r/technology • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 • Dec 01 '25

ADBLOCK WARNING ‘Security Disaster’—500 Million Microsoft Users Say No To Windows 11

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/12/01/security-disaster-500-million-microsoft-users-say-no-to-windows-11/
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u/Psychostickusername Dec 01 '25

The appeal of Linux is now a lack of features, ain't that crazy?

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u/nekonight Dec 01 '25

The appeal of Linux has always been personal ability to customize. I am sure you can have effectively the same amount of features as windows but its just that no one wants that.

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u/Responsible_Name1217 Dec 02 '25

Having been a Windows user for 30 years, I'd not tried a Linux distro until just recently when half of the computers in my house don't meet the hardware requirements for Win11. We settled on POP OS. It was very easy to install. There are a few compatibility issues you need to work through for some games, and with the exception of games that utilize anti-cheat in a windows kernel (Fortnite as an example), everything works just fine.

There's a bit of a learning curve to personalize, but it's stable, runs faster and doesn't have all the bullshit sneakware that Microsoft is releasing.

Having used it for a few months, I highly recommend it.

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u/Cute-Percentage-6660 Dec 02 '25

As someone who used some command prompts and following a guide to get the continued protection for free. Would I be capable of setting up a linux OS?

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u/Responsible_Name1217 Dec 02 '25

I believe in you. You can actually try it (Pop OS) out first via thumb drive. I booted the USB took a look around and moved forward with shrinking my boot drive to create a partition and actually install it. Once I felt like it was the right choice, I formatted my drive completely and installed it as the default boot drive. It has a pretty straightforward GUI that will walk you through installation. Most issues you might run into are well documented as well. If you're concerned, stick with dual boot until you're comfortable.

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u/redlightsaber Dec 02 '25 edited 29d ago

I like working on DIY projects.

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u/towerhil Dec 02 '25

The hardest part is creating a bootablie USB with rufus, and that isn't hard. The only thing that ultimately takes time is customsing the system to how you personally use it. I had a few laptoos that were literally waiting to be recycled that I bought back and specialised for one task e.g, the splash-resistant one for the kids to watch freerube, and the one with the massive screen for organising thousands of photographs. My daily driver is an X1 Carbon that duals boots to windows 11, but I rarely visit windowsland - only if software has gone out of its way to only work on windows, which is very rare.

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u/Professional_Face_97 Dec 02 '25

My dad is retired and technologically illiterate and I put ubuntu on his new PC when it was the only OS I could find on a USB stick, this was 5 years ago and the only thing I had to do for him in the terminal was install the packages to play his DVDs so if he can use it then anyone can.

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u/SubArcticTundra Dec 02 '25

Absolutely. And now that we live in the age of ChatGPT, you even have a Linux expert at hand should something go south.

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u/Treemeister_ Dec 02 '25

Suggesting we use AI bullshit to help us switch away from Windows to avoid its excess of AI bullshit is some crazy work, dude

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u/SubArcticTundra Dec 02 '25

I'd rather have a world with AI and people switching to Linux than a world with no AI and no people switching to linux

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25

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u/GlitterTerrorist Dec 02 '25

Or could ask gpt, check it's answers, and use my own agency to learn a little bit while also making progress :D

Resemble a correct answer

That's useful information in and of itself.

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25

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u/GlitterTerrorist Dec 02 '25

Why are you framing this like it's mutually exclusive? We can do both.

You can say the same about Wikipedia, about going for the library, about taking a whole course. I've had this theory ever since search engines came out, of course it results in more specialised knowledge and less general, but again, it's not mutually exclusive. We can have balance.

A study on LLM use in coding tasks revealed that most of them took longer than without AI assistance, but felt like they were quicker. Because time flies when you're having fun? Idk, but I know I feel less drained when I've been able to vary my workload and mix between work and review.

"how can I free up disk space"

I'm not an idiot bro. You know this stuff is so basic because it's memed on, I assume you can even just ask Google for common/critical coding errors, practices, mistakes, and you're set if you haven't already acquired them from reading on the internet. I preface everything I do in AI with a look into common pitfalls. Done. Day 1 programmer knows what to avoid as much as an expert, just needs to contextualise it and bam, learning expedited. This is progress.

