I’m a lifelong Windows user. I was using DOS and Windows 3.1 back in the 90’s. I learned how to set up and manage windows servers in college. I manage an active directory domain at work.
I did not like Windows 8 or 10. I think removing the start menu was stupid. Changing the right-click context menu was even more stupid. It seems every iteration of Windows up until Windows 7 focused on adding new features and improving the UI, where as every iteration after has stripped features away and made the UI worse.
Windows 11 was the last straw. I built a new PC earlier this year and run Nobara Linux on it. It’s not perfect, but it’s been fantastic and it works much better than Windows 10 or 11. Thanks to AI chatbots like Gemini I’ve been able to get help when it comes to learning terminal commands and configuring my OS just the way I want it. It plays all my games from Steam, GOG, itch.io, and even my ROM library. I’ve even been able to install Amethyst mod manager to install mods for Elder Scrolls Oblivion, which has been great fun. Amethyst also supports other Bethesda titles like Skyrim, Fallout, and Starfield. I’m very happy with it. It feels like I haven’t had to sacrifice anything. All my games work, but now I have total control over my UI, when my OS installs updates, and I have privacy again. No tracking BS reporting back to Microsoft.
Also at work we used to have over a thousand windows workstations. We’ve been switching our users over to chromebooks and now there are less than 100 windows workstations in our domain. Microsoft has lost me as a home customer, and over 90% of our business customers. I think they’ve shot themselves in the foot because I don’t see how cloud computing is going to carry them for much longer. I think almost half of microsoft’s cloud runs office 365 and onedrive, which home and office users don’t actually need. Libre Office exists and people can use dropbox instead, if they even need it. Many people can just use a USB drive like the old days. Microsoft Azure makes up just over half of microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, and a significant portion of their azure market is running AI clusters. I do think there is an AI bubble, and that won’t continue for long either.
I think Microsoft is going to have a comeuppance, and it will be well deserved. They brought this upon themselves.
I’m a lifelong Windows user. I was using DOS and Windows 3.1 back in the 90’s. I learned how to set up and manage windows servers in college. I manage an active directory domain at work.
I did not like Windows 8 or 10. I think removing the start menu was stupid. Changing the right-click context menu was even more stupid. It seems every iteration of Windows up until Windows 7 focused on adding new features and improving the UI, where as every iteration after has stripped features away and made the UI worse.
Windows 11 was the last straw. I built a new PC earlier this year and run Nobara Linux on it. It’s not perfect, but it’s been fantastic and it works much better than Windows 10 or 11. Thanks to AI chatbots like Gemini I’ve been able to get help when it comes to learning terminal commands and configuring my OS just the way I want it. It plays all my games from Steam, GOG, itch.io, and even my ROM library. I’ve even been able to install Amethyst mod manager to install mods for Elder Scrolls Oblivion, which has been great fun. Amethyst also supports other Bethesda titles like Skyrim, Fallout, and Starfield. I’m very happy with it. It feels like I haven’t had to sacrifice anything. All my games work, but now I have total control over my UI, when my OS installs updates, and I have privacy again. No tracking BS reporting back to Microsoft.
Also at work we used to have over a thousand windows workstations. We’ve been switching our users over to chromebooks and now there are less than 100 windows workstations in our domain. Microsoft has lost me as a home customer, and over 90% of our business customers. I think they’ve shot themselves in the foot because I don’t see how cloud computing is going to carry them for much longer. I think almost half of microsoft’s cloud runs office 365 and onedrive, which home and office users don’t actually need. Libre Office exists and people can use dropbox instead, if they even need it. Many people can just use a USB drive like the old days. Microsoft Azure makes up just over half of microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, and a significant portion of their azure market is running AI clusters. I do think there is an AI bubble, and that won’t continue for long either.
I think Microsoft is going to have a comeuppance, and it will be well deserved. They brought this upon themselves.