's tiring. I would love it if we could have a conversation about Microsoft without having to pretend that other operating systems are viable alternatives.
If Linux is not for you that's understandable. The thing here is that they are not having a conversation about Microsoft. They are having the pettiest, least technical possible discussion about Linux, it's devolving to pure clique shit talking.
If you want to talk about Microsoft, just talk about Microsoft.
Or how about
- You can't easily define what apps start with startup
- Even when wine is installed , lot of programs won't run in wine
- You cannot easily find where the program is installed like you can in windows
- You attach a external disk but some apps won't see it mounted making it Impossible to explore in their file picker , not all but some
- There is almost huge lack of programs , for which there is huge possibility that a windows program exists.
- There is constant need to use terminal for lot of things for which you can't a program see point 4.
I keep telling Linux is still not for common home use for users who are in between power users and people only using it for browsing. This will get me downvotes here on Lemmy all the time . Linux edge lords are their own bubble.
I rarely see that,. But what I see all the time is Linux lovers being toxic fanboys trying to shove their "passion" down everyone's throat. Also, 99% of them being wrong about what it can "offer".
Its a pure superiority complex fanbase.
Complaining about Linux and Linux users happens in every Windows-related thread, and you are doing it right now.
As a slight aside I am also sooo tired of people calling talking about something "shoving down our throats". People talking about someone you don't care for is not physically assaulting you. That expression seems to exist solely for people to wind themselves up over stuff that absolutely doesn't justify that level of outrage.
Fanbase because the philosophy is based on owning your computer. If some asshole you don't know needs your trust to run their closed-source-no-one-really-knows-what-it-actually does inside what is no longer really your computer just because you paid for it then here...here's a dum-dum. Hands you a sucker.
Well maybe stop suggesting that the solution to every tiny little cosmetic inconvenience is to completely switch operating systems to one that has notoriously flakey hardware support.
I guess people downvoting you are thinking of Brother printers, AMD graphics cards and Intel WiFi cards. Sure, it’s great when you have the right hardware, but what if you don’t. I’ve banged my head against Optimus and Broadcom, until I learned to be extra picky when buying a laptop.
'Just switch to Linux' isn't a solution to a problem. It's a tired and lazy ass response that is frankly starting to make me dislike this place.
OK well if you're looking for the actual solution to the problem brought up in this thread..... here: https://i.imgur.com/nHEcFG2r.png
I mean "Just fix Microsoft and change its direction to be less consistently hostile and disrespectful of users" is a solution...
"Put an end to the data and attention harvesting economy" is another.
...but...switching OSs was easier for me personally, until we figure out how to wrangle a tech behemoth or fix underlying problems with human civilization.
How much more practical it is to complain about users of a different system than the one the thread is about? It got to a point people are doing this preemptively even.
Lol holy persecution complex, batman... This is a thread shitting on Windows.
You'd think but here we have your annoying ass throwing insults at someone you think uses Linux.
Just once I would love to open one of these threads without seeing people spam "USE LINOOX INSTEAD!"
I love Linux, but it's extremely annoying how many threads there are showing a mildly annoying and optional feature in Windows with 10 people replying "Use Linux!". As if Linux doesn't have a ridiculous number of UX problems itself.
It happens because Linux users are like vegans. They can't shut up about it. And they don't realize that using Linux doesn't make them special or a member of some cool club nor does it mean that they have any friends.
Fuck linux, the've had 30 years to make a consumer grade product but NoooOOooo all the devs spend their energy making 50 different weakly compatible distros that no one needs.
I'll say it again, fuck linux. Fuck linux and its shitty community of elitist basement trolls.
Windows Key+D
Press it again to restore all apps to foreground.
If I wanted to memorize a bunch of random shortcuts and gestures to do basic tasks I'd use MacOS.
Yeah, I wish I never had to use a mouse. Only serves to slow things down. Obviously, gaming, necessary, but anything productive, taking your hands off the keyboard is a waste.
I am not a programmer, either. Using Excel and Word are secondary functions in my job, basically administrative, making invoices, record keeping, but they function so much better with your hands on keyboard. Alt menus for the office suite are time savers. And the stupid expensive bullshit proprietary software I use for my work is basically built to use hotkeys.
