Freedom of computers will be DOOMED

[BotDamian]

Hello,

so in another thread we had a conversation about Pluton Chips that enslave your computer to one company allow your computer to boot safely windows.
 

I use ArchLinux on my Mini-Dev-PC as it just works better for me while programming, I also manage my own web servers and I just like ArchLinux more overall.

Windows is there only to play games, I see no other reason why I would need Windows in my life.

After using Windows11 that shipped with my Razer Blade 14 it got bloated, I didn't bloat it, my folders are structured, nice and clean.

The system is much less responsive, the changes made to the system are just annoying, like for example the right click on anything, that should be a shortcut to do something fast, turned into the most useless right click in computer history.

When trying to install ArchLinux and probably also any other Linux distro it throws few errors and reboots, not allowing me even to look at the command line.

 

I love Open Source software, Linux, FreeCAD, Blender, Gimp, Raw Therapee, couldn't find anything good in terms of Video Editing so Davinci Resolve, works great for me, even if it's not Open Source.

I can not imagine, buying a device that I can not do what I want with it, no matter how weird this sounds, but my Razer Blade 14 will be probably sold and I will get a Thinkpad or something.

 

Microsoft, Facebook, Google they are getting on my nerves so hard, they are like a data and privacy leech...

Please, don't put any Pluton chips on the Framework laptop, I will go nuts I swear to god.

[TetraSky]

There's a few steps to go through, not sure if this will be helpful to you :

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Razer_Blade_14_RZ09-0370

 

Overall, this sort of things is to be expected with laptops. They want you to use what they shipped it with.

[gergy008]

7 minutes ago, BotDamian said:

 

The system is much less responsive, the changes made to the system are just annoying, like for example the right click on anything, that should be a shortcut to do something fast, turned into the most useless right click in computer history.

 

With the context menu specifically, what do you mean? Everything is right there. If you're installing stuff that bloats the menu just remove it or install windows clean.

[duncannah]

My Acer Aspire laptop has a bug where you can't edit the UEFI boot entries... I wonder if it was really a bug though :p

Maybe they'll block you from reinstalling the OS to get rid of their bloatware adware turned malware in the future

[Sauron]

53 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

Overall, this sort of things is to be expected with laptops.

it having some incompatibility is expected but it actively preventing you from booting something other than windows isn't... and the page you linked makes no mention of it either, so I assume OP just ran into the modesetting issue in the first paragraph, which has more to do with nvidia than razer or pluton or windows.

[BotDamian]

7 hours ago, gergy008 said:

With the context menu specifically, what do you mean? Everything is right there. If you're installing stuff that bloats the menu just remove it or install windows clean.

So the left is what you get when you click on something with the RMB, then on the right is what you get after clicking "show more options".

It happens pretty often that I copy code from my other projects as rewriting the same thing makes no sense. Using windows since Win95 as far as I remember, and the right menu is so burned into my head...

The right menu just makes more sense and is just easier... I mean I prefer still Linux over Windows... but still, the search is also slow as hell compared to Win10 even.

[Biohazard777]

1 hour ago, BotDamian said:

So the left is what you get when you click on something with the RMB, then on the right is what you get after clicking "show more options".

It happens pretty often that I copy code from my other projects as rewriting the same thing makes no sense. Using windows since Win95 as far as I remember, and the right menu is so burned into my head...

The right menu just makes more sense and is just easier... I mean I prefer still Linux over Windows... but still, the search is also slow as hell compared to Win10 even.

Yep, I also hate the new context menu.

You can add a couple of registry keys and make Win11 show you the old context menu (the one you get when you click on "show more option"):
Old context menu.reg

*requires restart or log out - log in.

To go back (use new context menu):
New context menu.reg

* doesn't restart / log out - log in.

By the way, SHIFT+F10 brings up old context menu by default. If you've got a mouse with some extra buttons and macro functionality you could do it like that... Though I personally prefer the registry approach, RMB with all the options laid out is burned into my memory, would take a looong time to to rewire my brain to use something like mouse 7 for context menu. I just hope MS doesn't kill this fix with an update I have no control over heh.
 

8 hours ago, BotDamian said:

I use ArchLinux on my Mini-Dev-PC as it just works better for me while programming, I also manage my own web servers and I just like ArchLinux more overall.

Windows is there only to play games, I see no other reason why I would need Windows in my life.

