They’re trying to kill the home PC. They’ll have all of the computing power and we’ll have subscription access.
And they’d get away with it too if it wasn’t for those damn Linux distributions.
Look at the long game. Installing a Linux distro is great. But what happens when your GPU/CPU/SSD dies and you can’t afford or buy replacements?
They got more time and can afford to wait us out.
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Old hardware is old. It will die eventually, and at some point there will be no more old hardware. Then what?
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That’s the kind of bridge you need to plan on crossing long before you get there.
It’s like driving a big truck. You get to the bridge and the sign says 5 ton(ne) weight limit and you’re driving a 40 ton(ne) truck. And there is a line of cars behind you that stretches to the horizon. You can’t turn around now. What are you going to do?
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Or when they lock the bootloader ala android phones and you’re stuck with the default Windows on your laptop?
They literally said that’s the plan. Consumers better fight back.
Sure in terms in computing power. But Microsoft still needs you to be able to access a windows device so that they can push you onto their subscriptions. I think in this case, they think people will just cough up the extra costs to get windows. Of course at one point even regular people will consider Linux. And that is when Microsoft will break.
I feel like Linux needs to be just a little bit more accessible to the tech-illiterate too. It is getting closer but go show some uninitiated person a Linux forum where power users are talking about maintaining their system daily or weekly, the average person is going to still nope out. I run Linux and and Windows, but if Mac could run more games I’d think about giving them a try because they all suck in their own special way.
but go show some uninitiated person a Windows forum where power users are talking about maintaining their system daily or weekly, the average person is going to still nope out.
The OS is immaterial, showing anyone uninitiated the shit power users do, you’ll get that reaction. If you show me, a professional windows admin and a homelab linux admin, a Mac power user forum and my eyes will cross. But for windows or potentially Linux, it’s fine. Don’t use the users’ lack of understanding as a mark against it, because that same mark is on every OS.
Linux itself has been usable by the tech illiterate for over a decade. My dead mother could use it just fine after I got sick of reinstalling windows, and she’s been gone damned near that long. Sure, they have to have assistance in getting it installed right now because even the windows terminal terrifies them, but get it installed and a base configuration in place and it takes care of itself for the most part.
Some distros are surprisingly accessible to be honest. And with the enshitification of windows people will be very tempted or pushed to make step to Linux. And when the crossover point is there is can go really quickly. More an more companies are deciding that the cost of Microsoft alone is worth the migration. Exposing even more people to Linux. My biggest barrier is that some online games won’t run on Linux but if that changes then why not.
I don’t even think most people know what Linux is.
My daughter met a child named Linux at a park. The Parens thought they came up with the most unique name ever. They had absolutely no idea. Bruh…
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That just hasn’t been my experience, or my wife’s. I set her up with a laptop running Linux mint and she’s constantly complaining about needing to look up command scripts to type in the terminal to get things to work. I have been experimenting with different distros for fifteen years and it has been difficult enough that I’m still primarily a Windows user (my gaming and my job both have things I haven’t gotten to work otherwise).
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If you are building a new machine for home use and not starting with Linux it’s crazy to me. The worst that can happen is you try it for a month or two, hate it, and then buy a windows license.
try it for a month or two
By then the price of said Windows license would quadruple.
Even at that you can dual boot. You could ween yourself from one to the other to build a daily driver. As Linux has several windows emulators(heroic for example) that you can install and run all your fav window programs anyways.
Linux is like so zero risk it is ridiculous.
A year of Linux desktops indeed. I’ve switched PC and a laptop to Linux and guess what? Works better, faster, more secure and I fucking love it.
Never ever going back to Windows. I might run win10 in virtual pc, but never main host and nothing => 11
Yepppp.
Played around with all of them for a bit. Settled on Bazzite. Dead simple to install and use and it has t given me any issue at all.
Pop OS was kind of nice too, but it needs another year in the oven.
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Microsoft seems intent on pushing people to alternatives. Not only did they quietly remove the higher RAM recommendation, but now the OS is more expensive.
So what people are likely to get an underpowered computer that costs more if they have to buy a new laptop. On the tail of Apple recently releasing a relatively nice and cheap laptop to much fanfare, no less.
It sounds like we’re about to see a repeat of the Windows Vista days. Where people hate Windows because it’s slow and horrible, and it is slow and horrible because it’s running on an underspecced machine barely meant to run the previous version of windows.
Lmfao, here comes manufactures selling their own versions of Debian and Fedora. I bet we’re going to see a rush of manufacturers selling blank no OS PC’s with hardware being the only added on cost.
How much ram comes with windows?
All of the AI Copilot ram.
I have no idea why this makes sense? What about hardware getting more expensive justifies the license for software going up? Is this just because they can?
Volumes are going to be down, but they want the same revenue, so they increase unit price, comfy in the reality that it will still be, percentage wise, not worth it for most to care. Will it make it unaffordable for some? Probably not appreciably more than the hardware is doing all by itself.
So in short, it is just because they can.
They need the cash to fund their AI spending. There’s no conspiracy.
It makes sense in terms of opportunism, greed, and for laying three groundwork for a future where you do not own your own computer but do everything in the cloud (because that is where the power is). Remember the whole “you will.own nothing and be happy” thing… so same argument as when businesses moved from self hosting on site. Short version, they want you with a subscription for everything and they can control everything you do.
Pretty much. If hardware is constant lly going up and consumers put up with it, why not get a slice of the pie? It’s not like an OEM buyer will reconsider just because of a few bucks for Windows, if they were going to buy anyway.
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I LOOOOOOVE not using Windows.
Gotta pay off those data center loans.
purely a cash grab. in no universe of reality is software so tied to memory that it requires a price hike
Good.
I wish that Microsoft licenses of Windows Enterprise were sold to individuals, much like Windows 7 Ultimate. The lack of a good Windows option is why I don the tricorn hat and sail the Masgravel Sea, RUFUS in hand.
BURN BABY BURN
Ik they’re expensive, but Frameworks might be worth a shot.
