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Windows has gone so off the rails with dark patterns. MacOS as well but not as bad. Both are buggy as shit. Dealing with incompatible drivers / endless configuration is starting to look like a worthwhile compromise.

Microsoft edge is the worst laptop I've ever had. In the course of two years, I went through five of them. They'd just randomly stop working, completely bricked. No explanation, I felt like I was going crazy

Oh yeah, Microsoft is a big drag!!

Shots fired. Accurate, but in the backs of your own side. You’ll be tried for treason.

Linux, don't you mean Linus? He's Lucy's kid brother in the Charlie Brown shows..... (TBC, I'm kidding).

@mrcab55.bsky.social you guys were telling me this 20 years ago 🤣

I hate the extra work of turning off, deleting, hacking out all the useless annoyances that come with Windows, but Linux is basically the same problem from the other angle! I'd just be doing as much or MORE tedious work to achieve a regular functioning system that I'm close enough to with Windows

how can you say this

And that's why I haven't attempted the switch. Ugh

Linux is great for anyone with a bit of knowledge about tech. It's also great for those with zero interest in tech. If you have a friend who can set it up for you, it just works. (And I've done that for several people.) It's not so good for the big majority in between.

this is so powerful

poor normal people. you’re absolutely right that they won’t cope with linux. but they deserve better than anything Microsoft is prepared to give them.

In 2021 I did a 1k mile road trip in a Mustang Mach-E to show how terrible charging infrastructure is in the US for non-Teslas. The whole time I had people in comments saying “Just use this random crowdsourced app of working stations!” The point was to show what would happen if my mom bought it.

"I am acting as if I am a normal person" got a good laugh from me

SOOO annoying moving from Windows to Windows. No, I don't want extensions hidden, My bet is that "recent browsing history" means they're sending it back to MS \for advertising\ to help you save data in case of a crash.

normal people are doing the right thing with linux tbh

I had to provide this exact same tech support earlier this year! I have no relevant experience other being younger, less easily intimidated by IT, and more prepared to Google through it. My Dad would have seriously tossed that printer rather than get through it. This shit is infuriating

Here's a bespoke comparison of linux distros and their technical and philosophical differences so you can make an informed choice (note: some of the choices are WRONG WRONG WRONG): 1/∞

That's windows fault not our🤷🏾‍♂️ but do enjoy your new laptop!

Anything prebuilt is hell these days. At least if you DIY, you usually get away with just having to clean up the garbage from the Windows install (and maybe wrestle with whatever janky control center software your motherboard manufacturer has). Not much choice there with laptops, though.

And for weeks and months afterwards it keeps saying "let's finish setting up your PC", mainly because you chose to use Firefox and not Edge. Disregarding Linux for now, does a new Mac do this?

The amount of pain Windows puts you through is rapidly exceeding the amount of trouble Linux does. And if you get Linux pre-installed, it’s less. Most people just need to know where their web browser is. Otherwise, get a Mac. Yes, the initial cost is more, but a cheap OEM laptop lasts half as long.

Android is Linux, and MacOS has very similar command line interactions making it basically Linux. Also these days it’s just as easy or easier to use than the bloated “mainstream” operating systems. You’re just being blissful in your ignorance and unwillingness to try something new.

😹

I used to have a sign on my desk: To err is human. To totally fuck things up you need a computer.

I switched to apple (except for my PC which I rarely use anymore anyway). I’m shocked at the difference in user experience. Canceling my Microsoft subscription and my Google Drive subscription were lowkey nightmares, as were getting things reset because everything wants to use my old phone to ID me.

one of the many reasons phones are ubiquitous but computers are not quite

Microsoft tried to solve this in 2012 with their "Signature Series" PCs. They sold PCs from other manufacturers with a fresh install of Windows and none of the extra crap. It was killed after 5 years, probably to push the Surface brand and their own extra crap. web.archive.org/web/20120429...

Y'know, I'm reminded of the many comments I've seen to the effect of "kinda wild how only one generation [Millennials] learned to use computers." But the joke doesn't mention how part of that might be that one generation (Millennials) have ruined them since.

Stop blaming the computer!! From what you've written, it works well. Your beef is with the Operating System and software. I won't say "try Linux" but I use it for the reasons you complain about. Privacy is respected, terms of use are fair, and updates fast and easy. Complaining isn't a solution.

stop trying to tell me about Linux! I have gone 38 years without learning anything other than there's a sickly penguin and a red hat! Normal people do not experience Linux! For shame!

i still remember reading that bill gates email to microsoft complaining about how the new OS was too slow and unresponsive (XP? ME? I can't remember)

I was seriously relieved when I started listening to your podcast and realized my increasing levels of frustration with modern tech are not because I'm getting older (I'm only 40 for gods's sake!) but because everything is actively getting worse. 🫠

I think this is why iphones and ipads are becoming the primary way people engage with the internet/communications now

Too Shay! It’s all way too much. I long for the days of simple. This generation of tech just reeks of greed and upsell.

