Windows: We built in the dark patterns so you don’t have to worry about 3rd parties fucking with you because you are already fucked!
True, but from my distro-hopping I learned there are quite a few Linux distros that throw tantrums when you try to install w/o wifi, and some ISOs that flat out don’t allow it. I’m not technically sharp enough to find the link, but this and most of my other problems with Linux went away when I stopped using distros built with systemd.
CachyOS is fast, sure. But have you tried Void? MX? Artix? PCLinuxOS? All very fast, and way fewer tantrums/stability issues. Systemd acts like a bureaucrat that checked out long ago, but keeps the job because of the benefits and does it as spitefully as possible. It’s about what I’d expect from a corp like Red Hat, and one day it’ll ask for your government ID to install.
The Linux community should get serious about systemd and how it talks to newcomers about it. It’s annoying now, and it’ll be a liability later.
You can install them all without WiFi easily by plugging in an ethernet cable. Easy.
I meant to say internet. Tysm for correcting me. I’m truly grateful and humbly request that you take an unchaperoned bath with my teenage daughters.
And “install” is literally optional
Using Windows for me is a cumulation of annoying little things that becomes too big to ignore. Another thing you can add on that list is fiddling with keyboard layouts if you don’t use the default US one. And be sure to delete them all except the one you want to use, even the sub layouts, because accidentally hitting a key combo could switch it back to the default US one.
It’s a specific pet peeve that I have against Windows. I’ve had so many calls (I do tech support) from people that had their computer suddenly not making the characters they wanted, sometimes only in specific programs, just to discover that they reverted to the default layout by hitting Win + spacebar at some point.
I recently had to install Windows 11 from a USB for a friend building a PC. The last time I did that was Windows 7, and oh boy, has that process been enshittified to hell since then.
Honestly, I think I will refuse to install Windows when helping with future PC builds, just because it was such a pain-in-the-ass. The amount of adware you had to actively refuse, through a maze of dark-pattern designs was borderline dystopian.
then quit using it. take off your leash.
Shift + f10 for cmd. Then do “start ms-cxh:localonly” and hit enter. Enjoy local user profile without internet.
I have no issues doing an offline install of windows 11. Just like running linux at some point you will want to connect to the Internet for proper updates, but it’s entirely possible and not near as hard as this is pretending.
start ms-cxh:localonly or one of those rufus unattended things are the only ways i could ever set up Windows anymore, their stock config is some bullshit
I just wish I could run Linux without CLI
And here I am at work with windows and running just things out of command prompt and powershell because it’s much faster and more efficient.
mfs will learn powershell to debloat windows 11 and wade through regedit but the intuitive linux terminal is STILL too goddamn scary
intuitive linux terminal
Which one is that? Powershell is way more intuitive than bash and I like bash.
bash is more intuive than pwsh imo.
See my other response on this thread for my reasoning. If you still disagree I’d love some guidance on how to use bash more intuitively.
Powershell is just json with jq abilities
But it is intuitive. There’s no arguing that.
Is it? I find them both equally unintuitive tbh. You really just have to memorize the commands you frequently use, or keep looking them up.
Powershells commands are “Verb-Noun” and it makes it easy to search for the command you need. For example Get-Help Get-* will give you a list of all the “Get” commands and a brief description of what they do. Get-Verb will list the approved verbs so you know what verbs to search for. All within the shell. If there’s anything like that in bash I haven’t found it. I always have to search the web to figure out what I’m trying to do with it. Which can be annoying if I’m working directly on a headless system. Powershell also has aliases built in for bash and cmd commands so you can use those if you’re familiar with them. I hate Microsoft but it’s one thing I have to give hand to them.
That’s not to say bash is bad. It’s great. It’s just not nearly as intuitive.
In bash if you type the verb, then hit tab it will list the possible options, right? Is that not the same kind of thing?
Tab completion isn’t really what I’m talking about here. Powershell’s intuitiveness comes from the ease of finding the command you need. For instance if you type “copy” into bash and hit tab you’re not going to get anything. That’s because the command for copying a file in bash is “cp”. Now, how do you find that out using only the shell? You can use apropos, but who’s going to be able to figure that out without a web search? I had to try several variations of “find commands in bash” just now to get Google to mention it. Most things in bash are like this, there’s no real naming convention and most of the time the names are pretty meaningless by themselves. It’s a big barrier for people who are new to it or only use it sporadically.
Conversely, typing “copy” into powershell and hitting tab you will get a number of options which shouldn’t take much for a beginner to locate copy-item from there or you can find it via the previous methods I mentioned.
I genuinely think you may just be more familiar with PS. I use “Get-Printer” all the time, but it’s not like I was able to discover that command or syntax without web searches. Same with “cp” in bash. I had to learn it and use it, but I’m never going to forget it now. Something that seems inconsistent/unintuitive to me in PS, is some commands specify an object with:
-Name ="the name"Other times it’s like:
Name "the name"I keep a notebook handy for things that I use as frequently as several times a week.
