[triMichael]

While I haven't had this issue with Gmail, I recently got a new computer and the first two weeks for full of moments like this. It's shocking to me how much we've let popups go rampant on everything. Perhaps the worst offender is Windows update, as it won't even let you use your own computer without clicking through 10 screens refusing all sorts of products they are trying to push on you.

[coldpie]

I know everyone's tired of hearing this, but this doesn't happen on Linux. I know I know, it's different and a little janky here and there and maybe you have to find a replacement for one or two pieces of software. But like, you don't actually have to put up with this. There is a better way.

[kraquepype]

I recently built 2 mini PCs for my kids to play games on, and went with Bazzite.

It was really surprising how put together it all is. The steam integration is seamless and it can play a ton of stuff even on an older NUC w/out a GPU.

It was the first time I can say that installing a linux OS was easier and friendlier than Windows.

[Gormo]

> It was the first time I can say that installing a linux OS was easier and friendlier than Windows.

I'd say that from work experience managing an IT department that maintains and deploys both Windows and Linux machines, the administrative overhead involved in working with Windows first exceeded that of Linux at some point in the Windows 10 life cycle -- at least five years ago. Since then, Windows has been getting worse and worse, and Linux has been getting better and better.

With most corporate software being accessible via the web and/or being cross-platform these days, we're seriously debating moving the standard corporate workstation configuration to Linux.

[wholinator2]

It's only getting easier and friendlier comparatively. Recently i bought a new computer and installing an external drive and putting kde linux on it was easier than fighting my way through the windows telemetry gauntlet, the setting, and all the bloat. Modern windows disgusts me continuously in new ways

[sotix]

How are you finding KDE Linux's performance? I'm really excited for its progress!

[slipknotfan]

I prefer arch btw

[unsungNovelty]

Here you can see Arch users in their natural environment

(In David Attenborough's voice)

[tasuki]

No one asked about that. The question was about KDE Linux.

[ErroneousBosh]

> It was the first time I can say that installing a linux OS was easier and friendlier than Windows.

It's been that way for about 20 years. Where have you been?

[al_borland]

Installing maybe… getting all the hardware to actually work was a completely different story. Broken WiFi was the norm. Bad display drivers that only worked in 640x480 or 800x600. Not to mention consulting website before installing to see how well your laptop was supported and what you could expect to never work.

So years ago you also generally had to understand partitioning and filesystem formats, which most people are clueless about.

Sure, they were learning opportunities, but most people weren’t trying to learn anything. They just wanted to get on MySpace, download free music, chat with friends.

[xmcp123]

I still have a wifi issue that forces me to pin to a specific wifi network. If I do not, it somehow cascades into a GPU driver failure that breaks everything.

My last laptop used an audio amplifier that made the speakers not work for ~2 years, that required patching the kernel to fix. It's only recently a vanilla version of the kernel works.

We aren't completely out of the woods yet.

[ErroneousBosh]

It sounds like you may have been using very strange or not-working-properly devices.

No-one really needed to care about partitioning.

[al_borland]

I was using a Thinkpad mostly, which were usually considered some of the best options. Some of the bigger issues may have been 25 years ago, not 20.

I remember spending a lot of time partitioning stuff in those early days, especially if trying to dual boot.

[kraquepype]

20 years ago I was running linux as a desktop for fun.

It certainly was not as easy to setup as Windows.

[ErroneousBosh]

I've never successfully managed to install Windows on anything. It's got such limited driver support, nothing works out of the box.

[andrekandre]

using linux feels like macos back in the mid-2000s and windows (in a good way) in the early 2000s, like its some kind "operating system" for you to do things instead of being advertised to...

its such a breath of fresh air

[supertroop]

Doesn’t happen on mac either, right?

[justaregulanerd]

Coming from 10 years of Linux to macOS, Apple deserves praise for this point too.

I don't use Apple Intelligence, Safari, or Siri on my Mac, and I'm extremely happy to report that Apple does not nag me to use these features at all. THANK YOU APPLE.

Windows would open Edge for random reasons instead of my preferred browser to nudge me to use it, Cortana was a constant reminder in W10 because it was part of Windows Search, and of course, we all know how they push Copilot.

Apple isn't perfect (iCloud is fine on macOS, but iOS is quite misleading and often defaults to on even if you really don't want it), but overall my Mac respects my wishes as a user and it makes me look forward to using my computer as a tool.

