Ask Paul: October 21 (Premium)

Happy Friday from Mexico City! Let’s kick off the weekend a bit earlier with another great set of reader questions.

Settings sync

AnOldAmigaUser asks:

Do you think that Microsoft is jumping the shark, so to speak, with Windows 11 and Edge? Not only are there constant interruptions, but they do not honor past settings and defaults that the user has explicitly made. I constantly have to go back to check and fix, which is, of course, another interruption.

This is a topic that has upset me for some time. And it’s not just Windows and Edge: for years, I’ve griped about having to make the same complicated set of configuration changes to Microsoft Word every time I set up a new PC. Surely there is a way to sync those settings.

But the issue(s) with Windows and Edge are a bit more complex. As you note, Microsoft will revert to defaults of some settings in both cases after certain updates. (For example, I configure File Explorer a certain way and remove most of the pinned folders from Quick access. After a feature update, two of those folders are always returned there.) And as irritating, Microsoft introduced settings sync in Windows 8, and instead of adding to the vague set of settings it would sync over time, or even documenting exactly that they were/are, it has instead stepped back from that now. Even the desktop wallpaper doesn’t sync anymore.

I’m sure this is a hard computer science problem, but Microsoft has never gotten it right anywhere anyway. And the Windows/Edge stuff is clearly malicious.

I do not think anyone chooses an operating system as the reason to purchase a computer. I use Windows because I use legacy applications that require it. What is important to me, and I do not think this is unique, is (1) my data and files, (2) the applications that are used to create and edit this, and way down the list is the OS. A successful OS is one that the user never notices.

I agree, especially now that desktop platforms are mature and there’s little room for updates that are meaningful enough to trigger someone switching. For the most part, I don’t mind the updates/changes in, say, Windows 11, and some of them—the new Snap layouts functionality and Live Captions—are excellent. But ultimately, yes, we’re there for the apps.

You always mention the test of a new version is if the old version feels old. I have to say, that in every way that matters, I prefer Windows 10 to Windows 11. Windows 11 always seems to be trying to draw attention to itself, like a child having a tantrum.

I do actually prefer Windows 11 overall, but I can see many others wanting to stick with Windows 10. The only thing we can hope for here is that Microsoft addresses the major complaints from Windows 10 holdouts before that system exits support. But it’s more likely that they will continue with their Mac-like simplification strategy. It’s going to be an interesting couple of years.

jchampeau adds:

Since Microsoft will never do this, maybe Stardock’s next endeavor should be a tool that keeps settings in sync across PCs and lets you enable a “serenity mode” that tamps down the annoyances in Windows.

Yep. I would love to see something like this.

Maybe this is a good avenue for a “citizen developer” programming project. I’m probably not sophisticated enough to pull it off, but I’ll take a look.

Why Windows

paulkbiba asks:

I’m a retired person and so don’t need a computer for “work”.  However, I maintain an active ebook/elibrary-related Twitter feed and am the Editor of the Project Gutenberg home page.  As such I do use computers/ipads a lot for searching for articles and stuff to tweet and post on Gutenberg.  Currently I’m running a couple of Macbooks, a Chromebook and a wonderful LG Gram 16 inch Windows machine.

My question is this.  Is there any reason for someone such as me to bother with Windows anymore?  I’m constantly getting notifications, updates, suggestions and other interruptions on the LG.  I keep it because I grew up with Windows (I’m 77) and have a bit of an emotional attachment to Windows (and to you, actually, since I’ve followed you for years).  But it keeps driving me away.  The Macs and Chromebook just let me do my stuff, but the Windows machine is constantly bugging me and it’s driving me nuts. 

Since I don’t need Windows in a corporate environment, the only reason I can think to keep using it is for gaming.  Or am I missing something?  Has Microsoft “abandoned” the non-corporate user?

No, you’re not missing anything. If anything, you’re making a good case for an iPad, Mac, or Chromebook, basically something simpler that gets the job done without any drama. This is going to be a case-by-case thing, but we all have our own requirements and familiarities, and those will drive which devices we need and prefer.

For example, I split my usage very specifically between three main computing devices: Windows PC for work, which mostly involves writing, but also photo and video editing, programming, and other more complex tasks; an iPad for reading (and watching videos when traveling); and a smartphone for basic communication (phone, text, messaging apps), taking and posting photos, and so on.

I feel like most of the Windows customer base is probably sticking around mostly for familiarity, app compatibility, and inertia reasons, and I include the corporate market in that. But as LOB apps move to the web and users can access them from any device, that’s going to shift. And I think that Microsoft’s goal with Windows isn’t so much to grow the audience, though I’m sure they’d love to, but not prevent it from shrinking or at least do so as slowly as possible. I think most people here question whether the current “strategy” is working in that regard. But whatever.

I can really get caught up in nostalgia. That Programming Windows series was particularly cathartic—or an example of post-traumatic stress disorder when I got to the Sinofsky years—and I can go down multi-day sideroads looking up stuff about the Amiga, in particular. But I have no desire to own or use computers from the past. And if a Mac, Chromebook, or iPad actually met my needs—and was simpler, less chaotic, and less hard to maintain—I wouldn’t hesitate to move on. I often think to myself that I stick with Microsoft despite its best efforts to make me do otherwise.

