"Linux is too complicated for anyone"

Windows users:

#Linux #Microsoft #FuckAI #Windows11

"The problem is, right now, talking to Copilot in Windows 11 is an exercise in pure frustration — a stark reminder that the reality of AI is nowhere close to the hype.

I spent a week with Copilot, asking it the same questions Microsoft has in its ads, and tried to get help with tasks I’d find useful. And time after time, Copilot got things wrong, made stuff up, and spoke to me like I was a child.

Copilot Vision scans what’s on your screen and tries to assist you with voice prompts. Invoking Copilot requires you to share your screen like you’re on a Teams call, by hitting okay Every. Single. Time. After it gets your permission, it’s excruciatingly slow to respond, and it addressed me by name every time I asked it anything. Like other AI assistants and LLMs, it’s here to please, even when it’s totally misguided."

theverge.com/report/822443/mic…

#AI #GenerativeAI #Microsoft #Windows11 #Copilot #CopilotAI #LLMs #AIAssistants

Talking to Windows’ Copilot AI makes a computer feel incompetent

Microsoft is advertising its Windows Copilot AI as “the computer you can talk to.” How does that hold up to testing, and how does it track with CEO Satya Nadella’s ambitions?

^{Antonio G. Di Benedetto (The Verge)}

🚨 AI is a billion dollar bet. And Big Tech wants YOU to pay for it. Now Microsoft got sued for tricking users to pay 45% more for its AI. 🚨

👉🏼 Australia’s competition regulator says Microsoft misled around 2.7 million users into paying more for Microsoft 365 when offering its AI Copilot.

Find out more: tuta.com/blog/microsoft-price-…

#Microsoft #AI #Microsoft356 #Australia

#Microsoft is clearly becoming desperate due to low adoption rates of #Copilot.

Apparently, Microsoft is now pushing Copilot to all #Microsoft365 personal subscribers and calling it a "subscription price increase". Only when you decide to cancel your subscription are you presented with the option to switch to "Microsoft 365 Personal Classic" without Copilot (and nearly the old price). The classic plan is not presented as an option unless you try to cancel your subscription.

This is a classic scammy trick: Modify the existing plan and add the feature no one wants and hide the old plan from view. Presto, now you have an insane adoption rate you can present to investors as a great success.

I personally don't use Microsoft subscription services, so I don't know if they tried this bullshit in the EU, but if they did, they're asking for trouble. They got sued in Australia over this already: accc.gov.au/media-release/micr… "Microsoft in court for allegedly misleading millions of Australians over Microsoft 365 subscriptions"

EDIT: It seems that at least in some areas/situations the "classic" non-AI version is actually even more expensive. This isn't exactly making the situation any better of course.

Microsoft in court for allegedly misleading millions of Australians over Microsoft 365 subscriptions

The ACCC has commenced proceedings in the Federal Court against Microsoft Australia and its US-based parent company Microsoft Corporation for allegedly misleading approximately 2.

^{Australian Competition and Consumer Commission}

Windows 11 is, well, shit. But, Windows is modular, and pretty much everything can be removed or modified with the right tools and knowhow.

Here's a 23 minute special showing how to un-enshittify Windows 11 from stock install to finish, using open source and/or completely free tools.

peertube.wtf/w/pqMrXFbzpJAS4r5…

#enshittification #windows #microsoft #opensource

A 🇩🇪 iniciou a sua transição para o software livre

"Os gabinetes governamentais de Schleswig-Holstein migraram do Microsoft Exchange e do Outlook para o Open Xchange e o @thunderbird ."

"A fase final envolve a migração do #Windows para uma distribuição #Linux ."

pplware.sapo.pt/linux/alemanha…

#OpenSource #Microsoft #outlook #software #SoftwareLibre #LibreOffice #win10 #Win11 #FOSS #FLOSS #Alemanha

Alemanha afasta-se da Microsoft com a ajuda de software livre

Poucos meses após ter anunciado que iria abandonar a Microsoft, a Alemanha iniciou a sua transição para o software livre

^{Pedro Simões (Pplware)}

Microsoft Office 2016 and Office 2019 are no longer receiving software updates, technical support, or bug and security fixes.

