this post was submitted on 02 May 2026
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Microsoft is working on a new project labeled Windows 'K2', intent on removing bloatware, reducing AI, and optimizing Windows 11 for gaming, with three focuses of 'performance, craft, and reliability'.

the issue is not about performance, is about enshitification. I mean, do we need TPM? do we need Microslop account to login our pc/laptop? do they really need to shove Copilot into Windows?

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[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 159 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

This is such a huge W for linux. It legitimizes linux as a real competitor in so many eyes.

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 67 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

That's because it is a legitimate competitor. It's the freedom OS, and only way for the world to escape Americas big tech fascism.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 24 points 3 weeks ago

Yeah I know I've been using it for gaming for years. But when I say linux is good people might brush it off because oh you would say that as a linux user. But im highlighting that Microsoft saying this legitimizes Linux in a completely different way. It legitimizes it for all the people that see Windows as the best OS the people outside the linux bubble.

[–] Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 weeks ago

There is no greater force in the world than how glass half full Linux users can be, makes me so proud.

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[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 70 points 3 weeks ago

Reducing ai but not removing it ain’t it

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 68 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Microsoft is reportedly looking at Valve's SteamOS as the benchmark for gaming

Yeah, that's Linux

Valve's SteamOS continues to show significant advantages over Windows 11 for gamers, with better memory utilization and improved in-game performance, but Microsoft has a plan to combat that.

Let that sink in for a second. Linux with a not-an-emulation layer API runs Microsoft Windows games faster than Microsoft Windows, and so now Microsoft is scrambling to get windows at least as efficient again as Linux in running Windows products.

Anyone ever trusting Microsoft again is a dumbass fool

[–] viov@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

We really need more alternative private non-stock unionized companies in USA made to go against Big Tech

That's really what it comes down to. Better alternatives across the board

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[–] Miller@lemmy.world 62 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Microsoft adds the bloat themselves, and ever increasing telemetry reporting back, promises to update W10 for the lifetime of the device, reneges on it with W11 quoting security as its rationale but leaving 400 million users without security updates. Does all this at a time Linux is becoming very friendly and android phones have a desktop mode so they can be plugged into a keyboard and monitor and bypass the need for Windows. Microsoft has a bit of a think about the market value of its idiot direction and decides to remove a lot of the crap slowing the OS and give people back a little privacy, touts it as a new way of thinking about personal computing.

[–] rozodru@piefed.world 26 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

I'd say i'm cautiously optimistic but honestly i'm just not optimistic. They want to 'remove bloat, reel back AI, etc' and I'm just going to ask "how?"

how can they possibly improve their OS when the past year updates to 11 have been the worst in the companies history. the past few months alone have been an absolute cluster fuck and that's saying A LOT considering this the same company that gave us ME and Vista.

Before rebuilding the OS they need to take a seriously look internally and rebuild teams, management, etc because its' clear as day the company that they have currently cannot produce the potential OS they seem to want to produce.

[–] Miller@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

You mention Windows Me and Vista as low points but Windows 8 was such a donkey that your memory must have blocked it so you could go on with your life. And you just know this wonderful new streamlined and privacy conscious version is going to look suspiciously like Windows 7 which most users wanted to stick with anyway.

[–] rozodru@piefed.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

You mention Windows Me and Vista as low points but Windows 8 was such a donkey that your memory must have blocked it so you could go on with your life.

Good lord you're right. I had completely forgotten about 8. I know I had it, I must have had it but I don't actually remember using it. It's like a gap there between 7 and 10 that is just gone from my head.

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[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 45 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Knowing Microsoft, the new project is an update to DirectX which has features impossible for Proton to translate without violating anti-circumvention laws or an always on DRM baked into core features.

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[–] goatinspace@feddit.org 39 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
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[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 38 points 3 weeks ago

There you are, racking up multi kills, bonus points are pouring in. The map is yours and you are about to push the score back in favour of your team…

When all of a sudden

“DO YOU WANT TO TURN ON STICKY KEYS? PWEASE LOGIN TO ONEDRIVE TO ACTIVATE YOUR 365 COPILOT ACCOUNT SUBSCRIPTION. ACTIVATING BITLOCKER LOCKDOWN.”

[–] Australis13@fedia.io 32 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

I abandoned Windows for Linux rather than update to Windows 11. I will be interested to see what Microsoft does, but at this point I seriously doubt they're going to be able to give me a good enough reason to return to Windows as my primary OS. At this point I only need it for a few applications that don't have a Linux equivalent and don't run on Wine.

[–] Tetsuo@jlai.lu 10 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

Have you tried to Winboat the apps missing ?

I also switched earlier this year to cachyos. I'm definitely not going back. The simple fact that I need to boot the Windows old partition to update it makes me anxious.

I feel so much more in control of my operating system it feels really nice.

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[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I know it's not possible for everyone, but I just cut ties with any application that wouldn't work on Linux and found alternatives.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

For those that can't, it's worth it to go 99% Linux and set up a dual-boot. Also I made a video recently that details some security measures you can take on Windows to help you stay private if anyone's interested.

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[–] Mihies@programming.dev 31 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Yeah, MS lost a lot of trust with stupid things and getting that back - good luck with that. ~~I'm gone~~ I switched to Linux ~~since~~ a year (been on Windows since 3.0) or so ago and won't ever go back even though I still need to run Visual Studio in a virtual guest.

