From the devs Github
KMS38 has now been removed from the MAS script. Users are advised to use HWID or TSforge activation instead.
So you can still activate Windows through the other means in the script already. I dunno the ins n’ outs, of what makes one method better than another. When I checked it seemed HWID was the first option and the one most people use anyway sooooo…
You’re right, but still. Reduction of options is never good for the community.
Well, just in time for me to have activated my Windows 10 version so I’m good until 2032.
Never going to Windows 11, Microsoft, fuck you.
One more reason never to install windows.
Linux is easier to use than trying to registry hack your way into a local account.
no, im a linux user. if someone doesnt want to dedicate time to adopt and learn, linux isnt “easier”. even if linux was as easy as windows (idk it can even be compared tbh); its different. different requires time and effort, if someone cant do that (for any reason, this isnt a judgement), its not an easy move.
I don’t think you realize just how complicated it has become to administer windows these days.
as stated in the thread, i use windows at work
I don’t disagree in general. However, my mom has been running Linux with a Windows XP skin for almost 8 years now without knowing she’s using Linux. Literally just keeps her from running a random .exe and she does everything on a browser anyway.
Bazzite, legit unless you got some funky setup you just install and go.
My wife is not technical and has no interest in adopting and learning anything.
The web works the same way regardless of the OS, and LibreOffice has all the same features as Word that she uses.
The “hard part” is choosing and upgrading hardware, and maybe installation (depending on distribution).
I mention this because I think we should evaluate these differently. With a preloaded desktop/laptop, I’ve had no issues with anyone that actually relates to Linux (except my BIL who was trying to build an arcade stick for gaming).
Explaining to my other BIL how to select hardware for his custom build, that took some time, as did guiding him through the installation.
im sorry but LibreOffice might have all the features of word but it certainly has a really bad user experience. i write often and libreoffice writer is difficult to say the least, not because of lack of features but a lack of most ‘little things’ and ‘tweaks’. i can definitely see someone switching to libreoffice from word, but saying its not ‘hard’ is untrue or a biased take in my opinion and using both suites (more familiar with libre though lmao).
i do agree that for a mostly web based user as is commonplace nowadays, a preloaded linux thats been decently built is gonna be a significantly easy switch.
on a slight tangent, but linux for me was a way to rebuild my love for computers after windows systematically fucked things. and i really enjoy the learning process. so personally i still encourage people to spend the time in the learning process atleast a bit
i write often and libreoffice writer is difficult to say the least, not because of lack of features but a lack of most ‘little things’ and ‘tweaks’.
I think you’re missing the fact that you are doing more ‘expert’ things than most here. The majority of the time, my wife opens a document she made once, saves as a new file (no, she’s not using templates - don’t get me started), and writes her invoice. She then PDFs it and sends it via email.
She does the same thing with Calc and a previously made blank “monthly calendar”. Opens the blank, saves for the client, enters in the days and renames the month at the top, notes what she’ll be doing for them on each day with an hour estimate, PDF and email.
That is the kind of thing most people do.
ah fuck, i did this
I was seriously considering posting it but didn’t want you to think I was being a dick about it 😀
appreciated, reality checks are best served plain
I would say give onlyoffice a try. It’s not FOSS but does have free tier for home use and it’s what I go to for non-main work computer. Beats libre imo.
i do use onlyoffice when i have to work with MSOffice docs, its very similar. but the emphasis on AI has irked me too much to make it a regular use
Yeah, LibreOffice stuck with the old UI/UX for better and worse. Luckily we do have a nice selection of Office Suites in addition to them. OnlyOffice, WPS Office, Collabora, KDE Calligra, Softmaker Office… surely there’s one for everyone on Linux.
