Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - Skyline969

Skyline969 — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:19:42 GMT

I am indeed aware of LMDE. It’s a great alternative, but I did have some other funky issues with Mint that I didn’t encounter in other distros. One such incident that comes to mind is a constantly increasing audio latency when streaming with Sunshine. Audio and video would start synchronized, then the audio would begin to lag behind. It only got worse the longer it progressed. Switched to a different distro, the problem went away.

It’s still a very good distro and I still recommend it for Windows refugees, but for my specific usage I believe Fedora comes out ahead.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - Eldritch

Eldritch — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 21:02:15 GMT

You many already be aware. But there is also LMDE. But yeah, Fedora is a decent general purpose workhorse too. With the new Shelly app, arch based distros are becoming way more approachable as well. Though still probably a bit too techy and confusing for those just diving in. But less and less so every day. Over all, most Linux is in a great spot these days. I have a couple of old windows systems gathering dust, just in case. But honestly after 30 years of using linux. I’m roughly to the point of recycling those old systems. Just saying fuck it. I haven’t had a need in a decade.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - Richie G

Richie G — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:28:02 GMT

I wonder about the changes that Microsoft says they’re going to make to Windows, and the changes that need to be made. So many of those changes run directly into their revenue stream. Shareholders are the biggest customers for Microsoft, so I wonder how long it’ll last. It reminds me of the “two steps forward, one step back” line of thinking.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - Skyline969

Skyline969 — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 07:11:31 GMT

Last year I switched from Windows to Mac. I also have several Linux systems running various services, and a desktop running Mint (soon Fedora or Debian, want to get far away from Ubuntu after their announcement to shoehorn AI into their OS). Get bent Microslop.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - ClickyMcTicker

ClickyMcTicker — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 04:45:54 GMT

@gbryant Side note: It’s fewer clicks AND faster to install Linux on a new Windows 11 machine than it is to finish setting up Windows 11. I started setting one of those Windows PCs up but got bored halfway through and converted one to Ubuntu in nearly half the time before getting permission to do the rest.

I’m tired of the forced obsolescence. I’m tired of the surveillance software. I’m tired of Ask Me Later. I’m tired of full screen pop ups. I’m tired of manually updating one program at a time. I’m tired of constant (lengthy) reboots to update the operating system. I’m tired of an eclectic mix of UI elements from the past two decades which layer on top of each other and make pushing the one button I need a six window chore.

How hard do they have to make it to let a computer respond to ping!? After years of going through an extra screen per Windows version, Windows 11 just flat out broke my previously working setting. I had to find a powershell command to get it enabled. They just layer the crap on top of the crap.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - ClickyMcTicker

ClickyMcTicker — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 04:21:41 GMT

@gbryant Windows 11, and the push to deprecate my perfectly functional system, is the final nail in the coffin that kicks me out of the Windows environment.

For two decades, I’ve tinkered with Linux but mained Windows. I did it because of the hardware/software support, the actual availability of system support (help guides), and because it was what I was used to. I was afraid of relearning things, having certain programs not working or unavailable, and losing important documents or just screwing up my computer somehow. A lot has changed in the last decade. Steam invested heavily into Linux, AI guzzled data and now spits out reasonably accurate troubleshooting words that can be checked for accuracy, and I’ve just been doing a lot more learning.

Inertia was the only thing keeping me from switching for the last decade, and they jammed a stick in the spokes. My computer’s operating system has asked me to toss it into the recycle bin, and I think I will do exactly that. Windows finally gave me the push I needed (and then slightly backtracked with the one year of security updates, which I don’t trust will extended at no cost again).

This may not be the year of the Linux desktop, but it will be the summer of Windows death. I have a lot of physical and virtual systems beyond my desktop, and this spring has consisted of migrating all of them away from Windows (much easier than my desktop). I recently had to set up a dozen computers for the small business I work for, and all twelve had the Out Of Box Torture Experience deleted and overwritten by Linux. I plan on taking a week this summer to do a full transition of my desktop, at which point my (other, primary) work laptop will be my only Windows device. I plan on opening a helpdesk ticket to inquire about moving to Linux.

Why Microsoft’s Desktop Monopoly is Finally Cracking - DefectiveWings ✈️:verified:

DefectiveWings ✈️:verified: — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 02:47:41 GMT

@gbryant It's such a shame, too. I liked the original Windows Surface RT (after jailbreaking it to let me install ARM versions of Notepad++ and putty). It was a great sysadmin remote device at the time. Microsoft has had a decade and a half since and the experience is still just as lousy.

I can't wait to see what the #steamFrame brings. I haven't been this excited about hardware tech in a long time!