They’re not exactly “being blocked” but rather the legacy ability to tell explorer.exe to load the older style Taskbar, which those apps load then modify, is going away. I’m not defending this nor do I like it, but it would be like saying some Linux distro is BLOCKING customization because some legacy app dependent on Xorg will not work after they switch to Wayland.
Simply renaming the executable works to re-enable Start All Back. They are being intentionally blocked by Microsoft.
Like in the case of StartAllBack, you can bypass the block by simply renaming the executable to something else. If you want to upgrade to a newer build, delete the app, update your system, and then launch it using a renamed executable.
Not if you’re using the preview build, where the entire functionality is removed. The warning is just a preemptive preparation for beta users. The bottom of the article indirectly mentions this.
The article is actually incomplete. Some insider builds already lack the old taskbar, it can’t be invoked and if an application relies on it you simply get a crash.
This is not new behavior from Windows. When legacy features are going to be removed, they do stagger updates when users have known software conflicts installed, they also might throw warnings. This is exactly what we are seeing now.
Though the fact this small article is just reporting on Reddit information rather than testing insider builds is not my fault nor my concern.
Nah fuck that, call Microsoft out. Fix the fucking Control Panel/Settings nonsense. Stop fucking doing things just because I didn’t say not to. Stop adding all Microsoft apps to startup by default. There’s plenty of reasons to egg corporations and this bullshit is very light-handed. They have the resources and power to make great things, they chose to chase this dragon and leave their OS a fucken mess. They deserve it. Especially with all these Linux distros that are free popping up left and right. At one point we have to fight back against these huge ecosystems that become complacent, fall into dark patterns, and that point was yesterday.
Imagine simping this hard for a monopolistic, spying, anti-consumer company with a market cap of $3,200,000,000,000
Seriously, why get this fucking butthurt about a person expressing the opinion that MS deliberately sabotaging people’s workflows is a bad thing? Pathetic.
I mean it's the only viable alternative. And it's unquestionably that Microsoft has been making Windows worse recently.
That said. I'm not convinced Microsoft is doing this to hurt users. I think it's probably the correct assumption that they have seen a high number of crashes with 24H2 and these software packages.
Most people who use Windows could switch to Linux easily (the light users, those that surf social media and stream content)
People who game may have a harder time depending on the games they play (too many anti cheat games refuse to work on Linux)
People who are locked into specific software suites would likely have the hardest time (people who use Windows exclusive software for work, etc)
For me I’m a bit the first group (most of my PC usage) and the third group (Fusion 360 and Adobe Software (though I’m down to only Lightroom at this point)), but I’m also a power user for my systems in general. I’ve currently got 3 systems, 2 Linux machines and a Windows machine. I’m hoping that soon (before end of summer) I’ll be able to get that to 3 Linux machines and a Windows VM (just for Fusion 360 and Lightroom).
Honestly only in the last year have I even been able to do the switch as much as I have as Linux in general has become a lot more newbie friendly. And my main driving factor was Windows 11’s TPM requirement. All my systems technically have one, but it’s disabled on all my systems.
The only issue I’ve had with the flavor of Linux I’m using (Mint) is that changing the lock screen orientation and wallpaper was (IMO) harder than it needed to be. Especially considering that the steps it took to do it were both hard to find and easy to execute.
Daily run it for the last 5 months. Switched cause I was tired of windows. Have thus far not been unable to do even a single thing. Games run better in proton than on windows native for me.
I wound up on arch :) I used mint for a while, and used to use Ubuntu and Mint a lot when I was in high school. But there were a lot of features of each I didn’t want and wanted an option to opt out of. Arch had a learning curve to it, just becoming accustomed to working with rolling release software.
And like I play games and run media servers and a lot else off of this one desktop. I really don’t feel limited by it at all, except in cases like fortnite not allowing people to play on Linux even though it’s completely possible to do so.
It’s a slapped-together kernel with slapped-together software for tinkering nerds who hopefully can get the necessities and everything they care about actually working.
Try OpenBSD, it’s very clean.
And for people who want more-specific software, well, eff them, right?
They are already effed, the only thing which will possibly allow them to escape Microsoft’s grip is Microsoft’s goodwill. They can wait for that if they wish so.
If you want to solve the Linux problems, first thing you need is to go against the common Linux mentality.
I see much more problems with Windows and you seem a Windows user who can’t switch due to something, which means you too realize the need, and still with Windows culture which created such a situation you are giving advice?
Some self-awareness, please.
Get a big, well-organized group like Mozilla to produce an accessibility-ready, normie-ready, mainstream, FOSS version of Linux.
There are a few. OpenSUSE, Fedora, Mint.
If you’ve tried Arch first due to thinking that you are very smart - that’s your own mistake (that aside, Arch is fine too).
And then they pay the devs to do things they don’t want to do, such as focusing on specific issues instead of doing whatever they feel like at the time, and on QA-testing.
That’s how it already works for many years.
Hardware compatibility and hardware efficiency first.
