nixCraft 🐧1d ago
Microsoft spent 4 years stuffing Windows 11 with unwanted ads, forced Copilot integrations, stealing data to train its shity AI and other bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it. Reasons for a Change of Heart:
1 Increased Linux gaming
2 Apple's entry into the low end PC market with 0 forced AI
3 The "Microslop" social media shaming campaign
4 Increased costs due to AI leading to almost 0 ROI since there is no consumer demand https://www.sambent.com/microsofts-plan-to-fix-windows-11-is-gaslighting/
Microsoft's "Fix" for Windows 11: Flowers After the Beating

Microsoft spent four years stuffing Windows 11 with ads, forced Copilot integrations, and bloatware, now they want applause for promising to remove it.

Sam Bent
Show threadnixCraft 🐧1d ago

my advice is still the same. get a cheaper (used) thinkpad (or brand of your choice) and install Linux or *BSD that doesn't have corporate backing or age/kyc verification nonsense added. always install an ad blocker, script blocker, and dns level filtering just in case for your own safety (also install those on your parents and friends family computers).

say no to microslop and their stupid apps. enough is enough.

Show threadKobold1d ago
@nixCraft I am sorry, but I need to add: If you don't want age verification, don't use Linux with #systemd. https://github.com/systemd/systemd/pull/40954
userdb: add birthDate field to JSON user records by dylanmtaylor · Pull Request #40954 · systemd/systemd

Stores the user's birth date for age verification, as required by recent laws in California (AB-1043), Colorado (SB26-051), Brazil (Lei 15.211/2025), etc. The xdg-desktop-portal project is addi...

GitHub
Show threadnixCraft 🐧1d ago

@kobold correct there are many linux distros without systemd and then *BSD is free from that systemd nonsense.

IBM/Redhat and Poettering all into this age verification nonsense. Any distro or vendor into that stuff need to to be avoided for your own good.

Show threadlbky1d ago

@nixCraft @kobold Get a grip on reality. It's a field in a JSON. Your name is in passwd. Every program on any Linux or BSD can call getpwnam.

Nobody forces you to set either. There is no enforcement mechanism and no verification, but there are legitimate uses for either, as there are legitimate interests in not setting either.

Show threadjavalsai7h ago

@lbky @nixCraft @kobold

I don't care if it's optional, it still aims for age verification and I don't want that to even be possible in an OS. All this does is make further surveillance even easier because if most distros become able to support age detection nothing is stopping apps and governments to enforce the use of such field.

Show threadjavalsai7h ago

@lbky @nixCraft @kobold

The fact that is optional doesn't make this any better and I'm sick of this argument, it would be filled with false data anyways. I'll play devil's advocate and imagine if they added a "sex"/"gender" field so some random sexist region in the world could legislate computer use for women. Would making such field optional improve the situation the slightest? Or would it still be complying with authoritarian measures that nobody wants to give room for?

Show threadlbky5h ago
@javalsai @nixCraft @kobold That's a slippery slope argument. For age-related info, there is legitimate use, e.g. for parental control. For certain other PII there is no legitimate use. This is better argued than I could here in this post to the mailing list https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/systemd-devel/2026-March/052087.html
[systemd-devel] Fundamental concerns regarding the "birthDate" field in userdb

Show threadjavalsai5h ago

@lbky @nixCraft @kobold I basically agree with the argument given there, but I draw the line before age information.

> For certain other PII there's no legitimate use.

I think it's just a matter of coming up with a reason and washing complaints off under it being optional.

But adding that information as first-class PII is only going to lead to misuse, the OS shouldn't be responsible of patental controls or any other reason. That should be tracked by the program that uses it.

Show threadKobold
@javalsai
@lbky @nixCraft

Just look at the debatte just starting in Germany: The government considers making you use your real name mandatory whenever you use the internet. No nicks anymore, no anonymity anymore.

Where will this discussion end, when we allow them to go for just one piece of information? It will end where you need an EntraID like think whenever you want to dial in.

No, thank you.
6:24pmWeb
Show threadlbky3h ago

@kobold @javalsai @nixCraft I'm sorry, I don't see your argument.

Policies to require real names on the internet obviously need to be stopped, but that is again a political fight to win.

On the API level your browser can already ask for your OS for your name and has been able to for as long as browsers exist.