Just press windows+d bro.
I forgot that the button exists.
You can still re-enable it in the taskbar settings. Personally I like asking an AI to do stuff, so I like the Copilot icon in my taskbar, BUT NOT ON THE FREAKING BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER GODDAMMIT THAT'S FOR LIKE NOTIFICATIONS
AND NOW NOTIFICATIONS GO OVER COPILOT BUT NOT QUICK SETTINGS FOR SOME REASON AND IF YOU BRING UP QUICK SETTINGS IT SHIFTS TO THE LEFT AND HIDES NOTIFICATIONS??
at least I won't accidentally hide my desktop while clicking copilot in a place where it shouldn't have been
except oh no signing in to unlock copilot doesn't even fucking worktime to grind on my giant arch migration checklist and hunt for a good foobar2000 alternative which i'll likely never finish
For a Foobar2000 alternative have you seen Deadbeef . It doesn't replace everything but has the same sort of modular interface.
I've actually asked about alternatives in the EndeavourOS forum and talked about it there:
I just found out about DeaDBeeF. Unfortunately, it's not what I'll be using.
It is quite a one-to-one match to foobar2000! It has the same modularity and customization. However, the plugin ecosystem is nowhere as big. There's no Coverflow plugin.
And there was a lyrics plugin, forked after an earlier plugin stopped development. However, the developer quit after decreasing passion coincided with the DeadBeeF developer removing the already finished Russian translation in the wake of the Russian war for whatever reason. Needless to say, I am not comfortable with it both feature-wise and ethics-wise.Strawberry and all Clementine (or should I say, Amarok?)-likes don't strike my fancies. They seem to be in pretty good hands, but I just don't like the side-tab layout (plus the aforementioned problem with lyrics). Amarok seems to have switched their design, and since I plan on using KDE either way, if the usage is good enough and I can't find anything better, I'll either use Amarok or Sayonara, which also seems promising.
For me, there are 2 on the top left and too right of the start menu pop up and they don't even look the same. Whoever is in charge of UI/UX needs to be shot. Holy shit. Windows just feels like a taped together heap of shit. The competition is way better.
Holy shit. Windows just feels like a taped together heap of shit.
I thought that was pretty much an open secret since Windows ME. As a begrudging Windows user who loves Linux infinitely more, my impression has been that they’re just dialing that shit to 11 (hah) while they complete their transition to being the high-margin SAAS empire known as AzureCopilotGithubOfficeGamepassSoft. I kind of doubt that Windows revenue is even worth labeling on their pie charts anymore.
I personally really like StartAllBack. I just want a clean classic Windows experience.
Not sure if it'll help with OP's rage issues (I skipped over the all-caps and punctuation-free stuff), but I've long been a fan of Open Shell. Makes the Windows experience extremely customizable.
I've used ncmpcpp and more recently Cantata to replace foobar, not as much customization but it gets a lot of stuff right for me.
Linux exists people, without copilot using your information for training data and if you game, has Valve releasing updates like crazy for proton making it easier and easier to use Linux for gaming. The only thing I use Windows for is GeForce now as the windows and Mac apps are the only way for me to play 1440p 120fps with their service.
Good beginner distros: pop_os, Ubuntu, Linux mint, Nobara or fedora, Garuda, Manjaro, solus, zorin. The possibilities are really endless. Just take your pick, make a bootable USB and try it out.
has Valve releasing updates like crazy for proton making it easier and easier to use Linux for gaming.
It quite ridiculous how far it has come. I remember trying out ubuntu years ago and being incredibly disappointed with how few games were compatible. Nowadays I'm running a dual boot LMDE/Win 10. Probably 80% of my games work right out of the box, and the other 20% I can just switch over within a minute or so.
I am still a little disappointed at the lack of mod manager compatibility for some games, but it no longer feels like a deal breaker for me.
Linux isn't for mainstream users yet. It wasn't when I tried switching to it several years back, it isn't now.
I tried Zorin recently, UI looked absolutely beautiful so I wanted to try and get into it on my laptop.
Only issue is, the trackpad scroll speed was too fast. I went into settings to try and slow this down. No dice, this option just want available. I tried googling, which led me to some stackexchange posts, which I tried to use to solve the issue by changing xinput or something device parameters.
