If you have followed Microsoft's news at all in the technical sphere, chances are you likely would have noticed they are promoting "Copilot Recall," even saying that this will be ushering in a brand new era of Windows PCs --- similar to when Microsoft had originally brought in the Start menu in favour of the Program Manager back in 1995. However, this change will likely only accomplish one thing & one thing only in the grander scheme of things. And that's transfer my own digital life away from modern Windows as the OS I use day-to-day in my real life computer usage --- and that means I will need to find a new OS.
While the possibility is there that Microsoft's "Recall" feature may not even hit my PC --- I'm looking for a surefire way to disable it. And no. I'm not suggesting just to mass downgrade all my hardware from Copilot capable shit to legacy hardware ----- because I'm pretty sure that Microsoft doesn't want me to do this. And, it may be possible that Copilot even if it does hit my system will likely have a way to disable it, but the process of so doing will be so convoluted & difficult that I fear I may lack the actual brainpower to even do such a thing. And considering Windows 11 fell off quite a while ago even in the first release of the OS I actually have been using in the real world on my computer the first time in February 2022 --- I'm literally already looking for alternatives outside the Microsoft ecosystem, and once I transfer out, I don't plan to be back in... Even if I may never be under surveillance by the government in reality while I use my PC. "May" being an operative word here since even then - there's not a guarantee. And, on top of this, it's a pretty difficult situation to admit that I may need to scrap the records of my transition and then re-generate them again, as I may have messed up a step in so doing.
First, we're going to talk about what I will not be considering as an alternative to Windows in this situation. And I have a good reason to not consider this alternative an alternative.
The Non-Windows Non-Alternative: Mac OS
While it was possible in the pre-2020 world that I would've considered a MacBook Pro as my alternative to a Windows box, (But that was prior to my decision to be a PC gamer and use Windows 7 on my HTPC from 2015-2020, and Windows 10 from 2020-2022), In 2024... The Mac ecosystem isn't really the solution I'm looking for anymore. In fact, earlier in this series of blog posts, I may have said that "If you are seriously considering getting a new Mac as your new PC, I will be laughing at you." Now, I don't plan on disowning these words as I still stand by my decision to not have the Apple computer which I consider a fashion accessory be something I use in practical day-to-day life. In a world where Apple's devices ran the Intel chip, which is where we don't live in anymore, I would've never said anything against using a Mac --- even if it ran slower than a comparative Lenovo or Lenovo clone PC. Even if it ran hotter than any of those PCs. Even if some enthusiasts decide to take the Apple x86 software and put it on unauthorized x86 hardware. But since we no longer live in a world where any of those things are possible, which I may add, is for the best ultimately --- then it may be possible that macOS is permanently no longer a valid alternative to my computing needs to Microsoft Windows.
Plus, did I also neglect to mention, that Minecraft and Indivisible are only fun games if you're under the weather? Plus it's possible I'll be buying Indivisible on Steam so I don't have to use Windows to play that game.
Will I laugh at you if you buy an AI PC? Likely, and that's despite my neutral stance on AI.
Of course, there are some people who still have applications for MS-DOS usage in 2024. And I respect that. But considering that the difficulty of setting everything up, as well as sourcing the hardware to even run the MS-DOS hardware, and even getting it running ultimately makes DOS a non-option for me, and the practicality of such a setup would be novel at best, but non-existent in a realistic situation for me.
So, with modern Windows being openly marketed as "more private" & "more secure" - (when in the truth of the matter it's not) and Mac OS being a fashion accessory OS which locks the user's autonomy down, despite having better privacy than Microsoft Windows, and improved ease of use out of the box, what other alternative there is there in a situation like this? (No, MS-DOS nor FreeDOS are real alternatives in this situation, as even they are not practical in the real world, unless you know how the heck to control them!)
Enter Linux.
This heading should honestly speak for itself. But, if not, I should be more than happy to explain why I'm going to suddenly mention that I will be working toward an eventual Linux-only computer ecosystem in the fast approaching near future. In 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I elected to strictly restrict the application of Zoom for attending Jehovah's Witness congregation meetings primarily to the Linux platform, ensuring that I wouldn't say for example, decide to fire up a game when I was supposed to be "attending a meeting at the Kingdom Hall." But the more I used it, and the more I familiarized myself with the applications my distro came with, the more I realized that most, if not all of the programs that I once used in Microsoft Windows, could be either found alternatives to, or even replaced by Linux software. Even if it meant in some particular cases, I just find workarounds for some really stubborn Windows software or completely opt to go without in some cases in some scenarios.
I've reviewed distros that I would recommend in the past, so I won't go into further detail about such a discussion here (although a follow-up at the date of my completion of the transition out of Windows may present some more conclusive data than what I have collected already.)
The main point is --- Windows 11 has lost all practical usefulness for me. A usual session for me, is usually supposed to comprise of nothing more than just logging into Windows, maybe waste some time playing some video games, and once I'm done, shut the computer off or log out and go on with the rest of my day.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some data to collect about how pray-tell I'm going to transition completely over from Microsoft Windows to GNU/Linux. And an organized database to ensure the transition is relatively smooth sailing, where minimal bugs are encountered.
