GeekBear80

I gave up on smartphones in 2018 and I haven't seen a single sign of anything getting better yet. So what I did was eventually to get an iPhone SE as a "digital wallet", which is what I use it for and the rest is done on a PC. My requirements are such that no device in 2022 is even close to fulfilling them even if the devices I did use in 2010 managed to tick a lot of the boxes. Android 9 Pie is when I drew the line and developed a strong antipathy against smartphones and the users defending them (I really have a hard time with users defending restrictions and other stupidities). When there's a proper pocketable Linux device or Windows ditto that can dock to desktop, I will be a happy camper. The closest here are the OneNetbook A1 and the GPD Micro PC. The problem is also that Google did dumb down Android to such an extent that a new ROM isn't the solution either since it would be necessary to go back to Nougat or even better Lollipop as a base in order to get something decent, which in turn would be a far more complex project than ROM developers usually can handle plus that such a system would be pretty much incompatible with all Google "API artificial restricted" App Bundles (appb). It would be like someone "redesigning" Windows 11 into a version with Windows 7 interface and layout including a fully restored Control Panel. Even if the source code would be available, it would be a huge undertaking.

I am not totally against ads but when a device is $1500+ (even $1000+ is too much for Android 12/13/iOS) and is seriously locked down feature wise and it send out a lot of ads while the hardware inside is a $363 Cost of Goods Sold affair, it surely is a problem. If that device did run a proper operating system, had the ability to dock to desktop and could run such applications - i.e. being a more evolved version of what Nokia did in 2009 with the N900 (Maemo was essentially full Debian Linux) and had proper hardware including user-replaceable battery and expandable storage et al, I wouldn't mind a $1500 price tag since such a product could be a full-blown computer. I do mind those price tags, however, when we are talking about 2022 smartphones, which are dumbed down terminals, almost feature phone like (Scoped Storage et al does remind me of old Java phones) and the users defending their dumb devices with insane prices (far above what they are worth from a technical standpoint since the hardware inside is pretty much atrocious and those parts that are OK in a technological sense doesn't matter since they are obliterated by the shitty software - it doesn't matter with a fast CPU and 16GB RAM when we are talking toys). The only time I accept to pay more is when there is technological reason to do so and that's not what a 2022 smartphone or even a pair of Beats headphones can provide. I agree 100%. Eliminate those corporations once and for all and it would allow proper development to take place. I am also afraid that we must eliminate the mentality, which is a key driver behind their behavior (i.e. the "enablement" on the side of consumers who not only buy their products but also DEFEND their behavior) before things can move forward. My patience is completely up with people whose attitude is: "It shouldn't be necessary" followed by "to read/follow instructions" or "to learn". No help offered to people who use those arguments and have that mentality. What really get me going is people asking me for purchase recommendations; I tell them to buy X and avoid Y, they still buy Y and then assume I will help them out with their stupidity. Sorry, it ain't happening. You didn't follow my recommendations even if I explained why Y should be avoided so you are on your own here.

Just do this: Rename "Enterprise" into either "Ultimate" or "Pro for Workgroups" (as opposed to the Pro or Pro Workstation edition) and then make "Pro" a system similar to Windows 2000 Professional or XP Pro simply put. Ergo: Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro for Workstations (or just Pro) Windows 11 Ultimate Pro should simply be a system for work without consumer bloat. All those "consumer experiences" should be in the Home edition. It make no sense that "Pro" is a "Home with extra features" as opposed to a workstation system. There NT was even better when they had NT Workstation and NT Server.