Personally I like OnlyOffice.
and i also say this as someone who is required to use windows at work. i despise windows, its so much harder for me to use windows given linux been my daily driver for a long time. im annoyed at powershell, explorer, clunky shortcut behaviors, etc just about every second im on windows. its a nightmare difficulty for me, but i also refuse to ever relearn windows stuff. i do remember a time when it wasnt annoying as fuck to use, could be nostalgia or that people just adopt.
using windows as a linux user is a nightmare. but if someone is adopted to windows, the opposite is gonna be similar no matter what.
I also use windows for work. Shits stupid. Search in the start bar for an app that’s installed on your PC? Let’s open edge and show you web results. Want to copy something out of teams? Here’s a copilot link you just accidentally clicked. Thanks for accepting that TOS.
I’d love some say on my work computer but alas I’m a grunt.
The administration tools are just as bad.
I want to add a user to a group, so I bring up Entra and search Groups, too bad it’s a Mail-enabled Security group, so now I have to do it in Exchange admin and enable a separate admin role for myself.
I want to disable a device in Intune, so I search for device XYZ in Intune and there’s no disable button. You have to figure out who’s the primary user on the device, look them up, find XYZ in their device assignments and there’s the disable button.
Sure you can do it in Powershell or Graph and hope they haven’t deprecated whatever module you were using last week or changed the process entirely.
Don’t get me started with administrating access on folders in Teams and Sharepoint somehow not give a fuck about it.
I’d love some say on my work computer but alas I’m a grunt.
Not a grunt, but still run my work laptop like I am one. I use it exclusively for teams, outlook, office, etc, and nothing else work related though since I can still save to our (non-MS) cloud environment thanks to rclone. Which technically meets the criteria - which has nothing to do with the fact that I wrote the criteria. Totally unexpected benefit! Didn’t plan it that way at all. Nope, it was 100% because one of the partners will only use a mac. Promise.
(I’m sorry about your laptop)
Haha it happens. I work for a medical software company so they are terrified of HIPPA fines.
So it is what it is. :/
Ah, assurance of compliance (pinky swear promises) over usability.
I once had to use a windows laptop that had to be stored in a safe when I wasn’t using it, could only use it in a room that was keyed entry (also where the safe was). But the firewall config was practically wide open, and it had direct access to the internet. I couldn’t even change it to be more secure. Ended up not connecting it to a network at all and just sneakernetting a thumb drive around so I wouldn’t risk catching blame if something got out.
Edit: Yes, a thumb drive. That wasn’t blocked either on this “hardened” system.
Well, the whole reason people have to “adopt and learn” is because M$ bought their way onto virtually every new PC sold back in the 90s, so people’s first experience would be their “operating system.”
Talk about leveraging anchoring bias.
I’d argue you’d have a hard time selling Windows to people if you were honest about it.For just 145€ you get:
- an operating system that assumes you’re an inept idiot
- ads in your application launcher
- a screenshot taken every minute, which gets stored outside your control and analysed by “AI”
- an invasive “assistant” that listens in on your microphone at all times
- forced to create an account to log in to “your” machine, so we can collect even more personal data
Especially when the alternative is free and let’s you do whatever you want with your hardware. And if you happen to misconfigure something you get to be an adult about it and learn from your mistakes.
oh im not disagreeing with that. windows is not easy to learn (as i said in my comment response to my comment above) after u stop being used to it. i doubt its easier if u are new to it either. they definitely just bought their way into making it the status quo. like how chrome did with browsing the web. or google with gmail. or google with etc etc.
what i am saying is that ignoring the “adopt and learn” part isnt benefiting anyone
Nah, these “hacks” are very easy. Easier than installing and learning even the most basic of Linux distros.
It’s true. You run one single command in cmd, then follow the prompts. It literally highlights what you probably want too, nevermind the guide online. Even Linux mint you still have to learn where stuff is and what it’s called. That’s not hard, by any means, but this is literally a single command and then you’re back to your routine.
not really
Can confirm. Just switched to Linux about 2 weeks ago. I am happy enough, but there was a brutal learning curve. This was for a distro that is user friendly, too. I was able to install just fine, but actually getting my environment set up is an ongoing process.
