Mag: ‘Bill Gates Gives Up on Climate Change’ – Gates signaling the end of a ‘major chapter in climate giving’ as ‘billionaires are pulling (climate) support at an alarming rate’ – Climate Depot
www.climatedepot.com

Does anybody know if when using Windows on a computer but not paying for anything windows related: is windows/ Bill Gates profiting from it? Is it worth installing linux as a protest?

  • dieTasse@feddit.orgEnglish
    0·
    2 days ago

    Windows is not making money on sales only. They collect data and then they sell them to data brokers. Those brokers then sell the data to advertisement agencies to serve you adds. Even if you buy just one item based on those adds (which may be unconscious choice) you have already paid. Even if you buy nothing based on adds, microsoft already got the money.

    I do recommend linux but be aware of letting people to push you into something you don’t want to do. Linux community can be very enthusiastic 😅. Top three to recommend are Linux Mint (most windows like design), Fedora (most stable) and Pop OS (best with nvidia gpu). Only one of these is favorite of mine but I will not tell you which, just search for them, look at screenshots and you will see what suits you.

    • rippersnapper@lemm.ee
      1·
      1 day ago

      Yeah Linux can be troublesome if you’re dual booting on a single drive. Updates can break the GRUB. Also it’ll take a while to optimise your workflow (like finding replacement for Windows apps).

    • Jrockwar@feddit.uk
      0·
      2 days ago

      Isn’t Ubuntu The most used distribution? How come it isn’t in your top three? Not judging, just wondering. It feels to me it’s reasonably user friendly and its large user base makes it the easiest to find support online for if you’re a Linux newbie.

      • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        On Ubuntu:

        https://lemm.ee/post/37682729

        Ubuntu: despite having a huge mind-share as the beginner distro, Ubuntu suffers from it’s parent company’s policy to make Ubuntu kinda-Linux-but-not-really and a second-rate citizen compared to their Ubuntu Pro commercial product. Some of the worst takes in recent years have been pushing Snaps super agressively in order to get some “vendor-lock-in”, proprietary walled-garden ecosystem with exclusive commercial apps, forcibly installing snaps even when explicitely asking for a .deb package through apt, baking ads and nags into major software or only delivering critical security patches to Pro customers. …

        What are the problems with Ubuntu?

      • anime_ted@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 days ago

        Ubuntu Linux is the most popular distribution but it uses the Gnome desktop by default, which many Windows users may find to be a stumbling block since it looks and acts nothing like the Windows desktop. The standard distribution of Linux Mint uses the Cinnamon desktop, which is much closer in look and feel to Windows, and it is based on Ubuntu so most users can benefit from the technical support of the Ubuntu community.

        [Edit: corrected “Linux” to “Ubuntu Linux.” thanks grue@lemmy.world.]

        • grue@lemmy.world
          0·
          2 days ago

          [Ubuntu] is the most popular distribution but it uses the Gnome desktop by default, which many Windows users may find to be a stumbling block since it looks and acts nothing like the Windows desktop.

          Just use Kubuntu.

          Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of it or anything (especially because of the “snap” nonsense), but it is the easiest to get working because things like Steam officially support it.

          • anime_ted@lemmy.world
            0·
            2 days ago

            Unfortunately that uses the Plasma desktop which looks similar but is much more complicated to (re)configure and less like Windows. It might drive a switcher away through frustration.

            • grue@lemmy.world
              1·
              2 days ago

              You don’t have to reconfigure it, though. I know it’s not a very “Linux-y” thing to say, but it really is okay to just install it and then leave it alone.

              I myself have done basically nothing to my Plasma configuration except changing to a dark theme and setting my own wallpaper.