https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... competition benefits us all.
On 7/29/2026 5:57 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it should be.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote <114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... competition benefits us all.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets" <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote
<114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing. How long before Dell or Asus or HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed? Dell has already publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can Windows survive?
On 7/29/2026 5:57 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it should be.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets" <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote
<114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing. How long before Dell or Asus or HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed? Dell has already publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can Windows survive?
I am woefully behind on Windows... but I doubt it has improved much over the years. Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
On Jul 29, 2026 at 6:05:42?PM EDT, ""Joel W. Crump"" <joelcrump@gmail.com> wrote:
On 7/29/2026 5:57 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art, >>>> so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not >>>> Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... >>> competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it
should be.
Just like when you bought your cheap Chinese junk Windows PC, you have no control over YOUR experience. Its all as Big MS dictates it should be.
Right? So what's your point?
Windows is the same "experience", regardless of the hardware. Plug in an LG monitor and watch it start downloading and installing all kinds of shit with no warning to you.
That's Windows 11. Home or Pro, makes no difference.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art, >>>> so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not >>>> Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... >>> competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it
should be.
I am woefully behind on Windows... but I doubt it has improved much over the years. Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
On 7/29/2026 5:57 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it should be.
On 7/29/26 6:05 PM, Joel W. Crump wrote:
On 7/29/2026 5:57 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:Looked at the 15" and I could only get a 512G SSD, no choice in mem or
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art, >>>> so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not >>>> Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But
good...
competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it
should be.
ssd. What? That' shitty and for $1400 too.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets" <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote
<114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing. How long before Dell or Asus or HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed? Dell has already publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can Windows survive?
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
On Thu, 7/30/2026 1:03 AM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
I am woefully behind on Windows... but I doubt it has improved much over the >> years. Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
You can install it and run it. The license grace period is infinity.
When it asks for a key, you can click "I don't have a key" and
continue on.
It works best on relatively recent hardware,
but with the
rufus.ie USB stick preparation software, some install policies
can be changed. For example, I have W11 installed on a 4th gen CPU
(close to a Haswell). It does not run "well" on there, but it runs.
W10 runs better there. The 4th gen system does not have a TPM.
Using the tick boxes in Rufus, disables the TPM check (for W11).
https://rufus.ie/en/
https://rufus.ie/pics/screenshot4_en.png <=== tick boxes that show>
when W10/W11 ISO is present
W10/W11 have both Control Panels and Settings. The Control Panels
can be located by running "control.exe" . The Settings is the
Settings wheel in the Start Menu.
To run an individual control panel, like the system control panel (manually), try "sysdm.cpl".
For a brief visit to the (installed) OS, you don't need to set anything.
It automatically sets up networking on the wired interface, with
DHCP. Driver installs are automatic, and normally not a problem.
To add more detail, would be boring. It's not like WinXP,
where you'd collect drivers on a CD for a rainy day.
The video card driver, is a large download, and you might need to wait until your second reboot or so, before the driver is finished downloading. These are the perils of "jumbo" installers. The NVidia driver, there are two versions,
and the newer version is "containerized". It does not sit exactly parallel with the kernel. And you can have driver issues for video, which do not affect the display on the screen, but fill the log with garbage. There are
a few differences in how Windows works, and it's more three dimensional
(with respect to containers and virtualization).
Before the video card driver downloads, the screen resolution is 1024x768
and this is via the Microsoft Basic Display Adapter. Like a VESA driver,
this is the "emergency" driver for video. Once the video card real driver arrives, the native resolution of the monitor will be used at that point.
You can change the DPI setting (there are a number of choices) to make hard-to-see things, a bit bigger. I run a 4K 27" monitor at 200% for example, as text would be microscopic otherwise. With the exception of that monitor, other monitors in the room need no adjustment for a basic run. I can still read the monitor at 100% setting, but it isn't pleasant. I've run Linux
on the box at 100% for an entire session, and I "survived" OK.
Paul
On 7/30/2026 1:03 AM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art, >>>>> so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not >>>>> Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home. >>>>> People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for >>>>> MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... >>>> competition benefits us all.
You have a point, they really promote ARM now. Which is a good thing,
it's just kind of interesting how the few who will buy this junk have
utterly no control over their experience, it's all as Big MS dictates it >>> should be.
I am woefully behind on Windows... but I doubt it has improved much over the >> years. Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
Yes, but they both work for different things, it's not a big problem.
Brock McNuggets wrote:
Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
Yes they still have both, and are lethargically moving from the former
to the latter, reducing functionality as they do ...
On Jul 30, 2026 at 4:38:51?AM MST, "Andy Burns" wrote <nd0rdfF5tdgU1@mid.individual.net>:
Brock McNuggets wrote:
Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
Yes they still have both, and are lethargically moving from the former
to the latter, reducing functionality as they do ...
