Have to use Windows for work (I’ve asked), the ads have been getting worse and worse on my work laptop. Today got a game ad notification… That’s clearly too far, right? Like I have to clear notifications, so I have to see it
When Windows started getting pre installed bloatware is around the time I made my full switch to Linux. When Samsung phones started doing the same, I switched away from them too. Srsly, I will become a luddite before I use any devices that force apps I don’t want on me. It’s abusive and shouldn’t be legal.
Yes. Even though not using all this crap may sometimes feel like you’re missing out on certain stuff, it is still the right thing to do. I don’t support abusive behavior, bloatware and spyware, so companies doing that will not receive any money from me if I can help it.
We’re basically just one step ahead of the general population, who basically (still) eats up anything that’s being served by big tech corporations, without any second thoughts or hesitations. The general population IMHO is currently at the stage that nerds were like 25 years ago, in that they tend to be naively enthusiastic about every new piece of tech. But nowadays, tech can be abusive towards their users, and so it’s important to choose the right tech. The general population hasn’t made that realization yet (or they don’t care, which also must change).
The media is also partly to blame for this, for example almost every new review of any Samsung or Apple phone is usually very positive, usually just reporting about the advancements in hardware and UI, without even mentioning any of the downsides these have on the software side. And so when reviews don’t even mention downsides anymore, there’s a lack of information available.
And it’s not even that regular users don’t like the alternatives. For example I convinced a friend to move from a regular spyware-infested Samsung Galaxy phone (which he was using all the time, and he even wanted to buy a new one) to a Pixel with GrapheneOS. He’s not missing anything, even though his transition wasn’t super smooth, overall he’s happier now, and he mentioned that he likes the OS being so clean and unencumbered. He doesn’t particularly care about the privacy and security improvements which he now also enjoys, which is a bit sad, but at least he’s happy with the lean and unmodified Android (open source) experience.
So, as usual, information/knowledge is power. People need to know that alternatives exist and that some alternatives are actually really, really good. And they need to know what the problems are with the “default stuff everyone uses”, so that they can make better informed decisions in the future. They also need to become less dependent on big tech companies. The alternatives have little to no PR and thus little public visibility in comparison, except via word of mouth, so we need to make the most out of that.
Very good statement, although I disagree with the claim that “nerds” were naive 25 years ago, as the GNU Project and the free software movement exist since the 80s already, meaning that at least some intelligent and tech literate people already realised the destructive potential of closed-source and unfree software!
Not OP but I switched to a FairPhone 3 as soon as it came out after my Samsung experiences. Also wanted MicroSD and Dual-SIM, replacable batteries, easy to fix, longtime support.
Still loving it ❤ FairPhone️ 3.
Back then it shipped with Android 9 and recently got Android 13. That’s support.
Yeah and you can easily put custom ROMs on these, much more easily than on Samsung phones, though it is quite possible for older models of those (I am running Android 12 on my Samsung Galaxy Note II that is by now 11 years old lol)
Thanks! I’ll give it a shot. I wish I could just have YouTube links open in the browser. I hate the app. I have to close it 3 times before the stupid video window goes away.
Not panCat but I’ve been using Mint (cinnamon) for a couple of months now, it’s snap-less Ubuntu (snaps are a controversial packaging format, plenty of videos on that) with a Windows 10-esque UI and lots of actually useful apps pre-installed OOTB, 9/10 can recommend (not 10 bcs it looks a bit…old,but I guess you can customize it or put KDE if u want)
Mint is good. It’s based on Ubuntu, but it has a more Windows-like interface. You’ll be able to follow along with most ubuntu tutorials while having a more familiar experience. It also supports a wider array of software and imo has a better ethos than Ubuntu (much like Ubuntu has a better ethos than Windows).
I use a MacBook Air M1 a lot for my work and otherwise but I’m growing tired of it. I can’t use dual monitors without special software. I wanted to buy the M1 Mac Mini and you double the price of you wanna upgrade the storage/ram to something usable.