I tried for maybe 15 mins to do this without success. This kinda stuff is why Linux is not ready for the masses yet. I shouldn't have to touch the command line for something like this. On windows I could have changed this without googling anything or touching the cli.
I know this is just one thing, but it's representative of my other experiences with Linux in general. Things seem to have improved since several years ago (needed terminal to even get touchscreen working in Firefox), bit it's just not there yet.
I really do want to switch to Linux, but I don't want my computer os to be a hobby project that I have to sink time into to keep functional, I need it to be a tool that lets me get work done with minimal roadblocks.
If you use nvidia, make sure to choose a distro that deals with their drivers by default. I havent manage to get Nvidia drivers and ingame cutscenes to work on Fedora, but after switching to Nobara all is well now. (And switching to KDE on X11, since wayland was freezing occasionally and some apps wouldnt work)
Aside from HDR, I still havent managed to get HDR working and its starting to look like it wont really be possible. And Unity. Unity simply doesnt work both in a VM and on Linux, so I annoyongly still have to dualboot.
Other than that, ive switched around two months ago, and aside from the first pains caused by me choosing Fedora instead of Nobara, everything mostly works without issues.
My latest attempts at using Linux on my desktop started with Nobara. It was good but some updates borked my install. I’ve been using Bazzite, an atomic OS, and it has been rock solid.
HDR support is supposedly fixed on kde and should be getting fixed in most other distros soon supposedly.
Unity worked for me on pop os after some fiddling and installing of dependencies, but it didn't fully work. There was a bunch of tools (like animation keyframes) which just didn't display correctly for me though. Checking out the source code of one the util did a check to see whether it was running on windows or Mac, then exited if it wasn't either of those. Would be good to run it via proton if possible so we get full support without the Devs needing to write tons of code to support a small percentage of users. That experience is pretty common when running Linux as your main, but the other benefits make up for it.
Well I listened to all the people hyping up Linux and tried pop os, literally nothing works right, it’s unusable lol. First time I tried to install it it straight up failed, worked on the second try. My hdr monitor isn’t supported apparently and looked dim no matter what I did. Had to fiddle with the display settings for a while to get scaling to work right so I could read text on the higher resolution monitor and fonts looked like ass anyways on the 1080p one. The messenger I use didn’t get a network connection until it crashed and restarted without OpenGL (what?). And the system scaling didn’t work in steam anyways so all the text was like 8px. After all that fun I can’t imagine how bad windows would need to get for me to switch to this garbage
Yeah you're full of shit, sorry but I've never heard of any of these issues happening. The only thing I can think of is you used the wrong ISO that wasn't for Nvidia or something. Also, you want HDR then use KDE, so you want something like KDE Neon or Kubuntu. As for fonts looking like shit, again, it's all down to your drivers would be my guess, meaning you're the one who downloaded the wrong ISO for pop_os. I'm running an all AMD build, maybe you should look into that I guess if you literally can't click install on the hardware drivers applet in any modern Linux distro.
2024 will be the first year I use linux exclusively on my desktop. Bazzite has been amazing.
Typical capitalist race to the bottom to appease investors with short term decision making
Linux. You'll be glad you did.
Free. Easy to install. Never gets viruses. Never crashes. Rock solid.
Runs good on old machines. Runs like lightning on new machines.
I've installed it for 3 old ladies (3 separate installs). They like its simplicity and low-bullshit.
I personally use Debian with a Mate desktop.
Im so glad i moved away from windows ages ago.
The last 10 years if Windows have been so agressively anti-user that I can't comprehend anyone chooses Windows unless they need it for work.
I‘m primarily a mac guy and I would love to ditch Windows on my PC for Linux. However, gaming support still isn’t quite where I‚d need it to be (HDR support especially). Also, I have a 20y/o film scanner and to use it with linux or macOS I‘d need to buy a third party scanner driver software for 100€ while on windows the original software (made for XP) still works…
I use it for Sony Vegas essentially
Edit: good talk. Thanks for solidifying the Linux user stereotype
It's a trade-off that works for many. Not much you and I can do about it, even if it's frustrating.
