whenever I see a screenshot of Windows 11 I keep thinking that it’s some weird Linux DE, despite the fact that I’m using Windows 11 right now

it definitely looks like one of those ascetically minimal Linux DEs though, like Gnome

for all the complaints about Windows 11 though I do actually like it more than Windows 10. for the most part IMO it’s just Windows 10 except they:

• made the UI a little prettier and better
• made the menus much easier to navigate
• broke the night light (don’t use it or you’ll have to reboot to clear it again. use F.lux instead)
• switched to a worse start menu for some reason
• finally fixed a big where all of the windows on my main monitor would get shuffled to a side monitor when they were put into power saving mode (this alone is worth the switch to me)
• made the emojis way worse but you can fix this with an ugly registry hack
• also as usual you have to turn off a bunch of spyware and adware with O&O ShutUp 10

like it’s basically just more Windows and I think I overall like the changes so idk

except obviously the hardware requirements and the really aggressive screenshotting spyware they have for laptops that support Copilot or whatever it is

@CIMB4 omg did they? that honestly wouldn’t surprise me because Windows has been stealing ideas from Linux DEs for years

I guess what it boils down to for me is:

• do you want a lifelong tinkering project that is spyware-free but can’t run games very well, if at all? use Linux
• are you willing to disable some spyware/adware and deal with enshittification in order to have a system that “just works” and can run anything? use Windows

honestly the #1 thing that keeps me on Windows is that gaming on Linux is still markedly worse and some games don’t work at all

@kasdeya Proton can be used to run exe files and non-steam games! I use Lutris for that. But yeah, it sucks, especially for VR which is basically nonexistent on linux unless you're ready to use multiple experimental software projects in parallel which only work on specific hardware.

@kasdeya I'm surprised. Most games I've tried run better in Linux, and I've only found one in my collection that doesn't really work.

@kasdeya The tinkering is a problem for most people, though.

Gaming is a trap, and was always a trap. It's a scam to get you screwing yourself over for the lifelong gambling addiction they programmed into you.

But yeah I'm not gonna wave my magic wand and cure you of the very relatable enjoyment you get out of Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo games. Damage is done. Question is, how do we get out of this pit?

CC: @kasdeya@cryptid.cafe

Y'know, the last time I tinkered with my Linux system was... umm... last November I think, when I had to add 1 line to a text file so that supergay.network would resolve. Then remove the line, because it messed up weatherishappening.network.

So it is not. Constant tinkering. Set and forget for everything.

CC: @kasdeya@cryptid.cafe

@CIMB4 ooh okay I’m glad that that’s an option then! Bottles sounds fantastic actually

@foolishowl that’s fair! to be honest the last time I tried it was about 2-3 years ago but at the time I was getting 45 FPS on games that I would normally get 60+ FPS on, and a lot of games had weird graphical issues. but I bet things have gotten better since then at least

although the main thing is that when I try to play games with my friends/partners who use Linux, they tend to have trouble getting the game to run - even if it doesn’t have anti-cheat

@kasdeya I don't play any games that involve anti-cheat, and it wasn't until the last time I bought a computer a few years ago, that I've only run Linux on, that I even had a system that could get 60 FPS. I mostly won't notice framerate if it mostly stays above 30 FPS.

Also I'm old and most of the games I play where framerate would even be an issue are ten years old or older.

So those things would make a difference.

@foolishowl @kasdeya
I've had to tinker with very few of my games. While it may not be as good as Windows, it's not nearly as bad as it is sometimes made out to be. I'd say 80-90% of my games 'just work'.

@foolishowl that definitely makes sense! to be honest sub-60 FPS tends to drive me crazy, but I’m very picky and uptight about things like that

thankfully I do tend to play mostly older games and simple indie games. but I’m also just very uncomfortable with the idea of having a lot of unnecessary cycles spent on rendering the same graphics or running the same game logic. that’s honestly just a me problem though

@kasdeya When Quake was new, it would display a graphic of a turtle to warn you if your frame rate was below 10 FPS.

@foolishowl omg I love that lol. is Quake one of the games that you play a lot of? you can probably tell but I love Doom and Doom 2, though I never got too far into Quake

@kasdeya I can't say I've played it a lot, but I do have it installed on my old desktop, with Quakespasm as the engine, and a big modpack installed, Arcane Dimensions.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/arcane-dimensions

@foolishowl woahh this looks incredible! every dimension in the screenshots has such a good vibe, and they all look really distinct from each other