TLDR: StartAllBack, ExplorerPatcher and some other projects are being blocked on 24H2.

One more reason to switch to Linux

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The Microsoft devs have time to do shit like this, but haven’t yet gotten the Settings screen as functional as Control Panel was two decades ago…

  • kadu@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    They’re not exactly “being blocked” but rather the legacy ability to tell explorer.exe to load the older style Taskbar, which those apps load then modify, is going away. I’m not defending this nor do I like it, but it would be like saying some Linux distro is BLOCKING customization because some legacy app dependent on Xorg will not work after they switch to Wayland.

    • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      They’re not exactly “being blocked”

      Simply renaming the executable works to re-enable Start All Back. They are being intentionally blocked by Microsoft.

      Like in the case of StartAllBack, you can bypass the block by simply renaming the executable to something else. If you want to upgrade to a newer build, delete the app, update your system, and then launch it using a renamed executable.

      • kadu@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Not if you’re using the preview build, where the entire functionality is removed. The warning is just a preemptive preparation for beta users. The bottom of the article indirectly mentions this.

        But sure, downvote me.

          • kadu@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            The article is actually incomplete. Some insider builds already lack the old taskbar, it can’t be invoked and if an application relies on it you simply get a crash.

            This is not new behavior from Windows. When legacy features are going to be removed, they do stagger updates when users have known software conflicts installed, they also might throw warnings. This is exactly what we are seeing now.

            Though the fact this small article is just reporting on Reddit information rather than testing insider builds is not my fault nor my concern.

      • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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        3 months ago

        They are, to the best of Microsoft security professionals’ abilities

        Just kidding, the devs are probably using ExplorerPatcher themselves and are sabotaging this asshole move

  • rodneylives@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Why is Microsoft even deciding what programs I can run on my computer in the first place? They’re not malware, they shouldn’t be doing this at all.

    • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      It’s the Windows Defender component. Blocking things that interfere with your computer is literally what it was designed and intended to do.

  • SuperSpruce@lemmy.zip
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    3 months ago

    Why is Microsoft trying to shoot itself in the foot once again? One of the big reasons I like Windows more than MacOS is the customizability. When your market share is declining, you shouldn’t add more reasons to switch to something else.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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      3 months ago

      What they are doing has that upside of being an indicator of “how many people are really held by the balls with MS hand”. MS “shoots itself in the foot” and Windows users just eat it, then it can do more.

      When you are a monopolist (or a bully, or a robber baron), this makes sense.

    • jsonjson@lemmy.sdf.org
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      3 months ago

      Windows 11 development was led by the UI team that led Windows 8, and a team responsible for more of the internal Windows development was responsible for Windows 10. You can kind of tell by Windows 11 being an arbitrary UI change with numerous regressions.

  • anon987@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago
    • Microsoft blocks app with major security and performance concerns from Russian dev.

    Fixed that headline for ya, big guy.

    • RoyalEngineering@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Hmm. Russia or Russian programmers were not in the article. The only reason was performance:

      It is possible that Microsoft blocked those apps due to a higher number of crashes on build 26100, which is allegedly version 24H2 RTM build.

      • anon987@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        You realize you can get info from other sources right? Not just this one article?

              • anon987@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                What’s your source on that? That you always have to cite source? Not a rule on lemmy.

                Checked your comment history, you make many claims and cite no sources. So what is this really about?

                Seems like you want to argue for the sake of arguing.

            • RoyalEngineering@lemmy.world
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              3 months ago

              Thanks for the link, but I still do not see where it says “Microsoft blocked apps because of Russian dev.”

              The dev says that it’s related to depreciated features, not the country of origin:

              Well, this has to do with myriad feature flags around copilot and working area hacks MS is doing. But generally classic taskbar is dead code and 24H2 is going bring only degradations and pain.

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.zip
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      3 months ago

      I don’t get people reacting to Windows critique with that “there are scripts and tools to disable anything”, some even have the gall to compare it to how I use Linux.

      When we are talking about adware and spyware right from the vendor, who has the figurative “make shit really mandatory” button. Who is all-powerful there.

  • kamen@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    The irony is that people create these tools mostly because they’re frustrated by the limited customisation options provided by default. If Microsoft ever listens to feedback, it’s quite limited, and it takes ages for the new stuff get implemented; moreover very often you just about get used to something and the rug gets pulled from under your feet.

  • Dagnet@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I can’t use win11 without explorerpatcher, if it stops working I won’t know what to do

    • ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de
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      3 months ago
       ---------------------------------
      / Got a problem with your PC?     \
      \ Want to make that NaN problems? /
       ---------------------------------
         \
          \
              .--.
             |o_o |
             |:_/ |
            //   \ \
           (|     | )
          /'\_   _/`\
          \___)=(___/
      
  • Blaster M@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    One reason not to switch to linux: I want to play PCVR with my Quest 2. It has a really bad stutter when moving around using the only tool that works: ALVR, and this makes VR unplayable. I have not found an actual solution, just a handful of speculative issues threads that go silent as to what is the answer if any.

    • Melt@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      User won’t switch to Linux because of lack of software support, company won’t support Linux because of lack of user, such a vicious circle

    • kolorafa@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      ALVR works on Linux with Quest 2, BeatSaber works fine, dont know much about other games.

  • red_pigeon@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    A wasted opportunity to natively support these features and make the user base happy.

      • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        And it continues to be true. Linux continues to get easier and easier to switch to. For gamers as an example, just look at how much focus Valve and engine creators have put into native Linux support.

  • LupertEverett@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Remember the days when Microsoft would block ClassicShell the same way they did StartAllBack here, on Win10?

    Pepperridge farm remembers :V

  • ronflex@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I can see why they’d do it. Windows is a corporate product and MSFT wants everyone’s experience to be tailored to exactly how they think is best. Gives some Apple vibes.

    I think at this point MSFT knows the average user is just gonna keep using Windows so they don’t really care about tailoring to individuals. I expect to see a lot more of this.

    • taanegl@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      The thing about Windows, or the thing that is going away, was that it has the possibility of being modified and customised, which made it more freedom respecting than macOS.

      From the windows registry, group policies, PE functionality, Windows was the commercial platform for tinkerers, businesses and professionals. It’s basically what made Windows awesome.

      Now, with ads in the menu, Microsoft being horny for apple’s app store vendor lock-in since Windows 8 and depriving the user of any kind of control, we finally see Microsoft emerge as one of the most evil companies to ever exist.

      Why? Read their history, because even with the good things they did with Windows, there’s a thousand bad, and you should never play devil’s advocate for them. They, nor Apple, deserves it.

      Also: use Linux or BSD, pls.