Consider migrating to LibreOffice.

Microsoft recommends migrating to a Microsoft 365 subscription.

LibreOffice supports the features that a majority of users need for free.

Website: libreoffice.org
Mastodon: @libreoffice

4/4

#Microsoft #Office2016 #Office2019 #Office #LibreOffice #Privacy #InfoSec #CyberSecurity #Encryption #FOSS #FreeSoftware #OpenSource

As free Windows 10 support ends today, consider upgrading to a Linux operating system! You will continue to be protected with security updates, but you will also gain total freedom for your device.

Doesn't have to be Fedora - look around for the Linux distro that works for you. :)

Learn more: endof10.org
@Endof10

#EndOf10 #Windows #Microsoft #Linux #Fedora #OpenSource

End of 10

Windows 10 ends in 2025. Don’t buy a new PC — revive yours with Linux. It's fast, secure, and help is available to get you started.

^{End of 10}

Es ist soweit: #Windows10 ist nun Geschichte, sofern man nicht für die Verlängerung von einem Jahr seinen Rechner eng an #Microsoft binden möchte:

derstandard.at/story/310000029…

Wer diese Verknüpfung an Microsoft ohnehin nie wollte, für den ist nun #Windows generell gestorben, da #Windows11 dies ebenfalls erfordert.

Ich empfehle, #Linux für die eigenen Zwecke zumindest zu testen. Geht ja auch auf so gut wie jeder alten Hardware wunderbar und einfach.

Wer hier unsicher ist, der soll sich an #EndOf10 halten, das dir beim Umstieg auf Linux gerne hilft: endof10.org/

Beispielsweise in #Graz beim #LinuxCafé zumindest 1x/Monat: events.graz.social/@linux_cafe Am 21.10. ist es wieder soweit.

#Win10 #Win11

End of 10

Windows 10 ends in 2025. Don’t buy a new PC — revive yours with Linux. It's fast, secure, and help is available to get you started.

^{End of 10}

Nichtstun gefährlich: Ende für #Windows 10 wird schlagend
orf.at/stories/3407740/

Aufklär-Artikel vom #ORF über das Support-Ende von #Win10 mit einem Schlussteil zu #Linux mit Referenz auf #EndOf10, das dir beim Umstieg auf Linux gerne hilft: endof10.org/

Beispielsweise in #Graz beim #LinuxCafé zumindest 1x/Monat: events.graz.social/@linux_cafe Am 21.10. ist es wieder soweit.

@nachhaltigingraz @cryptopartygraz #Windows10 #Microsoft #Privatsphäre

Nichtstun gefährlich: Ende für Windows 10 wird schlagend

Wer aktuell auf dem eigenen Computer noch Windows 10 verwendet, steht spätestens am Dienstag vor einer großen Entscheidung: Dann stellt Microsoft offiziell die Unterstützung für sein mittlerweile zehn Jahre altes Betriebssystem ein.

^ORF.at

#Windows10: #Microsoft verlängert kostenlose Updates in Europa um ein Jahr
derstandard.at/story/300000028…

Liebe Leute, ihr habt euer #Win10 maximal noch ein weiteres Jahr. Allerdings hält es euch nicht auf, jetzt schon auf etwas Besseres umzusteigen!

Lauter nette Leute, die du auf endof10.org/ findest, helfen dir bei deinen ersten Schritte mit #Linux auf deinem Computer.

In #Graz macht das das #LinuxCafé zumindest 1x/Monat: events.graz.social/@linux_cafe Am 21.10. ist es wieder soweit. Gleich mal notieren und im besten Fall vorab Daten sichern, damit du mit einem frisch aufgesetzten Linux wieder danach heimkommst.

