this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2025
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I've been dual-booting Linux and Windows for a while, with Windows as the fall-back option in case I wanted to use Office for something. Now that they tried to trick me into paying a subscription for their AI slop machine, I'm finally, fully out. It was a pain to actually track down and back-up the stuff that was held for ransom in OneDrive, but now it is done.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Just going to mention that if you're okay with non-FOSS office software, I really like Softmaker's suite (their buy-once non-subscription version).

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I recently moved my digital life away from google and microsoft. I previously had the following subscriptions:

  • ExpressVPN
  • Onedrive
  • Bitwarden
  • Office 365

And I had a gmail account, which I often used for SSO. I realized that, the total monthly cost of these subscriptions together was more expensive than a single Protonmail *family * subscription, so I cancelled them all, got the family subscription, and now my wife and her sister all have protonmail accounts as well as storage, a password manager, and VPN access. In the process of moving my logins to my protonmail account, so that I don't have to keep my ancient Facebook account around for signing into things like spotify anymore. Coupled this with moving to the federated internet from reddit and instagram

I also dropped office for libreoffice. MS Office provides dubious value over the free competition, especially with a SAAS model.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bitwarden

Do you mean Bitdefender (the antivirus)? Bitwarden is free.

Before anyone well ackhuallys me yes, there is a very cheap $0.80/mo plan if you want an authenticator.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I had a bitwarden premium family plan

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I was thinking to myself that I need to cancel mine. Then yesterday I got charged $127 for the yearly renewal.

I thought I was SOL but you can cancel and get most of the money back. So it's not too late to cancel and rid yourself of it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Going to dump it when the wife's done with school. I was only keeping it for that and one game. So sick of subscriptions and the product isn't even good except for Excel.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I mean, you have to use the heck out Excel to get into features that aren't in free projects like Libreoffice or OnlyOffice as well.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

And once you are using those you are probably better off using sqlite or even running a full SQL server.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

True. They’ve come a long way.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Have you tried running Office in a bottle?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Same, Microsoft is about to force my laptop to update and I am about to own zero devices that run Windows.

There is no coming back either, which is what makes the schadenfeude of Microsoft (the dog) really actually catching the car this time so funny and satisfying.

I think it is going to make heads spin how fast the idea that Windows has unassailable hegemony in the desktop space becomes an antiquated idea. There is an asteroid in the sky, and the time of dinosaurs is over.

All the alarm bells should be going off at Microsoft hq and I know they probably feel like they are sitting pretty and feel nice and future proofed in their business plan, it is amazing and makes my heart sing.

Sorry not sorry you law breaking, monopoly chasing, morally bankrupt losers. You might be richer than I ever will be, but lets be honest, that is because I have standards about what I am willing to do for money.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They dgaf about us. Their Enterprise clients are their cash cows. But we are rid of their fleas nonetheless

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yeah I know that is how they see it but the generational wave they have been coasting on was the fact that computer nerdy kids would learn the ins and outs of Windows software long before even entering the workplace.

Microsoft has been taking advantage of the fact that kids like me would be so excited to learn computers that they would learn the basics of just poking around the desktop before they could read.

Nowadays that is gone, there is no playful connection and the sea of change will butterfly-effect into the future and cause a million symptoms of an issue we all know Microsoft will never actually value or address.

Microsoft has been functioning this entire time with a special unspoken in with nerdy kids who grow up to build important and valuable computer tools. Microsoft has steamrolled that, and on the scale of 10+ years I am not sure there will be anything Microsoft can actually do to mitigate the strategic defeat that is going to cause even if they are able to be honest and lucid about it at that late date.

More and more computer nerdy kids are going to learn the shit out of Linux because it is where they game and it feels welcoming to them (i.e. it doesn't feel like sneaking into a suffocatingly boring office full of identical cubicles that gives periodic blaring notifications on a gambling casino nobody your parents know can afford called the Stock Market).

I can't understate how much this will lead to Microsoft completely losing the plot because no one could ever suggest this as a danger in a Microsoft boardroom and be taken as seriously as they should.

gets popcorn I for one am going to enjoy the show

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Really looking forward to see steamos on a workstation 😁❤️

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago

I can finally say that I'm making the move to Linux now, as I'm dual booting Fedora. I plan to try to do my regular browsing and activity on Fedora, while keeping my school work and what little gaming I do (laptop user) on Windows. Hell, once I get confident enough in my Linux skills, I'll probably move the school stuff over to Fedora too.

I'm doing it mostly cause I've read the privacy horror stories, but also because I just hated Windows 11. Like there's nothing about it that is worth staying for... The excessive resource use, random settings being changed that you have to dig to find, the shitty Co-Pilot ads, and the fact I won't be able to use office once I graduate... Yeah no.

Good thing is I'm a cyber student, so guess I'm just getting a head start for a easier grade in my future Linux class lol.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Bro I use windows for mostly gaming and it forced me to update to 24h2 which broke most games.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Unless you're specifically referring to games with kernal-level anti-cheat, I'm curious as to what games you need Windows for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Personally only use Windows on my work laptop and even that I am questioning it, might start using my Linux VM for day to day work

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Same for me.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Could you clarify on this a bit? I'm genuinely curious what the update did to the games as many use windows for the same.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Some games just dont run at all basically, you get a black screen. I could roll it back with the recovery but it would suck bad if I could not. Disabled updates for now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you know if this is all windows or specific versions/on specific hardware? That's such a weird thing to have effecting potentially all windows versions. Very interesting though, thanks for clarifying.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I had this issue on NFSU2 (yes I still play it) and after changing the widescreen fix it seems to be resolved at the moment. But sucks that Windows provides breaking changes with updates.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Fedora KDE spin

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