Why is my OS an ad platform?

After updating to 22H2, the formerly-skippable ‘set up your computer’ screen options became ‘continue’ or ‘remind me in 3 days’. Ugh.

• No, I don’t want to change my default browser.
  • why do we have to keep talking about this?
    
• No, I don’t want to sign up for 365.
  • we’ve already had this conversation.
    
• I also do not want to pin the link to the free 365 web apps to my anything
  • can I please just use my computer now?
    
• I do not want additional OneDrive storage.
  • you’re just embarassing yourself at this point.

In fairness..

I guess they consider it a free OS, though this is an OEM copy installed by the manufacturer.
My other machine at home runs 10 as an upgrade from a retail 8 purchase…not sure that counts as free either.

Tragically, I know that 11 is even worse. I’ve got three machines running that and it feels like a constant battle to keep ads and the stupid news feed hidden. Not disabled, since that’s impossible(? If you know better, please educate me). This is a huge bummer because, honestly, 10 and 11 are both pretty solid OSes. I think $MS is innovating in some areas that, if nothing changes, Apple will ape to great fanfare in a few years.

Were we talking about a free OS, I’d semi-understand needing to generate some revenue.
But even that is a little silly. GNU/Linux exists and is a fine OS, mostly free from ads (looking at you, Landscape Pro).

That’s about it

I haven’t posted in a bit and want to convince myself this blog isn’t another tiny project that I half-finished and will leave rotting forever.
If it’s 2024 and this is the newest post on here, I guess I gave up.

I (may) have too many computers

Not really admitting a problem here

Because it’s physically next to the 10 tabletcomputerthing, I’m also running Ventura on a 2010 MBP. Core2Duo FTW. I think the first gen 64bit intels are about the oldest thing a person can reasonably use in any practical capacity. Beneath this TMUX pane is another connected to a Thinkpad X60 with a Duo L2400. There’s not an enormous difference in raw computing power between the last CD and the first C2D, but the RAM limitations are difficult to live with AND 32bit software is becoming difficult to scare up.

Open Core is how you run new OSes on old Macs.

Check out that uptime though.

If I can ever find an X61 for cheap I’d like to see how daily-able it feels. I’ve got an x230 running Neon which feels perfectly fine, no compromises necessary.

Wow this went longer than expected.

Cool!