Cost of Goods Sold $363, retail $1500... Samsung is a brand in this particular department. I am not into fashion or fashion items and for cameras I really prefer a standalone one even if I use a smartphone camera sometimes. The pricing has nothing to do with technology or features but have more "sinister" motives (ignorance is a key driver here) so I am so happy to let the kids play with their "fashion items" as long as they don't ask me to help them out. My annoyance goes way up when people want assistance with their smartphone issues (issues that tend to be related to dumb downs). The "fashion item" design also cause my eyes to bleed out since I find 2022 smartphones to be downright ugly. The ads I have seen in different apps and in social media apps including YouTube. Intrusive ads on a $1500+ device. I gave the "best device" Samsung Galaxy S 22 Ultra a shot a few months ago. It drove me insane and I wouldn't ever consider something like that and if that's the "best" smartphone of 2022, I am happy to stay away from the product category in general. So I just can't stand the design, the system, the users (those users who defend the low standards), the anti-root community (i.e. those users who actively argue against root), SafetyNet/Play Integrity, hardware in general (atrocious), features or all those "best camera" arguments. There's just nothing I like about 2022 smartphones and I don't see anything about them that would make me positive; my negative feelings just grow bigger every time I see them in action or being asked about them. One of my biggest annoyances is people asking me if "device X" of 2022 is any good. My reply is always: "No" followed by "It is trash like any other 2022 smartphone". Edit: What really offend me is smartphones with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage when they are running a totally dysfunctional, dumbed down operating system and all they can run is "apps". It is really like "hardware for kids who brag about specifications".

People are happy to pay $1500+ for Android devices filled with ads and bloatware so perhaps Microsoft did learn from them. We are also talking about the "legion army" of users defending Google/OEMs/Carriers in this department. A Windows full of ads is the dream of smartphone users of 2022...

Considering that we had Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Pro, I would consider it most logical to simply make "Pro" the standard "Enterprise" edition for workstations and have it as a debloated system and then reintroduce "Ultimate" for very demanding users and then let "Home" be the same more or less as the current "Pro". I am not fond of using "Pro" as a consumer product word.

I have given up on smartphones altogether so I don't really see how anything based on Android 9 Pie and newer could solve any of the major issues, especially not SafetyNet unless we would get a completely independent payment system that can work on reflashed devices. The problem I have is when people make it sound like a new launcher somehow "solves" or "mitigates" the issues Google created when that would be like saying "Windows 11 is the best system since you can install Start11 on it". Yes, you can but it doesn't change the fact that Microsoft messed up the Start menu big time. Smartphones are nothing more than "digital wallets" to me nowadays and I use them as little as possible. Microsoft should either remove Pro altogether or merge it with Enterprise (i.e. revert back to the Windows XP principle or Windows 2000 for that matter). It is insane that we now have a "Pro" version, which is nothing more than a glorified "Home", while the real Pro users need to go direct to Enterprise. The ads could be OK if there would be a "free" tier of Home edition as long as there is a way of going to Microsoft Store and "opt-out" by upgrading to a "full" version. I blame Google and their followers for this mess considering their "acceptance" level is so low that they are happy to pay $1500+ for an ad filled device that play ads everywhere, paired with locked bootloaders and root restrictions including SafetyNet. So if they are willing to pay top dollars for ads, Microsoft will follow and join in. People get what their mentality deserves and since they defend the situation using different arguments (including the ability to drain the battery by connecting to a VPN to block ads), they will also receive their fair share of "ad love" from Microsoft. Edit: I do have issues with people defending Android (Pie and newer) and they also include "explanations", especially those revolving around "regular people" or "casual users". OK fine, the system is designed for them. Good, I am not in any of those categories so I better avoid that platform like a plague, then.

I am afraid that I don't see how Nova Launcher (which I have been using since ICS) could ever compensate what Google did beginning with Android 9 Pie in terms of regression. It's a great launcher but it doesn't solve the underlying issues, which are many. They learned from a system named Android, which is no 1 in terms of being ad filled. What I would argue, though is that this exact behavior is what Android users enable with their arguments about "removing features in the name of simplicity", "things must be simple for the casual user at the expense of removing features", "restrictions are good for the casual user" and so on and so forth. Microsoft could see where the winds are blowing and it seems like ads, "friendly highlights" and "tips" are highly appreciated nowadays. Google is certainly very pushy for their services so I wouldn't expect Microsoft to act any differently in todays climate.

