thejevans, 1 year ago (edited 11 months ago)

I just got rid of my last Windows installation, and I got rid of all my Apple devices a couple years ago. The Linux life is so nice!

On the other hand, I just setup a Windows gaming machine for a friend (I would have pushed Linux, but I live far away and can’t commit to being tech support). There were so many hoops to jump through to cut through all the crap:

• I had to set the region to somewhere in the EU so that my friend can uninstall Edge sometime in March, 2024 without breaking other functionality
• I had to run a hidden script at a specific point during the install to allow me to not have to use a Microsoft account
• I had to disconnect the non-boot drive and reinstall because the Windows installer uses motherboard drive ordering instead of UUID to decide which drive to put the boot partition on.
• I had to run Win Debloat Tools to get rid of all the crap Microsoft adds to their OS
• I had to find a 3rd party driver update tool because the motherboard manufacturer’s software is terrible and installs a bunch of extra crap.
• I had to install a 3rd party Nvidia driver update tool because their official one requires making an account and gives a bunch of unwanted ads as notifications.

It’s seriously bonkers. It makes you really appreciate Linux as a whole and package managers in particular.