Long Time No See and Some Microslop

A lot happened in my personal life in the past few months, just not what I wanted to happen. Not long after my first post, a neighbor “encouraged” me to move out. This resulted in a lot of paperwork, stress, moving costs, and frayed nerves; it wasn’t until mid or late December that I was more or less back on track again. My backlog is packed, but I only have time to work my way through it bit by bit. Since nobody reads this blog, it shouldn’t be a big deal.

Anyway, I would like to quickly get some thoughts off my chest about the recent Microsoft drama(s). At work, where I have to use Windows due to company policies, there has long been a running gag that Microsoft and I have a feud, because many problems seem to have only occurred for me, or at least only I notice them negatively, while others consider them normal. This is often followed by eye-rolling and a humorous, yet slightly mocking remark.

The fact that with every update, you now have to worry that essential features will be broken because Windows updates are probably more vibe coded than not, has now also reached my colleagues, and I have the feeling that the mockery now applies more to Microsoft than to me. At least in my bubble, there seems to have been a change of heart on X as well, due to recent and frequent problems, which I would not have thought possible one year ago. If we’re being honest - the never-ending urge of companies to integrate AI into every single little nook and cranny, no matter how (non)sensical it may be, is probably the primary source of frustration, not that Microsoft and other big players never miss an opportunity to become slower, less secure, and less reliable, but a win’s a win.

Nevertheless, I am very happy that more and more are willing to give Linux a shot. The more people see Linux as the alternative that it is, the more the few reasonably valid “gotcha” arguments (such as AC in multiplayer games) will lose their validity; money, or the prospect of earning less of it, can be a good motivator.

I’m not doing that, thanks.