[ryandrake]

To be fair, Apple does do a one-time sales pitch during OS setup, but if you say NO, it remembers you mean NO.

macOS does have its own user-hostile issues, but they are more in the form of making things like running downloaded software and modifying your system irritatingly difficult, and not Windows's pathetic and desperate attempts to cajole you into using their features.

[jasonfarnon]

I can't get my ipad to shut up about iCloud storage. At least with windows I know how to turn that stuff off (worse case registry fix). I have no idea how to hack Apple's stuff.

[pietro72ohboy]

I just got off from their 50GB plan and the amount of nagging has been insane. There's a giant banner in the photos app, a banner in the health app and everything else that I removed from icloud backups, strongly suggesting (in what I must imagine would be a well-studied message designed to induce panic amongst less tech-savvy users) that I am in a perilous situation and must restore icloud backups immediately. Deeply shameful and has made me even more aware of their shenanigans.

[antonkochubey]

It still does a tiny bit (iCloud Drive is quite pushy) but to uncomparably smaller extent vs Windows

[conductr]

It’s relative, I’d say about 10% as annoying as Windows

[a96]

Macos absolutely has incessant random popups everywhere. Not exactly the same kind, of course.

[sethops1]

Ehh Apple has been self promoting their own services directly in the OS for a while now, including popups via notifications.

[PennRobotics]

I wish I could fully agree. Canonical is a bit pushy: "Ubuntu Pro / ESM subscription will make your machine safer! and it is convenient mega free!! ((for non-business uses))"

Workplace very strictly requires Ubuntu LTS for toolchain & compatibility reasons, otherwise I'd run Debian or Fedora or Tumbleweed with Ubuntu containers/VMs where needed.

Nonetheless, Linux popups and promotions (even from enterprise distros) are not nearly as bad as the Windows 11 experience.

[bossyTeacher]

It's hilarious seeing people complain about Microsoft when a free alternative exists. Humans are really curious creatures.

[elictronic]

Up until very recently gaming is the only thing keeping my l and millions of others main pc from being Linux or Mac. I dual booted in the past but was annoyed. With all the work steam has put in I’m personally about 6 months out from just dumping Microsoft on all my personal products.

It’s impressive they have dropped the ball so hard that it’s causing a complete rethink for so many users like myself. Bullet >> golden goose.

[chuckadams]

I caught myself just recently saying that I only keep my Linux box around to play games. Steam is more painless on Linux now than on Windows.

[slipknotfan]

because you have enough ram for steam because you don't have copilot?

[bossyTeacher]

I also stuck with them for a long time because of Windows until Proton became good enough for most games.

[lionkor]

"Recently" is around 5 or 6 years ago.

[account42]

Over a decade even if you put in a minimal amount of effort.

[gaiagraphia]

People will passionately tell each other to vote for [$moralParty], then willingly prop up companies which go against everything they stand for the very next day. Curious indeed.

[TonyStr]

When people make statements like this, I always wonder if you're thinking of someone specific, or if you're conflating the group with the individual

[PyWoody]

  Does Microsoft understand consent?
  
  [ ] Yes
  [ ] Ask again later

[1e1a]

Apple does this as well with MacOS update notifications

  Upgrade to MacOS Tahoe?
  
  [ ] Yes
  [ ] Remind me later

[chrishill89]

Setting up a Mac user account.

   What accessibility settings do you need?

   - [four options/catgories]
   - Remind me Later (or something)

And I guess the Later option is technically accurate.

[flobosg]

> switch to the Sequoia public beta channel!

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47198977#47202707

[shye]

Not a real solution if you’re averse to using pre-release software like macOS 26.

Recent betas also seem to break some small things, not sure if due to change in code itself or a faulty migration.

[flobosg]

Not sure if I understand your reply. Currently, the Sequoia beta channel is only getting security patches.

[shye]

It receives, as its name implies, pre-release builds: it is currently on 15.7.8, while the latest macOS 15.7 release is 15.7.7.

[bee_rider]

It’s less surprising with Windows.

Google really was competent in the 2005-2020 era (probably further on the left, that’s just as far as I remember).

I don’t think Microsoft has seriously disappointed anybody paying attention since 2012 or so.