[Rant] Here's why I'm out from Windows and fully Linux now

General Topics
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I wanna to say one thing about my driver.
5 years is old, for Windows.

Whether you mad or something, this is what I’ve been experience with my Asus Vivobook X456UR. An Intel i5-6200U with Nvidia GF 930MX and bit slow but still performant 1TB HDD. the only thing I souped up this devices is 8Gigs RAM.

But, even Microsoft seem like Evangelist for OSS, it still not. I’m not talking like Microsoft bad or something, It just not only bloated, but also had a lot of BG software that IDK but running without any consent. Not only every update it’s been behind the scene until I choosing to setting running update next week, slow download rate, slow installation, lot of downtime. it’s killing me for somebody who just want running well while also playing game as easy PnP.

Until, I decide to come back to Linux.
I’ve been trying using Linux, Canonical Ubuntu more specific. Using Plasma was my ideal setup. but it still eating some RAM where it’s something I consent about (Since I’m minimalist). But still, lot of trouble and full of bloated (Not a lot, but still counted for me).

But, One day, Valve announce they using Arch for their OS, which not only intrigue me, but also pushing me back to Linux. So I search for Arch-based distro until found good chunk of gold. EndeavourOS, good alternative for waiting SteamOS rolling out.
Or, so I think.

I’m using it by making dual-boot, it was convincing me to transition, and then I decide to fully Clean Install my Windows, to EOS. It was “Amazing”, easy to config with a lot of community support and wiki, heck. If I’m out of ideas, I can search on r/Unixporn and just copy their dotfiles.

One thing I’m hoping is a industry support by green team, Adobe, also big Game Industry leader such Ubisoft, EA, and other game. I’ll say Epic can be a starter. but IDK why they still like that.
That’s also make me to try making my own game and if success then I’ll likely to open my Game Studio where our main platform is Linux while Windows and Apple is also being supported.

It was a rant to Windows, If Asus do like FWPuter do for long time, or Windows never put trash on my PC, I think I’ll would never on Linux. but cruelty is more sweet than Hopes and Dreams. thus why I rant them with saying “Thank you, to making me mad. Which make me transition, Which make me never come back, to you. See you again, Windows”

[Note : I was like the idea from FrameworkPuter, but since it’s would be not avail global. I think I’ll open a retail that framework approve where not only inventory mobo, battery, chassis, etc. but also promoting it. If Patel read this. I’ll need to know how much it cost to inventory myself some cut of batch for all those component and how to sharing the fees. I can find a tricks to open a store. but it just a idea.
Let me know if someone from FWPuter like the idea.
My country is Indonesia. so maybe the cost would expensive, but I think it’s OK since it also a starter]

Hafizdkren

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I would not suggest making a retail store, just not a good idea. Small companies should only be the one who sells their product otherwise they will not earn as much money due to distributors. Customs and certifications is another thing entirely. I’m pretty affirmative that Nirav would not like this idea for multiple reasons that I have stated. For example you may damage the computer in a specific way that makes it volatile and explode in the customers hands and the victim sues framework and they go out of business.

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It is true that Windows has a lot of bloat and does a lot of things without permission behind the users back. Most of these things are not nefarious in nature but that doesn’t change things. So from a control perspective Linux is a good solution. Although the learning curve to have that control is pretty steep and most casual people will never reach it.

However, Windows is and always has been a modular system. Group Policies, registry, and command line/ powershell commands allow you to have nearly as fine granite control over Windows.

Some shortcuts to this are the two programs:
WPD.app (https://wpd.app)
Tinywall (https://tinywall.pados.hu/)

WPD allows you to shut down features and services that impact your privacy. It allows you to prevents updates (so you can decide when you’d like to update). Furthermore it helps you to uninstall UWP programs easily.

Tinywall is a firewall GUI that augments the built in firewall. When you install it automatically blocks everything from using the internet. This means Windows cannot phone home, services can’t track your actions from just using File Explorer, etc.

With these two programs you can control Windows and maintain privacy.

The reasons to do this, instead of just using Linux?

Windows runs everything. (I’m talking user software. Linux is the server world king.)
Windows has much better hardware drivers (this is not saying it is fair, just the reality)
Windows has more features that just work (wifi performance, hibernation and resume times, etc.)
Windows is what you already know

There is a day coming where Microsoft will shoot themselves in the proverbial foot and there wont be a way to walk it back, but for now, Linux is not ready as a primetime replacement to Windows. It is getting there, and Proton / Wine progress is truly compelling, but we are not there.

So play all of your games, and run all of your software, while keeping Microsoft at bay.

For Windows 11, I’m not sure how WPD or Tinywall will pan out. I know that Windows 11 saw a kernel rewrite, and so core features and functionality could change.

