• communism@lemmy.ml
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    4 days ago

    Microsoft Operating System, Office Suit, Browser, Search services and other tools (Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Bing, MSN, Teams, Skype etc.). Consider switching free and open software instead of another, possibly complicit company.

    Thank you BDS for helping bring about the year of the Linux desktop

  • CliffordBigRedDog [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    4 days ago

    Asked to clarify whether the boycott included the beleaguered Microsoft Teams, Mohamed added that the overall goal is to boycott all Microsoft products, but he acknowledged that few people use some of the company’s trashier products of their own free will. "We are calling on everyone to boycott Microsoft products whenever feasible and possible. So, yes, boycott Microsoft Teams, too,” he said. “Although, I am not sure if anyone is using that willingly.” Drop Site could not independently verify whether anybody has ever used Teams willingly, though experts said it was unlikely.

    Lol

    • FOSS_Propagandist [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      4 days ago

      https://www.luanti.org/ is a near perfect minecraft clone, better actually in some ways. Setting up a server for example is cake when you don’t have to worry about DRM or authentication whatsoever. Every instance is a server with a click of a button. If the server is running mods your client will automatically download them proper mods to match.

      The only thing it’s missing is the huge library of mods minecraft has, but It’s easier to make mods for Luanti than minecraft since it’s open source.

      It’s more than just a mincraft clone, they’re angling to be the open source minecraft + roblox all rolled into one. It’s already better as a base game than either.

        • riseuppikmin [he/him]@hexbear.net
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          4 days ago

          Yep. Trying to get away from an in-dev sounding name as well associating with strictly being a Minecraft like since they’re transitioning to being a voxel-engine with games inside it project.

          Really cool and worth checking out

          • FOSS_Propagandist [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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            4 days ago

            It’s really there already. All they need now is QOL onboarding features like an in web browser version with a QR code to join your friends’ servers, or if they could get on nintendo switch or something (not going to happen, but I can dream)

            I have to dual boot windows on my PC mainly so my brother can play minecraft (bedrock, java ofc is fine) and roblox on it because the linux support for both is really spotty angery

      • merthyr1831@lemmy.ml
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        3 days ago

        I tried Mineclone but the polish isn’t there yet. Maybe I should learn Lua and contribute someday…

  • my first time “trying” linux was like 20 years ago. i got laid off from a job when a company was liquidated and they let us buy our janky ass windows workstations for $10. i installed slackware on it, some desktop environment, and attempted to set up web hosting services (apache). i got stuck at some part and just sort of gave up.

    a few years ago i tried again with an old busted ass laptop that was shitty even when it was new, but had grown to be about 12 years old. it was a “spare” machine i kept in a maker space to look shit up. of course, every year i would have to go through some heinous block of mandatory updates and serial reboots. every few years i would wipe it out entirely and reinstall the OS, firefox, and a few utilities. even when it was all ready to go, the thing crawled just trying to watch youtube, navigate the local network share, search the indexed file system, and browse. it’s battery had long since shit itself, so i had to keep it plugged in. a device destined for the garbage, as i assumed it struggled due to hardware problems.

    i decided to install mint on it, because why the fuck not. the process took no time at all, like probably 10% of the setup time of a windoze install. not to mention, the thing worked like it was new. the features for the linux desktop environments have come a very long way, to the point that they are superior for UI customization. also, all kinds of shit was automagically recognized native. it was suddenly fast as hell for youtubes, browsing, exploring the network shares, whatever. and it was stable!

    that experience has led to a slow, steady compartmentalization of computing processes and resources away from the windows OS. from basic browsing/email, coding, word processing, text/voice/video chat, to geoprocessing/map making and visual design. i am currently in the process of moving all of my home media to a DAS RAID setup on a dedicated box that will run media services and a few other services i’ve been meaning to tinker with.

    within 6 months, i expect to only have 2 systems with windows. my work issued computer and a sketchy frankenstein i use to play janky games and sandboxed windoze apps acquired from the high seas.

    every time i make the effort to shift over something i do in windoze to linux and start actually getting into it, i think, “jeez, i should have done this years ago”. things just work, features are FOSS, and it doesn’t fight me or act possessed after some critical security update, nor does it constantly try to trick me into upgrading. it also doesn’t randomly remove features and call it an upgrade.

    honestly, the experience of using a free, unshittified OS to do things has reminded me of why i got into computers in the first place as a kid. not to mention, the times i am forced to do something in windoze for whatever reason only strengthens my resolve to get everything i want to do away from it.

  • Aradino [they/them, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    4 days ago

    I’m gonna be honest: I think this is a bad move and most people, even people who follow other parts of the boycot, will just ignore it.

    Microsoft is simply too fucking big and too present in people’s lives. No one is going to stop using their happiness generation devices when the world is in this state.

    I don’t use Microsoft stuff though so it doesn’t really change anything for me

    • dead [he/him]@hexbear.netOP
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      4 days ago

      https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide

      If you read this page on their website. The BDS movement says that they have different levels of targets. There is a “consumer boycott” category which says that you should not buy any products from those Brands. Then there is a “pressure target” category. It explains that a Pressure target is a company that you should “boycott when reasonable alternatives exist”.

      Inside of the Pressure Target category includes other very large companies: Google, Amazon, Disney. If I understand correctly, Microsoft will also be considered a pressure target, which means that avoiding a Microsoft product is not always possible. Example, many people use Microsoft as an operating system either at home or at work.

      The BDS page for Microsoft, which was added to their website today, says “As a consumer, boycott Microsoft products whenever possible.” It also gives you a lot of other pressure options, including “send a letter to Microsoft executives demanding that Microsoft end its complicity in Israel’s AI-powered genocide of Palestinians”, “join or start a campaign to pressure your university to cut ties with Microsoft by divesting from the company”, “pressure your local government to divest from Microsoft”, “sign the workers’ petition at: noaa.cc/sign”.

    • gila@lemm.ee
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      4 days ago

      I use game pass all the time, but I still have access to alternatives so I can stop without giving up treats really

  • plinky [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    4 days ago

    Pirating Microsoft is fun activity and you should do it instead of being a paypiggy.

    Also, ngl I can’t play “realistic” fps shooters any more, what specops nearly did, reality delivered in fucking droves

  • Moss [they/them]@hexbear.net
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    4 days ago

    That’s fine for me but appealing to gamers’ conscience seems impossible. Has there ever been a successful boycott in gaming?

    • merthyr1831@lemmy.ml
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      3 days ago

      Not any that weren’t related to the game itself. Gamers couldnt even organise a boycott of preordering games from known shitty studios despite years of trying