2-clicks to install Windows 11/10 without the third-party bloatware
You can block bloatware/partner/advertisement apps from cluttering up your fresh Windows installation by changing just one setting during the installation.
Final paragraph sums it best:
Don’t want any bloatware or subscription services preinstalled on your computer? Consider installing Linux instead of Windows the next time you’re reinstalling your computer.
I'm quite interested in using Linux, but it won't run many, if any of the 100s of plugins I own, let alone my audio interface, or my production software.
At least, that's my assumption. I did a search and can see there's a decent DAW for Linux (the amusingly-named Cockos Reaper), it's affordable at $80. But I'd also need to buy a new audio interface, there's a few that have Linux drivers. An expensive experiment. My interest is because it'd be amazing to have a stable system to play music live, with no weird Microsoft shit happening in the background guaranteed.
Maybe Ardour can fit? You can subscribe $1/mo or more for the binary or compile it yourself. Just cancel the subscription after if you can't keep up.
Does the interface that you have now work under Linux? Linux has pretty good support for a lot of things now, so you may be able to use what you have. Reaper also has a generous free trial, so potentially this is a free experiment. (I'm no expert and just tinker with this stuff, but I have Reaper and I find it similarly easy/difficult as every other DAW I've used) Several distributions have "live images" where you can run it from a flash drive without copying anything to the hard drive. I don't know if you could set up Reaper and your interface from a live image.
If you do decide to do an installation, consider buying a different hard drive and installing Linux on that. You can install both Windows and Linux on the same drive, and it's not difficult, but it is slightly easier to use a separate drive and they are not expensive.
I have used Linux and Windows a lot, but I have only used Reaper in Windows, so unfortunately I can't say whether it's a similar experience.
Most of us actually have software to run, not endlessly tinkering with a failed desktop OS
Lemmy has a strong bias towards Linux. I wouldn't say Linux is a failed desktop OS (but hey look at the marketshare) but the transition to Linux is not easy for majority of less tech savvy users. I know you guys have setup Debian/Ubuntu for your grandma and it has been working great since, you don't have to repeat that.
As someone who's been trying to move over to Linux for years and fallback to Windows every time I tried, there's always issues I need to troubleshoot, the most recent one would be mixed refresh rate monitors ie. running at 60Hz instead of 144Hz until I made specific change to a config file. And as a gamer, it makes it even harder - I am aware Proton is a thing now and 'most' games work out of the box, I have Steam Deck for my portable needs. Pay attention to the keyword 'most', when it doesn't work, I ain't wanna spend my previous time to troubleshoot so that I can play the game.
As for my Windows 11 experience, it hasn't been that bad. There's no more active prompts for update and restart your computer now or the world will end. UI also looks better with minimal tweaks. Is privacy concern something I should care more? Absolutely, but at this stage of my life, I value more on the consistency and expected behaviour from my PC.
Server use case on the other hand, Linux > all.
I was with you on the software compatibility point, but then you completely lost me with "failed desktop OS"...
Nice try Microsoft! I'll never install Windows ever again.
I wish I could be like you but I like HDR too much.
I was just thinking about this recently, there’s a lot of talk about HDR and nit brightness specs and such recently, but I must be the only one that finds current panels too eye-searingly bright. My current IPS monitor is set at 2% brightness and it’s just comfortable enough for daily use. Even my OLED TVs don’t have brightness set over 10%.
Microsoft has already earned enough money from your license purchase, and the software giant shouldn’t need to include any first- or third-party bloatware.
Microsoft:
Uhhhh I don't know about y'all but I got one Windows license for free back in college, and I've upgraded that one ever since to newer versions of 8, 10, and 11 for free. Oh yeah, and I actually scammed a second license out of that one, I just held on to my old Win7 drive for a few years, then booted it up in a new system one day and associated it with a different MS account, and upgraded it all the way to 10. The upgrade process gave me a second Windows key apparently, so I got two licenses for zero dollars.
And that's not even mentioning the $5 OEM licenses that you can get online..... Also, you know you don't NEED a Windows license, right? You can leave Windows deactivated indefinitely, the only downside is that "please activate Windows" shame text on your desktop (which you can get rid of with a registry edit).
Years ago I worked for a company that provided employees with an MSDN subscription. When I left I went in and activated all the product keys and put them in a spreadsheet. No one in my family has had to buy Windows in a long time
This will get patched fast. Microsoft loves the bloat!!
Aye. But make them work for it, eh? XD