I guess they figured out where people clicked a lot and put the button there?
Looking forward to the Google search trends for "disable copilot"
Just don't search that if you've also been searching for any flights recently.
Suddenly... WATCHLIST
🤣
Or where people didn't click a lot.
Could go either way - I could see MS doing this because people use this a lot.
Only time I've ever used it was the first time I installed a version with it (7?).
Win-D is far faster, or a simple Alt-Tab, which I've used for what, 30 years now?
I have files download / export to desktop pretty often since I use it as a visual workspace (I can drag things around freely), and I got used to hitting that button. Since it's in the corner, it was easy to throw the mouse down there, similar to the X in the top right
I could get used to the keyboard shortcut though, especially because that one is reversible
Right click on taskbar -> Taskbar settings. Toggle button to turn off Copilot is right there.
Hey HEY! Stop going so fast. This is why we all need to switch to Linux RIGHT HERE. We can't all be expected to understand these complicated terms.
Okay... I've cleared my schedule today and I'm ready. So, how does one "right click"?
What was there before? I don't remember ever needing to click in that area. I did notice the new icon but as far as I knew it just moved the clock over.
can this be hidden via registry or group policy?
You can hide it via normal settings.
I had it gone within two minutes if seeing it appear. Found this thread on it:
The top pinned answer has a single line reg command that I used. I assume there are still pieces of it that will just always be around, but at least it's out of my mind for now.
The GPO method should work similarly, and it's what I'm going to try as soon as I see it start showing up on my work domain. I say when, not if, because these things have a way of getting around our deployment schedules. I just know one day will get a dm from a user asking if its a virus and I'll end up finding out a third of the office already loves it.
They added it to my task bar in front of my pinned apps, I right clicked and went into the task bar settings to remove it.
(Basically the same way you remove the search icon and things like that)
I was able to disable autopilot with a registry change but I don't remember where I found the link. It wasn't easy to find at the time when I looked. That being said if you reply asking for the link I'll try and find it but otherwise, yes.
Edit to add that I'm specifically talking about hiding or disabling autopilot bloatware, not just the icon.
I think it's currently in A/B testing as it's not like this on either of my Windows machines that installed updates this week. I don't think they let you disable the things you're in A/B testing for.
Either that, or it's not GDPR compliant, and they're not rolling it out to the UK or EU.
LMAO?? HOW TO GET ME TO NEVER USE IT
I've already switched to Linux partially. My PC now dual boots to Manjaro and Windows. I won't switch completely, but it's great to have such an awesome alternative right there one click of a button away. And the funny thing is that I'm not even the only one amongst my friends to do that. We are now three already and we even game on Linux too.
It’s too bad that the year of the linux desktop has been so long in the coming. Because now, it really is far superior to windows. Bluetooth, printers, and games even “just work” these days.
/shrug
It's funny because if Linux was where it is now, 10ish years ago, I probably would have stuck with it. All I cared about then was basic computering and gaming, both of which are well handled at this point.
Problem is now I've spent a decade honing my skills on specialized programs that don't have good replacements, and realistically even if they did, compatibility and years of learning specific programs have locked me in to Windows.
Not all games just work. For sure though Proton is absolutely amazing. The only thing stopping me ditching Windows completely is my kid still plays Roblox which doesn't work on Linux.
Apparently they've fixed the Grapefruit launcher so that it works again. I haven't tried it yet though, because it's Roblox, and I can't stand it.
I can't run a lot of games with anti-cheat on Linux, so it's not viable for me.
I'm wine inept so it's not viable for me either. I spent a total of 4 to 6 weekends trying to get shit to work. I just can't get it right.
I just recently tried a game running with proton (which i understand is wine with extras). I was really impressed cause i download it and it was just running. Maybe i got lucky or it was just the game (valheim).
My only big trouble with all of this is the hardware management, not having access to software like adrenaline gives me a bad feeling. I ran the game steadily with the GPU at around 60°C, but certain situations, and specially the "start up" produced peaks of 90°C in really small time windows. Thats holding me for now.
As I understand, valheim has a linux native version but i wamted to try proton after all.
You can just turn that off. You know that, right?
