Windows woes pushed me to embrace Linux

Broken Windows

Windows update glitches had me thinking it's Linux time again.

It's been 20 years since I last used Linux full time on a PC. Even then that was on my work laptop which was mostly used for everyday office use, word processing, email, etc. web browsing, Remote Desktop and the occasional venture into a Terminal to program the odd Cisco switch. I used WINE for our primitive ticketing system which had no Linux alternative (and frankly, it barely worked in…

Is Microsoft looking at a Windows subscription model?

Windows 11 Paywall

Microsoft are pushing back hard against local user accounts in Windows 11.

So much so that they're really trying to go Microsoft Account Setup only with future Windows installations and updates. We are removing known mechanisms for creating a local account in the Windows Setup experience (OOBE). While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for…

ChroMenu: An experiment in Vibe Coding

ChroMenu

ChroMenu, a "Vibe Coding" experiment born of frustration.

Update 20/12/2025: ChroMenu is now available on the Chrome Webstore so no need for Developer Mode for anyone interested. This whole ChroMenu Vibe Coding experiment came about while using Brave, a Chrome-based web browser, capable of blocking ads and doing away with those pesky cookie notices.

AI Fatigue! Anyone else?

AI Fatigue

AI inclusion is increasingly frustrating me, and no doubt I'll look a bit of a grump in this post.

Before I go shaking my walking stick at the cloud, Latha fèill Anndrais sona dhuibh to our Scottish brothers and sisters. AI is there at every turn. Blink and several more have appeared out of nowhere. It's in your Operating System, your web browser, search engines, some of the websites you visit, your phone. Don't get me wrong, AI has its…

Jellyfin in, Plex in the bin

Plex in the bin

Jellyfin Media Server has taken the place of Plex for my media streaming.

With Plex Inc. recently implementing their new "features" in the way of a new tier system, which includes charging you to stream your own media from outside of your network, I decided to jump ship to Jellyfin. Plex Media Server has been churning away on my server for some time now without any major issues. I've never had a need for a Plex Pass subscription. The media…