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Thanks for the reply on my post. (although it’s just me scream around, but. thanks. :wink: )
First, I would try to explain some thing from my perspective about the retail.

It was correct, and I notice that. although even I can make some margin to profit of those, I just would likely to dump my money on fire and see if the fire was warm enough for us rather than put my cash on someone cashier and get nice warm jacket. It’s still possible for making it sold on worldwide, but. it not only expensive on term of logistic, but also almost impractical to having single warehouse or renting another warehouse outside the country.

I’m also worth noting here that it would cheaper to distributed it from factory (let’s assume on china) to selling on Asia such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, even reachable to Australia.

But since it start his first 500M run, I’ll not likely to able got those cut of batch to my warehouse easily, but it worth to be save for future plan like over 2-3 years.

I understand it, very well indeed. but my main reason is to encourage people to get not only great component, easy to fix, future-proof concept. but to try themselves fixing it or just wait for a moment and get usable laptop without any major or minor issues for user.

I’ve seen so many (let’s we say “Chinese race owner”) store that also had fixing services. Heck I found a ton. but the trouble I’ve seen is not “Unfixable”, it’s not only damaging their surrounding (employee, customer, even themselves) with mobo waste, but sometimes also reducing their QoL with low-price services. What I try in here is to recruit those resources I’ve seen on ITC Branches, PGC, and any other place. to be my worker where I can increase their QoL and also make the brand as “Great Choice for Daily User”

I had my Mi 8 Lite was cracked and official one costing me about 100+ USD (1 Million Rupiah, equivalent.), and it’s not fun for customer, while other just costing me with 60 USD it already inside those bill. but If I open it, not only some people who in rush, just lazy, etc, capable get good services, but also increase their reputation.
While in another side, If I’m bad at service, Customer would not likely to come back to me and also never recommend me in first place.

Whether being Certified or not, it’s theirs, but what I’m trying is solving these 2 problem that I see fixable, being fixed.
(Note : It’s just my opinion, if you disagree with my PoV, then I understand that since I also knew your perspective If I do so.)

Next is from @2disbetter.
I knew Windows is being knew, supported, easy to use, everything we need is exist. Understand it, even willing to had Windows back.
But, If I’m talk like over 5-10 even 15 years old devices. Is it worth it?
I’m just need office, why I need new devices? why not bought secondhand?
I’m just modelling, or drawing, why I need 5000USD RTX 6000 Ryzen Threadripper 1200 Watts PSU with 64GB if blender runs well under 6GB?
I’m just people who playing casually with good sprite rpg game, why I need expensive component?

What I say is why not just using good, usable devices, for your simple jobs? Canonical had a good job (Good here, not that extend) to at least encourage people to try, or if feel confusing, there a lot of Distro exist heck even IDK if Indonesian Distro from LangitKetujuh team was that great and being use by people who maybe work on design graphics and office.

Then why we still insist, on using Windows? IDT it’s that steep anymore, lot of channel, lot of tutorial, even big media such LTT had several revision of gaming on Linux.
I knew it’s hard to push mainstream into thing, question is not about how hard is it, but raher.

Willing you to costing your time to introduce it?

[Note : this is just me talking about things from my perspective, but I believe people willing to learn new thing as long as there are a helper, a tutor, a guider, a teacher, a person who willing to walking with them to new place. If you willing about it, then let’s move together, to get better world]

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The issue is they have multiple factories and suppliers, one for the motherboard, one for display, one for keyboard, one for trackpad, one for memory and storage, one for chassis and expansion cards, cooling units. Meaning that you have to import them all costing a fair amount and they still would have to be partially assembled at their headquarters. Even if you did get them to send you everything tax will be through the roof! It’s much smarter for a small company to deal with it themselves hence why they have not got distributors. They are not focusing on smaller countries for example the EU and UK is before the end of the year, with Australia and more than likely NZ together launching early next year. Much harder to import to developing countries. India was set to be mid to late 2022. This is just an educated guess meaning probably Asia would be mid 2022 for China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and probably some unofficial imports to some of the smaller countries.

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If you try installing windows yourself, versus installing linux yourself, you will find out why about 90% of PC is a Windows. (stat is old and off)
First, go through the usual nonsense. Pick drives, format systems, blah blah. Copy files and stuff.
Then silently wait for the PC to restart, followed by more nonsense (e.g. cortana speaking at the highest volume possible), and stuff like region, username (user folder name), password and some other stuff.