EDIT: also, the icon doesn't show up in the position the OP's screenshot shows it, at least not in my experience. It showed up right next to the start button for me, but you CAN move it around the taskbar if you want.
See you next update 🎉
Actually, those of us who hid it the first time it appeared didn't see this change. It's been disabled the whole time.
Please stop. This is getting me depressed and I don't even use Windows.
Sorry about all the dorks here. You spotted a problem and proposed a solution and rather than propose better solutions people are just bitching about the suggested solution without offering better ideas.
Lol dude, OP proposed installing an entirely new operating system. The other solution from those "bitching' is to right click and toggle copilot to "off" in the task bar settings.
I'm trying to move to Linux! I game on a custom built chimera OS computer using an AMD GPU. I've been using a MacBook Pro as a life raft. I still need windows for work.
I've considered once 24H2 Windows 11 release comes out that I would try to customize that image and keep it like an LTSC but I heard about some read only registry components that are going to make that very difficult. I'll just kick around on Win 10 LTSC for anything that I can't get rid of until it's no longer useful.
The solution that worked for me was dual booting, and using the windows boot only for work. In time I've figured out how to transfer most of my work to be on Linux.
Yeah, it's tough switching over but worth it IMO. It cuts twice as deep when you build a custom PC, buy a legitimate copy of windows full price just for stuff like this to happen. I even paid twice because I built my mother a pc.
Surprisingly she asked me to switch her over to Linux after seeing me play games on it. She would always call me up Everytime Microsoft popped up a full screen and trying to sell office 365 and getting her to agree to new privacy settings.
Almost everything she does is online, email, personal accounting in a spreadsheet, using the printer, and some gaming. The hardest part for her was relearning the small stuff like scanning documents and learning which one was her email app. It runs the sims 4 and an ancient game called wizards101 just fine.
The funny thing is I warned her it's not a smooth transition verified multiple times before switching and encouraged her try it on her laptop for about a week or so before switching her main computer. She went through with it though and started to really love it once she figured out the main stuff.
Have you considered using Windows in a VM? I currently don't have any reason to use Windows, but if I had to again, that would be my first approach.
I have tried (story option below):
Currently virtualization for the desktop, even though that is in fact the future, there are many issues at the moment. For instance, graphics are holding me back.
Wendell on level 1 techs has plenty of these videos and there is one specifically where he goes in depth on spinning up a windows virtual machine and essentially using a GitHub project to make registry hacks to turn that windows VM into a fake RDS app server then using those apps via the RDP protocol.
I really like this solution but it is still less than desirable when attempting to save files, pass through devices to apps other than keyboard and mouse, run corporate ssl VPN Clients (they often enforce desktop sessions non-rdp via policy).
I follow these threads closely: https://forum.level1techs.com/t/vfio-passthrough-in-2023-call-to-arms/199671
I sometimes think maybe moving to an Intel processor with onboard video for my displays and then using the Nvidia driver patch like this https://github.com/DualCoder/vgpu_unlock or this https://github.com/ProTechEx/vgpu-proxmox to drive local 3D apps and pass GPUs into VMs is potentially something that can be used to get this going (without the need for a second discreet GPU).
I just don't want to have to do this. So I just have a windows desktop (still).
I am running manjaro with a AMD 7900XT GPU, i needed to do a lot of work to get my windows vm to display correctly and it does not perform well in terms of graphics inside the VM. Personally I keep a dual boot with Win11 debloated to run games that require kernel level anticheat. With that said, if you wanna know if it's a good idea to switch, protondb.com gives you what to expect from your games on Linux!
I never pressed that button anyway I just use the keyboard shortcut.
oh this one is going to be so pissed when they find out they also re-mapped the keyboard shortcut /s
I wouldn’t be surprised. Microsoft continues to prove that they hate keyboard users, constantly changing or invalidating such classic keyboard shortcuts as…Alt+F.
They don’t give a damn. They want you pointing, clicking, and touching.
My god the touching.
The screenshot utility, and OneNote, have a ruler tool you can use for making straight lines with the highlighter or w/e. If you want to change the angle of it, you have to hover over the center of it and use the mouse wheel.
The first time I used it in onenote it was at 45deg. Had to google how to fix it. It’s clearly intended for touchscreens.