It is not a huge issue, to be clear, but just silly it has not be fixed in years.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets" <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote <114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing.
How long before Dell or Asus or
HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed?
Dell has already
publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can Windows survive?
Nick Charles <none@none.none> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets"
<brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... >>> competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately >> wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is not "tanking" (yes, I know about the recent reports with
highly suspect OS percentages, like a very high number of 'other'). Yes,
Mac is gaining market share, good on them, but Windows in not "tanking"
in numbers.
Anyway, don't conflate Windows, Microsoft and Surface. There was a
recent article about people who enjoy Windows for what it offers for
*them*, but who at the same time don't like Microsoft very much (I'm
also in that camp). And about Surface, not in a million years.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing.
Windows is not a Dead End by any stretch of the imagnination. And yes, Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
On 7/30/2026 3:42 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
Linux is growing, and even Mac is doing things, but Windows will always be the default platform.
On Thu, 7/30/2026 3:52 PM, Joel W. Crump wrote:
On 7/30/2026 3:42 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
Linux is growing, and even Mac is doing things, but Windows will always be the default platform.
Linux has no self-promotion capability to speak of.
Someone in the newsgroups here, is "helping people install Linux",
like spending an hour per visitor in a queue, to make a Linux user
of them. How is this practical as a promotional method ?
An example of a promotion method was WUBI.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_%28software%29
"Wubi ("Windows-based Ubuntu Installer") is a free software Ubuntu installer,
that was the official Windows-based software, from 2008 until 2013,[2] to
install Ubuntu from within Windows, to a single file within an existing
Windows partition."
"creates a stand-alone installation within a loopmounted device,
also known as a disk image"
The thing about the method, is it does not take risks on dropping
a machine to a non-functional level at any point, increasing the odds
the new user is not pissed off by a visible failure (not being able
to boot perhaps).
*******
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2013/04/wubi-advice
"The warning appears following reports of stability and potential
data-loss encountered by WUBI users on Windows 8.
Canonical?s Robert Bruce Park recently said of WUBI:
?[It] needs to die a quick and painless death so we can get on
with providing positive experiences to new users of Ubuntu.?
"
And there is some cluelessness in action.
Providing ISOs to people, 6GB in size and needing dual layer media
from your cake box supply, yes, that's the positive experience we
were looking for, for sure. Sure, you can point them at Rufus,
but previous attempts to lead people to USB conversion routines,
led to any number of problems with successful actuation (some individuals don't know what their popup boot key is, and when the menu appears...
they freak out -- even I freak out at some of the curve balls the
popup boot throws here, like duplicate Windows Boot Manager entries
which may disappear after an additional POST run or every Linux OS
ending up placing an entry into popup boot).
But Wubi remains, a potential promotional vehicle. Maybe no lineup
and one hour spent per customer.
And that is how Linux does things. Pulls out gun. Shoots own foot.
Puts gun away.
Asking ordinary people to nuke and pave a PC, then spend $200
at the local computer store bailing them out, that will attract
desktop users like flies.
Some individuals don't even have 20 USB sticks laying on tables
in their computer room. Imagine that :-) Or they have a 1GB stick
from the year 2003. There are individuals with surprisingly little
in the way of essential accessories for the computer room. They've
never heard of a Cruiser Glide (examples of USB sticks with not
much in the way of speed to offer). The local sources of USB sticks,
when I've looked at the inventory, it wasn't looking good. But
that's happened before. Like the Best Buy having some sticks laying
in the bottom of a cabinet, not even properly faced up on display,
and the customer was expected to paw through these and pick a
winner. So that's your first task, as a potential OS-converter.
You have no backup drive. You don't know what a HDD looks like.
You've never had the side off your desktop, or opened a plate
on the laptop bottom. You don't have any USB sticks. You go to Best Buy
and the sticks are laying in a pile in the bottom of a cabinet.
Yes, yes, smells like success is about to happen.
And in one of the other groups, there is someone holding a HDD
in his hand, that constantly throws CRC errors. "Can I put Linux
on this ?" Well, why not go over to that helper-guys operation
and stand in line there, and get an hour long consult.
And we have to do this, times four hundred million machines.
I do have an ancient PC sitting around, mostly unused. But it is 10+
years old.
And that is how Linux does things.
On Thu, 7/30/2026 3:52 PM, Joel W. Crump wrote:
On 7/30/2026 3:42 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
Linux is growing, and even Mac is doing things, but Windows will always be the default platform.
Linux has no self-promotion capability to speak of.
