• shirro@aussie.zoneEnglish
    7·
    3 days ago

    The only software I have paid for in the last couple of years are games. The licensing is still crooked but they are ephemeral entertainment so its not like they control your life.

    The problem with commercial software isn’t the price. It is the lock in. They have you by the balls whether you pirate or pay so I don’t pirate as it doesn’t address my main issue with closed source software which ismt price but control. I prefer to adapt, sometimes live with less features and use free and open source.

    Its hard if you have to work with others which is the whole network effect BS, everyone is on Reddit and shitter so why aren’t you. If you can work independently though you can get a lot done and have more control.

  • wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    68·
    4 days ago

    Windows and Office are incredibly easy to generate an activation key for using MASgrave. As I understand it, it tricks MS into giving you a valid Windows key, but the Office side does some trickery to fake activation.

    Either way, very easy and no need to install shady cracked versions. Just install like normal then use MASgrave after.

    If you want to go more legit for any reason, you can find OEM key resellers for Windows (and for Office too I think). OEM Windows keys are only good for one install, but they’re also only around $30.

    There’s also a ton of benefits to installing Windows yourself instead of using the manufacturer’s version with even more added bloatware from the manufacturer. There’s a lot you can do to roll back Microsoft’s bullshit through customizing the installer ISO yourself. Unfortunately it’s pretty technical though. Not something easily explained in a single comment.

    As a note to myself: When I get around to upgrading to Windows 11, record all the shit I do so there’s at least something vaguely reputable for the community instead of bits of good info across tons of otherwise crap SEO spam articles. Remember to cite the sources too.

    • theshatterstone54English
      27·
      4 days ago

      Here’s my advice for Installing Windows:

      1. When getting an ISO from M$, select “English International” even if you’re in the US, to avoid a lot of bloatware.

      2. Use Chris Titus’ Winutil. It’s open source and really easy to use.

    • Scubus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      8·
      4 days ago

      Unless they patched it, you can just use the installer and not put in an activation key at all. The only downside is that it will have a mostly transparent text in the bottom right hand corner telling you to activate windows. Otherwise its completely free, and not piracy as its the official installer.

    • stinky@redlemmy.comEnglish
      51·
      4 days ago

      please tell me more

      i don’t want the products

      i just want PIRACY

      do you know any programs for writing music

      • VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        6·
        4 days ago

        That heavily depends on what you mean by writing music. Musescore (the software, not the website) is pretty good for writing notation, and open source.

        If it’s more about producing a track, there’s Ardour, also foss. If you wanna pirate an “industry standard” daw, there’s FL Studio and Ableton, I guess.

        Depending on what you want to do exactly, there might be a lot of other software that fits the bill.

    • smb@lemmy.mlEnglish
      13·
      4 days ago

      windows is an upselling system, guess they just want to participate in generating revenue by making customers experience worse while only acting as if they’re helping ;-)

    • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
      61·
      3 days ago

      I’m an accountant. My life would be plenty hard without Excel. Google or LibreOffice are nowhere near sufficient. As much as I hate to admit that, because I’m definitely no fan of Microsoft, but for me there’s also no alternative.

      I’m also old enough to wish that LotusNotes and Lotus123 won the race. LotusNotes especially, it was the shit.

        • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Yes. I’m a self employed professional. I mean I have different computers, I have my laptop for instance which is for work only. But it’s still my laptop.

        • Fonzie!@ttrpg.networkEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          I mean, I do some accounting at home (my savings, taxes) but I don’t see why they require $150 software for their home accounting.

          • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
            1·
            2 days ago

            You probably don’t for personal budgeting and tracking of items for tax purposes. Any run of the mill spreadsheet will work just fine for that purpose.

            I’m a chartered accountant though, like think of me as a free agent if you will, I’m not tethered to anything or anyone. I do professional work or give professional advice in exchange for currencies of various origins. My work as such, is a bit more complicated, and I need Excel. Sometimes I have to shared access to files for instance, or I need to share a file with someone, who won’t have libre because they are using Excel locked behind a corporate environment they don’t control. Libre Calc does have some unique functions that I’d argue Excel doesn’t have, but on the flip side Excel has more advanced functions, and xlookup, which I pretty much use every day. Google Sheets isn’t even in this conversation, and I personally have a hard dislike for Google Workspace apps in every form.

            It would be nice if there was an actual alternative, and I think Libre would probably be the closest viable one. The gap is narrowing. Microsoft Office is atrocious in price, but thankfully easily hackable though, although in a professional environment you have to be more careful with this, than you personally would care to be. It’s also a memory pig for absolutely no reason, and so full of historical bugs they haven’t cared to fix for 30+ years. Plus some new ones that are infuriating. And you could set Microsoft Word on fire with no complaints from me.

            • Fonzie!@ttrpg.networkEnglish
              1·
              2 days ago

              I could see why it has use for professional accounting esp. when live editing. LibreOffice still doesn’t do live editing.

              But what accounting do you do for your personal life itself that would require MS Excel? I’m asking since it’s the topic of the post; buying MS Office pro with a laptop for home use.

              sidenote, LibreOffice does have xlookuo and I’ve happily used it a number of times before, I thought it’d be nice to know

              • GrindingGears@lemmy.caEnglish
                1·
                1 day ago

                I use Dynamics365 as my accounting software to keep track of my own personal stuff, which is tied in pretty tightly with excel, I wouldn’t be able to export anything without it. Actually I’m not even sure I’d be able to use it at all really. I also use Word more often than one would think, just for general around the house things. My investments too, like I use excel exports to do analysis on tables of data, stuff like regression and 50 day/200 day plotting, and general chart analysis. Probably could maybe get away with that on the free stuff, I’m not sure.

                You don’t need pro to do any of this. The normal Office Home license is sufficient. And for personal use, it would be a real son of a gun if you accidentally downloaded them off the office website and then went to https://massgrave.dev/ and by grave mistake typed in a few of those commands

        • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          21·
          4 days ago

          I recently had to help a client move e-mails between two accounts and thunderbird out-timed multiple times. After finding out that not our firewall or the account is the issue (two gmail accounts) I looked and found some report on the mozilla forum about the issue. The workaround was to copy it first locally and then move a certain amount of emails manually.
          Also I prefer the UI over current Thunderbird but I think this design could win me over:

          But it seemingly needs to be configured manually to achieve that look reddit link?
          Not really in the mood for trying that out.
          I also need to mention I make heavy use of my personal domain and have several email accounts. It’s already a pain to manage them on the phone but sadly even there the option is gmail or outlook. Didnt look too much into alternatives but I am cagey about others having access to my SMTP password.
          Yes, I heard that Microsoft attempted to hijack the (new) Mail app on Windows11 to MS news but I (hope) that they don’t do that with their Outlook Android/Windows version and only with their native Win11 client

            • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
              1·
              2 days ago

              Last time I saw it installed it looked like the classic UI.
              Maybe time to look at it again.

              Do you know if and how well inbox rules in thunderbird work?

        • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          1·
          4 days ago

          You are entitled to your own opinion but so am I.
          This opinion is purely from a usability standpoint. I like the office suite and prefer the editing and menu over open/libre office.
          And I say this as someone that created letter templates for clients.
          Creating forms is way easier on Writer though. Very good (free) way to create forms!

      • nesc@lemmy.cafeEnglish
        3·
        3 days ago

        That’s not the only email clients in existence, surely there are other ones that better? How many people even use desktop email client anymore?