Es warat wegen #Privatsphäre, #digitaleSouveränität, #Sicherheit und weil's einfach unkomplizierter und schneller ist - besonders auf nicht aktuellster Hardware. 👍

#Upcycling #Umwelt #Nachhaltigkeit #EndOf10 @nachhaltigingraz @cryptopartygraz

End of 10

Windows 10 ends in 2025. Don’t buy a new PC — revive yours with Linux. It's fast, secure, and help is available to get you started.

^{End of 10}

Happy International E- waste day.

...Also happy Microsoft end-of-life for Windows 10 day.

It's estimated that 400-600 million computers still run Windows 10, and many of those don't meet the higher specs required for Win 11, which in addition to more RAM and a faster CPU includes having UEFI bios.

For those with some level of tech literacy upgrading to Linux is an obvious workaround, but the sad truth is that enormous volumes of ewaste will be generated by this unnecessary act of corporate greed.

#windows #ewaste #microsoft #linux

Bravo + Glückwunsch!

Schleswig-Holstein: Verwaltung mit E-Mail-Migration auf Open Source fertig.

heise.de/-10733720

#OpenSource #Thunderbird #widerdasmonopol #nextcloud @nextcloud @mozilla @thunderbird @landesregierung #microsoft #Microsoft365

Schleswig-Holstein: Verwaltung mit E-Mail-Migration auf Open Source fertig

Die Landesverwaltung Schleswig-Holsteins hat den Umstieg ihres Mailsystems von Microsoft Exchange und Outlook auf Open-Source-Lösungen vollzogen.

^{Stefan Krempl (heise online)}

I give a fiver each month to the wonderful FOSS-type things below:

- Signal (killing Meta's WhatsApp)
- Libre Office (slaying Microsoft's 365)
- GrapheneOS (kicking Google Stock Android in the goolies)

If you use any of these - and you can afford to - why not set up a monthly dontation to the wonderful organisations above.

#Signal #LibreOffice #GrapheneOS #Meta #Microsoft #Google #WhatsApp #Android

@signalapp @GrapheneOS @libreoffice

Canada's National Observor: Whistleblower exposes how AI fuels Big Oil growth

nationalobserver.com/2025/09/0…

#AI #climateemergency #microsoft

Whistleblower exposes how AI fuels Big Oil growth

"We realized we were basically working for an oil company," said Holly Alpine, a former Microsoft employee who quit her dream job on the company's sustainability team when she realized the company, like most tech companies, is helping fossil fuel com…

^{Canada's National Observer}

Loudly shouting at #Microsoft to stop forcing "AI" on #GitHub users might lead to some sort of success. Until the next shiny thing comes along.

I took stock, understood what is really happening, that you are accepting to be locked in to a walled garden that you do not control.

So I silently packed up my stuff a while ago and moved to a place and community that accepts, respects and defends my freedom. My repos have moved to #codeberg, I am running my own #forgejo instance and build runners.

Poll: How many screens do you work with? 🖥️

Vote + Boost 🔁 = ❤️

(Feel free to reply with how this setup helps you 👇)

#Linux #Arch #LinuxMint #Fedora #Debian #Ubuntu #Desktop #FOSS #Privacy #Security #OpenSource #Microsoft #Windows #TechNews #CyberSecurity #Tech #Technology #Apple #OS #iOS #MacOS #OperatingSystem #Monitor #Monitors #Screen #Screens #TV #OLED #2k #4k #HD #Job #Work #Productivity #Multitasking #Dev #DevOps #Development #Developers #DevLife #SysAdmin #TechCommunity

• 🧍 Just 1 screen (0 votes)
• 🧑‍💻 Dual setup (2) (0 votes)
• 🧠 Triple or more (0 votes)

NV Access is very pleased to announce an update to our highly-praised "Microsoft Excel with NVDA" training module!

This extensive rewrite includes new topics like Pivot Tables, plus bonus topics & more.

Purchase it on its own: nvaccess.org/product/microsoft…

Or in the NVDA Productivity Bundle: nvaccess.org/product/nvda-prod…

Previous purchases: nvaccess.org/my-account/downlo…

Thanks for all feedback!

#NVDA #NVDAsr #Microsoft #MicrosoftExcel #Excel #SpreadSheets #MicrosoftOffice #Office365

Microsoft has added COPILOT AI to Excel — but give it a miss if you use the spreadsheet software for numerical calculations or in scenarios with legal regulatory and compliance implications because COPILOT "can give incorrect responses," the company warns. Here's more from @theverge.

flip.it/tBWnLn

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Copilot #Microsoft #Tech #Technology

Microsoft Excel adds Copilot AI to help fill in spreadsheet cells

Microsoft Excel is testing a new “COPILOT” function that lets you use AI to generate summaries, tables, tags, and more based on a group of cells you specify.

^{Emma Roth (The Verge)}

If you use #Microsoft Windows its AI feature Recall might be capturing your screen. 📸

Learn how to turn it off here 👉 wiki.archlinux.org/title/Insta…

If you use #Microsoft Windows its AI feature Recall might be capturing your screen. 📸

Learn how to turn it off here 👉 tuta.com/blog/how-to-disable-m…

Or, if you're tired of Big Tech why not make the switch to #Linux 😎

Native Schannel TLS stack of #Windows was so unreliable it got axed from #curl:
* Never worked reliably under real‑world loads.
* Quirky, cumbersome API/architecture that broke integrations.
* Zero developer interest—nobody tested or maintained it.
* Pure maintenance drag with no real benefit.

So #Microsoft again shipped a built‑in that nobody uses, and projects ditch it entirely in favor of better third‑party alternatives.

daniel.haxx.se/blog/2025/07/29…

Carving out msh3

I hope that by now most readers of my blog have understood that curl, and libcurl specifically, is an architecture with a transfer core with a set of different backends plugged in. Backends powered by different third party libraries.

^{daniel.haxx.se}

***Attention! If you miss MSN/Windows Live Messenger, AIM, and/or ICQ, this is for you! If you use a screen reader and want a 100% accessible messenger client, this is also for you.*
This works with Windows XPthrough 11, and I'm logged into it as I write! It's called Escargot, and it revives Windows Live/MSN Messenger. This is the original software, but it has been patched so that it connects to the escargot.chat server and not the Microsoft one. It is 100% free and accessible with NVDA and I'm sure JAWS as well. They also have projects for AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and ICQ, including for Android and IOS, and are working on a web client for MSN. (I don't know if AIM or ICQ are accessible with screen readers, as I have never tried them). Anyway, if you're over twenty-one (my personal request), have read my profile here, and wish to add me, I am dandylover1@escargot.chat. You can find everything here.

escargot.chat

Note: If you already have Windows Live/MSN Messenger on your system, you will still need to download their version and create an account. Your Microsoft, MSN, or Hotmail one won't work for signing in. Also, remember to click on RUN_AFTER_INSTALL.exe, in order to patch the program to the Escargot server.

#accessibility #AIM #Android #AOL #blind #chat #Escargot #EscargotChat #ICQ #IOS #Messenger #MSN #MsnMessenger #Microsoft #NVDA #Talkback #technology #Voiceover #Windows #WindowsLiveMessenger

Sharepoint is in the news again. It is never a good thing when Sharepoint is in the news.

#technology #security #microsoft #sharepoint

washingtonpost.com/technology/…

»Der Chefjustiziar von Microsoft France gibt in einer Anhörung etwas zu, das der US-Konzern bisher schönredete. Microsoft muss EU-Daten herausgeben.« 👇

golem.de/news/anton-carniaux-m…

#microsoft #cloudact #toldyouso

Apparently Libre Office is free and contains no AI.