My mini pc arrived today and I’ve done some reading on Mint after you mentioned it, so I can install Cinnamon or what have you and it sounds like it’s a pretty ideal set up! Thanks!
It took a bit of time, I haven’t used linux in a while. I’ve been mainlining Mac with Windows for gaming.
Some configurations took longer than I thought. I’ve had issues with my monitors going down and not coming back up. I sucked at setting the grub bootloader. However, I’ve been using it for like two days now and I love it. I forgot how snappy linux can feel relative to the others. I’m excited with setting up my development environment with it.
Just installed Pop on my new (refurb) laptop. I like it quite a lot. If games were as easy as on windows I’d probably run it on my desktop as well. Maybe I will anyway, when I can be bothered to understand how to get things running.
Ikr?! Shame that “Linux is to hard and can’t play games”. It’s not like installing any distro of Linux is super hard. Or Proton is built into Steam and sometimes Runs Windows games better than Windows does or anything… Or that the vast majority of applications people use are web browsers anyway
Almost as infuriating as ads coming over the Life Alert system.
You know those ads with the old lady like “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”. Little radio thing you wear around your neck to act as emergency channel to contact someone if you’re stuck somewhere.
Well, somebody decided old people with a comm device around their neck would make a great marketing segment for targeted ads. Through the fucking safety device.
This is the way. Do it on your phones, tablets, computers, etc., then set reminder on your to do list to check important apps once a week. My personal email can be checked one day a week and my work email when I come in, lunch, and before I leave. I don’t need a popup on my phone, watch, Alexa, car, and toaster every time amazon wants me to share my experience with a product. Notifications murder my ability to focus.
My work forgot to remove game mode and a bunch of the built-in advertisement stuff from the workstation images they were using a while back, and I work for state government.
I used to work for a state University medical system. I spent weeks slimming down an image, making sure it worked, and removed all unnecessary functions. Then some director wanted solitaire and I had to change the image to include the games package. Not just his computer. Oh no. In case his PC needed reimaged, we must change the entire image and deploy to everyone.
Incidentally this makes me want to put the following plot into a sitcom:
Company lacks a computer and assigns an employee an xbox instead
They’re expected to use browser versions of slack, outlook, etc on the built-in edge browser
Their request for a keyboard is denied
This plot line goes background, but still appears in this form: any time that character’s input is considered in email or slack or whatever it’s ultra-short and contains tons of xbox-like abbreviations like “gg”
It ends up turning this character’s whole style into “man of few words”. Even in person they turn to him and his response after a really long wait is “We do Anne’s idea. Meeting over”
He flies up the corporate ladder as a result
Occasional shots inside his office as a high-level exec include a big TV and an xbox. The fact this is his work station is not overtly mentioned. You never see a laptop.
It might as well be. It’s a Windows app made by Microsoft specifically for Windows and comes preinstalled. IIRC, you can’t even fully uninstall the xbox bits without powershell or regedit.
Only the shortcut to the app was preinstalled on the build I put together a couple of months ago. When I tried to open it, it had to download and install first. Also, if you press Win+G to open the Game Bar and click the settings gear, under Notifications you can select “Hide notifications when I’m playing a fullscreen game”. Edit: or just turn off the Xbox app notifications if you don’t use it
I don’t get these on my Windows PCs. But I did turn off a few settings, installed Open Shell for the Win7 style start menu, and Explorer Patcher to fix Win11’s stupid task bar changes.
Im sure people do see these ads, and its definitely starting to go a bit far, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how. Ive never seen anything like this using multiple personal and work windows machines for ~10+ hours a day, every day.
Work makes sense, I believe its a couple of GPOs, but even at home when I boot a fresh image I tick like 3 boxes and just never see any ads.
The only situation I can think of is prebuilt machines and laptops with preloaded configurations that people dont bother to change, but even then im pretty sure 5 minutes in settings will sort it out.
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