Android 12/13 is toy systems with serious artificial restrictions such as SafetyNet, locked bootloaders (can't reflash the device with a proper system), rootblocks (i.e. can't elevate permissions in the locked down system), a dumbed down interface (such as Google reducing and dumbing down quick settings, kiddie styled graphical elements everywhere, hidden settings, 10 second timers that pop up warning for dangers when changing specific settings and so on). They also break features (such as when Android 8.x/Oreo broke my WiFi automation), implement automatic permissions reset, implement artificial app blocks (i.e. prevent older apps from running), providing 'different interfaces on different devices' that make people ask me why app X has one look on one device and a different look on another one et al), ads galore (that can't be fixed in a proper way without root since SafetyNet break apps when rooting the device)... The list goes on and on. I started to use Android on 2.2 Froyo and the last version I accept is 7.1.x Nougat and even at the time, I started to encounter annoying issues with using flash drives due to Google restrictions (I had to use StickMount to make it work properly). So I would say that 5.1.x Lollipop was the last version I really liked that just worked and it worked fast. Another thing is that the performance of newer Android versions are atrocious when I compare to something like Lollipop and even Nougat. I do have a Nokia 6.1 with Android 10 and it is far, far slower than my 2016 Xiaomi Mi Max running Nougat. It is a huge performance difference and the same can be noted with Android x86 where every new version is getting slower and slower. It is also telling that a device with 2GB RAM could run Lollipop perfectly fine with everything configured, Xposed Framework running with several modules and so on and Google now offer 'Android Go' - a really dumbed down system for that kind of hardware. I.e. far less features and zero flexibility in a dumbed down system due to their drastically increased system requirements. Yes, Windows seems to be super-optimized in comparison considering that I can run LTSC perfectly OK on a 4GB RAM PC. Responsiveness wasn't an issue with Android before 2014 either. I still have devices from that time and they run Lollipop perfectly fine and fast to boot. So I simply don't like anything about newer Android versions beginning with Pie (Oreo is a version I don't like but I can accept it) and they make me really annoyed, even more so when people start defending them with such arguments as "it doesn't matter that feature X is removed because ordinary people doesn't use it" or "I haven't rooted for X years so it doesn't matter that the device is rootblocked" or "It doesn't matter that the bootloader is locked because I never reflash my device" and so on. My latest encounter with Android 12 made me quickly rename the system 'iDiotdroid' and I also did write an ironic song about the beautiful little timers of Google (i.e. 10 seconds of countdown to allow sideloading et al). Android hardware in 2022 isn't my cup of tea either; every single device in the market is downright annoying because of stupid design choices paired with the dumbed down idiotic operating system. The narrow 18-21:9 displays also make me really frustrated and the same goes with the rubbish hardware sold at insane price tags ($1500 is just offensive for such a trash toy as an Android device) with really retarded arguments such as: "It has the best camera" and "it has the best display" (yes, like people said every year since it seems like everything revolves around those two features). So no, Android is not my cup of tea and I just don't like the system, the hardware or the arguments used to defend the situation (when people are making excuses on behalf of Google/OEM/carriers and try to 'explain away' artificial restrictions and dumbdowns my blood really boils and it just make me dislike the system even more). The best version of Android I ever used was 4.3 PAC with honorable mention of 4.4.4 KitKat and 5.1 Lollipop. Android 12/13 is downright offensive when I compare and really feels like toys made for kids who need their hands held at all times since they can't think for themselves and need 'Mama Google' and 'Papa OEM' to guide them at all times... Not to forget the carrier, which filters the market since those sheep think the only brand ever is Samsung (their devices are just irony so that's a plus, though - I really appreciate when they can warm my coffee cup or even burst into romantic flames, which is so beautiful in the night). Claiming that Android 12 would be a good system because it is "smooth" remind me of those users arguing about their 120 Hz displays and make it sound like they got erotic sensations just by stroking their devices... "It is so smoooooth when I scrooooll on this 120 Hz device in comparison with the other one with 'only' 60 Hz..." The camera arguments, especially the "it is worth paying more to get the best camera" when it is a driver we are talking about (since the actual hardware is a standard Sony sensor in many cases) are also funny, even more so when those people behave like they are talking Hasselblad vs Leica vs Nikon vs Canon when the subject is smartphone cameras in auto mode to boot.... So no, Android 9 Pie and newer isn't my cup of tea and is downright 100% annoyances. I really like MATE and it kind of reminds me of Mac OS 8.x/9.x to some extent with sprinkles of Mac OS X (10.0->10.6.8). So I'm really comfortable with that environment.

