YouTube is taking down videos on performing nonstandard Windows 11 installs

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Linux as “the Solution” to Windows 11 Lock‑In

  • Many commenters frame the real fix as abandoning Windows for Linux (often KDE, Mint, Bazzite) rather than fighting Win11’s Microsoft‑account and hardware locks.
  • They note that “90% of Windows games” run via Proton/Steam, and common needs are covered by FOSS: LibreOffice, GIMP/Krita, VLC/mpv, etc.
  • Others push back: the missing 10% includes major AAA multiplayer titles with kernel‑level anti‑cheat, which for many gamers makes Linux effectively unusable as a primary gaming OS.

Where Linux Still Falls Short

  • Key blockers: Adobe apps, advanced Excel, CAD/CAM, niche industrial/lab software, specialized Windows‑only tools (embroidery, motorsport timing, LIDAR, Japanese desktop apps).
  • Wine/VMs help in some cases, but hardware dongles, DirectX, and performance/latency often break things; PCI/USB passthrough is seen as powerful but complex.
  • Accessibility on Linux is described as meaningfully behind Windows, with fragile screen readers and installers, and too few contributors.

FOSS App Quality Debates

  • LibreOffice: “okay” and sufficient for simple personal use vs “awful” for complex formatting, heavy spreadsheets, or finance work; Excel is still seen by many as irreplaceable.
  • GIMP: some praise its UX and reject Photoshop paradigms; others say it’s far behind decades‑old Photoshop and hampered by developer priorities.
  • Krita, Inkscape, Photopea, mpv, and SoftMaker Office are highlighted as strong alternatives in their niches; VLC is praised for compatibility but criticized as outdated or clunky.

Ethics and Politics of Software Vendors

  • OnlyOffice’s Russian ownership and tax link to the war in Ukraine sparks debate about whether using it is morally acceptable.
  • Counter‑arguments broaden this to “no ethical consumption under capitalism,” pointing out Western companies’ ties to war and abuses; others reject that as false equivalence or deflection.

Windows Workarounds and Long‑Term Viability

  • Detailed CLI/registry tricks and Rufus/unattend.xml methods are shared to:
    • Install Win11 without a Microsoft account.
    • Bypass hardware/TPM checks.
  • Some prefer staying on Windows 10 (including LTSC/IoT and paid ESU), despite erosion of browser and app support over time.
  • Others run Linux as host with Windows in a GPU‑passed‑through VM or a small dual‑boot partition for the few unavoidable Windows tasks.

YouTube Moderation and Platform Power

  • Several suspect this is generic YouTube auto‑moderation (possibly misclassifying registry/CLI tutorials as “unsafe” or piracy‑adjacent), not a coordinated Microsoft takedown.
  • Frustration centers on opaque, AI‑driven removals and instant appeal denials, with calls for stronger regulation or more decentralized alternatives.