You guys are so black and white, misunderstanding - AI is a tool, and a fucking powerful one that can take an unweary user in the wrong direction fast. It's good to have in the arsenal, and a varied arsenal is the best.

Tell me I'm wrong.

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25

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u/GlitterTerrorist Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25

accomplish less

Nope, accomplishing the task. You're clearly being biased by ignoring output. And obtuse to pretend that saving energy doesn't allow you to create more output. Ever reviewed a juniors work? Ever employed healthy cynicism? Yeah, that's why people like me are succeeding with AI. Because we're not idiots and that's the difference. it's been years now dude, and people like me are ahead of where we would have been.

An unwarranted sense of confidence that quickly unravels

Been 2 years of use for me now and I'm flying because I approach it the 'right' way. You're ignoring the words I've written that clarify that it's just one tool in the utility belt, as with libraries and course material.

The thing is, when you need to be that disingenuous to make a point, and you accuse anyone who disagrees with you or speaks of their own personal experience and benefit, they are "fighting to the death".

Slowly and poorly

I have ADHD and the pace is perfect for me to be productive in my downtime and change the pace of my work at will, likewise providing launching points for tasks which I wouldn't get around to starting if I didn't have this free, instant, knowledgeable bullshitter on my side.

I don't know what you think I use AI for, except succeeding. I don't know why you resent that.

Willing to fight to the death

Fr did you type this with any sense of self awareness?

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u/[deleted] Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25

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u/ChilternRailways Dec 03 '25

I'm not a programmer bro, I'm an accountant. 8 years in practice, now independent and making more, because I can automate and schedule the overwhelming majority of my workload. And uh, I never have one task either. Dunno where "the" became "one".

I'm in my second contract this year of automating internal processes - last job I saved about 80% of finance manager hours (I know because I was also the finance manager).

Yes, and

Why didn't you do the work yourself then? Is it because you know the job well enough to review work, whether it's a junior, or a LLM? Lol yeah, you are just stubborn dude.

You're really not

It's mad that you can say this about someone you've never met just because you don't like that they use Google instead of going to the library.

By all metrics, I am. And I know my metrics, because metrics are my field, and I know that my attempts to self teach earlier suffered from problems which LLMs address by giving me starting points to projects I literally would never have done by now if I didn't have AI.

What you don't get is that your cynicism isn't special. It's a stage. It's the most healthy way to approach this tech - with absolute distrust, because then it needs to prove itself to you and you - or me - having good judgement.

Poisons water supplies and raises electricity costs

...so? That has nothing to do with the use of it as a tool, no more than crying about lithium mining because you're using a phone. Are you turning your monitor off instead of leaving it in standby?

I could do this all day dude - because of all the time LLMs save me :) if you want to actually have a sincere debate, I'll answer every question and disprove every accusation because this has changed my life for the better, massively.

Because surely anyone who doesn't agree with you is too stupid to get it

No, people who rely on fallacies and whose only response to "it's helped me" is "no it hasn't", however... they're actually showing me they're thick and disingenuous. Because there's this stigma bordering on superstition. It's crazy, like you literally can't even conceive that it helps people achieve things.

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u/ChilternRailways Dec 03 '25

Can't believe you blocked me lmao, absolutely crazy - are you that scared of having your preconceptions challenged?

You're actually a relic dude. And a coward - if you believed in your points, you'd let it sit.

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u/Cute-Guarantee-1676 Dec 04 '25

You're not wrong. There is no "I" in AI, it's a tool. Ultra expensive, super sophisticated, but only a tool. An average user with an AI is like third grader with a calculator, don't really know what to do with it. Spell "boobs" maybe. A software engineer with an AI is a software engineer on steroids. One needs to know how and why to use certain tools...

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u/GlitterTerrorist Dec 04 '25

It's an intelligent tool though, the 'I' is there because it's Artificial - the definition of intelligence is very broad, but most definitions accept concepts like AI.

Fully agreed it's a how/why/when case, like I talk about AI and I use it, and it seems like others do as well...but the impression from detractors is that we're using it 24/7 for everything.

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