I agree with this with the exception of a Mac in 2022, which wouldn't work for me in the slightest even if I used Macs for many years before switching to Windows full-time. As a long time Mac OS X user, I just can't stand the interface design of 'macOS' or the way it has been dumbed down over the last years (last version I used was 10.9.5 Mavericks), while I am perfectly comfortable with Ubuntu MATE as an example. The latter is way more 'similar' to Mac OS X in terms of features and usability than 'macOS', which just rubs me the wrong way like Android 9 and newer (which I absolutely loathe). As long as I can run my older Windows applications in WINE with a supplemental VM I wouldn't mind switch over to Linux as a daily driver and I would most certainly do so the day it turns out that I am 'stuck' with the Windows 11 interface and can't revert it back to a usable state (i.e. Windows 7 styling). I am way more comfortable using Ubuntu MATE than Windows 11 'stock' in terms of GUI. Since I do have experience of the transition from 68K to PowerPC and also Mac OS 9.x to Mac OS X including the Classic Environment, I wouldn't hesitate with WINE and/or VMs for those applications that need such a solution if need be. Considering that 'macOS' is 100% incompatible with my Mac OS X library due to Apple policies, I am certainly far more comfortable with Linux/WINE/VM than the frustration I always feel when I use a new Mac since I always benchmark it against my older ones, which really sets me off. My benefit is probably that I usually prefer older applications, which are easier to run in WINE and the like since I usually don't appreciate 'new' stuff that feels dumbed down unless we are talking about products that are mostly 'intact' since their Windows 7 days with just bug fixes and some features added.

I am not totally convinced that Windows is just for "casual users" considering the existence of Enterprise and Enterprise LTSC. There's two other operating systems that are very "casual": iOS and Android (versions from 9 and up are so casual oriented and dumbed down that I always long for Windows 95 with all its power every time I have high blood pressure from the latter OS). What I would say, though is that Windows hasn't been the most "optimized" system generally speaking; it is quite demanding in comparison with such a system as the Amiga OS, which still is the most resource efficient one (among one of them) in terms of feature set, flexibility, interface and hardware requirements. The standards of today are very low, though and compared to Android 12/13 (which are the worst systems I have ever encountered), Windows 10 and 11 are impressively resource efficient considering that they can run on 4GB RAM hardware with perfectly good feature set, while we have atrocious smartphones with 8-16GB RAM that are just adfilled experiences with simple dumb "apps" and a system with serious limitations (all of them artificial), resulting in the need to a "Go edition" (further dumbed down) to run on 2GB RAM devices. It really make Windows look like extreme high tech and the highest level of optimization and refinement. There are operating systems that would be able to outperform Windows easily based on technical merit but the development did move backwards over the last decade and compared to the absolute filth that is Android 12/13 in 2022, even Windows 11 Home is extreme refinement and sophistication. It is necessary to set the perspectives straight: For all faults of Microsoft, there are systems that are really bad and no, it's not that Windows shouldn't be better or could be better than it is but it is perhaps a bit harder to move in the right direction when people keep worshipping/defending/explaining "simplicity" and insist that Android/iOS are some kind of "reference" that should guide how operating systems should look and function.

I would say that I am not surprised that people aren't switching unless you have one of the following: Alder Lake Tablet 2-in-1 Microsoft did improvements in those areas and if you don't have something that fit the bill, no need to switch. It would be highly surprising if Windows 11 would be a "resounding" success considering what it offers.