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 29 points 3 weeks ago

Microsoft right now

[–] daggermoon@piefed.world 24 points 3 weeks ago

Get rid of telemetry, ads, AI, and the MS account requirement for a start.

[–] renegadespork@lemmy.jelliefrontier.net 22 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

There’s nothing MS can do to make me trust them again. They can “love bomb” all they want, but a toxic ex is a toxic ex.

Publicly traded corporations will always exploit anything and anyone they can get away with to maximize their profits. They will only improve just enough to trap you again, then the exploitation begins again.

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[–] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I like how back in the day Gabe proposed to MS to invest into gaming on PC, got ignored, left company to chase this venture of his own. Which leads us to today as Gabe is about to drop a gaming-OS nuke on the market that will finally shaken (or hopefully shatter to pieces) MS's gaming OS monopoly.

Love to see MS giving out promises to users way before Steam Machine drops. They are clearly scared shitless.

[–] jobbies@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

They are clearly scared shitless.

Consumers aren't MS's market anymore. It would hurt if Windows lost market share but it wouldn't be devastating.

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[–] lechekaflan@lemmy.world 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Of course not.

Install Linux, Problem Solved.

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[–] Butterphinger@lemmy.zip 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They'll either never do it, or do it for a year or so then go back to being pieces of shit.

Also expect this:

"hey windows is better"

yeah? Is it this good?

"well, no, but..."

[–] unit327@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 weeks ago

This has been their MO for time immemorial. Make windows shit, right up to the line where people will leave. Only discover where the line actually is after they've stepped over it, then backpedal just enough to stem the exodus and keep people locked in. Repeat.

[–] Tim_Bisley@piefed.social 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Why would anyone get their hopes up about a Microsoft product?

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[–] Drekaridill@lemmy.wtf 12 points 3 weeks ago

I don't even care what they do at this point, they've proved themselves to be so incompetent that I have no desire to go back to windows.

[–] hanrahan@piefed.social 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

should just use the Linux kernel and pit their version of the desktop on top of that.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 8 points 3 weeks ago

The only value windows has is that it runs software made by companies that are too lazy to add another build target

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[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)

Strip out all tracking, anti-competitive anti consumerist features, remove all AI, make it secure and with all of the extra and fancy features opt-in.

Literally just make a decent, respectable operating system, and you will win. This is how you win at literally anything right now. Just make it durable and private and secure and not extremely expensive and make sure it WORKS, and people will suck your dick from across the planet.

NOBODY WANTS AI OR MICROTRANSACTIONS OR TO BE PUSHED AROUND OR CONNED, YET THAT'S ALL ANYBODY IS DOING - THE POSITION OF NOT A PIECE OF SHIT IS LITERALLY UP FOR GRABS, YOU JUST NEED TO REACH OUT AND TAKE IT.

[–] Don_alForno@feddit.org 9 points 3 weeks ago

Even if they did all this, it's still Microslop, the next rugpull is just right around the corner. I'll never go back, i don't care how much better they make their spyware delivery system.

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[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

If Microsoft wants to win users back, the only way to do that is by re-releasing Windows 7, and make a legal contract to never add spyware, monetization, adware, AI, service accounts to install/log in to the PC, or anything else to it.

Windows 7 was the peak of their capabilities. everything before that was building up to 7, everything after was a series of missteps and fuckups.

But thats never gonna happen.

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[–] aliser@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

they just gonna shittify it later. who even trusts microslop atp

[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I'll never voluntarily use a Windows PC ever again. Wayyy too late

[–] magnue@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

It's possible they're kind of admitting defeat with PC enthusiasts and will just settle for the average user and the business user. If they're smart they would make windows home free to use and then charge a fair lump for K2 (and make it extremely good - yknow - things software companies should be doing). That way it's a PR win and they can exploit both business models.

I strongly expect Microsoft to completely bottle it as usual though. They have some deep corporate rot imo.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You know what's funny? The fact that they could have done this ages ago.

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[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They should have done this 5 years ago.

I’m never going back.

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[–] RejZoR@lemmy.ml 8 points 3 weeks ago

Recycle Bin is still fucking broken after literal YEARS of me complaining over the fact it doesn't delete files older than 30 days from it. I have files that date months back in time. How about you start at fucking that Microsoft, eh?

Also fuck off the Recommended section from Start menu. The greatest idiocy of all times, wasting same amount of Start menu real estate whether it's enabled or not. It just wastes same space telling me to tuen it on when it's disabled. What the fuck?

[–] Hakuso@scribe.disroot.org 8 points 3 weeks ago

I nuked my hard drive when they kept shoving more invasive idiocy, more sloppy shite, and a confluence of cloud crap into it.

They're not going to win me back by integrating their overpriced subscription PS+ knock-off crap further into their joke of an OS.

[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This sounds like a very good thing, right? They've got the message that we don't want Copilot, we don't want AI, we don't want our computers to require an Internet connection, and they're listening.

[–] lath@piefed.social 22 points 3 weeks ago (6 children)

No, they're listening to market share change.

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[–] mereo@piefed.ca 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I hope you were sarcastic... Because Microsoft's new business model is AI. So Windows will continue to be their portal toward AI.

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[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 7 points 3 weeks ago

My hopes are it crashes and burns. I have my hopes up.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

And what will their ambitious plan be?

Marketing, bribery, coercion, cheating. Those are the only things Microsoft has ever excelled at (pun intended), as software development is something they have NEVER done well

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