So basically, for the last week my dad's old laptop have been absolutely wrecked by update. His laptop restarts while in use without warning, it forces updates and literally bluescreens because of it, all sorts of Windows update process and "compatibility telemetry" are taking 90% of the CPU and memory resources and when I kill them then force restart, the laptop lags like hell for a moment.

So what I'm saying, is Microsoft secretly fucking up with old PCs and laptops that are still good enough to run 10 but can't upgrade to 11? Like what Apple did with their old phones? I've been trying to look for information about this yet none of the tech sites turns up anything.

    • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      IMO linux is like one of the lowest effort things any actual communist should do, because it's basically communism for your computer

      How are you gonna communism the people if you can't even communism your computer? You know?

      t. mint noob

      • silent_water [she/her]
        ·
        3 years ago

        if you're not in a position to contribute back to these projects, this is more akin to identifying with a brand than doing communism in any sense. it might be a good idea for individuals or groups to switch to linux - I'd argue that's the case for anyone who spends considerable time in front of a computer - but it's not universally true. certainly there's an initial loss in capacity to get things immediately after you switch and overcoming that hurdle can take considerable time and energy - not something most of the working class actually has the excess slack to accommodate. this is something a revolutionary org can fix by taking the burden of self-education off of individuals and sharing it collectively, but in the interim, I don't think it's fair to say that this is the least someone can do.

        • sooper_dooper_roofer [none/use name]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I’d argue that’s the case for anyone who spends considerable time in front of a computer - but it’s not universally true.

          that's pretty universally true on this website

    • SolidaritySplodarity [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      There are easy to install Linux distributions where the primary hurdle is putting the installation stuff on a USB drive and making your computer boot from it.

      But it's still got a learning curve just like switching to a Mac has one. And with Linux there's more variety in a lot of places where MS or Apple only offer one thing, so your experience depends on which desktop environment you use, for example (GNOME, KDE, others).

      You can dual boot, where you have both Linux and Windows installed on one computer and restart to switch between them. You might want to try that out so that learning Linux stuff is low-pressure but you'll be able to make a full switch more easily down the road.

    • Comrade_Crab [any]
      ·
      3 years ago

      You have to understand that Microsoft will drop Windows 10 support (security updates) in a couple of years and then you'll be forced to update to 11, if you plan on sticking to Windows. Switching to Linux is really easy nowadays, since there's a number of really popular distros like Manjaro, Ubuntu and Mint that are intended for casual users. They come with all the basic software (Firefox, Libre Office, media players etc) and drivers preinstalled and you don't even really ever need to learn how to use the dreaded terminal if you don't want to.

    • Azarova [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Do they make easy Linux install packages?

      i assume you mean the initial install, in which case, yes. many distros have a GUI installer that is very simple and easy to use.

      I hope I can play Civ

      yes! in fact, the last two Civ games have native versions , but even if they didn't, Valve's Proton has come a long way and only continues to improve. you can use the site i linked to check specific games on Steam to see if they work under Proton. if things require some tinkering to get working (happens fairly less often than things just working out of the box), the user reports almost always have a solution, if one is available.

      install emulators

      there's a program called RetroArch that will bundle all your emulators into one program. it's available on windows too, if you want to check it out before you decide if you're going to switch.

      MPC-BE

      though not native to Linux, it is apparently possible https://snapcraft.io/mpc-be

      Picasa Photo Viewer

      couldn't find much on this, but there are a bunch of good photo viewers for Linux. you can look for alternatives here: https://alternativeto.net/software/picasa/?platform=linux

      hope this helps! :meow-floppy: