After 4 years of using Fedora KDE as my main OS with 0 issues or drawbacks, my workplace is now requiring all computers to be on Windows 11. Any suggestions to make the transition back more bearable?
My dissapointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined :(
You must log in or register to comment.
Sorry for your loss :( Same thing happened to me about a year ago.
I was the sole IT admin for a small company. Used Debian with KDE on a snappy little Thinkpad. No issues managing all the infra with it, even though most of it was MS trash. I used Reminnia for RDP into the Windows servers, and the Browser for all O365/Entra administration. A Windows 11 VM for the rare times I needed to test Windows-only apps or configs.
Worked like a dream, but then we got bought out by a huge competitor. Their IT team took everything over. I had to decommission my on-prem Linux servers, Ansible automations, Open Project tracking and FOSS ticketing system. Finally, I had to give up my Sweet little Linux Thinkpad and use their standard-issue HP Windows 11 garbage laptop. They were slow, clunky, buggy, and ugly, it was awful.
I quit a few months later after securing the job I have now. It pays about 35% more, has twice as much PTO, and about 50% of my workload is Linux stuff. It’s so much better.
My advice, if it’s truly non negotiable, install WSL first thing. It’s not nearly as good as having actual Linux, because it’s running inside of Microslop’s horrid OS, but it’s better than nothing. Try to be an advocate for FOSS at the company, see if you can convince leadership to let you implement Linux-based solutions wherever they might fit, make yourself the de facto expert on them so you at least get to work on Linux and FOSS infra.
Aside from that, start job hunting. Try to find a job that will let you be more Linuxy.
Switch workplace.
There are countless ways to bypass that (e.g. https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-webtop/ running on a server) but honestly if a workplace does not value your expertise to hone your own tools, they don’t really value you as an employee.
You can use many KDE apps (konsole, dolphin, kate), and may be able to enable WSL. Look at powershell 7 and windows terminal, winget for a package manager.
WSL?
Get a good KVM switch or stream-access the Windows machine with VNC or similar (beware of clipboard sharing). I have the same issue at home and just use a KVM switch at the moment.
I’m sorry to hear that. Our company recently got acquired, and every 4-6 months the new IT team tries to say, “but do you guys really need Linux? What for?”. We answer them, in depth, every time, but then it just comes back up a few months later.
I’m scared one of these days they’re just going to force the change on us, all productivity will grind to an absolute halt, deliverables will be missed, and eventually they’ll backtrack but only after it’s too late to recover the programs that got hosed in the process.
Just ask them why they want to waste the money on licensing. Money is the language managers understand
Although compliance is also a concern.
For us, on our Linux machines, they pay Canonical or RedHat for workstations 🤷♂️
You may run Fedora in WSL2. This is what I do. My work is largely command line based. Use Wezterm. If you must, launch GUI apps from there. I’m running graphical Emacs daily just fine this way. My coworkers don’t have half the gas for our kubernetes pods that I do and that’s by in large the fact that I refuse to lose my Linux chops
Do not, under any circumstances, conduct any private business on it. What isn’t being logged by Microsoft and shared with your employer, advertisers, various governments will be screenshot’d every n seconds. Additionally, I highly suggest, if you haven’t already, to setup a separate VLAN for this device if you ever bring it home and connect it to your home network. Defender absolutely does passive sniffing and active network scanning now. It will also be collecting and logging visible SSIDs as well. Enjoy!
My wife has had her dog shit work PC on the network all this time without any of my forethought about this. She has problems everyday with that stupid OS. Fuck.
I’d like to add that you can setup Adguard or Pihole in your network to use microsoft telemetry blacklists to limit their sniffing. My work laptop constantly reminds me that I’m not connected to the internet although everything works fine, because it can’t reach the captive portal 😄
Do you have links to those blacklists
I’m at work right now, but here is one I think I remember adding: https://github.com/pschneider1968/pihole-bl-msft-telemetry-bsi
Uh. My condolences. Do they also force you to use the software installed on Windows? Otherwise you could just image Fedora and run it in a virtual machine inside of Windows 11. Technically, I guess that’d fulfill the requirement with Windows 11 on the computer… Just that you don’t use it for more than log in, start the Linux VM and expand it full-screen.
Good luck getting an admin to register your Windows VM with Active Directory.
What if you do the reverse?
Pressing F to pay my respects.
Sorry to hear that OP.
When old employer was bought out they tried to move us on to windows. It was shit. After non stop issues they gave in and let us keep linux.
As a form of protest create README txt files everywhere that say things like “I wish I was using linux” and “friends don’t let friends use windows”.
or only write instructions for Linux if you’re really evil
https://gist.github.com/camullen/0c41d989ac2ad7a89e75eb3be0f8fb16
Just cut Windows out as much as possible and run everything in WSL. Setup everything to boot straight to all your WSL layers, and aside from the absolute shit Base OS, it should be the same.
If they want you to use something specific on your own device then you should be able to request a new device from them
It was on a work issued device already, so I can’t complain too much. Still sucks though after using it for so long.
Can’t you just boot straight into a VM running windows, in your Fedora? Passthrough the hardware… who’s gonna know?
Issue is I won’t be able to sign into my work’s SSO due to it requiring the device to be entra enrolled after the change :(
Laaaaame. Sorry for your loss
@ISolox Don’t let them take your freedom to use linux at your home. Use for them, and send the thek to hell after the work.
Oh I’m using Fedora KDE on my home system already. Issue is I’m unable to sign into email or basically anything that uses my work’s SSO due to it requiring the device to be entra enrolled :(
