1. waysidesc

  2. +Nik Louch

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    • I run a very small Discord server that handles news and discussion on a few games - less than 25 members so far, but growing.  I would NEVER allow anyone to block or ignore myself or any of the other admins.   If myself or an admin gets blocked, we are unable to perform the duties that I asked them to on the server - one of which is to moderate chat and ensure things stay (mostly) family friendly.  Since it's my server, I am the Final Boss on the server and if someone doesn't like it, I will gladly show them the door.
    • It's been four years, and I still don't have a strong enough reason to upgrade to Windows 11 by Usama Jawad Windows 11 launched way back in October 2021, and I reviewed it at that time, assigning it a verdict of 6.5/10, noting that it's a decent operating system but it prioritizes aesthetics over actual functionality. I also expanded upon this viewpoint both prior to the general release of the OS and after the fact through my series of Closer Look articles. At that time, I couldn't fathom using Windows 11 as my daily driver, but now that it's been four years, have things changed? Is Windows 11 my daily driver? Yes and no I use both Windows 10 and Windows 11 daily, and the ratio of time I spend on both of them is fairly equal. I basically have two laptops, one for personal use and one for work. The personal laptop runs on Windows 10 whereas the work machine is powered by Windows 11. The reason behind this is that although Windows 10 is my preferred OS due to familiarity, my work laptop was facing some hardware issues that required replacement of the SSD. When my office's IT team replaced the SSD and asked me which OS I would like installed on it, I responded Windows 11 just for the heck of it; just to see if I could make it my daily driver. I've been using it for the past six or so months on that machine, but that isn't my only experience with Windows 11. Even on my personal machine, I have both operating systems dual-booted on separate partitions for the last four years. So yes, as things currently stand, I am using both Windows 10 and Windows 11 simultaneously. The former because I'm comfortable with it and the latter just because I felt like I could do with some change in my routine. Windows 11 still isn't really my OS of choice Let me get one thing straight, I have no strong complaints against Windows 11. I know that it's missing some functionality that some would consider essential, those things don't really bother me much. My use of Windows machines is fairly routine. I use them for writing articles, preparing presentations, building dashboards, coding, attending Teams calls, and similar activities. I don't play games on them, so gaming performance deltas - if any - don't bother me all that much. All that is to say, I still don't really have a strong reason to upgrade to Windows 11. Yes, the aesthetics are different, but all the other features that Microsoft has introduced in its latest and greatest version of Windows isn't something that affects my daily routine. Let's go through some of the recent changes that Microsoft has been working on with Windows 11: A redesigned Start menu: don't recall the last time I clicked on the Windows icon or key to open the Start menu. I do use Windows Search though AI features like Recall: Many are locked to Copilot+ PCs Improved context menus: I'm fine with the context menus in Windows 10 An improved and deeply integrated Microsoft Store: Eh, does anyone really use this storefront? Updates to Settings app: While I do like the improvements being made to this particular app, the Settings app isn't something I open daily There are lots of other changes too, but as you may have been able to surmise from the above, I am not inherently against any of the features present in Windows 11. I just feel that, for the vast majority of users - including myself -, there Windows 10 machine does get the work done. Yes, Windows 11 has new capabilities and perhaps even improves in many areas, it's just not enough to get people to ditch a perfectly running OS that they have familiarized themselves with. Windows 11 isn't a bad OS at all, it's just not as OS that everyone simply needs right now. None of this will likely matter at the end What would get me to upgrade to Windows 11 in a blink of an eye would be things that improve my daily workflow. If Teams really did get entrenched in Windows 11 in a meaningful way (I still remember that failed integration attempt), if AI really did enhance my productivity in a quantifiable manner through Windows 11-specific features, or if the OS had specialized software that simply couldn't be replicated in Windows 10, then we'd be talking. Of course, none of this may matter at the end. Windows 10 is reaching end of life (EoL) in less than four months from now, which means that customers who remain on this OS will be left high and dry when it comes to security updates. At that time, remainers such as myself will have to choose between sticking to an insecure version of Windows, migrating to Windows 11 - which may even require purchasing a new PC -, or even, God forbid, consider a Linux distro. There's also a very strong chance that Windows 10 ends up being the next Windows 7, which is something that I have hypothesized about before. In my opinion, Microsoft is still struggling to offer compelling reasons to ditch Windows 10 and upgrade to Windows 11, which is reflected in the fragmented state of Windows market share, where Windows 10 is still the most popular OS. Redmond is making various attempts to get people to seamlessly upgrade to Windows 11 in what may be last ditch efforts before the looming Windows 10 EoL date. But I believe what will really move the needle is the actual arrival of EoL or groundbreaking Windows 11 features that you simply can't get elsewhere. But I do believe that the latter will take some time, so until then, let's welcome the age of the new Windows 7. Have you upgraded to Windows 11 yet? If yes, what compelled you to upgrade? If no, what are the reasons behind choosing to be a remainer? Let us know in the comments section below!
    • Dude, the "DEI hires" are not the cool team. The "DEI hires" could have been a good thing for everybody, but ultimately turned into a politically motivated rule, and politics are not cool.
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