Tech For Everyone #21: Me vs PC, Linus vs Linux

BREAKING NEWS: I have finally launched the new website! Open For Everyone is the hub for everything. It’s where you’ll find all of my work: articles, podcasts, and videos. Eventually, you’ll also see content from the community, and a forum to hang out in and discuss your favorite things.

Open For Everyone is where you’ll find me getting back to my first love: WRITING!

And hey, if you ❤️ reading, watching, or listening to my content, please consider buying me a coffee.

Here are a few things that have been rattling around inside my head:

Linus Tech Tips recently unleashed Part 2 of its ongoing, divisive yet eye-opening Linux Gaming Challenge.

It only took me 2 minutes and 48 seconds of viewing time to realize how fractured and confusing desktop Linux can be for beginners.

The video caused me to look at Linux through a new user’s perspective, and it quickly inspired this passionate reaction article:

Is LTT’s Linux Challenge good or bad for desktop Linux? There’s quite a good conversation unfolding in the comment section. I’d love for you to share your thoughts.

When I bought my M1 MacBook Air, I (perhaps naively) assumed that one day it would be my perfect all-in-one laptop. Obviously able to run macOS for my music production and editing needs, but also Windows 10/11 and Linux distributions running right on the metal.

I knew of Asahi Linux, a work-in-progress that will eventually accomplish the Linux side of that dream. But I didn’t expect there would be so many obstacles to running Windows on Apple Silicon.

Windows on Macs is a thing people are accustomed to through Apple’s Boot Camp. And while that feature doesn’t exist on new M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max devices, Microsoft does have ARM versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, but you can’t install either of those on a separate partition of your Mac’s storage drive.

You can, however, use the new Parallels Desktop to run the Windows OS through a virtual machine. That experience is acceptable, and Parallels even enables a virtual TPM 2.0 chip to trick Windows into thinking your hardware is compliant with its stricter security requirements.

If you’re suspecting none of that is officially supported by Microsoft, you’re absolutely right! And any future Windows Update could break the ability to run Windows like this on your new Mac.

But in recent years Microsoft has leaned hard into spreading its software and services across as many devices, platforms and ecosystems as possible. Look no further than the variety of official apps it has developed for Android and iOS. Need another compelling example? Look at its Xbox Gamepass Ultimate initiative, which makes a massive library of its first-party games playable through PC and cloud streaming. No Xbox purchase required.

For Microsoft, having people either on Windows or using its subscription services is a win, right? So why hasn’t Microsoft developed an ARM version of Windows for M1 Macs?

According to a new report from XDA Developers, it’s because Microsoft has a secret deal with chipmaker Qualcomm.

According to the site, this exclusivity deal is exactly why we’ve only seen Qualcomm SoCs (System on a Chip) in ARM PCs like Microsoft’s own Surface Pro X. And it could easily explain Microsoft’s quiet refusal to develop an ARM version of Windows for the new Macs.

XDA has learned that this exclusivity deal expires “soon,” although it wasn’t able to learn specifically when. But when it does – and if the report rings true – we could see a lot more competition emerge in the ARM64 hardware space. And hopefully more innovation and compatibility on the software side.

It could all shake out as a net positive for Mac users, but perhaps not for Apple. The company has proven how efficient and performant ARM can be.

Now everyone else wants a piece of that pie!

It started innocuously enough. Most of my recent PC gaming adventures do before they inexplicably snowball into a hellscape of technical misfortune. I simply wanted to play some Halo Infinite multiplayer on my PC. Nope, not on Linux (it’s still not possible as of this writing). Not even on Windows 11. I wanted to play on my pricey (but not remotely exotic) Falcon Northwest Talon. 

Pretty standard stuff, really. An ASUS ROG 4K monitor, AMD Ryzen 3900X and a Radeon RX 6800 XT. Halo Infinite had been surprise-launched for about 72 hours, so I figured the game-breaking bugs might be smoothed over.

I fired up Steam, eagerly anticipating the gloriously comedic mayhem of Big Team Battles.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? 🤣

I’ll tell you. In excruciating detail! Read my full story over at the newly launched Open For Everyone website, or watch the “visual article” I created here.

Remember that old Facebook tagline? “Facebook: A place for friends.” Things sure have changed since those halcyon days.

Dramatically.

Yep, I’m still feeling good about my decision to stay off of Facebook, but I find myself wondering if there are any viable alternatives. Are there competitors delivering (or at least attempting to deliver) on what Facebook used to do, which is simply aggregating life updates and random thoughts from our friends?

Instagram doesn’t count anymore. Neither does Twitter, as it’s become heavily news-centric, and very few of my friends and family are actually there anyway.

Is the “social network” of yesteryear a dead dream? I’m curious what you think. Reply to this email to tell me, or talk to me on Twitter.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

If you feel like supporting my various pursuits, you can buy me a coffee, or you can buy your next game through the Humble Store. Clicking on Amazon links in this newsletter may also bring a few dollars in.

Every bit is appreciated.

We’ll chat again soon. In the meantime, take care! And take care of each other.