The local sources of USB sticks,
when I've looked at the inventory, it wasn't looking good. But
that's happened before. Like the Best Buy having some sticks laying
in the bottom of a cabinet, not even properly faced up on display,
and the customer was expected to paw through these and pick a
winner.
At Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:16:36 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 7/30/2026 3:52 PM, Joel W. Crump wrote:
On 7/30/2026 3:42 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
Linux is growing, and even Mac is doing things, but Windows will always be the default platform.
Linux has no self-promotion capability to speak of.
What Linux needs is some kind of "Geek Squad" service provider
for people needing guru help.
Just like MS Windows users have "Geek Squad". You have (at least)
two levels of user: "user" and "guru". I know a grandmother who
uses Linux, and uses Pan to post to Usenet. She's a "user". If she
needs help, she gets ahold of her daughter, a "guru".
Most people are like that. For MS Windows, if they don't have
a family member or friend to consult, there's always the local
computer shop, "Geek Squad", etc.
There are these "Linux Cafes" popping up everywhere.
A lot of the old LUGs are still around. Very grass roots.
Maybe there's a market opportunity for a "Linux Squad"..."I see
a great need"...
On 7/30/2026 6:22 PM, vallor wrote:
At Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:16:36 -0400, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:
On Thu, 7/30/2026 3:52 PM, Joel W. Crump wrote:
On 7/30/2026 3:42 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Linux is slowly growing, about time and good on 'them'.
Linux is growing, and even Mac is doing things, but Windows will always be the default platform.
Linux has no self-promotion capability to speak of.
What Linux needs is some kind of "Geek Squad" service provider
for people needing guru help.
Just like MS Windows users have "Geek Squad". You have (at least)
two levels of user: "user" and "guru". I know a grandmother who
uses Linux, and uses Pan to post to Usenet. She's a "user". If she
needs help, she gets ahold of her daughter, a "guru".
Most people are like that. For MS Windows, if they don't have
a family member or friend to consult, there's always the local
computer shop, "Geek Squad", etc.
There are these "Linux Cafes" popping up everywhere.
A lot of the old LUGs are still around. Very grass roots.
Maybe there's a market opportunity for a "Linux Squad"..."I see
a great need"...
Correct, Linux can be utilized by non-tech people who have a helper.
Try^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced : Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus
on it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to
want to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus
on it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to
want to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
On 7/30/2026 6:02 PM, chrisv wrote:
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus
on it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to
want to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
I had a USB media that Winblows' provided crapware couldn't even reformat, but Rufus worked. Microsoft laughs at 50% of their own customers.
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets" <brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote
<114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art,
so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not
Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good...
competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing. How long before Dell or Asus or HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed? Dell has already publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can Windows survive?
On Wed, 7/29/2026 11:01 PM, Nick Charles wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 5:57:05?PM EDT, "Brock McNuggets"
<brock.mcnuggets@gmail.com> wrote:
On Jul 29, 2026 at 11:15:38?AM MST, ""Joel W. Crump"" wrote
<114dg0b$133f6$1@dont-email.me>:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-laptop
This is just great, an ARM Microsoft-brand laptop, so state-of-the-art, >>>> so cool. Expensive, admittedly, heh. Comes with Win11 Home, BTW. Not >>>> Pro. I don't get that. A mini PC from China has a false but yet
workable license for 11 Pro, but this thing is legit so it has Home.
People with money who don't really know computers make a cash cow for
MS, heh.
Both the site and the product seem heavily inspired by Apple. But good... >>> competition benefits us all.
Because Windows is tanking and Mac is growing. Thus Microsoft desperately >> wants the few remaining Surface PCs to "look like" Apple. But the problem with
Windows PCs is - are you sitting down? - WINDOWS. Not the PC hardware.
Windows is a Dead End. Linux is also growing. How long before Dell or Asus or
HP or Lenovo start selling PCs with Linux installed? Dell has already
publicly stated that the whole "Copilot PC" thing is a failure. No one is
interested.
Meanwhile, Google is going to be selling Android PCs. How much longer can >> Windows survive?
I'm surprised that anyone thinks in terms of "OS wars" in the year 2026.
This is the trend you have to watch.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ram/dram-chip-supply-to-module-makers
-could-drop-by-more-than-70-percent-year-on-year-in-2027-says-apacer
-ceo-demand-for-hbm-and-server-ram-continues-to-devour-manufacturing-capacity
The long term prognosis, is there just won't be a lot of up-to-date
desktops and laptops any more. And the OSes they run, will be irrelevant.
On Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:18:13 -0400, Paul wrote:
Try^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced : Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size
Gee, how many different levels of ?Advanced? can you have ... ?
On 30 Jul 2026 16:49:37 GMT, Brock McNuggets wrote:
I do have an ancient PC sitting around, mostly unused. But it is 10+
years old.
