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I really, really, REALLY hate Windows!
David Jenkins - 23/4/20 at 07:52 AM

I have 2 computers on my desk: one is a fairly meaty device that runs Linux Mint, and the other is a more modest box with more than enough processing power to run Windows 10 and a few apps that simply won't run on Linux (even with the WINE windows emulator). The Linux box is my main day-to-day computer.

On Linux Mint, I get several updates a day - most are just minor security fixes, but sometimes they are major changes to the Linux kernel (the heart of the operating system). I get a notification to tell me that updates are available, I open the dialogue, enter my password and the updates are installed in the background - I can get on with whatever I was doing and the system just gets on with it, usually taking less than a minute. The most significant are the kernel updates, which may take 2 or 3 minutes and then usually require a re-boot. All in all, no great fuss or upheaval.

Compare this with Windows: last night I saw that there was an update available, so I started the update process. It was then impossible to use the machine for the next 2 hours as the update sucked up all the available processing power. At around 10:30 last night it still hadn't finished, so I had to switch off the monitor and leave it to sort itself out. This morning I switched it back on, saw that I had to reboot, and it STILL needed 10 minutes to apply the final part of the update!

I recently did a full install of Linux due to a hard disk failure on my main box - it took less than 30 minutes, with the subsequent system and program updates taking another 20 minutes or so. Windows wouldn't be halfway through a routine update in that time...

I also have an elderly Dell laptop that used to run Windows Vista, but I couldn't load Windows 10 as Intel couldn't be bothered to update the video drivers. Because of this I loaded Linux Manjaro (based on Arch Linux, if you know what that is). On Vista it was a slow machine - now it zips along very nicely. Routine updates on that also only take a few minutes.

Couple all this with the fact that almost every application in Windows is monetised in some way - you need a license for this or that, you are pressurised to buy the version of an app with all the extra features, or there are adverts everywhere you look. I'm not a cheapskate - I have bought licences for some Linux programs - but the constant nagging for money on Windows is a PITA.

So, as you may guess, I hate Windoze...

...and breathe...
<end rant>


steve m - 23/4/20 at 08:06 AM

I am no PC god, so just being a user, use Windows since the start
I was running Win 7 till earlier this year with no problems at all, but kept getting messages to upgrade to Win10
as it was SOOOO much better, well for me it isn't, I hate it, I don't like the way it appears on the screen with all these boxes and stuff, in odd places, bring back the icons, was so much better!

And then theres the crashing, and rebooting, it does it at least twice a day, and normally when im doing something that I need,
just crashes,

I get a light blue screen with an error code, but the pc dies so quickly ive never got to see the code to read it

I HATE WINDOWS 10 !!

But on my laptop, ive got Vista, and never had an issue

steve


roadrunner - 23/4/20 at 08:09 AM

Everything wants our money.
All the Apps we use wants us to sign up for monthly payments.
All the tv and film channels want our hard earned.
I guess these idiots think that if we pay a small amount a month we wont notice that we've signed up for an equivalent of a second mortgage.


SJ - 23/4/20 at 08:32 AM

I agree updates can be a bit of a pain but otherwise for me Win 10 works pretty flawlessly.

In our house we have 8 PCs running Win 10 and one on a Linux based NAS OS, on machines ranging from 15 year old Core 2 Quad (Linux - doesn't support Win 10) to 10th gen i7. Obviously the newer stuff works better but event the PC I use for CCTV on an ancient AMD Athlon runs Win 10 fine.


gingerprince - 23/4/20 at 10:29 AM

A little light entertainment for Windows haters. Something daft I recorded about 6 years ago


David Jenkins - 23/4/20 at 10:38 AM

quote:
Originally posted by gingerprince
A little light entertainment for Windows haters. Something daft I recorded about 6 years ago



Brilliant! (clever/talented beggar!)


David Jenkins - 23/4/20 at 10:44 AM

quote:
Originally posted by SJ
I agree updates can be a bit of a pain but otherwise for me Win 10 works pretty flawlessly.



I will agree that if you set the updating issue to one side, the system does work quite well. I don't get blue screens these days (maybe once since Win10 install) and it does the job I ask... as long as there isn't an update in progress! I used to get blue screens regularly with Vista. In fairness to Microsoft, it's often the non-MS drivers that break the system.

...but updates and monetising get to me!

I am realistic about Linux though - when it works, it's brilliant. When something goes wrong it can be a very technical battle to get things working again. That doesn't happen very often, thankfully. I've only had 1 total hang-up (the equivalent of a blue screen) since starting with Linux over 10 years ago.


Mr Whippy - 23/4/20 at 12:18 PM

I'm using windows 10 64 bit on the works machine just now and it's pretty good and fast, rarely have any issues. Updates don't seem to have any impact on the machine unlike the last version which did lock up for all time but I think that was more down to IT not having it set properly. Everything just seems to work well on this


mcerd1 - 23/4/20 at 01:14 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by SJ
I agree updates can be a bit of a pain but otherwise for me Win 10 works pretty flawlessly.



