New Desktop

[Gorgon]

Also you don't need an activated key to run windows, if they yank your key in a few years, you can just get another. The DRM only consists of the 'activate windows' nag screen.

[Bartimaeus]

oh no, my stolen copy of windows 10/11 isn't activated, whatever will i do :'(

it's amazing what you can do with just a .bat file that's been openly hosted on github for several years these days

Edited November 1, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[majestic]

  On 11/1/2022 at 9:14 PM, Bartimaeus said:

oh no, my stolen copy of windows 10/11 isn't activated, whatever will i do :'(

it's amazing what you can do with just a .bat file that's been openly hosted on github for several years these days

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If only Microsoft would own Github, then they could just... wait a minute... 

[Keyrock]

Windows users and the lengths they'll go through just to get their OS working.

/hides

[Bartimaeus]

but it literally only took 30 seconds, there's video proof

  Reveal hidden contents

also, hilarious using linux as the comparison, given the lifetime of constant issues whenever you want to do something you don't already have down to an exact science

 

Edited November 1, 2022 by Bartimaeus

[Keyrock]

  On 11/1/2022 at 10:03 PM, Bartimaeus said:

but it literally only took 30 seconds, there's video proof

  Reveal hidden contents

also, hilarious using linux as the comparison, given the lifetime of constant issues whenever you want to do something you don't already have down to an exact science

 

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Yes, that was the joke, hence the shifty eye emoji. As a Linux user I'm all too familiar with having to jump through hoops to get things working. Still worth it IMHO. But I'm not here to convert anyone, I was just taking the opportunity to make a lame joke. 

[Bartimaeus]

  On 11/1/2022 at 10:52 PM, Keyrock said:

Yes, that was the joke, hence the shifty eye emoji. As a Linux user I'm all too familiar with having to jump through hoops to get things working. Still worth it IMHO. But I'm not here to convert anyone, I was just taking the opportunity to make a lame joke. 

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Sorry, I've had Linux bros tell me that sort of thing unironically too many times. While I actually have multiple Linux machines that I use and am comfortable with for specific uses, I pick up way too much miscellaneous software for all sorts of random purposes for Linux to not feel like a constant exercise in frustration whenever I try to do something new with it. Part of that is simply being way too used to Windows, part of that is my personality (just not having my normal Windows navigational keyboard shortcuts already feels like an intolerably painful slowdown when there aren't equivalents nor even a unified approach across distributions for Linux; there are times where I can literally go an hour without touching a mouse while doing real stuff because of how little it can be needed when you have proficient control of your keyboard shortcuts...I try to use my mouse as little as possible because of how slow and painful it is in comparison), part of that is Linux is just generally very sensitive and quite trying to use. It is way easier for me to break Windows in all the right ways to get it to work how I like than for me to screw around and try to do the same with Linux.

[Keyrock]

@BartimaeusI'm not a fan of the Linux missionaries myself. I use the OS I use and I'll throw in a joke or barb whenever the opportunity present itself, but I'm not here to convert anyone, I don't care. Being zealous about it is probably counterproductive anyway.

I've detailed this thread long enough and I have no input on prebuilts since I've build all my desktops for the last 2 decades+. So, please accept my apologies and carry on.

[majestic]

  On 11/2/2022 at 12:01 AM, Keyrock said:

@BartimaeusI'm not a fan of the Linux missionaries myself. I use the OS I use and I'll throw in a joke or barb whenever the opportunity present itself, but I'm not here to convert anyone, I don't care. Being zealous about it is probably counterproductive anyway.

I've detailed this thread long enough and I have no input on prebuilts since I've build all my desktops for the last 2 decades+. So, please accept my apologies and carry on.

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That's fine, the thread moved beyond prebuilts already as @Hurlshort is going to build a new PC with his son.

As for using Linux, wow, I haven't used Linux since installing it on an old machine to use it as software router. I actually had to fix the code of a network card driver because kernel compilation did not go through. It was one of those cheap cards where changing the interrupt settings required DOS software. I plugged it into the old computer only to find out I had to change the configuration of the card from IRQ 7 back to IRQ 5 (I used the card in my regular computer and while it was IRQ 5 by default, that's where my Sound Blaster Pro lived), then was left with compile errors, fixed those, and I got lucky that it worked, because I had no real idea what I was doing.

That was before 2.2 came out, or perhaps close to the actual 2.2 release, and a couple of years after my first attempts to get the system to work like I wanted it to. Good old times. Nothing beats that lovely KERNEL PANIC prompt after you've successfully ruined your installation by going through an insane configuration file (or an even worse guided text prompt where you had to go through the 500 options every time you wanted to change something) to add a driver you wanted.

The most fun thing I managed was to make IE 4.0 run with Wine, then I had to run away from the Linux missionaries because they kept yelling BURN THE HERETIC.

[Malcador]

Linux is cool for the moments when you can wow someone with knowing the powers of lsof.

 

[majestic]

My customers are always very impressed by showing them the hackers with netstat. I mean... uhm... nothing to see here!

[majestic]

@Hurlshort so, did you build the computer? If yes, what did you get?

[Hurlshort]

  On 3/4/2023 at 4:14 PM, majestic said:

@Hurlshort so, did you build the computer? If yes, what did you get?

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So, I'm a bit embarrassed, but I wimped out on building it and bought a Skytech prebuilt rig. Sorry. 

I kept trying to price out a build and always went over my budget, and I was worried about the OS situation. It did arrive on time and was nice and shiny under the Xmas tree. 

https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-000Z-000S1?Item=9SIA08CJJ14070&utm_medium=email&utm_source=transactional&cm_mmc=TEMC-Shipping-Tracking-Notification-USA&utm_campaign=TEMC-Shipping-Tracking-Notification-USA

It was $600, which was hard to beat. 

[Gorgon]

RGB nightmares

[Bartimaeus]

  On 3/5/2023 at 6:36 PM, Gorgon said:

RGB nightmares

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Are there any half-decent prebuilt companies that go for less flashy aesthetics? That's usually always my problem with them - well, beyond the PSUs often needing to be immediately replaced thanks to them cheaping out and using the worst possible units. I just don't want my computer to look either like a spaceship or a light show...where are my plain and simple black box PCs? Luckily, children are likely to love that sort of thing!

Edited March 5, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Hurlshort]

I'm pretty sure you can turn the lights off. There is an app for it.