Today I installed Windows on my laptop and then I visited Reddit without being logged in. The two experiences are very similar.
I usually use Linux, so installing a new OS is really clean. You just end up with an empty operating system and you can do whatever you want.
But while installing Windows the damn program kept asking me for information and pressuring me into giving up my email address and phone number. Then when I finally got in, it’s full of apps like fucking D!sney and Sp0tify… GTFO.
Then I go on Reddit, which I usually think of as a place where people post funny paragraphs and interesting questions… BUT NO… now it’s just a splash page full of pictures and ads and other bullshit.
I know that you already know this, but it’s sooo annoying and ugly.
For your next windows install d/c the Ethernet cable and dont put in the wifi, itll let you skip the account making process… for now.
I did skip the account creation process by choosing “offline” account (a clearly-intentionally-misleading name, since I can definitely go online). And in order to avoid having suggested ads I had to choose the “limited experience” (or some similar term, I forget exactly what it’s called).
So in the end I was still able to avoid the most gross stuff, but I had to run a gauntlet of loaded terms and weird social pressure from MS devs.
Sounds like its gotten worse, best of luck.
That’s funny. There is one post for your enjoyment surrounded by ads and suggestions. My goodness.
Windows:
Can we plz use speech recognition 🙏
No? Can we use location trackingggg?
No? How about advertising ID~~~~
Come onnnn you’re no fun. ☹ Also is your wifi on? Since you’re being such a meanie not letting us use your data, we’re making it difficult to continue without a Microsoft account. Hmph.
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I haven’t used windows in about a decade. I’m … Floored. Seems thats really not an experience one needs to have.
Also is your wifi on? Since you’re being such a meanie not letting us use your data, we’re making it difficult to continue without a Microsoft account. Hmph.
TBF the last time I tried to install linux, it made it difficult to get my wifi to work, because the drivers simply didn’t exist.
If Microsoft sold linux, they’d call that privacy by design.
Best program I’ve bought was NTLite, which allows you to customise a Windows ISO before installation, or edit a ‘live’ environment though this isn’t recommended. It takes a bit to get used to, though it’s incredibly powerful.
You can strip out pretty much all of that crud, including Edge, and prevent it from coming back using NTLite’s Host Update wizard, rather than Windows Update.
I have no financial interest in NTLite, I hope this helps someone make Windows decent again. It’s worth the money (about $50 if I recall correctly).
This is cool. I’ll look into it.
If you want to go through and murder some more useless windows processes check out the tool in this video. Also a good tool for bulk installation of common applications
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=ju_BSNKeP6w
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source, check me out at GitHub.
It seems the rumors were true, Lemmy users really do have hate-boners for Windows and rose-glasses for Linux. Not really different from what I expected, but not to the extent I have observed in my time here. It’s rather interesting to see.
Shocking news: Users of open-source platform like open-source software
Its not shocking. I even said I was not shocked in my comment. I just didnt expect to see as much of it as I do.
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