Then they throw you to desktop with the wrong resolution, no brightness, and no many things. But you have network (please select “skip for now” in initial setup), so you just sit there (maybe install simple hardware-independent software like VLC or stuff). Then your display will flash, go dark, light back up, and you know you have the right Display Driver. Then the chipset. Then the USB. Then audio. Nasty ones like fingerprint sensor will still be unavailable, but again. Windows is the only OS that run and can run on systems like surface book where you have detachable graphics, detachable battery, detachable USB hub, touchscreen, IR camera and fingerprint.

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@Xavier_Jiang In my experience, most Linux installs are done quicker, and with less fuss than the average Windows install. So much works right out of the box anymore. I generally can install Linux and be fully functional inside of 20 minutes, where as on Windows it is still copying files over at that point.

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Yes, Windows install is quite a fuss. Software license, too. But unless you are keen on using the shell script, I don’t think Linux will be the pick for a average person.

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Both WPD and Tinywall work on Windows 11, and I have not detected any traffic getting out that didn’t on Windows 10. (Which is to say that only things I’ve allowed are getting out.)

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Naw, it’s the same old NT kernel. The big changes were all in the graphical shell :slight_smile:

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There are some pretty deep kernel level changes. They don’t appear to change much in userland, to borrow from Linux terminology.

Some examples of these kernel changes are the new game modes, and a better scheduler (unless you were using AMD until recently, that is).

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You mean the Intel thread director? Or am I getting the wrong idea? Because the new alder lake chips have basically the same performance on Win 10 and 11 (except for some older applications)

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Having a warehouse based in SEA (probably Singapore) sounds like a good idea. Shipping from Singapore to nearby areas is very reasonable and you’d probably save compared to having warehouses for each country. I’m no economics expert so it’s very possible this is not the case at all and it’s cheaper to just ship from the US. Given the laptops apparently have very Low tariffs, it might actually be the case it’s cheaper to ship direct from the US.

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NVIDIA works fine on Linux (we just don’t like that they’re closed source. But they have dedicated resources and their drivers work better than the open-source AMD drivers.)

Adobe/Epic/EA will never work nicely with Linux. Linux is about moving power and control to the user. Those companies want the opposite. The best we can hope for is a good WINE solution or better competitors.

Good luck on your shop. I know the rules get different when working overseas. But there’s definitely a need for people who can keep those old boxes running (Framework just makes the job easy :wink: )

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I am also switching over to Linux for most of my non-gaming workflow (and a lot of my gaming too). The main game I play is Kerbal Space Program which runs just fine under Linux, along with a bunch of other games. I also run some drone simulators that run just fine under Linux, and the one that doesn’t works excellently with Lutris.

For my day job I need access to Microsoft Office - but with KVM and QEMU I can run Windows virtually with full support for Office and pretty much any other app I need to run. To be honest, for as hard as Arch supposedly is to install and configure, installing Windows is more annoying and time-consuming - and I have installed both Arch and Windows a lot lately thanks to various VMs. And if I want to run another Linux distro to try it out, or even MacOS, I can do that virtually too.

Virtualization really makes the friction of running Linux much less - rebooting when I needed Office was a real pain and prior to KVM virtualization was slow and annoying.

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Microsoft saying that they worked closely with Intel (or Intel working closely with them) to develop this “Thread Director” and Microsoft thus have a special task scheduler. It’s still in the workings, but they say the gaming performance is very significant (mainly on how the efficiency cores are good at medium tasks)

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Odd, considering most benchmarks are showing identical performance between Win10 and 11 when thread director is supposed to be in Win11. Might change though if it is still in development since that would mean we’re only seeing two sets of non-optimised performance.

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My guess is that the need for the director is based on Intel’s architecture changes on their 12th gen CPUs and going forward. Until those are out, we shouldn’t see much in the way of the new director, aside from the slowdowns that AMD chips saw. (Already fixed I believe.)

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Windows 10 have a less accurate thread director that can sense the power efficiency cores but either can’t utilize them fully or can’t use them to their full potential. Or something.
Whereas Windows 11 supposedly have a better one. Maybe.

Very likely. Especially since it have to do with early release software. It need time to be perfected, the bugs to be sorted out and those stuff.

LTT says it seem to be have fixed. If it weren’t, I believe it’s already in the workings.

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[Rant]
I would recommend stop playing their games(pun intended). As they want to control your computer. One notorious example is Valorant, a popular shooter game. This game has Vanguard kernel anti-cheat, always on, forces user to enable TPM and Secure Boot(treacherous computing), loads itself before loading Windows kernel. It’s like loading the a compromised ucode before initramfs-linux.img on Linux. This undermines your system’s security and stability, and it’s known to mess with safety-critical components like disabling fan control and frying the computer.

One possible solution is running a virtual machine and contain those malwares, make sure to configure the VM to make the anti-cheat rootkit to believe that you are not running on VM