Most friends ask me to set up their new machines as far less painful both for them and I - I whizz through accepting the minimum and creating the least ongoing support needs.

lol I was previously a Linux sys admin for web app dev (for a living), and now an R programmer in an Apple ecosystem, and today my dad clicked on some sketchy link that made his windows laptop go into a security freak out tailspin and I was like “uh dad I don’t know wtf to do except hard reboot?”

the other half of the millions of normal users have a similar but equally nonsense computer setup for work i have one of the ‘better’ ones but the laptop would die if it goes over an hour and a half without getting plugged in

Manufacturers should not be putting insane amounts of bloatware onto their devices. Idk if it’s a cost thing but it’s insane the amount of software that comes installed on Windows machines these days that provides 0 or negative value.

Most people think giving away their personal info is the trade off for functional tech. My parents don't think twice when asked for their email, DOB, gender and phone number. It's disgusting the way the tech industry takes advantage of people that don't know better

Windows is literally unusable with default settings and stock bloatware. And there is no way to get out of this market, you can spend $1500-$2000 on a Thinkpad and it still has it. It’s wild cause the bloatware will literally eat up half the stock ssd and load the processor enough to kill battery

You're right. The median PC setup experience even drives experienced users to alternatives like MacBooks & ChromeBooks if they don't absolutely need a Windows system. Not that they lack dark patterns, but it's not Windows via [insert manufacturer here.]

I look forward to your write up! 🐧

This was hilarious to see outside the context of the original post. "Acting as if I am a normal person." Fucking mood, my friend.

they think the penguin is bothersome gonna rattle around my brain for a long time

linux opinion that's like fifteen years out of date...

penguins are worse than horseflies istg

(before someone tries to tell ME about Linux, I use arch btw)

I literally had to make a boot drive two days ago and it hung on the boot check. apparently Windows' autoplay fucks with the image as it's being written, so I had to reflash the USB all over again. easy/annoying for ME to fix but I imagined my mom trying to deal with it on her and. lmao.

I've found Linux Mint to be about 95% not clunky. It's the remaining 5% that kills it for the average user.

normal people likely can't afford a macbook, thus you have already failed the second test, the first test was called reading the post

I know the penguin well—I worked for Sun Microsystems a hundred years ago. 😂

windows requires chainsawing out the bits i don't want, linux requires elaborately constructing a tale of software i would like to work, as a software engineer i am finding my perfect cave to live in so i can fight all of the murderbots trying to sell me nootropics

Man, thanks for doing this. I literally have no idea what's happening when I buy new tech. Why? Why is it so hard?

Why is this laptop trying to sell me books

As a Linux person, this sort of exercise is very useful to understanding people's experiences...somewhere between user research and sociology. It's shocking just how involved and high-maintenance Windows can be and how vigilant you have to be these days to keep it from changing the deal on you.

Have you tried using it with your own custom-compiled kernel w/ community patches to optimize it for your particular hardware in Gentoo though?

the penguin is somewhat more bothersome than the window for now.

My mom's Windows laptop was so fucked with shitware that it was essentially unusable and unrecoverable. So I put Windows in a jail partition and installed Linux. She no longer has the privileges to install shitware and is blown away by how awesome it is. All she needs is a browser anyway.

What brand ?

This is a really good idea for a newsletter and also your blood pressure must be so high right now

I usually just ask "Yes, but which flavour of Linux?", then stand back and watch

I'm not even a "normal person" and I find that penguin bothersome.

Brave man

Actually I respect this a lot for an article. Often something I talk about with others in the tech/gamedev space is exactly this. Looking at what normal people are doing with the product. Not everyone is a power user, and some are barely a user at best. People tend to forget that.

normal people do know if you've introduced them. but they won't have the know-how to burn their own cd or usb to do a clean install

How much worse is this than the early 2000’s when PCs were full of tons of bloatware that would run on startup? When I’d have to dig into settings to not have the computer default to the Compaq media player or RealPlayer when I put in an audio CD?

Sorry - now if you ever want to sue Microsoft or any company that has ever used it’s software you actually have now agreed to settle those disputes in a trial by combat.

I've coined a phrase "one step above Amish" to describe most of the population when it comes to tech

To war with… companies that don’t care! Margins too slim. Must make money of crap software. Good luck!