I use WindowBlinds to get Aero Glass on Windows 10 LTSC 2021 and I wouldn't mind Start11 when it is time to go there (when 11 LTSC is out) but not before then. WSA is interesting as an Android device replacement to me since I just can't stand what Google did to the system with 9 and newer versions. On a 2-in-1 or tablet I have a feeling that it bring the important benefit of being able to more or less eliminate the smartphone altogether, which is what I am aiming up (2022 smartphones make me physically ill from all annoyances and frustrations they bring). Running WSA with sideloaded Play Store means the ability to run specific apps on a proper operating system without artificial restrictions and without dumb overpriced hardware when there's perfectly good micro PCs available. Running it in a traditional desktop environment feels a bit so-so, though. I do have some experiences of some Android apps that just can't understand what a remote control is on a TV box because their developers think that everything is touchscreen, touchscreen uber alles...

I will be happy to give Windows 11 a go when the LTSC version is released and it is pretty simple reasoning behind it: When Microsoft consider it stable enough to be deployed in "critical" environments is also the time when I will consider it good enough as a daily driver. It is still way too much work in progress considering the bugs still encountered to have that status yet. Running mainstream Windows after this time with LTSC would be hard unless we are talking about a debloated Enterprise as a base, which might work OK. I am still wary of feature updates, though. A lot of the issues with Windows 11 I think are rising from the fact that it is a kind of "hybrid" between Windows 10 and Windows Core OS (10X), a bit like when Windows 95 were a hybrid between legacy DOS/Windows 3.x and Windows NT - those "mixtures" tend to be sensitive. This would be another good reason to simply wait for Windows 11 LTSC before upgrading. To me, using LTSC has nothing to do with ideology and everything to do with technology and stability/reliability, which I certainly have high on my list of priorities after using Mac OS X 10.3.x for years without issues (it became a reference point for me in terms of reliability) and also Mac OS X 10.6.x, which also did run really well. LTSC feels pretty much the same and switching over to something "experimental" with new features constantly added, causing issues isn't something I want as a daily driver. It can be fun in a VM/test environment but not as my primary system. Microsoft did start to talk about Windows 12 for a reason and I am pretty sure it will mark the transition over to the newer system design, including the new driver model (Windows Drivers as they started to call them when they came out for the 10X prototype system). So it seems like 11 is an "intermediate" system meant to bring up the hardware to a newer standard before deploying 12 as the major new system.

It is pretty fascinating how Microsoft can make a decent OS with LTSC and then fail completely in the "consumer space". It's like it's way too much features for them to manage properly in Windows 11 and it feels like they are changing things for the sake of change (another postmodern issue since there are a lot of things that work perfectly fine as is and does what it says on the tin). Still, Windows 11 feels like a wonder compared to another operating system that really trigger me: Android. I read about their new "darling" Android 13 Go Edition. The operating system that is a dysfunctional toy in 2022 in its "full" version, i.e. far less features, way more artificial restrictions paired with higher hardware requirements than Lollipop and it does receive a "stripped down" (even more dysfunctional) sibling called "Go Edition" that's a pathetic piece of trash running on hardware that would have been able to run LP not to say KitKat without any problems, with full feature set. When I see this load of trash that Google releases without shame I think I would give Microsoft a little bit of "leeway" by saying that Windows 11 is like a polished diamond, albeit with some flaws in comparison. I had an experience with Android 12 recently and it really made me love Windows 11. Edit: Regarding the file copy bug... It's certainly a nasty issue but is like perfection compared to an innovative little feature Google created: "Scoped Storage". We are now talking atrocious performance for file operations... Buying fast memory cards for devices with this nice little innovation is really a waste of money. Sometimes, it is necessary to point out that even with the worst of the worst Windows 11 flaws, there's another operating system out there that should receive the most bashing of all: Android. Microsoft did a lot of dumb decisions regarding Windows post-7 when Windows 8 came out but they didn't degrade the system to anywhere near the level Google reached with Android 9 Pie and then further degraded on. I will become a Windows basher the day Microsoft manage to make a version that offer horrible disk performance and file management "because it is too complicated and confusing for people to use more than one storage device".

