The consensus is growing. GOG's new owner can't stand Windows either: 'It's such poor-quality software… I can't believe it!'
GOG is a DRM-free game store the concentrates on classic games.
"Windows sucks" feels like one of the most uncontroversial statements you can make online these days. Between AI guff, constant upselling (would you like to purchase an Office 365 subscription? No? Okay I'll ask again tomorrow), and myriad other reasons to be sick to the back teeth of Microsoft, it kind of feels like we're all trapped beating on the glass of an OS determined to make itself worse with every update.
It is starting to be common knowledge that Microsoft hates their users.
GOG's new owner Michał Kiciński doesn't pull punches.
Kiciński's answer was a little more… cathartic? "I'm really surprised at Windows," he said. "It's such poor-quality software and product, and I'm so surprised that it's [spent] so many years on the market. I can't believe it!"
And it doesn't help that is is a piece of junk. Windows 11 Faces Backlash as Slowest OS in 25 Years, Benchmarks Show.
Windows 11 faces backlash for being the slowest OS in 25 years, lagging in benchmarks for boot times, app launches, and responsiveness compared to Windows 10 and earlier versions. Bloat from AI features, ads, and integrations causes slowdowns, frustrating users and prompting calls for Microsoft to prioritize efficiency in future updates.
If you don't care about costs, go for Apple and Mac. Everything costs twice as much, but you do you. If you do care about costs, and still want to dump Windows, back EVERYTHING up (twice) and convert to Linux. Linux Mint with the Cinnamon user interface is about 93% Windows. Zorrin OS (a flavor of Linux) can be made to look exactly like either Windows or Mac. Even Fortune magazine says there should be no learning curve.
I still have a windows work computer, and I have a desktop machine that I basically run as a terminal server. I can remote into it (using Teamviewer) when I'm on the road and then access my routers and other devices on the network.
ReplyDeleteMy main computer is a macbook air that's half-way to antique status (2015 version) on which I run Linux Mint. I decided to try it a couple of years ago when the version of MacOS that it was capable of running got to the point where I couldn't install anything remotely new on it. Started out double booting it just to try Linux out, but within a week I'd wiped the hard drive and installed it solo. I really, really like it. There are a couple of windows games that I'd like to be able to run that don't play well with Virtualbox, but other than that, it works awesome.
It was a little finicky to get all the peripherals and devices working correctly, but mainly because "Macbook" but I found plenty of help online and got everything working pretty quickly...except for the front camera which has never worked and I didn't try to get it to because I don't use it, keep it turned off and a lens cover over it anyway.
It's blazing fast, even on old hardware, and using open source software, I have a full suite of excellent productivity software. Libreoffice, The GIMP and FreeCAD are the bomb.
Anyway, I agree...Windows sucks. It's bloated, slow, spies on you, the interfaces are clunky and it's getting so all the available software requires subscriptions. The only thing it has going for it is the wide adoption and the ability of business IT guys to basically control everything you're allowed to do on it.
No thanks. I just hope they don't screw linux up at some point with AI garbage or clunky interfaces designed to appeal to the smartphone generations. If they do, I'll just stop updating.
BTW: The windows box on my desk is Windows 10. That's as far as I'm willing to go. I'm never installing Windows 11. It is virtually unusable to me and every update seems to make it worse. Honestly, I think Windows XP Pro (service pack 2) was the last really good operating system Microsoft put out. Everything since then has been backward steps....some WAY back (Vista).
I switched when my old PC wouldn't support Windows 11, and I loved it. When the old hard drive started failing - and it was becoming too small - and the PC was old (only from 2017, not 2015) I bought a new PC.
DeleteI fought with Windows for about 20 minutes before I installed Linux Mint on the new PC. Copilot was annoying in that short time. Linux Mint with Cinnamon is a lot like Windows 10 or even Windows 7. Clean. Does what I want it to do. And nothing else. And I do have an AI app installed, it only runs when I want it to, and it never gets in my way.
Steam and Valve are figuring out the gaming thing. Most of the Steam games will run on Linux today, and the few that have Windows-only anti-cheat software will write that SW to run on Linux. Or I think they will. It depends on the success of the Steam Box, but I don't think game studios will be able to ignore it. (My understanding is that Steam-OS is Arch with a custom UI)
DeleteI use Steam and I've had mixed results with running games on my linux box. Some work great...some not at all.
DeleteLuckily I'm not much of a gamer any more. Most of the games I like are old and lack features. I used to love simulators, but these days I don't want games that I have to spend hours and hours just learning how to play them. Same thing with FPS games...I don't have the time to invest to get good at them so when I "spawn" into a battle, I'm typically killed off almost immediately. Not a lot of fun for me.
I actually have several old DOS games that I've been playing for 40 years that I still enjoy. I run them in DOSBOX. The other games I play are old or lesser known titles that aren't heavy on graphics or intricate gameplay. I play games mostly just to take my mind off life for a little while when I have a few spare minutes. Those times are not often these days so I don't invest a lot of time and money into games or gaming.
So, in short, it's not a huge loss if I can't get a game that I paid $4.99 for on Steam to work.
For younger people that live for the latest and greatest games...that may be more of a factor.