Windows 11 Thread

[smatovic]

Microsoft Reveals Subscription Pricing for Using Windows 10 Beyond 2025
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/04/0 ... eyond-2025

Microsoft announced an extended support program for Windows 10 last year that would allow users to pay for continued security updates beyond the October 2025 end of support date. Today, the company has unveiled the pricing structure for that program, which starts at $61 per device, and doubles every year for three years. Windows Central:

Security updates on Windows are important, as they keep you protected from any vulnerabilities that are discovered in the OS. Microsoft releases a security update for Windows 10 once a month, but that will stop when October 2025 rolls around. Users still on Windows 10 after that date will officially be out of support, unless you pay.
The extended support program for Windows 10 will let users pay for three years of additional security updates. This is handy for businesses and enterprise customers who aren't yet ready to upgrade their fleet of employee laptops and computers to Windows 11. For the first time, Microsoft is also allowing individual users at home to join the extended support program, which will let anyone running Windows 10 pay for extended updates beyond October 2025 for three years. The price is $61 per device, but that price doubles every year for three years. That means the second year will cost you $122 per device, and the third year will cost $244 per device.

Ubuntu LTS versions have 5 years update cycles, Canonical offers free personal Ubuntu Pro account for up to 5 machines with 10 years security updates for LTS versions and up to 12 years on a paid basis for companies.

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Srdja

[smatovic]

easy to open common document types (like PDF)

Xreader for reading PDFs.

Encountered an specific .pdf, not viewable with envince, xpdf, mupdf, Chromium, and FireFox did not show all prefilled data columns, solution was to install Adobe Acrobat Reader DC via snap on Ubuntu, it runs then via wine Windows emulator:

https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-install- ... ossa-linux

AFAIK Acrobat Reader DC version is also used for DRM protected documents, did not test those though.

And you have to configure your cups printer with snap to print via Adobe Reader:

https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/solved-acr ... nter/19110

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Srdja

[smatovic]

Microsoft patches TPM 2.0 bypass to prevent Windows 11 installs on PCs with unsupported CPUs
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/o ... orted-cpus

While there are other installation methods, it's simply a matter of time before Microsoft patches these bypasses. In this situation, users can switch to older Windows 10 with supported builds, shift to Linux, or make a hardware upgrade.

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Srdja

[smatovic]

Category fun, Computer George's top 3 2024:

>> I don't do smartphones.
>> Nah, it's an iPhone.

>> What is this?
>> The WLAN-cable.
>> You don't need that.

>> A lot is happening with artificial intelligence at the moment.
>> Yea, the AI.
>> What is AI?
>> Artificial intelligence.



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Computer George

[Jouni]

I use Windows 10 and it uses 2.8-3 GB memory after boot. My brother has Windows 11 and it uses 4.8 Gbytes . So most of 8 GB RAM is already used before starting any application.

[smatovic]

My Debian desktop uses ~1.6GB after boot, additional ~1GB buffer/cache

Code: Select all

MiB Mem :   7932.3 total,   5657.1 free,   1660.1 used,    958.0 buff/cache     
MiB Swap:    976.0 total,    976.0 free,      0.0 used.   6272.2 avail Mem 

Ubuntu desktop ~2GB, Ubuntu server ~1GB, so you can spare some RAM if you use another Window manager/GUI or a lightweight distro.

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Srdja

[smatovic]

For those looking for an Windows 11 compatible entry-level GPU:

lil followup:

Just looked up for an used budget machine, Nvidia GTX 750 has Windows 11 driver support, AMD put GCN 1 and 2 on legacy driver support, the entry-level AMD RX 550 (GCN 4) has Windows 11 and Linux support, used GTX 750 and RX 550 are available for <50 bucks on eBay....

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Srdja

Re: GPU recommendation...budget
viewtopic.php?p=938017#p938017

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Srdja

[Dann Corbit]

I bought my threadripper in 2019. For whatever reason it "isn't qualified for Windows 11"
I will put Linux on it.
Now, I have a lot of applications that I need on Windows. Those will move to my laptop.
For example, my tax software does not run on Linux. My bible study software does not run on Linux.
But I already have a couple of laptops I can use for things like that.

I am actually relieved that I am forced to move to a new operating system. Some problems with Windows:
1) Massive spying that resets itself after I turn it off every time Windows updates. They get more and more sophisticated in making it harder to turn it off.
2) Unable to pause Windows updates indefinitely. Sometimes, for instance, I go on vacation and I have a batch job of chess analysis I want to run for 20 days around the clock. And Windows decided it must update and reboot at day 5 or whatever. That has happened several times.
3) Windows wants to control what applications I can run. They are getting more and more forceful about what they want me to put on my system. One of my Windows 11 laptops would not allow me to install the brave browser. They are coming up with lists of approved applications. Nobody tells me what I can and cannot put on my machine, and it is a big problem because I like lots of "unknown" programs like chess programs and other things from github.
4) Damage from automatic installations has happened more than once. One time, it totally killed my C drive and I had to reinstall lots of stuff. My machine was so dead that it could not boot to safe mode. Every restart just gave another blue screen of death and the function keys to go to safe mode did not help. I had to make a thumb drive to boot from. Wasted several man days of time.
5) Low quality. Why are we getting new updates every few weeks? Haven't they improved the software quality to close of the back doors and bugs? I honestly think they do not want to make a bullet proof product because then we would not want to upgrade. Sure, there are Linux software defects and spyware, ransomware, malware, viruses, etc., but it is not as bad as Windows
6) I have gone on and on about other Windows issues that annoy me so...

I am glad to get this nudge to move to Linux for my main PC. I can think of it as a little tough love thrust upon me by Microsoft (unintentionally) to help me do the right thing. I have this lazy streak and so sometimes I don't do something that I ought to do.

[Modern Times]

Windows on the laptop and Linux on the threadripper seems perfect for you.

In terms of rebooting with Windows updates when you're away for 20 days, well you could have disconnected it from the internet I guess.

I disliked Windows 11 for quite a while, but then I became very happy with it. No reason for me to switch.

[smatovic]

[...]
For example, my tax software does not run on Linux. My bible study software does not run on Linux.
But I already have a couple of laptops I can use for things like that.
[...]

Wine* Windows emulation got pretty good for me over time, and, you can still run Windows in a virtual box on Linux.

*it is actually so good that it increases the attack vector on Linux cos it can run Windows malware

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Srdja