Drivers are normally supplied by hardware vendors. If they don’t make drivers for Linux, it takes work which may not be worth it, and the person who bought crappy hardware is at fault more than Linux developers.
You’re being cringe, mate. The majority of people that use a computer could switch to Linux tomorrow and be totally fine.
I switched my parents to Linux months ago and they haven’t noticed the difference. And my parents know as much about computers as I know about quantum physics, just a hair more than jack shit.
So funny how people like you claim to support FOSS but then constantly dump on Linux and FOSS software. You spread FUD about FOSS, you talk about how it’s only good for nerds and “cult members.”
No, you’re not a realist or pragmatist or whatever you might think of yourself. You’re a corpo simp who won’t support FOSS unless it’s perfect in possible every way. Go take a toss and seethe.
I don’t get people reacting to Windows critique with that “there are scripts and tools to disable anything”, some even have the gall to compare it to how I use Linux.
When we are talking about adware and spyware right from the vendor, who has the figurative “make shit really mandatory” button. Who is all-powerful there.
The irony is that people create these tools mostly because they’re frustrated by the limited customisation options provided by default. If Microsoft ever listens to feedback, it’s quite limited, and it takes ages for the new stuff get implemented; moreover very often you just about get used to something and the rug gets pulled from under your feet.
It’s insane that they can’t display the same identical task bar on 2 screens 20+ years after enabling support for multiple displays. It’s frustrating to no end having to look for stuff all over the place.
A Microsoft representative (?) opened an issue for Explorer Patcher:
Hi Team,
This is to let you know that Win10 taskbar code is removed. And if use continue to use ExplorePatcheron Windows GE Build, they will see a crash. You only need to adjust the setup exe name to get around the block in your new version. We will continue to block ANY version that crashes Explorer.
No doubt windows is still better (or more seemless) overall in regards of gaming especially since Linux kinda emulates (but not really) a windows environment which requires some fiddling here and there and there are still some issues with some Anti Cheat powered games. But still you technically can game on Linux 😄
Unfortunately, our lives don’t perform at the technical level but the practical. Gaming performance for the games I like are abysmal on linux. I appreciate linux for what it excels at but I would never suggest it to someone that wanted to game.
@schwim
As far I read on internet and benchnatks, If you have a working #Vulkan, the average performance between Windows and #Wine (proton) is equal. That means also, there cases where a Windows Games performs beter on a Linux with proton.
I assume the cause is also that some gamedeveloper enhance a game for steam deck also.
I propose to retest your case again.
I can see why they’d do it. Windows is a corporate product and MSFT wants everyone’s experience to be tailored to exactly how they think is best. Gives some Apple vibes.
I think at this point MSFT knows the average user is just gonna keep using Windows so they don’t really care about tailoring to individuals. I expect to see a lot more of this.
The thing about Windows, or the thing that is going away, was that it has the possibility of being modified and customised, which made it more freedom respecting than macOS.
From the windows registry, group policies, PE functionality, Windows was the commercial platform for tinkerers, businesses and professionals. It’s basically what made Windows awesome.
Now, with ads in the menu, Microsoft being horny for apple’s app store vendor lock-in since Windows 8 and depriving the user of any kind of control, we finally see Microsoft emerge as one of the most evil companies to ever exist.
Why? Read their history, because even with the good things they did with Windows, there’s a thousand bad, and you should never play devil’s advocate for them. They, nor Apple, deserves it.
Why is Microsoft trying to shoot itself in the foot once again? One of the big reasons I like Windows more than MacOS is the customizability. When your market share is declining, you shouldn’t add more reasons to switch to something else.
Currently needing to run Windows 11 on my laptop, not by choice basically by light force of wifi drivers as I need wifi for my daily workload and dumb MediaTek have not great Linux support, there is a small in works dkms GitHub repo but that’s it
Seriously though, I’m not even that big into customizability, I just like having a taskbar with icons and some critical statuses (battery percentages anyone? Even Apple learned their lesson on that one.) on any side of the screen, and I like having good versatile touchpad gestures, achievable on GNOME with a couple extensions.
What they are doing has that upside of being an indicator of “how many people are really held by the balls with MS hand”. MS “shoots itself in the foot” and Windows users just eat it, then it can do more.
When you are a monopolist (or a bully, or a robber baron), this makes sense.
Windows 11 development was led by the UI team that led Windows 8, and a team responsible for more of the internal Windows development was responsible for Windows 10. You can kind of tell by Windows 11 being an arbitrary UI change with numerous regressions.
… I don’t, actually, I’ve been using ClassicShell basically since the day Win10 came out and it’s always worked perfectly. Don’t think I’ve even updated it actually.
Its something happened waaay back during the technical preview days. Just like with this instance, the workaround was to rename the installer executable.
Thanks for the link, but I still do not see where it says “Microsoft blocked apps because of Russian dev.”
The dev says that it’s related to depreciated features, not the country of origin:
Well, this has to do with myriad feature flags around copilot and working area hacks MS is doing. But generally classic taskbar is dead code and 24H2 is going bring only degradations and pain.
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