Copilot is not the problem. If Copilot was just one more program (like Notepad or Paintbrush), I wouldn't have an issue with it. But Microsoft (and other companies) insist in putting it every-fucking-where. Like in Notepad? WHY?! So yeah, fuck Microsoft.

For coding, you could use VSCode, which is not the same as VS but it has enough extensions to probably support your use-case?

Gaming is my big issue. But now that my quality gaming time with family has gone from Warzone to ARC Raiders, it's a far less daunting concern. I'll probably wait and see if DMZ 2 supports Linux, which sadly I doubt, and if that game will cost

I just switched from Windows to Linux a few weeks ago. Not sure about a replacement for visual studio, but I haven't had an issue finding an open source application to do anything I did in windows. As for gaming, it works way better than I expected it to, but it's still not as good overall IMHO. Some games run better without all the bloat of Windows 11, other games run way worse because they aren't optimized in Linux, it's been a bit of a crapshoot. For remote desktop, I use the thincast client to connect to other machines, and XRDP on my VMs. Thincast and xrdp work together better than AVD and the Windows App, by a longshot.

Microsoft removed my quick access links to my desktop folder today

why? I don't know. I guess they want to force me to use the OneDrive desktop folder. which I do use, for shit I want synced to OneDrive. but I also have a local desktop folder I use for temp files, and fuck you very much Microsoft left me fucking use my computer how I want to

side note, I had a little program that would export a file that a user had open to their desktop in a specific format. great program, super useful for the application we were running it in, it made a multi-step process of navigating menus into a single button click. I've been using it for the past few years at this company. cue my surprise when some new people inform me that the button doesn't work for them and so they haven't been using it - BECAUSE MICROSOFT TOOK AWAY THE LOCAL USER DESKTOP FOLDER LMFAO. it blew my mind that people had to go manually create a desktop folder, I had never thought to add checking if that folder exists to the code.

Yep. I have 1 app that requires Windows (or Mac) that I use once every 4 or 5 weeks. I run Win 10 in a VM for that.

Hey hey, let's be honest here, bragged, it's been 9 months or so by now. Who knows how much of windows is vibecoded at this point, it might be as high as 50%.

Windows is being re-written from the ground up

I know they say that but you know there's still Windows 95 code still in there so I don't believe them at all. It's just smoke and mirrors for the shareholders.

Try to get a simple Linux distribution instead (Mint or Ubuntu). Depending on what you are using your computer for it might be just as good, even faster, than windows.

It's not a popular answer but you can get by with an older PC running Linux KVM. Windows 11 is fine as a guest OS, unless you need kernel level DRM from some applications.

Just to be a bit heretical: Its absolutely possible to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, look up Rufus, download the ISO from Microsoft and on you go.

I have managed to get it running on a NUC with a two core and 2 GB RAM after also running a debloat script.

edit: Completed post after my 3 year old crashed into me sending the phone into the neitherworld under the couch

What is wrong with Mac? I find macOS to be very clean and nice. I find it similar to KDE Plasma.

It already is actually. Proton driver's are great.

Ummm... Yes, Proton was already mentioned in this thread so I won't repeat it. But I'm curious which problems you have with games on Linux or did you just repeat what was true 5 (?) years ago.

Don't get me wrong: I tried gaming on linux when proton wasn't even remotely in the pipeline and it was ~~horrible~~ impossible. When I first heard about proton I tried again and ran into issues with the first game I tried (Europa Universalis 4, the new Paradox launcher was broken at the time) so I jumped ship again. Then I tried again in early 2025 and haven't looked back since then. There hasn't been a single game I tried that didn't work (although some games needed some tinkering but that's where protondb comes to rescue). There is one game I'd like to play (The Crew 2) that doesn't work because of it's anti cheat. But apart from that: Great experience!

You see, I get where you might be coming from but maybe don't way until 2032 and give it a try again?