I will agree that if you set the updating issue to one side, the system does work quite well. I don't get blue screens these days (maybe once since Win10 install) and it does the job I ask... as long as there isn't an update in progress! I used to get blue screens regularly with Vista. In fairness to Microsoft, it's often the non-MS drivers that break the system.

...but updates and monetising get to me!

I am realistic about Linux though - when it works, it's brilliant. When something goes wrong it can be a very technical battle to get things working again. That doesn't happen very often, thankfully. I've only had 1 total hang-up (the equivalent of a blue screen) since starting with Linux over 10 years ago.

I've had to reluctantly move onto a Win10 machine at work (the IT company we use tried to make it sound like the win7 machines would all suddenly be riddled with viruses the day that MS stopped the security updates - as if... )

funnily enough I've also been forced off my win10 phone at exactly the same time due to all the app's dying off
(I still think the last versions of win10 mobile was/is actually really quite good, just a bit too late to the party so everyone has gone android already - still does some things better than android or iOS )


I'm more or less used to it all now and I've found it to be mostly alright - having used nearly every version of windows (inc: 3.1, NT4, 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2k, XP as well as a little time on some mac ones) - I still prefer win7

Win10 has some good points, but its already not proved as reliable as win7
(a couple of our new machines in the office have had blue screen issues already, and they aren't cheap crappy machines either)
on the other hand I've run win7 since the last RC version a few months before it was released until last November - and I can honestly say that I've only had 2 blue screen crashes in all that time - both related to hardware failures (doggy ram and a cooked GPU) - compare that to windows ME!
mind you the original version of XP was pretty bad - but after SP2 it was getting half decent, hopefully Win10 continues to improve...



I should also say that the folk at my work who were unfortunate enough to have the win7 machines 'upgraded' to win10 have had a lot of issues, some of them can't even logon without restarting 3 times.
Seems its the same as every version of windows upgrade before it - just install a fresh copy instead, its not worth the hassle


907 - 23/4/20 at 06:12 PM

You could, I mean its possible to consider, sort of think about, without committing yourself, look at a Mac. There, I've said it now.


Bought my Mac mini in 2011, but it has updated twice since then, but on the upside it is nocturnal, and did it overnight.


Paul G


ReMan - 23/4/20 at 07:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by 907
You could, I mean it's possible to consider, sort of think about, without committing yourself, look at a Mac. There, I've said it now.


Bought my Mac mini in 2011, but it has updated twice since then, but on the upside it is nocturnal, and did it overnight.


Paul G

Well done.
I was a PC geek up till XP 7 just about, and loved playing, upgrading tweaking, but likewise, hated the way it was going, so although I still use Windows of my own and at work, i bought myself a MAC in 2014 figuring I'd never had to tweak it
I'm on it now, never given me a bit of bother. Always on, always works. Yes it's different, to windows and there less free/hooky software, but I'd have another in a flash


ravingfool - 23/4/20 at 08:39 PM

Everyone's mileage varies but I haven't had any issues with windows for many years.

Always used the 'professional' versions of the OS rather than budget options though. Windows 7 was excellent but I have been very happy with the free upgrade to Windows 10 as well.

I have an SSD so the machine is almost instant to turn on and although it was a good spec (not crazy though) when purchased, I've not updated anything other than throwing some spare hard disks in it and doubling the ram after a few years but it's still nice and snappy after ~8 years.

I definitely don't have the issues the OP described with updates; they happen seamlessly in the background, the only impact they ever have is reducing spare bandwidth whilst some of the larger ones download although you can tweak these things so they download at suitable times.

Some hardware combinations do seem to be more stable than others... Unsurprisingly Mac's don't have this problem!

Vista was a pile of shite, skipped that!


David Jenkins - 23/4/20 at 08:45 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ReMan
Paul G

Well done.
I was a PC geek up till XP 7 just about, and loved playing, upgrading tweaking, but likewise, hated the way it was going, so although I still use Windows of my own and at work, i bought myself a MAC in 2014 figuring I'd never had to tweak it
I'm on it now, never given me a bit of bother. Always on, always works. Yes it's different, to windows and there less free/hooky software, but I'd have another in a flash


Well, Mac OS was based on Unix...


gingerprince - 24/4/20 at 06:45 AM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
[Well, Mac OS was based on Unix...


Technically it comes from BSD, not Linux

[Edited on 24/4/20 by gingerprince]


David Jenkins - 24/4/20 at 07:42 AM

quote:
Originally posted by gingerprince
quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
[Well, Mac OS was based on Unix...