As noted above, I do like Windows 11. But I get it when I hear the complaints, and I’m not convinced that Microsoft’s current leadership will ever do the right thing for the platform or its users. In fact, I’m positive that they will not. So we all need to do what’s right for us. And in your case, that may involved using Windows less or giving up on it entirely. It’s not the end of the world.

wright_is adds:

I still have to use Windows at work, but it is becoming more and more of a chore and the relative simplicity of Linux and macOS make them a no-brainer at home – but, there again, I grew up on multiple operating systems, so I was switching back and forth between UNIX, VMS, DOS, Windows and Mac from the late 80s on and I see very little difference between Linux, macOS and Windows in day to day use, if you can use one, you can use any of them. But Windows seems to be the one that causes the most problems, the most notifications and the most frustration these days, sadly.

This is correct, and it echoes what others have been saying here. And I point it out because it is astonishing to me how this flies in the face of the claims that Microsoft makes for Windows 11 in particularly. A system that interrupts you constantly is not calm. A system that removes UI you relied on for decades is not easy. A system that literally ignores your preferences and forces you to use Microsoft products and services you are explicitly not using is not right. It is infuriating.

Energy efficiency

wright_is asks:

We are entering a time of energy rationing and high prices for electricity, here they have nearly doubled and the government has warned that there could be rolling power outages this winter, as the power stations won’t be able to get enough fuel to generate enough electricity.

Given this background, are AMD and Intel tone deaf? The new Ryzen 7000 series has a much higher TDP than the previous version and can exceed that by up to 35%, dependent on the PSU and cooling. The Intel processors are similarly inefficient.

Even on the laptop side, they are moving from the more energy efficient U series to the more powerful P series.

Given people are watching every kilowatt hour with a view to saving as much as possible, what are they thinking?

I’m not going to excuse what they’re doing, but I will guess that the product roadmaps are several years in the making and they didn’t see this coming. And the reason I’m not going to excuse them is that it has been clear for many years, if not decades, that what we need is more energy efficiency, not more raw horsepower. Microsoft, for all its stupidity, has been begging Intel (and perhaps AMD, not sure about that one) to make more efficient chipsets, so that mobile-focused, thin, and light PCs can be more competitive. And Arm designs are killing it. At some point, we’re going to hit an inflection point where Windows PCs are efficient, either because WOA finally catches up or because Intel/AMD finally figure it out, or they’re just byproducts of a forgotten age, like cars that run on leaded fuel. This was avoidable. And I put the blame firmly in Intel’s lap.

With regards to Intel and 2022, the overdue shift to a hybrid architecture has not gone well and it hasn’t yet created chipsets that can in any way compete with Apple Silicon in a power-per-watt/general efficiency sense. Hopefully, that evolves quickly, but to your point, Intel literally had to create a more energy-inefficient Core family, the P-series, to make its current generation of chips perform as well as they did previously at lower wattages. Meaning, most PCs now use inefficient 28-watt P-series chips, where they usually used 15-watt U-series chips before. It’s unbelievable.

The energy issues that Europe and elsewhere will face this year and beyond may well trigger a mass migration away from Intel and AMD. That would be an amazing comeuppance, given that this problem should have been solved many years ago. It almost seems righteous.

Apple Watch update

DrewTX asks:

How are things going with your Apple Watch? Any regrets? Could you see yourself reverting to Fitbit?  Or is it Apple Watch a firm preference now?

I’m planning to write about this soon, but there’s a lot to it.

Overall, it’s going well. But Apple Watch is surprisingly complex, even several weeks in, and there are often moments where something happens that I don’t understand or even like. For example, my watch will notify me about a text message, but my iPhone won’t. There are so many options to configure on both devices.

The three rings thing is still weird to me. I have no trouble closing all three when I’m home and go to the gym each day, and I can usually close all three even when I don’t go to the gym. Here in Mexico City, however, I’m walking a lot and easily close the Move and Stand rings, but never come close to closing the Exercise ring. I don’t get it.

Anyway, I don’t want to undercut the coming article. But I have a lot of observations, mostly positive or uneventful. But some confusion remains. The battery issue amounts to sticking to a schedule, and that’s been fine, honestly.

Regarding some eventual possible switch, I am always open to moving on and will continue to evaluate other platforms, for both smartphones and wearables. I could see not using a wearable. I’m not locked into anything. I think I wrote this elsewhere, but if the Pixel 7 (non-Pro) had the Pro’s camera system, I would have absolutely bought one and maybe would have switched back to Android, and thus not gotten an Apple Watch. I’m not firmly in this camp.

Also have you you ever tried the ‘Digital Crown’ = ‘Left’ setting? In that mode you kinda wear the watch upside down, with the Crown ‘bottom left’ rather than ‘top right’.  To me if feels a lot more intuitive.

I have not, but I’m not sure I’d like that. Reaching over with my right hand to access the crown (or button), it seems like the current configuration is more natural. But I’ll try it. 🙂