My biggest question regarding Windows 11 as a primary system is why I should bother when it feels like there's way more work that needs to be done before I am back to what I consider a usable state (Windows 7 styling with Aero Glass, proper context menus, taskbar, Start menu and so on). I am talking about running it on my main PC, which is docked most of the time with external monitor, mouse and keyboard and where I certainly don't need anything "touch friendly" due to no touchscreen anywhere in the setup. It feels like a system where the very first thing that I need to do is to "reverse" several changes back to a state where I don't get high blood pressure (which I do, unfortunately since there are products and systems that affect me physically) isn't the first choice. Is it possible to use Open Shell on Windows 11 or is that a disaster? Feature updates isn't my cup of tea after I made the big mistake of allowing Windows Update to trash my 20H2 installation with a reinstall needed, which helped me get LTSC way faster (perhaps thank you, Microsoft for boosting that process after all...). I rather have quality updates until several of them did roll out for "feature update X" before the latter is something worthy to be installed, Windows.old and all. It seems like WindowsBlinds did come out with a version for Windows 11, which is excellent news to me since my eyes hurt when I look at "flat" postmodernistic interfaces even if Windows 11 is a true beauty in comparison with Android 9 and newer (downright ugly filth) or iOS (iToy) and it kind of look decent on product pictures such as Surface promo images and I kind of appreciate the aesthetic it has on a 2-in-1/tablet. How is Windows Subsystem for Android working nowadays? It is the feature I would consider going the 11 path for on such a device (replacing the smartphone with a Windows 11 PC small form factor is my dream). Edit: I'm not surprised about Windows 11 not really holding a candle compared to Windows 10 LTSC. Both LTSC 2019 and 2021 runs great here, highly reliable systems and they offer the most trouble free experience I ever had on this side of Mac OS X 10.3.x Panther (which had excellent reliability).

It is because the users don't know or understand what their best interests are. Microsoft did have a visit from the creator of DT Ignite (Digital Turbine Ignite), a nice piece of software that carriers did install on their Android phones and it provide them with several great capabilities: Apps auto-install, location based auto-install and automatic provision of a new phone with the apps the carrier and their sponsors want the user to have. We are talking refinement and sophistication at its finest. It is time for Microsoft to follow their times and simply allow automatic installations of "sponsored content". Keep this up and I will start running VMs with Windows 7 as my main system, eventually.

Windows Vista and 7 had rounded corners and even better: Aero Glass. New wallpapers? I prefer the teddy bear wallpaper/desktop pattern in System 7.5 anyway and new and shiny is a very strong argument, indeed. Nothing matters than being NEW AND SHINY! It's EVERYTHING!! I will burn all my PCs and enjoy my battery explosions just so I can run out and buy a brand new Alder Lake Windows 11 system. Microsoft told me that my Surface Go isn't 11 complaint so I have to sacrifice it in a special ceremony on the top of a mountain, lighted candles all around, singing the Norwegian entry for the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest while I set the battery on fire before I will head to Best Buy, chain myself to the door on Black Friday to get a brand new Windows 11 PC. My life depends on running that system. I can't live without it. It's like oxygen. Edit: Windows 11 is a wonder in comparison with Android 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. I did experience 12 a couple of days ago and my blood pressure got high, very high.

