It is strange to read an article detailing exactly why and how Microsoft has lost its way, leading to products that really just aren't good any more, all the way through to academic critiques of Microsoft's AI push (though, I'll note, the article goes out of its way to not mention Emily Bender).... only to read in the closing lines that the author is completely unwilling to even try Linux.
Like, fine, you do you. I've argued before that Windows' dominance is a threat to civil liberties, and that that threat is a systemic problem that also includes an individual component, but still. Not everyone is willing to tackle every problem, I get it.
But it's just such a clear example of *why* tech companies get to be the way they are without repercussions: there's no mainstream analysis that can end with seeking alternatives outside of corporate tech.
Hell, the author may have really good reasons for sticking with Windows, lots of people have professional needs that tie them to the platform, I get it! But that juxtaposition still strikes me: Windows sucks, here's why, and no, I'll never try to get away from it. The analysis stops before understanding what forces and power structures keep the author on Windows — again, you do you, not every article has to be complete. The omission still feels poignant, though.
The advice I've offered before, and that I'll offer again in this context, is that one day you may not have the option of continuing to use Windows, and Apple is speedrunning doing the same to macOS. Having a fallback plan now, even if it's impractical, can help prepare should the worst happen.
Maybe putting it a different way, the article in question and the stock advice "just use Linux" fail in the same way: they don't conceive of a world in which Linux is an alternative that can exist and that can be arrived at through an analysis of power structures without needing to assume it at the outset.
Open source isn't an axiom, and we've seen what happens when it's taken that way. But nor can adherence to corporate power be an axiom.
@xgranade a big part of the problem is that most computer users, and especially most Windows users, have *never* installed an operating system for their computer, and they do not have the skills to know what they are doing.
it's not just an ask to use linux, it's an ask to gain skills which are, tbh, only learned by certain kinds of people, and not really taught anywhere.
the average computer layperson does not know how to enter BIOS settings, does not know how to select a boot device, nor how to know which one to select, does not know the difference between BIOS and UEFI booting nor why that matters nor how to properly set up either. they may have never partitioned a storage block device before, and they may not know what a filesystem is nor how to know which is the right one for the system they are installing.
then there are all of urban legeds of linux which won't die, such as "free software is a virus", "you'll have to learn all new software that is completely different from Windows" (in some respects its true: you can't expect your Excel spreadsheets to open properly in another office suite because fuck Microsoft. you may not be able to run modern versions of MS Office in Wine, idk.), "the drivers don't work and you'll spend all of your time fixing them", etc. the layperson has no reliable way to evaluate what is true and what is not, without committing to the task.
and then there are the myriad of distrutions. how is a layperson to know which one to choose which will suit their needs with the least amount of headaches?
this is not say that none of this knowledge can be acquired and learned, but it's a lot of work to put in which a lot of people are not prepared for nor do they desire to do it.
@burnitdown @xgranade IMO the safest path for regular users is to buy a preloaded computer from one of the many vendors out there like @system76 No need to do anything fancy and it comes preloaded with an approachable desktop environment.
@burnitdown @xgranade @system76 Less than a new macbook but I agree it'd be better if folks reused hardware. I think businesses would have the highest impact rather than household consumers.
@burnitdown @xgranade Also for repairability and upgrades the @frameworkcomputer computers are decently priced and so easy to use https://frame.work/ca/en/laptop13