Searching commands online is a perfectly valid way to find things, especially if you don’t know how to discover them within the shell. My point is that powershell is fantastic for that and bash is not. Years ago, I read maybe 1/3 of a powershell book and it was enough to set me off and figure most things out on my own from there. It’s rare I have to go online to find something. I’ve read/watched quite of bit of bash content over the years and I can’t say the same. I still struggle with it or have to go back and check my notes all the time. I am more familiar with powershell but I’ve been using bash quite a bit longer. For me that highlights what I’m talking about here in terms of intuitiveness.
As for the inconsistency issue, I’m sure there are inconsistencies in either shell but I’d need more information to explain this one, the only time I can recall something like what you’re referring to would be commands where -Name is a parameter, vs something like a -Filter parameter where you entering name as what you’re filtering for but that would need more than -Filter Name “name” to work(I think). For the most part I find powershell to be very consistent once you understand what’s going on. Bash as well, but it’s harder to get to the “understand what’s going on” stage.
deleted by creator
I mean you don’t even have to install, just boot the iso and click try now
Until people can buy a computer CHEAPLY and easily at Walmart with a distro preinstalled, Linux isn’t going to make a lot of headway very fast. They are too lazy to be bothered to download a distro, make a bootable iso, wipe and do a fresh install.
And yes, they are that lazy unless really pushed to do it.
For most of them it’s not “laziness” but ignorance. They don’t know it’s an option, they don’t know why you’d want to do it, and the don’t know how to do it.
Oh, they are at least dimly aware they could do something else. But they choose not to because they resist learning.
We call this “monopolistic behavior”
Whatever comes with the thing is going to be most popular by default. Windows knows this. Apple knows this. Linux simply doesnt have the funds to buy out manufacturers
That’s the link you need to break. Until then, Linux is stuck as an also ran.
I guarantee if I sold a normie a KDE laptop theyd have no idea until they needed to run an exe, then theyd review bomb me for selling them a scam laptop
That’s the refusal to learn. People really hate learning anything new these days. And that includes many here.
Still, there is hope. With the common idea of “App Stores” really taking hold with users, thanks to the ubiquity of cell phone ownership and Chromebooks, users are comfortable with a software manager that gets referred to as App Store. And distros are starting to act upon that by simply rename their software management software and adding a colorful friendly UI to it. It’s marketing.
There are 1000’s of programs available that can meet almost every “regular user’s” daily needs. What is lacking is a universal packaging format that is easy to use. Ubuntu has their “we dropped the ball” Snaps and Fedora pushes Flatpaks. AppImages also exist, but not to the extent as Flatpaks and are a bit more of a hassle to use than a Flatpak. And it appears that Flatpaks are currently leading as the universal software management race. If all distros were to agree to one package format, that would remove one of the biggest hurdles and kills the .exe argument. And that seems unlikely at this point in time. Even die hard Linux users will argue against it. But until at least the most common distros hop on that bus, Windows users will resist your KDE laptop.
they used to sell them, but it was all shit-tier hardware and didn’t sell.
They dabbled with no commitment. And at that time people were always looking for the next faster machine. We could actually afford to. So low spec machines were not a viable sales point.
You mean headway… on the desktop.
Even when I offered my father to do this for him, even picking Zorin OS (since it seems to be decently close to a Windows look and feel). He refused stating that he’s not techsavvy enough to use it.
My conspiracy theory/pattern recognition shows that anyone unironically using the words “Tech Savvy” in 2026 are either well meaning pirates or just straight up ignorant on purpose. Computers have been mainstream at the very least for 2 decades and you havent bothered to learn anything about them??
Do you know the Secretary Problem?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_problem
Your father’s been using computers for some number of years. It’s possible he’s been using computers for longer than he will continue using computers. From his perspective, the current edition of Windows is better than anything that’s come before it, so it’s the rational choice to stick with it until the end.
To get around this, you would basically need to set up a second machine with Zorin so that he can get some context before making a decision. That way, in the very realistic scenario where he decides it’s not for him, he hasn’t lost anything.
Us old people are often adverse to learning new things. It’s not a surprising thing. You are getting the same way yourself about some knowledge.
My main gripe is the clicking.
Clicking clicking clicking.
I’ve got keybord navigation down to an art-
But sometimes you have to click.
You have to move your hand from your… Keyboard, let’s say, and switching to mouse, and that split second matters because it throws everything out of rhythm, causing friction where none is needed.
Clicking, clicking, clicking.
That’s my main gripe.
The clicking.
I am Anna, and this is my testimony.
Commit your testimony to an archive.
You could even name it… Anna’s archive.I’m not a comic book villain. Do you seriously think I’d explain my masterstroke to you if there were even the slightest possibility you could affect the outcome? I registered that domain 35 minutes ago.
I’ve never had an issue clicking “domain join instead” and creating a local account