Indeed, but I can think of one more use-case for Windows heh:
To sniff USB traffic and reverse engineer (usually bloated) software that talks to my peripherals, and then make my own lightweight cross-platform solution (as it should have been in the 1st place...).

 

8 hours ago, TetraSky said:

Overall, this sort of things is to be expected with laptops. They want you to use what they shipped it with.

That depends a lot on where you live.
In developing countries it is common practice to ship laptops without OS pre-installed (or something free and useless for most people, like FreeDOS). Allows them to reduce the price slightly and the end buyer is most likely gonna pirate or use unactivated Windows anyway.
 

[BotDamian]

I think it has come to the point where I'm considering a Purism 14 Laptop.

I'm not a famous person nor am I doing any sketchy things, but just knowing that a guy working at Intel or AMD has a backdoor in my system... NAH

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

10 hours ago, duncannah said:

My Acer Aspire laptop has a bug where you can't edit the UEFI boot entries... I wonder if it was really a bug though :p

Maybe they'll block you from reinstalling the OS to get rid of their bloatware adware turned malware in the future

Probably not a bug since laptop BIOSes (more like all OEM systems in general) historically are very locked down unless you're buying like Enterprise devices like a HP EliteBook or Dell Latitude. But even for those, don't expect to have desktop levels of freedom like setting RAM timings, voltages, and overclocking. It's more about more boot, and security settings in addition to more hardware adjustments to battery, wireless cards, etc. 

 

Wouldn't be funny if they pulled the same trick as cell service providers where they'll automatically install their own apps and bloatware when you connect to their network? I remember those in the early Android days. 

[Arika]

5 hours ago, BotDamian said:

I think it has come to the point where I'm considering a Purism 14 Laptop.

 

Quote

but just knowing that a guy working at Intel or AMD has a backdoor in my system... NAH

???? then a Purism won't fix anything.

 

also if your main concern is that the CPU manufacturer has a backdoor to your computer in some way, it might be better off to just disconnect from the internet, since that is one of the least likely things to happen to compromise your computer.

[8tg]

It’s a shame, but if you actually care about this, your best solution is to go offline.

You can do all sorts of things, and every time there’s a new problem you need to correct where you change things up even more. Eventually most people reach a point where either they can’t bring themselves to go any further, or reconcile that they shouldn’t make so many compromises. A rare few will go all in on trying to accomplish their goals in any way possible while going more and more private, and an even smaller group will leave the internet.

Windows is a mess? Try mainstream Linux.

Mainstream Linux is a mess? Try speciality Linux.

Thats not enough? Buy a machine that focuses on privacy and transparency, ie librem 14 or some other scam.

Realized it’s a scam? Coreboot/libreboot with all open source firmware and software on an old thinkpad or something.

Still paranoid over intel ME? Time to go pre core2duo, you’ll need a Pentium M era machine, old ARM, Via C series/Eden, or transmeta cpu based system.

Suddenly you’re using a barely functional operating system on ancient hardware where nearly nothing with the modern web works. And this is where the realization sets in that while nobody can track you, nobody can harvest your data, you also can’t do a god damn thing.

 

[Takumidesh]

5 hours ago, 8tg said:

It’s a shame, but if you actually care about this, your best solution is to go offline.

You can do all sorts of things, and every time there’s a new problem you need to correct where you change things up even more. Eventually most people reach a point where either they can’t bring themselves to go any further, or reconcile that they shouldn’t make so many compromises. A rare few will go all in on trying to accomplish their goals in any way possible while going more and more private, and an even smaller group will leave the internet.

Windows is a mess? Try mainstream Linux.

Mainstream Linux is a mess? Try speciality Linux.

Thats not enough? Buy a machine that focuses on privacy and transparency, ie librem 14 or some other scam.

Realized it’s a scam? Coreboot/libreboot with all open source firmware and software on an old thinkpad or something.

Still paranoid over intel ME? Time to go pre core2duo, you’ll need a Pentium M era machine, old ARM, Via C series/Eden, or transmeta cpu based system.

Suddenly you’re using a barely functional operating system on ancient hardware where nearly nothing with the modern web works. And this is where the realization sets in that while nobody can track you, nobody can harvest your data, you also can’t do a god damn thing.

 

Why should we just accept that though? this is defeatism in my opinion and what has lead so much of this intrusive software to be normalized.

[BotDamian]

7 hours ago, 8tg said:

It’s a shame, but if you actually care about this, your best solution is to go offline.

