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 :(
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Thanks for the info guys, good stuff!
Those of you who are telling me to look for a new workplace over an OS change are a bit crazy though lol. It’s not quite that bad.
Depends on what access you have on your PC.
My two steps are always the same
- debloater
- i install chocolatey and use that to manage my applications if possible.
Then, depending on your work requirements, I would deactivate OneDrive if not used.
Just use the shovel your boss gives you. Back to your own preferences once you clock out.
Big oof, time to start applying else where imo.
Definitely not worth it over and OS change. It does suck though
Ask your IT to install Virtualbox (or vmware if that’s what you have) and go on using Linux inside a VM.
That’s what I did. I don’t do absolutely everything on Linux because, for example, using MS Office directly on the PC instead of the web version in the VM is much more practical, but I do most things.
Edit: to add: work PC is provided by the company, not my own.
If they’re a Microsoft shop you’d have better luck asking for hyperv
Use VMs. Depending on their setup/requirements depends on which OS can be in the VM.
I think the problem with Linux in the workplace is that it’s hard (read harder than Windows and MacOS) to setup to be managed devices. Especially if the company is a Microsoft shop to begin with. The IT security teams just don’t know how to enforce the company policies on Linux machines. Enforce password policy, network credentials and managed apps. It easy with Intune for Windows and Mac. Much harder on Linux.
That’s the reason I was given by my work place, when I was “forced” to switch from Linux to Windows.
I’m hearing similar complaints from our IT leadership as well regarding Linux PCs. However, Linux is accepted in R&D labs and the cloud because those are network-segmented spaces with additional perimeter controls.
If true zero-trust ever comes to my company, perhaps they’ll be a bit more receptive.
Run MS OS like an app, inside a VM. Retain your Linux install.
Can’t do that if it gets enrolled in active directori or intune. Most likely a VM doesnt meet the requirements.
OK, then run Linux in a VM on the work MS box.
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.
Leave it at the office.
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.
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!
Do not, under any circumstances, conduct any private business on it.
This is true of any work device regardless of the OS
One could hope for a hardware kill-switch on WiFi, but those are increasingly rare. I don’t necessarily trust toggling the WiFi slider off actually stops the scanning.
At home I have my PC behind a DMVPN router (being a former network engineer has its perks) and that DMVPN router’s “external” link is further segmented on my home network.
My company PC (Windows 11 ) is set on the guest wi-fi when I work from home, is that enough?
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
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 🤷♂️
WSL?
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.