I stopped believing in the "newer is better" fairytale when OS X Lion and Windows 8 came out, not to mention when Windows Phone 7 landed. Little Red-riding hood is a nicer tale anyway.;) My true encounter with "avoiding a system due to its interface design" came when Apple released Yosemite, which is what caused me to switch to Windows once and for all. I just couldn't stand the look and feel of that system compared to Mac OS X (which I still really like, especially the rock solid 10.3.x and 10.6.x). The last month I have been trying to think of anything that would make it worthwhile to use Windows 11 over 10 LTSC 2019/2021 and I am still at a complete loss. It would be the new Settings panel if I had a 2-in-1 device and that's essentially it but why bother when there's Control Panel, especially in LTSC 2019 (before more applets were removed in 2004). It is always fascinating to see the "performance gains" myth debunked and I fully agree that LTSC 2019 is the fastest in general and I wouldn't want to revert back to the "regular" update cadence after I had my 20H2 installation trashed by an update (it did mess up my system to such an extent that I had to reinstall everything). I guess the best bet is to simply run Windows 10 LTSC until something "better" comes out and I mean in a proper, technological and GUI sense. Considering the update cycles (2029 for LTSC 2019, 2032 for LTSC 2021), there's no need to panic or do anything rushed when it's a matter of simply prioritize based on technical merit. Another benefit of using older operating systems and software is the ego boost from constantly defending those decisions: "I like to use Windows 7 as my daily driver!" "How can you, it spreads Ebola!?" "I hadn't been bleeding yet and the system runs perfectly fine..."

I think it is hilarious with Windows 11. It was preinstalled on my HP Omen 16 and I could stand it for one hour before I had enough of their "Launcher" (the 11 Start Menu is simply what they called "Launcher" in 10X) and I realized that I didn't see anything it could do "better" than Windows 10 LTSC 2021 with ClassicShell and WindowBlinds. So out it went, Windows 10 LTSC went in and I am a happy man. Is there anything Windows 11 can do "better" than 10 today, August 2022? I thought Thread Director was one of those things until I did see benchmarks telling a different story. So I am really curious: Is there anything 11 can do "better" than 10? I mean were it is possible to ojectively point out that "feature X has a better implementation in 11 due to technological reasons A, B and C".

I second this. PeaZip turned into my go-to solution back in the XP era and I still use it as my sole option supplanted by the built-in ZIP functionality of Directory Opus.

I think I will check Update Catalog then and see if it might install, the KB5016616 that is. I always run with Windows Update disabled and only allow it temporarily in order for those manually downloaded ones to install. Edit: I am installing it now... Let's see how it goes. Edit 2: It turned out that the issue was me disabling the "App Readiness" service. It turns out that it has to be enabled in order for an update to succeed in this case, even when using Microsoft Update Catalog. I did re-enable the service and it went smoothly afterward.

I wonder if my guess is correct here but I disabled the Telemetry service and did notice that one of those updates posted (the July preview for LTSC 2021) did fail to install on all my PCs. Not a single one succeeded and the version for LTSC 2019 did fail too (some of them run that version). So I was a bit surprised when every single PC did "install", reboot and then rollback the system. All of those PCs do have a similar configuration with telemetry services off together with diagnostics. Did anyone else have similar experiences with those services disabled and failed updates? My strong suspicion is that it is the diagnostics that it really "needs" to such an extent that it goes "mental" if that service can't phone home and report "success!" to Microsoft.

Windows offer one important benefit (as things stands now): Hyper-V and VMs in general, thus making it possible to run something like Windows 7 Ultimate and/or Linux under 11 when the downgrades become too much. So even in a "worst case scenario" where the PC can run 11 only and installation of 10 LTSC isn't an option due to driver issues and whatnot, VM is a way to create an acceptable user experience. The situation is better than on Android where you are stuck without any proper possibility to do anything about it since you can't flash Nougat on a new device.

Nougat is the last version where my Tasker profiles work for airplane mode. I gave Oreo a shot but Google had implemented "nice" restrictions that messed up said profiles, thus making me revert back to Nougat 7.1.2. That Android version is the last one I accept (9, 10, 11 and 12 et al are atrocious and I have a device with 10, which is absolute hot garbage and slooooow in comparison with 7.1.2 that still runs beautifully). I recently reflashed one device with Lollipop and despite being from 2013 (Xperia Z Ultra), it blow 10 out of the water in every single aspect including performance. My Nougat device was flashed back in 2018 and it is still going strong with the same installation. It just works.