Technically it comes from BSD, not Linux



That's why I said "Unix" not "Linux"!


gingerprince - 24/4/20 at 08:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
That's why I said "Unix" not "Linux"!


Touche. It was early - my eyes weren't fully open


Daf - 24/4/20 at 01:53 PM

Do you know what I find frustrating is I still have to wait for the computer, 25 years ago I’d click on an icon and have to wait for the software to load – why quarter of a century later am I still waiting for things to load when my bloody telephone can load an app almost instantly!

If you could add up all the time wasted over the years waiting for the computer to start, reboot, load software etc. I bet it would be quite depressing.


David Jenkins - 24/4/20 at 02:06 PM

But it's being so cheerful that keeps you going, isn't it!


jps - 24/4/20 at 02:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Daf
Do you know what I find frustrating is I still have to wait for the computer, 25 years ago I’d click on an icon and have to wait for the software to load – why quarter of a century later am I still waiting for things to load when my bloody telephone can load an app almost instantly!

If you could add up all the time wasted over the years waiting for the computer to start, reboot, load software etc. I bet it would be quite depressing.


Since going to a solid state 'hard drive' in my laptop i've been impressed by the speed, and I guess phone memory is all solid state?

At least you don't have to put up with this anymore...


Irony - 24/4/20 at 09:25 PM

Windows 10 is a amazing achievement. I run both Macs and PCs at work and home and regularly switch between both. Yes Mac OS is more stable but not by much. Windows 10 is designed to run on a billion configurations of computer whereas MAC OS is only designed to run on a certain number of MAC machines. Even then I dare not upgrade to Catalina because I know half my software will stop working.

As much as I hate Windows 10 it is a achievement. My love affair with Mac OSX has died steadily over the years and I see both platforms as the same now. I am typing this on my Mac Pro Workstation but sitting right next to it is my self built Windows 10 gaming machine.


steve m - 26/4/20 at 08:00 AM

I hate Windows 10 even more now!

My cd/dvd drive now doesn't work, always did before, it appears in settings, and troubleshoot doesn't find anything wrong,
its set to autoplay, and the driver is up to date, yet nothing, I can put a disk in, and out, it spins

Yet nothing, no autoplay,

ive googled this problem, and it seems very common, ive also done exactly what is recommended, and still nothing

I want to go back to win7, I never had any issues back then, and the cd drive worked fine

steve

[Edited on 26/4/20 by steve m]


gingerprince - 26/4/20 at 08:27 AM

Can't remember the last time I needed to put a cd or dvd in my pc!


steve m - 26/4/20 at 09:27 AM

I play music normally on there, but ive dug out my old R/C controller, and had a couple of r/c disks

But thats not happening !

steve


steve m - 27/4/20 at 08:53 AM

I fixed the cd drive with the windows 10 farce
I had to remove the cables on the drive, and remove all of the associated drivers and software
restart the system, close the system, and put the leads back in and restart
The cd drive is now working perfectly

For me, this a ridicules farce, and should not be required on a tried and tested programme

The next problem I had, was the printer,/scanner to print something was a mission, never was on win7
and the scanner was non existent, thankfully being wifi, I deleted all of the printer files, and let the pc find the printer
and reinstall it, the print options are still crap, but the scanner does work

Sorry, im not impressed with win 10 at all, and if I could change it back to the reliable win7 I would, with out any hesitation

steve


flak monkey - 27/4/20 at 09:08 AM

I use Linux a lot at work, mainly a custom build of CentOS. I hate it with a passion.... installing any software without a connection to the internet is completely impossible. However it is stable. These are industrial applications with no connection to the outside world due to cyber security requirements. I have used it a lot outside this too, but it always feels like a beta release of software that's never quite right or finished to me.

I also dislike how opensource Linux is, unless you are a developer, it makes it too complicated for the average person in my opinion, with too many 'current' versions/builds etc.

Windows, while it has its foibles, is a great feat of multi-platform cross compatibility that other OS's can only dream of. Sometime it goes wrong, but it's easy to fix, even for the average Joe.

I have Win 10 running on all my machines at home - the oldest being 15 years old - without any issues whatsoever.

Don't even get me started on MacOS....


David Jenkins - 27/4/20 at 09:51 AM

I just knew that this topic would get people going!

When it comes down to it, it's simply chacun à son goût, or 'each to their own preference'. Linux suits my way of working, Windows drives me nuts, and I won't pay the price premium for Apple products - they're good, but not that good!

It has been fun hearing the different viewpoints though...


rusty nuts - 27/4/20 at 01:33 PM

Seem to remember years ago you saying you really hate windows!


David Jenkins - 27/4/20 at 05:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Seem to remember years ago you saying you really hate windows!


Repetitive? Who me?
Repetitive? Who me?
Repetitive? Who me?
Repetitive? Who me?
Repetitive? Who me?



... I think it's an age thing - the memory is the first thing to go...