#AI #Microsoft #LibreOffice

The Release Candidate (RC) of NVDA 2025.1.2 is now available for download and testing. This release includes a fix for a crash in certain Microsoft Word versions before version 16.0.18226 on opening.

Full info and download at: nvaccess.org/post/nvda-2025-1-…

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Beta #NewVersion #PreRelease #MicrosoftOffice #Office #Microsoft

The End (of Windows 10) is nigh!

On 14 October, #Microsoft will end support for #Win10.

This will turn hundreds of millions of computers that cannot upgrade to #Win11 into security risks and #eWaste.

Yours may be one of them!

But what if you could make your current one fast and secure again?

Learn more: endof10.org/press

Saved a device from the bin? Tell the world with the hashtag: #EndOf10

#Linux #GNU #GNUlinux #FreeSoftware #OpenSource #FOSS #FLOSS #Windows

#FOSS alternatives to #Microsoft (cont)

➡️ If you just want an easy-to-use replacement for Windows, highly recommend @linuxmint

Complete list of Linux distros on Fediverse:

@almalinux
@alpinelinux
@archlinux
@AsteroidOS
@chimera
@edubuntu
@elementary
@fedora
@Feren_OS
@freedomboxfndn
@garuda
@gentoo
@kalilinux
@linuxmint
@LubuntuOfficial
@mobian
@opensuse
@postmarketOS
@rockylinux
@getsolus
@ubports
@ubuntubudgie
@ubuntustudio
@ubuntusway
@UniversalBlue
@yunohost

3/3

#FOSS alternatives to #Microsoft (continued)

➡️ @Jami - Peer-to-Peer calling, video conferencing & chat

➡️ @nextcloud - Easy-to-use personal clouds, lots of add-ons available such as office tools, chat & calling, photo sharing etc.

➡️ @forgejo - Self-hostable code forge, supported by Codeberg, hard fork from Gitea

➡️ @Codeberg - Large non-profit code forge, running on Forgejo which they maintain

➡️ @Luanti - Free open alternative to Minecraft, highly flexible, mod-friendly, online-friendly

2/3

#Microsoft has put vile LLMs into everything including Notepad & Github: theregister.com/2025/05/23/mic…

Escape this dystopia by switching to #FOSS alternatives:

➡️ @CryptPad - Privacy-friendly online office suite, used by the UN 🇺🇳

➡️ @libreoffice - Most popular free open offline office suite

➡️ @CollaboraOffice - Collaborative online fork of LibreOffice

➡️ @ONLYOFFICE - Online office suite, self-hostable

➡️ @thunderbird@mastodon.online (main) & @thunderbird@tilvids.com (videos) - Email & comms suite (RSS, XMPP, IRC etc)

🧵 1/3

Microsoft dumps AI into Notepad as 'Copilot all the things' mania takes hold in Redmond

: A simple text editor that dates back to Windows 1.0 is getting smartified

^{Richard Speed (The Register)}

"'Take a screenshot every few seconds' legitimately sounds like a suggestion from a low-parameter LLM that was given a prompt like 'How do I add an arbitrary AI feature to my operating system as quickly as possible in order to make investors happy?'" signal.org/blog/signal-doesnt-…

#Signal #Microsoft #Recall #MicrosoftRecall #LLM #LLMs #privacy

By Default, Signal Doesn't Recall

Signal Desktop now includes support for a new “Screen security” setting that is designed to help prevent your own computer from capturing screenshots of your Signal chats on Windows.

^{Signal Messenger}

Incredible (but predictable) : #Microsoft has blocked the International Criminal Court's access (#ICC) to its services on the orders of the #Trump mafia.

Read that carefully : an international organisation that has no presence in the United States and no US legal rights has had its work tools blocked simply because it disagrees with the Trump administration. 🚩

Get the hell out of it right now.

› apnews.com/article/icc-trump-s…

#Facism #Autocraty #Criminal #BigTech