Many Linux distros are getting there, but they still aren’t ready for casual users.
I don’t think the learning curve is any harder than someone who’s learning Windows for the first time.
It’s just different. Honestly in some ways simpler IMO. But if you were a life long Mac user and touched Windows for the first time today you’d probably have a rougher time I think.
Wouldn’t you have the same experience if you moved from iOS to Android, never having used Android before? Does that make Android not ready for casual use?
If you have used Windows your whole life, there will definitely be a learning curve getting used to Linux and whatever desktop environment you choose to use.
I personally have better experience having casual users use Linux than Windows.
In fact, one has a similar learning curve going from Android to iOS (as I learned when I transitioned to iPhone) even if iOS is broadly considered more “user friendly.”
I think you’re onto something. Switching to Windows would be painful to anyone used to Linux regardless of all the philosophical differences simply because the OS works differently. Lord knows I despise MacOS despite people who use it saying, “it just works.”
I was only using “from iOS to Android” as an example. I believe it would be equally difficult going from Android to iOS. As you, I also despise using MacOS. It’s a struggle, because I’m not used to it in any way.
There is a difference between going from a GUI based OS to a hybrid GUI/console OS.
For both iOS and Android the only difference is where things live. The processes are still the same.
This is not the case with Windows and Linux. If you want to install something in Windows you go to a website and download an installer. For Linux, you find out if there is a package. If not you go to a website and see if there is an app image or zip file. You then need to know where to place the downloaded file, how to get it running (making it executable), knowing how to chmod and chown (it is better to have to do it like in Linux, but it is an extra step), and how to add it to your desktop (there is no right+click and add to desktop/create shortcut option in Arch based distros like there is on Windows). If there is a service component you may need to go into command line and systemctl to enable it.
Your comparison to iOS and Android is not really appropriate.
For Linux, you find out if there is a package. If not you go to a website and see if there is an app image or zip file. You then need to know where to place the downloaded file, how to get it running (making it executable), knowing how to chmod and chown (it is better to have to do it like in Linux, but it is an extra step), and how to add it to your desktop (there is no right+click and add to desktop/create shortcut option in Arch based distros like there is on Windows). If there is a service component you may need to go into command line and systemctl to enable it.
I don’t think I’ve ever followed that workflow to be honest. Except for when doing something niche and way above and beyond something a casual user would do.
Open the software center, search what you want. Click install. Done. I use the terminal to the same effect but that’s by preference. Installing packages as you described is not at all recommended… They won’t update with the system.
The “add to desktop” thing really depends on your Desktop Environment too. GNOME not really, KDE and most others yeah.
I’ve been using Linux for 20 years. The learning curve is still too steep for me.
I’m curious what setup you have to do?
I do some customization of KDE on my desktop, but for my laptops it’s always install and use without the need to setup anything.I am using CachyOS. I was able to find my way around because I knew what I needed to look up due to existing server experience, but a first time user would likely struggle a lot more.
Which distros are you using on laptop? I have a gaming laptop, I’ve been procrastinating on the switch because I dont want to lose some things. I really enjoy the control software for the lights and fans that it came pre-installed with, for example
If anything, Linux gives you far more control over those things and it’s usually much easier to do than in Windows.
I’ve been using Bazzite for gaming for over a year now and it’s great. It is immutable though, so while you can do just about anything you can do in other distros, the process can be different.
I’ve seen a lot of people suggesting CachyOS lately for gaming, if you want something that isn’t immutable.
What gaming laptop is it? I had an ASUS Strix and it worked wonders with https://asus-linux.org/.
Acer Predator Triton
I don’t use my laptops for gaming, only casual web browsing and the occasional 3d print or code script.
I have used fedora in the past but a failed update broke it, so I’m using cachyos now.
The only issue I had with the laptop, is that it’s recognized as a 2-in-1 and sometimes would switch to the tablet mode which disabled the keyboard. Either I found how to disable it or cachy doesn’t have the issue.
get excited for a random system update to boot you to a GRUB rescue console soon!
