Where are we now?

[Askarus]

The thing is, Windows sometimes releases updates that break the system.
Like software A needs update package xxxyyyzzz. But xxxyyyzzz can't be installed due to an error.
I tried like 2 hours fixing that, all sort of repair tools, installing it manually. Nothing worked.
So the only way would have been resetting the whole system.

I had to reset my Linux systems several times.
But it is much easier to backup and restore Linux software than windows software.
Especially if the person owning the computer uses DRM software.

Open Source is much easier to handle as I can simply reinstall what I need without entering keys or logging into accounts.

An other thing is that Microsoft wants to force you to have an account.
I also have an Windows 10 and Windows 8 gaming machine without Microsoft account.
As soon as it won't be possible to use Windows without an account I might even switch to gaming on Linux, even if that is a serious pain.

 

[Grench]

As soon as it won't be possible to use Windows without an account I might even switch to gaming on Linux, even if that is a serious pain.

Pain might not be as serious as you might think. It depends a bit on what games you consider to be critical. I stopped buying any game that didn't run native on Linux many years ago. Steam on Linux eased that pain.

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

Yes, you can, but you really shouldn't.

That's for me to decide, not MS, because it's my computer. Having MS mess around with it without my consent annoys me.

The thing is, Windows sometimes releases updates that break the system.

With NixOS rolling back is about as fast as a reboot. GNU/Linux in general is pretty great but I love NixOS the most.

Pain might not be as serious as you might think. It depends a bit on what games you consider to be critical. I stopped buying any game that didn't run native on Linux many years ago. Steam on Linux eased that pain.

GNU/Linux has plenty good games. Rogue, TomeNET, SuperTux2, Super Tux Kart, Sonic Robot Blast 2, Flight Gear, GNU Robots, Robot Odyssey, CoreWars, Hurrican and plenty of emulators. On top of that it's easy to get good puzzle and card games. There was also a game were you program train AI in Lua which was really cool but I cannot find it. I think it was called "trAIn".

lgdb.org used to be a great resource for finding games that run on GNU/Linux but it's been down for a long time now. https://programminggames.org is still on-line and it's pretty good.

 

[matzesu]

This is the reason why i would like to use the Pyra as my Main PC at home,
i dont run PC Games as i have Witcher 3, Skyrim etc allready on Switch, or on the XBOX ONEX, so its only needs to run Libre Office, Email, Internet etc... , even if Netflix Prime and Disney dotnt work because DRM, .. i have my Phone or our Family Tablet for the DRM Stuff..

Had some ideas this morning for my Pyra video, "This is my New Macbook Pocket, . .. - no it was just a joke, its the Pyra Nr 28 ...
but if i make too many thoughs about my Video, i think i will allready forgotten lots of my Ideas when i aktually have the Device..

I think i will get my Pyra at a Week Day, so i can make me thoughs until weekend as i plan want to get used to the device bevor i make the Video ^^

 

[Inqui]

An other thing is that Microsoft wants to force you to have an account.
I also have an Windows 10 and Windows 8 gaming machine without Microsoft account.
As soon as it won't be possible to use Windows without an account I might even switch to gaming on Linux, even if that is a serious pain.

Nope,
You dont need an account if you use windows 10.
At least if it is Pro or something.
During installation they request several time to login/create with an account but there is always an hidden option to skip this point.
Had to setup several systems and they all run without MS account.

But I remember some heise.de news, that it was not able to skip anymore in the cheap versions

 

[matzesu]

I write this from my Work PC, whit Windows 10 Home, i dont have a Acount Aktive, just the usual User whit the Passwort whe had allready on Windows XP..

Its ok, but i allready miss my upcoming debian on Pyra ^^

 

[NetBLOKS]

Nope,
You dont need an account if you use windows 10.
At least if it is Pro or something.
During installation they request several time to login/create with an account but there is always an hidden option to skip this point.
Had to setup several systems and they all run without MS account.

But I remember some heise.de news, that it was not able to skip anymore in the cheap versions

Yep, the skip button in Home is gone.
But you can still skip regisitration by disabling Internet (via disconnection) and then you can still create a local account.
Users who upgrade to the new Home version do not need to register @matzesu
Just after a new installation.

 

[RZR]

On the internet there are plenty of horror stories with bad timing of Windows updates as the main villain. I do not use Windows, but an OS that keeps nagging the user for updates or just starts an update without the user's approval seems really annoying to me. I'm glad that NixOS updates when I want to and only when I want to.

Even worse is the Windows 10 "upgrade" fiasco, where people where forced to "upgrade" to Windows 10. My grandpa was victim of that. Good old MS taking control away from the user. They're still the same even after all those decades.

I prefer the horror story of W10 resetting your privacy settings every time it upgrades... very convenient, for Microsoft.

The thing is, Windows sometimes releases updates that break the system.
Like software A needs update package xxxyyyzzz. But xxxyyyzzz can't be installed due to an error.

Well, that happens on Linux plenty of times too, or the typical package with dependencies that cannot be resolved...

But actually my favorite Linux drama I think is the FFmpeg one. Try to explain the average W10 user how to get to encode something x264 on Linux and why it's like that.

 

[theredbaron]

I prefer the horror story of W10 resetting your privacy settings every time it upgrades... very convenient, for Microsoft.



Well, that happens on Linux plenty of times too, or the typical package with dependencies that cannot be resolved...