Windows is shitty—don't get me wrong. But for all my coursework it's pretty annoying to do on Linux. Especially Office, and yes I am well aware it's a MS product and that Linux-support will likely never come. Though the limited online version of Office or LibreOffice don't quite cut it for me. Besides, running it with Wine or in a VM is too much of a hassle.
So "Switch to Linux!" is not really a solution for some. Let's hope that'll change in the future.
With that said, fuck Microsoft! I use NixOS btw.
Maybe here is a good place to ask. I have used Mint for months now on my non-gaming laptop. I like it. I was ready to move my gaming rig at months end. Then I read that it can have issues with multiple monitors at different refresh rates and also with Mouse acceleration. Is this true and is there a solution?
Monitors at different refresh rates is a downside of x11, which Mint uses for all its desktop environments. Fortunately, they're working on moving to Wayland for the Cinnamon edition, which has better support for that. There's an experimental version you can use now, and they plan to be done in 2026.
I'd test things first ofc, maybe with your laptop plugged into one of the monitors.
My gaming rig has been on arch and manjaro for the past 6 years. No regrets. Sometimes games can be a pita to get working right, but proton/steam/valve have done an amazing job and it's better every day.
I have a 2.5k 34" uktawide and a 27" connected. No issues.
It's a case by case scenario.
If it works for you, then it's all good.
If it doesn't, then you might see the need for having a Linux PC and a Windows PC for different use cases.
X11 does not support different refresh rates across monitors.
You need a Wayland capable DE for that. The big one is Gnome.
@AnActOfCreation You can re-enable it in the Taskbar settings, though (as you also can hide Copilot the same way?).
I'm just glad Copilot isn't available in Europe.
As a person in Europe currently using it, I am very confused by this comment
Then I guess it's only in some countries. I've seen articles saying it wasn't available in Europe as a whole but maybe that's old news.
It's not? I have Copilot through my Office 365 work account.
I just use my windows PC for gaming, and it does the job without issues.
I bought space engineers a long time ago and have never played it, because I don't want to play it alone
The state of the multiplayer community is really rough right now in that game. There's one guy running the two largest servers, and he's openly corrupt.
Wait until they replace the second option of the Desktop right click menu to something AI.
They already replaced the default start menu with a bullshittier one.
For 20 years, now, my only contact with WinBlows is the rare occasion i dual-boot into it to play a game. If I actually had to use it?
[shudders]
I would be annoyed but does anyone actually use the show desktop button?
Come on, fhqwgads.
I didn't even realize that there was a button there before. I always just hit Win-D.
And this is why I should switch to linux? I guess any chance a linux user is going to use to tell you they use linux is good enough.
That's pretty disingenuous - it's one of the many reasons that comprise a pattern of behavior whereby Microsoft makes Windows worse at each iteration. More bloat, more spying, more locked-down for user "security". And for what? The dubious benefit of being "compatible" with other shitheel software providers like Adobe who use their monopoly power to stranglehold the corporate and professional media sectors? Toeachizown but IDK how anyone can use Windows by choice. The small amount I have to use it at work is torture enough.
Linux dudebros think everybody can use terminal and everybody understand commands like rm-rf is a joke basically they think Linux is superior in every which way and millions people are just dumb that they dont use linux .
it's honestly not hard once you've installed the distro
But just use whatever works best for you IMO
Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V, Enter. Very complex and confusing I know.
Not on Windows 7, they haven't.
Never 10 for life!
Unless your computer lacks a tpm, there is no reason why you should stay on an outdated and obsolete OS over Win 11. If you're against change and want things to stay the way you're used to forever, despite running terrible security and outdated UX, then Linux is for you.
If you're against change and want things to stay the way you're used to forever, despite running terrible security and outdated UX, then Linux is for you.
What I'm against is bullshit.
I'm against ads in my start menu. I'm against getting all of my "apps" from an OS curated store. I'm against an OS constantly phoning home about every aspect of my usage. I'm against using a Microsoft account to log in to my own computer (I'm the admin, thank you very much). And I'm against simply forcing users to update to a companies newest product whenever it's convenient for the company.
I suppose what I don't like is ceeding all control over my computer to corporate entities, it's my computer.