I have one like that as my backup machine, running the same Debian
Unstable version as my main machine.
Just for fun, I tried running a program I wrote using Pywebview <https://pywebview.flowrl.com/> to try out some real-time visual
transition effects ... and it can maintain a smooth 60fps, no problem.
On Thu, 7/30/2026 12:51 PM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
On Jul 30, 2026 at 4:38:51?AM MST, "Andy Burns" wrote
<nd0rdfF5tdgU1@mid.individual.net>:
Brock McNuggets wrote:
Do they still have the idiotic Control Panel and Settings?
Yes they still have both, and are lethargically moving from the former
to the latter, reducing functionality as they do ...
It is not a huge issue, to be clear, but just silly it has not be fixed in >> years.
Whoever writes a summary, about how the Settings were done,
that person is going to need giant balls, to not get fired for it :-)
Try
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced : Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size
Wheel <=== control panel ==>
as an example of "how deep we're willing to go" on <cough> hierarchy.
That's one reason why I explain about executing "sysdm.cpl" ,
which will look familiar when you try the above.
Paul
Windows is installed at the factory.
(verbose idiocy snipped)
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus
on it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to
want to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
On Thu, 7/30/2026 6:02 PM, chrisv wrote:
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus
on it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to
want to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
Windows is installed at the factory.
The thing is, nothing is left to chance.
The rails are greased.
Linux does not have that advantage, no automated
media preparation machines putting images on storage.
The factory has the automation to do this stuff
for their Windows products.
The Linux ecosystem is unlikely to have the funding
or resources, to do this.
It's not going to happen by spending one hour per
four hundred million candidate users.
If someone tells me statcounter reports 29% Linux users,
I need to see "cause and effect". How did magically,
29% users inherit enough brain power and certainty,
to get Linux running ? Whereas if someone told me a story
about a "new WUBI" and a campaign to inform people,
if you then told me statcounter said 29%, I might believe you.
But that line doesn't go up, just because there is a
gentle breeze in the room. Something has to do the
heavy lifting.
<snip>
On Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:18:13 -0400, Paul wrote:
Try^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced :
Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom
Size
^^^^^^^^
Gee, how many different levels of ?Advanced? can you have ... ?
Paul wrote:
And that is how Linux does things.
And how does Windows do things, if the user needs to install it?
If someone can't obtain a USB stick and use the brain-dead-easy Rufus on
it and figure-out how to boot from it, then yeah, they are going to want
to buy a PC with the OS already installed.
On Jul 30, 2026 at 11:18:13?AM MST, "Paul" wrote
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced :
Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size
Wheel <=== control panel ==>
Not currently running Windows... but I am aware of the absurdity of the hierarchy. To be fair, macOS Settings are hardly intuitive (nor settings on most Linux systems). Just a LOT of settings on any modern system.
On Fri, 7/31/2026 4:48 AM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
On Jul 30, 2026 at 11:18:13?AM MST, "Paul" wrote
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced :
Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size
Wheel <=== control panel ==>
Not currently running Windows... but I am aware of the absurdity of the
hierarchy. To be fair, macOS Settings are hardly intuitive (nor settings on >> most Linux systems). Just a LOT of settings on any modern system.
They will fix that eventually, but we don't know when.
Some day it could be like this
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings
with a lengthy Fluent list on the last page. But because
they do committee-design for these, it could be a long wait.
Paul
On 07/31/2026 3:50 PM, Paul wrote:
On Fri, 7/31/2026 4:48 AM, Brock McNuggets wrote:
On Jul 30, 2026 at 11:18:13?AM MST, "Paul" wrote
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings : Advanced :
Performance Settings : Advanced : Virtual Memory : Change : Custom Size >>>> Wheel <=== control panel ==>
Not currently running Windows... but I am aware of the absurdity of the
hierarchy. To be fair, macOS Settings are hardly intuitive (nor settings on >>> most Linux systems). Just a LOT of settings on any modern system.
They will fix that eventually, but we don't know when.
Some day it could be like this
Settings : System : About : Advanced System Settings
with a lengthy Fluent list on the last page. But because
they do committee-design for these, it could be a long wait.
Paul
Hypotheizing?
'Committee-design for these' with respect to prioritization for re-design of existing UI hasn't been the 'mo' or norm for some time.
Ever since the advent of the various feedback loops(Feedback app, Twitter, FB, Reddit, Insider) and heavy weighing toward Enterprise contracted support(not Consumer) with the incoming data filtering for ranking governs the direction for change(Acknowledgement, Fix, Ignore, Won't Fix)...and all well in advance of 'committee' review and directed approval.
Without an army/village of support...that long wait may be the next o/s or never.
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