No such thing as a crapware-free Windows PC, when the crapware call is coming from inside the house. Windows can still be good, but it takes a lot of effort to trim away the fat. Pressuring users into their first-party software is a tale as old as Windows, but it didn't used to suck this bad.

"Super Size Me" but for technology -- is there a hit documentary in Ed's future?

every time I log into another school computer, sometimes even if it's the same, I am greeted with the same issue of having to disagree three or four times to separate kinds of data collection by Edge and now just use Firefox Portable again

You are supposed to be getting your 23 year old kid to click through all this garbage then set up your web browser with the four shortcuts you actually use and maybe he or she will finally teach you at Christmas how to organize the vacation photos on your phone.

Which will suck everything off your desktop and hide it somewhere in Bill Gates garage. Good luck.

This is so slimy. It seems to be Microsoft getting your "approval" for them to plunder your data from chrome, since otherwise only google would have it.

Bought a laptop last year for gaming with my partner and had the same experience. Absolute dogshit onboarding experience with non-stop ads and upselling for inscrutable products that no living human needs

Access to browsing data is an easy “yes”. Everything is shared between multiple devices (PC, desktop, laptop, mobile). OneDrive, same, everything is shared.

Oh my God. I volunteer helping seniors with tech. You should actually keep going, and check out the dark patterns written into some of the software they end up using. I've come to the conclusion that many seniors are not bad at tech, they are actively being confused by dark patterns.

Of course it’s a fucking Acer.

Never choose OneDrive unless it's forced on you by your employer

”Hi I'm Microsoft and the default location for your saved documents is OneDrive. No, I have no idea how you would access your documents if you found yourself without Internet access, why do you ask?"

If a simple URL works (as per the second pic), what the hell is in the QR code?? :-)

Did the "Learn more" lead to anything useful or was it just the usual "customer experience improvement" lorem ipsum?

God, it's been a while since I saw a sticker boasting about 1080p.

It says on the screen what it does. Why do you agree to something you didn't understand? PEBKAC

oh god *and* it's an acer too

0.o i hope my 2008 imac is immortal because i'm not doing any of this.

My Mini PC gives me a one drive ad about every other time I update. I never have wanted one drive. I will never have one drive. I have iCloud from my phone and can use that. Please stop harassing me and my family for your dumb cloud service Microsoft!

Some people have the job of just doing this all day, setting up computers for the others at their company.

Spend some time in his archives too. He's incisive and funny af.

In addition to all this with my two kids’ laptops, I’ve had to go back several times to fully delete and destroy all of the anti-virus apps. Not to mention the general shittiness of Win 11. One laptop has the intermittent freeze bug, the other needed a hard battery reset when it stopped recharging.

Computers from Costco are remarkably free from Crapware, FYI

I work at a university that uses mostly PCs but thank god for the technology department. They set everything up for us and it’s very clean. They even do the updates.

omg yeah I completely understand why so many people are uninterested in computers, windows has become so annoying, hostile and anti-user. I HATE that I'll have to upgrade to 11 next year for continued service...

I'm locked out of one of my business websites until I open a square account. I can't edit it, change payment, nothing. There's no way I'm getting the square account, so time for a new website with a new host.

I have a mac at home and windows at work, I kind of hate that you can’t buy and install any MS software anymore - only a subscription. (Kind of helps with not doing work on my personal laptop though)

That's depressing but fortunately still avoidable, at least for now, with penguin stuff (but yeah you have to know about it)

My wife has had two cheap ones and barely used them. They were just slow enough to pull out and boot up that she was usually better off going to use the desktop or just using her phone. A guy in my D&D group has one just to facilitate discord and foundryVTT and it struggles with that workload.

My 5 year old laptop is starting to chug and this thread terrifies me

Found that copy pasting email addresses too

h a t e.

I tried running the preinstalled windows setup with my latest notebook, couldn't handle it, had RevOS and Linux installed by the end of the day. It's no wonder normies prefer their phones to PC nowadays, the Windows laptop experience is absolute dogshit

It's a disease, there's almost no downside to just getting an OEM Windows and doing a fresh install with none of that crap (well, other than the stuff Microsoft try to foist on you).

Apple is on the glutton train too. They all are.

my 11 yo Macbook Air still performs as well as any 1 yo PC Its only just reached end of OS life, so I feel like putting it in a glass display case

Whats weird is the apple computers are pretty good. Everything else they make? Hot trash.

My wife is getting her dad a Chromebook for Xmas, we were talking about specs and I said probably the most important thing is just being around when he first starts it up to help him navigate all the logins and "free trial" prompt garbage that comes on new consumer grade laptops now.