But actually my favorite Linux drama I think is the FFmpeg one. Try to explain the average W10 user how to get to encode something x264 on Linux and why it's like that.

As a linux user? What the hell actually happened?

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

But you can still skip regisitration by disabling Internet (via disconnection) and then you can still create a local account.

So in Windows your internet availability is the control through which you select which kind of account you want. I guess that normal buttons and menus are too archaic. I wonder how long it takes before the option is removed altogether and Windows users are just expected to all have internet connections.

 

[NetBLOKS]

So in Windows your internet availability is the control through which you select which kind of account you want. I guess that normal buttons and menus are too archaic. I wonder how long it takes before the option is removed altogether and Windows users are just expected to all have internet connections.

my thoughts, exactly.
But as long as there are people who want or have to use Windows, they will get away with it.
I think they will remove the offline account for non-business versions in the not so far future.

 

[cerno]

GNU/Linux has plenty good games. Rogue, TomeNET, SuperTux2, Super Tux Kart, Sonic Robot Blast 2, Flight Gear, GNU Robots, Robot Odyssey, CoreWars, Hurrican and plenty of emulators. On top of that it's easy to get good puzzle and card games. There was also a game were you program train AI in Lua which was really cool but I cannot find it. I think it was called "trAIn".

lgdb.org used to be a great resource for finding games that run on GNU/Linux but it's been down for a long time now. https://programminggames.org is still on-line and it's pretty good.

The keyword to watch for is legacy apps^Wgames. I need to ressurect MSTS. My daughter now needs to ressurect SSO, and soon. It's royal pain to keep them running under Linux. But still at least marginally better than having three or four antiquated pieces of hardware running W95, WXP, Vista, and W8, respectively, for backward compatibility reasons.

 

[MTPDA]

The keyword to watch for is legacy apps^Wgames. I need to ressurect MSTS. My daughter now needs to ressurect SSO, and soon. It's royal pain to keep them running under Linux. But still at least marginally better than having three or four antiquated pieces of hardware running W95, WXP, Vista, and W8, respectively, for backward compatibility reasons.

Myself personally for legacy Linux games I really enjoy that don't run on modern Linux I keep a legacy VM with all of it's final updates applied with the games installed there, with the network card removed on the vm after everything is installed. Even on a First Gen Laptop i3 it works great.

 

[netcat]

security is less about the latest patch and more about a well architected is (kernel).

Microsoft is a complete abortion on terms of engineering. they lost the fucking source code to most of the software they sell in the 90s.

sickening that they are the most successful software firm by various bollox metrics.

embarrassing to me, as a technologist, that they are so god damn uninnovative.

Post automatically merged: Sep 22, 2020

I plan to NEVER update my pyra. fuck it unless there are tons userland ebhancements, such as .... can't think of any other than opengl support enabling a bevy of gc games.

 

[PowerGod]

sickening that they are the most successful software firm by various bollox metrics.

The funny stuff is that the most useful (and/or essential) utilities are made from their developers, but in their free time, or as a third party projects...
For example OneNote always had an impossible to use search function, so one of the devs made a third party add-on called "Onetastic", that not only works like heaven, but also added RegEx search and scripting functions...
...then the MORE funny stuff, is that then Microsoft went to develop only the APP-version of OneNote, losing some of the functions the desktop version had, and that add-on too...

 

[levi]

I plan to NEVER update my pyra. fuck it unless there are tons userland ebhancements, such as .... can't think of any other than opengl support enabling a bevy of gc games.

You sound like a perfect fit for the debian way of working. Just stick on the same version and only ever receive security fixes when you update, because despite your praise for the linux kernel, holes are regularly found in it and fixed. Personally I'm happy with the Arch way of working, where I get the latest stuff when I update, and nothing gets backported to older codebases, and I never have to go through the risk and pain of a dist-upgrade when the code gets so old that it's no longer actually supported by anyone, so the security patches stop.

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

NixOS works pretty good too. It has an unstable branch which works like rolling releases or stable branches for normal releases.

 

[netcat]

getting hacked is less about kernel exploits and more about your crappy scripting and sloppy administration.

but isn't it a bit vain to think someone would be interested in hacking your beloved ultra portable mini computer?

my zaurus is on kernel 2.4.18 November 2005. never been hacked. never will be. also never crashed. and I run everything as root. and no password for WiFi. no shit.

 

[pyrat]

getting hacked is less about kernel exploits and more about your crappy scripting and sloppy administration.

But it can be about both.

but isn't it a bit vain to think someone would be interested in hacking your beloved ultra portable mini computer?

I thought it was the other way round, they automated cracking everything and once they're in they ask themselves whether that box is interesting.
The other day someone died because the attackers thought they had cracked a University but they had disabled Hospital systems. RIP.

my zaurus is on kernel 2.4.18 November 2005. never been hacked. never will be. also never crashed. and I run everything as root. and no password for WiFi. no shit.

I could never say I haven't been cracked, I can only say I'm not aware of having been cracked. Most computers nowadays come precracked from factory.
And most phones come precracked by so many companies that I wonder how they work at all.
Fortunately not so for the Pyra.

 

[λ the β-Redex Reducer]

Most computers nowadays come precracked from factory.

IME comes to mind. Of course, they also got Windows installed, which is spyware. So we're buying compromised hardware with spyware pre-installed.