When was the last time you used Linux? And what distro was it? Your complaints are a decade out of date.
this exact situation happened about 3 months ago to my partner on a modern distro
You should give the name of the distro rather than just say modern. Ubuntu is “modern” and they broke the auto-updates for everyone some months ago. It’s more about stability than modernity
oh, so when the Linux fanboys come out and say “you should switch to Linux, it’s easy!” they actually mean learn the decades long history of countless distributions, fork infighting, and an untold amount of software and hardware compatibility baggage, THEN switching will be easy! silly of me to make such a mistake!
Just curious here… nvidia + kernel update and not using dkms?
yes, Nvidia, and who knows for the rest. i think it was Debian-based, maybe Mint. they went back to Win11 after barely a month because it was so rough, despite years of experience with Linux.
deleted by creator
set up?
yep, I have used many linux distros for 20 years or so, and they are certainly much harder to migrate to than checks notes pressing two keys and running a command to get a local account.
good luck getting more than a few hours into a fresh linux install without needing to use a CLI, lol
yet you claim windows you need to also…checks notes run commands in cli
sure, because the comment i was replying to talked about local accounts, and that’s how you do that on some editions of Windows 11.
ok… but youre claiming that jumping through hoops to get Linux to work is bad, yet it’s ok on windows? makes no sense.
I’d personally rather have full control of my PC rather then some company telling me how to use my computer.
Why is it acceptable to use command line to setup Windows, but not Linux?
Bottom line is, if you’re not willing to put the minimal effort in, then you shouldn’t ever complain about Windows being shit.
you seem to have misinterpreted or misread this comment thread, sorry.
No, seems pretty clear to me.
and they are certainly much harder to migrate to than checks notes pressing two keys and running a command to get a local account.
Then literally immediately, in the same comment:
Good luck getting more than a few hours into a fresh linux install without needing to use a CLI, lol
Good luck installing your pirated Windows without needing to use the CLI, lol.
quoting me and saying “don’t you see?” is not exactly demonstrating reading comprehension.
if you want to go on a crusade against CLIs, feel free, but leave me out. i think they’re great.
the comparison i replied to was whether it was easier to migrate to Linux vs setting up a local account, and any user is going to spend much more time migrating than running a single command.
good luck getting more than a few hours into a fresh linux install without needing to use a CLI, lol
I use the terminal on my dev machine, but that’s because of what I do. Never opened the terminal on my laptops.
I’ve installed Ubuntu and fedora workstation on 5 machines in the past 6 months. Not a single install required using the terminal even once. A couple of those installs were on sketchy hardware and everything still just worked.
Meanwhile I installed win11 on a new machine a couple of weeks ago and it had missing drivers on install, trouble activating, and the login screen switched to Chinese characters after a few reboots (it is a known bug).
/shrug
🤓☝️yesh’ but, did you consider that uh… checks notes hmm… Linux difficult?
/s
How do you run that command you mentioned? Was it a few hours in or right at installation and login?
Look, we are all trying to figure out who did this, ok?
Windows has become too shitty to pay for. And now they do this.
Always has been.
Thanks
o7
i guess M$ is just deprecating that whole gatherosstate thing because of Y2k38, not exactly targeting MAS. If they are they would’ve removed their github repo and patched the hwid glitch.
What is Windows?
Instead of FIXING the problem.
Don’t think this has anything to do with extended service update activation if you are concerned about that. The ESU should still work as it uses a different activation approach. Massgrave also has other ways to activate windows.
And Microsoft might actually have broken this by accident. If they wanted to get rid of massgrave they would probably start by deleting the github org.
Hopefully they don’t brick my functionality.
they are just bricking their own functionality is all.
I use LTSC IoT for my consulting laptop. If Win were released this way normally, there wouldn’t be as many haters.
I still prefer my Årch box, this version of Windows is totally acceptable to me.
