SoylentNews

mcgrew writes:

My (not so) old Dell Windows 10 notebook that poorly converts to a tablet is on its last legs; the E, A, and 5 keys are troublesome. Annoying; I have an old HP laptop running XP that mostly works; the headphone jack and DVD are shot, but everything else works, albeit with a noisy fan.
        So I replaced it with a new, non-convertible Asus notebook running Windows 11, and it was an incredible surprise. For the first time I’ve seen since DOS 6.2 (I skipped Windows 8 after finding out it was just a test to see how much grief Windows’ customers were willing to take), Microsoft actually produced an operating system that not only didn’t suck worse than the last iteration, but is an actual improvement in a few ways.
        It seems to be snappier than 10. Usually a brand new Windows on a brand new computer is slower than the old one, if you’ve maintained it, because of the bloat. Yes, that’s not always true for everyone, but the hardware looks to be mostly compatible with the old Dell. It actually does some things, like copying to or from a thumb drive, faster than Kubuntu and Dolphin.
        Microsoft may have actually started listening to their customers! Setting up the new computer was far less hassle and nonsense than the old Windows 10 computer, but not nearly as effortless as installing Linux on a new, clean drive. Like 10, it gave me nonsense when I tried to install open source software, but I didn’t have to jump through nearly so many hoops to install everything that is on all of my Windows computers. And Audacity will play on Windows 11, unlike 10 after their last “upgrade”. I don’t know if it will record because like the Dell, its sound input is hard-wired to the microphone, which you can record with.
        It looks different, of course. Windows upgrades always do. The start button has moved to the center of the task bar, for one, and the weather indicator has moved to the left, but the changes in its looks aren’t nearly as jarring as the move from 7 to 10. When you hit the start key or button, a square pops up in the center of the screen with apps on it, apparently wanting to look like a tablet.
        I record music from YouTube and streaming radio on the Linux tower, fed from the Windows 10 tower with an audio patch cord; I haven’t figured out how or even if you can record the internet in kubuntu, which I still haven’t replaced yet.
        I use my big TV for a monitor for the two towers (should I name them Sauron and Saruman?), connected with HDMI. In the Windows 10 tower, I have to select between HDMI and line out. Using the Windows 10 notebook to play music, if I change the receiver from Bluetooth to FM, the speakers turn on. With the new Windows 11 notebook, I can have silence from the computer when I switch to a different input, my choice. Windows 11 is far less authoritarian to the user than 10.
        However, some of the cruft that they added to 10 that made it worse than 7 is still there, like they did back in the last century when “DOS ain’t done ‘til Lotus Won’t run.” The Justice Department went after them for using their OS monopoly to create a browser monopoly with their abysmal Internet Exploiter Browser. I believe “IE” actually stood for “Isn’t excellent.” President Bush let them off.
        They’re doing it again, and this time, “Don’t be evil” Google is doing it too: Android ain’t done ‘til Firefox barely runs Google News. Look at its HTML code some time. But Microsoft has made their renamed IE its help facility, and worse, it’s only online. Nobody needs air gap security any more? And no, it doesn’t respect your default browser.
        As I booted the Windows 10 tower this morning, after the screen where you enter a pin (I wish I knew how to boot straight to the desktop like the Linux tower), a fullscreen window popped up trying to get me to install their abysmal web browser on my phone and tablet! The nerve of those assholes!
        So if your computer is running Windows 10 and is able to run 11, you should upgrade; at least, if it’s free. It’s still not good enough to actually pay for.

Original Submission