He said nothing. Then he explained that all he had was a bunch of unfounded fears and once he gave it a shot, it wasn’t that hard. i.e. training wheels not required, so nothing.

I wouldn’t.

My bad, it’s been a decade. The key should actually be HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image. That’s the key I was thinking of.

Not sure if this can help. Seems like you might have it covered for now. But, just in case, If you go to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run you can add a key for the name of the executable that gets run, Ai.exe and the value gets set to another program you want to run. Maybe you can set it to empty. Haven’t used Windows for over a decade, but I do remember setting that value to open an nPipe for debugging with WinDBG.

100% agree.

I could see that being the case. But definitely not the case where the average user needs/uses CAD. That’s a wild one.

Correct, and it’s the same for any OS, and figuratively every user. The average user has no clue how to install an OS nor cares to do so. Few people switch the OS on their phone. Few switch to Windows on a Steam Deck. Nobody it trying out different OSes on their SmartTV. It’s the tech nerds that install OSes, they are the ones that switch. That’s why it’s always hilarious to read them complain about Linux needing to be made easy to install for the “average” user.

the only reason people are using windows is because they are pre installed, that’s the only truth.

This couldn’t be more true.

What average user uses CAD? I think you are conflating what an average user requires.

Agreed.

Yep, makes sense. 1500 dollar Mac or a 100 dollar USB dongle. Logic checks out.

cheap USB dongle

Little guys like this one were 5 dollars over ten years ago now. I know because this is the one I would tell folks upgrading from win7 or win8, to win10, to use when their wifi nic wasn’t supported. I also used them for my crypto miners.

Or he could just go back to an OS that works.

Shocking, use the OS that is compatible with your hardware. If you are on XP or Win7 and you want to go to Win10, guess what you have to do. Make sure you hardware is compatible. Same difference. If you want Win10, and your NIC isn’t compatible, you buy a new NIC. Nobody seems to complain about that. People want MacOS, they buy new hardware, no one complains about that. But for some reason, with Linux, “this free OS better work work with my cheap Chinese network card or I’m going straight to the electronics store and buying a Win11 machine”.

Can confirm. I started on Slackware 3.6. I did need to know stuff about computers. The same stuff I had to learn about Windows. We all helped each other out. And there was never an average user installing Windows, ever. Average users would just ask for help. It seems to so moronic to read, “Linux needs to be made easier for the ‘average’ users to install if you want people to use it.” Windows isn’t easy enough for the average user to install but somehow Linux needs to over come that feet. So ridiculous.

Reminds me of that Linus Tech tips video where they try Linux for gaming. Linus, says something like, “We are all tech people, Linux shouldn’t be this hard”. Right, so I’m good with Linux so I should just be good at every other OS out there. Every MacOS techie should know everything about Windows and Linux and every other OS floating around on the internet?! Makes total sense.

A 5 to 15 dollar USB dongle was too much for you? There used to be a time when people understood they would need to buy compatible hardware for the OS. We’re not just talking Windows to Linux here, this same thing happens between Windows versions. Imagine switching to MacOS from Windows or to Windows from MacOS. “Guess MacOS doesn’t work on my Windows hardware. Whelp, back to Windows.”

for 3rd parties to put forth any effort, there needs to be incentives… which would be in the form of demand

I mean this is it. That’s why Microsoft’s vendor lock-in strategy has kept Windows dominant on Desktop. It guarantees money will be spent on Windows first and foremost for all these OEMs. Which guarantees 3rd party support.

If they turn the screws on users hard enough then Linux might gain enough market share for there to be real demand

Regular users wont switch to Linux until the machine comes preinstalled with Linux. Microsoft can screw over their customers and the average user will just have to take it. The average users just doesn’t know any better. Ultimately, average users need to see a machine they want to buy in a brick and mortar store. As long as Microsoft’s vendor lock-in strategy is in affect, the average user will never see a Linux machine, from your typical OEM, even to unknowingly consider. But, if Valve releases a Steam Console, they could put that machine in a brick and mortar store. Lots of regular average users would buy it for the gaming, not realizing it’s Linux. Eventually they would learn they could use the desktop mode in a pinch (same as what happened with the Steam Deck). When they realize the desktop mode works just as well as their PC, likely, they will stop buying a PC altogether. It will be like when PlayStation sold their PS2. Lots of people just bought a PS2 because it came with a DVD player. DVD player sales declined rapidly. If something similar happens with a Steam Console, Linux would have a market share 3rd party developers could not ignore. I don’t know if that would break Microsoft’s vendor lock-in strategy, but I think 10M - 20M Steam Consoles sold every year would definitely get the attention of 3rd party hardware vendors and software vendors for at least the gaming market. And all that would be supported on desktop Linux too; making it even easier for the tech nerds to switch. Then you are just waiting on the network affect to take off.

We will have to see, what unfolds in the next couple years.

Worst take ever. Outside of Desktop, Windows gets dominated by Linux. Even on Azure, Linux is the number one OS over MS’s Windows Server. Windows is free on IoT and still Linux dominates. So what makes Desktop different? 30 years of Microsoft’s vendor lock-in strategy. All the OEMs have to invest into Windows because they have to take the volume licensing deal from Microsoft or be priced out. This ensures Windows engineering efforts for drivers, software, and testing. Because the machines were Windows, 3rd party hardware and software had to invest into Windows as well. When there is no vendor lock-in, Linux receives the money for engineering efforts and dominates Windows. Nobody complains about having Linux on their Smart TV. Right, because the money for engineering efforts are not forced to be put toward Windows. How many people are switching their Steam Deck to Windows 80%? 50%? 10%? 1%,? more like ~0.1% switch. The money is there to make a great experience and so there is almost no reason to switch. It’s only the tech nerds that are installing OSes. Average people don’t even know what Windows or Linux is. When Microsoft loses it’s lock-in strategy, Linux will take over. Nobody is choosing Windows for Desktop. It’s just what comes on the machine at the store.