Honestly, if I had my way and if it could have security updates forever, I'd want to use mac os 10.6 snow leopard for eternity. Best os I've ever used, it came with a lot of extra software and utilities, the search was fast and the rest of the time it stayed out of your way. The industry has only gone downhill from there.
Maybe stop telling people what OS to use? Even if I would have ever considered switching to linux, its users are so god damn annoying that I would never do so now
I would never do so now
Oh no... We'll never recover from this. In Russian we say: "назло маме отморожу уши". In English that translates to "to spite my mom, I'll freeze my ears off." This expression is used to describe a situation where someone does something harmful or foolish to themselves in an attempt to rebel against or annoy someone else, despite the action being against their own best interests.
Maybe stop telling people what comment to post? Even if I would have ever considered posting something else, this reply is so god damn annoying that I'm going to post a linux comment now.
doing something against better judgement out of stubbornness harms no one but yourself. be my guest...
Of course Linux users are annoying, who isn't sometimes? Promoting this self-own mindset isn't good for you or other users. Is good for Microsoft however..
Yeah, if Linux wants to become an alternative OS for average folks, its users need to stop being so evangelical and obnoxious. I'm sure there are linux users who don't blow goats, they're just not on lemmy, or they're keeping quiet.
Linux is a bunch of code. It doesn't want anything.
As much as I want the user base to grow so companies feel obligated to support the platform, I don't really personally want to support many people re-learning how to use their computers
macOS here yay, the ui is sooo good
Windows is seriously worst mix out of the three options. The only thing it has is legacy programs support and it’s not even a pro just a feature someone may need
And VR gaming yeah unfortunately I am not sure anything will replace my gaming 4090 7800x3d rig soon. Unless I will just get bored with it.
Worst thing is windows isn’t even better for gaming. It’s just better because it’s what devs release for because everyone uses it. It would be so much better on Mac or Linux, you know actual modern systems instead of the convoluted windows frankenstein one has to go back to to run the latest drivers.
I am almost ready to sell the rig and finally say goodbye if not for VR
Switch to Linux!
Where your sound card can stop working randomly when you reboot, or your network card won't work at the same time as your mouse!
Back to the home, grandpa
I've never had any issues like that, been running Fedora for 3 or so years now.
actually these are the kind of issues I'm having on windows right now. (i have a secondary machine with windows 11)
sound card stops working if i have my mic enabled for too long, network card driver stops refreshing ipv6 adresses randomly, cpu usage randomly spikes to 100% while in sleep mode (causing the temperature to spike to like 95 degrees because the fan exhaust is covered when the lid is closed (also i have disabled auto updates (using a GPO, i do them manually) and background ms defender scans, so it's not that))
I'm considering just nuking that install too
Wow, I have no idea what copilot is and why would you want to hide the desktop. It used to be you had 'show desktop' button on the task bar. I guess I've been happily using Linux for too long.
I was equally confused about what people meant with hide the desktop. I assume they meant show the desktop.
I have an alternative: just use Windows 7. No problem. No ad. No Linux Terminal scary. All program works. Do the needful, switch now.
Honestly, people who are still on windows at this point deserve this shit. 99% of corporate IT users are completely unwilling to stand up to their company's IT policies, no matter how disruptive those are to the workflow - and I am not even talking about operating system choice here.
Since 95% and more of my colleagues in all prior jobs refused to stand up for the most basic necessities (such as a proper email program, or webmail access while NOT on a corporate device), then I don't give a fuck about them suffering from Windows while I happily left corporate IT for a service contract and work on my self-managed device.
More will get there eventually, they're just know different things or draw the line at a different point, or have other things going on in their life. With more free software options comes more people able to achive their computing self respect.
I am supportive when someone tries, but most people don't want to switch, yet expect "the tech person" in their family to fix their computer when they break it yet again. After fixing my parents' computer a couple of times and offering to show them how easy it is to use a Linux, which I could support them with, and hearing "nah, we're too old for [ something new ]" - 15 years(!) ago, I told them to not bother me again with their Windows problems, so they have to pay someone doing tech support for their home computers.
If everyone did that - leave windows users dead in the water with the excellent /s Microsoft support, the number of windows users would quickly dwindle.