You can do all sorts of things, and every time there’s a new problem you need to correct where you change things up even more. Eventually most people reach a point where either they can’t bring themselves to go any further, or reconcile that they shouldn’t make so many compromises. A rare few will go all in on trying to accomplish their goals in any way possible while going more and more private, and an even smaller group will leave the internet.

Windows is a mess? Try mainstream Linux.

Mainstream Linux is a mess? Try speciality Linux.

Thats not enough? Buy a machine that focuses on privacy and transparency, ie librem 14 or some other scam.

Realized it’s a scam? Coreboot/libreboot with all open source firmware and software on an old thinkpad or something.

Still paranoid over intel ME? Time to go pre core2duo, you’ll need a Pentium M era machine, old ARM, Via C series/Eden, or transmeta cpu based system.

Suddenly you’re using a barely functional operating system on ancient hardware where nearly nothing with the modern web works. And this is where the realization sets in that while nobody can track you, nobody can harvest your data, you also can’t do a god damn thing.

 

I understand, but there should be a base amount of security for people. If I have the money to buy a Librem 14... why not. I have a Razer Blade 14 that cost me 2.5k Euros. Yes I can buy a old laptop but I don't want one. I'm not extremely paranoid tho, I'm not Snowden that I care this much. But I want to have some basic amount of freedom. I want the Librem 14 because I'm a ArchLinux idiot and want to run Open Source software, maybe not everything but just try it.

Also with data and tracking, I truly don't mind something that sends anonymous data to any server. My problem starts when I get a label on my forehead and anything that I click will be added to my "profile" created by a company. I know that all my data is already on the internet... but it doesn't mean that my kids in the future will also need to expose themselves to the leeches.

 

I could choose to just not care about it, I could just move on. But the fact that I see what the internet is becoming. A huge game where Google, Facebook buys smaller companies to track even more... while saying "It's just for our services". All of this doesn't mean, that someone like Snowden will have access to our data and be able to just look at our shit. We are all humans, we need some basic trust yes, but the amount of data that people can see. How do I know if someone at google will see my email. Print a bill, come to my house when I'm traveling and then say he lives here and do what he wants... Like it sounds absurd to think this way and some say it's paranoid... but it's not. Same as I don't say everything about my life to a complete stranger... so I won't say it to a company who makes money of it. Sorry this is just common sense not being paranoid.

If I can make it a bit harder for companies to get my data, I will. If I can avoid Instagram by just installing Vero... I will.

 

You can call it also an adventure "The Way of open source"

[ThousandBlade]

intrusive software normalized?

Lol what a joke, the whole windows OS has become more and more intrusive every generation. There's just no escaping that. 

 

I've recently gotten a new computer and I've reverted my older PC to windows 7. I find it that I've enjoyed windows 7 so much that I'm considering stocking up on high end motherboards and 6th gen Intel CPUs for when that PC does inevitably. Maybe even getting a 3090ti for it because that's the most powerful graphics card ever that's gonna be supported on a windows 7.

 

I didn't even realize how much I missed windows 7 untill I switched back. Everything was just way easier.

 

I'll try my best not to use it for anything mission critical, but I know the risk of getting lazy someday and have that machine compromise my email or sth important.

 

I kinda envy kids grew up never used earlier windows before. They aren't aching every day for a os that works that good.

[BotDamian]

11 hours ago, ThousandBlade said:

intrusive software normalized?

Lol what a joke, the whole windows OS has become more and more intrusive every generation. There's just no escaping that. 

 

I've recently gotten a new computer and I've reverted my older PC to windows 7. I find it that I've enjoyed windows 7 so much that I'm considering stocking up on high end motherboards and 6th gen Intel CPUs for when that PC does inevitably. Maybe even getting a 3090ti for it because that's the most powerful graphics card ever that's gonna be supported on a windows 7.

 

I didn't even realize how much I missed windows 7 untill I switched back. Everything was just way easier.

 

I'll try my best not to use it for anything mission critical, but I know the risk of getting lazy someday and have that machine compromise my email or sth important.

 

I kinda envy kids grew up never used earlier windows before. They aren't aching every day for a os that works that good.

I have Windows 7 installed on my Retro PC, because it plays NFS MW 2005 and NFS Carbon, Crysis 1/2 without any crashes etc.

Yeah I think Win7 was the best windows ever made, even better than XP... I have a XP 64bit CD here (ORIGINAL) Don't like XP