Writing

Clippy Came Too Soon

Lester

Remember how many people hated Clippy?

Modern AI “assistants” are like a Dunning-Kruger version of Clippy. We actually lose time double-checking an “AI Overview” for factual errors. Lose time scrolling past them. Lose time saying “No, thanks” when they offer aid.

We are unpaid test subjects for AI tech developers.

Anyway, earlier this year I bought a Windows 11 laptop, in preparation for the Win10 EOL in October. Figured I’d start transferring workflow from my old, trustworthy Thinkpad, which can’t be upgraded to Win11.

I’ll give Windows 11 this, the move gave my new machine automatic access to all my old files via OneDrive. It’s basically like looking at the same desktop and same contents in File Explorer.

What I’ve disliked is the constant AI interruption. And Microsoft has stated that they’re headed for total AI integration in the future.
Then there’s the fact that their most recent update fails on so many machines. Trying to work that out took me down a rabbit hole of terminal commands, which still hasn’t solved the problem.

Let me back up a second. Over the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with making various old Chromebooks run various versions of Linux. And exploring my Steam Deck’s desktop mode, using the machine as a laptop when traveling, installing a PS2 emulator, etc. I’ve tracked down terminal code for SD card drivers that even most Linux users said to give up on.

So it’s not that I’m unwilling to enter command line code. My publishing career began in the DOS Age.

It’s that I shouldn’t have to do that for Windows. And if I’m going to be entering terminal commands, why not ditch all the AI BS and just go to Linux?

So here I am, on that Win11-built laptop, using Linux Mint. The Mint installation was nearly seamless. I did have to run one short line of code to install speaker drivers, but unlike the Win11 update, it worked.

Your mileage may certainly vary. Lots of people are tied to MS Office by their employer. Or Adobe products. Others want to run Windows-compliant games. The one thing I’ll miss is Affinity.

I’m not trying to evangelize Linux. All I’m saying is that it’s a perfectly reasonable alternative. Linux Mint feels as comfortable as Windows XP or 8, or 10 if you prefer. And it doesn’t jam half-assed AI down your throat.

Just sayin’.

BTW, Windows 10 support was extended to October 2026, so my Thinkpad workhorse has at least another year going for it. So there’s one less machine headed to the landfill anytime soon.

Span or Tandem?

Lester

Image by bafritch from Pixabay

In my head are two horses. One is a creative force, prone to enthusiasms, award-winningly clever, easily bored, easily dispirited. The other a disciplined adult, clear-eyed, trained as an editor and educator, tempered by experience. Faithful, honest, enduring.

As a writer, I’ve learned to nurture the first when starting a project. After all, it’s the one that came up with the idea in the first place, the one with a view beyond the horizon.

And when the creative horse falters, the disciplined one nickers encouragement: “This really is a genius concept, and only you can envision where it’s headed. Only you can carry it through.” But once the first horse is knackered, it’s the disciplined one who analyzes the product, polishes the language, fills in any holes, and trots it out for others’ feedback, before carrying it over the finish line. (Meanwhile, the first horse is dreaming up something new.)

As to the metaphor, I’m unsure whether span or tandem best suits. Are the two horses walking side-by-side in span the whole time, or am I switching the lead horse in a tandem fashion?

Whichever. The point is that there are two very different horses in my head, working together to write things. And of late they’re being forced to haul two very different loads in the same wagon.

One is a load of joy. Not just from creating my own games, essays, and poems, but also celebrating and promoting other people’s creations. It’s fascinated by well-crafted things, from a clever choice of words, to the perfectly timed rotation of a microwave. (Have you ever noticed that punching the “30 second” button brings your coffee cup handle conveniently back to where it started?)  It stands in  awe of the transcendent art of humankind. And of the simple kindnesses shared.

The other is a load of horror. That while some create beauty, others build bombs. That a millenia-old sculpture can be forever destroyed in seconds. That a museum’s worth of art and knowledge can be crushed and burned in minutes. That a hospital devoted to healing can be targeted for cannonade. And all at the direction of a few highly placed people, either hoarding wealth or seeking to leave their mark on history. Those few, and the many they convince to support them, through fear or greed (which is just another type of fear).

Beauty is difficult and ephemeral. Brutality is easy and lasting. And I can’t champion the one without actively opposing the other.

All of which is to say, I suppose, that if you’ve noticed my social media lurching from announcements about new games to shaming or lampooning tyranny, it’s the same two horses as always.

The nation is just on a really rocky path right now.

Why am I using Windows?

Lester

What with the end of support for Windows 10, and a bit of self-publishing windfall a few months ago, I bought a brand-new HP ENVY x360 laptop for a move to Windows 11. Didn’t want to, but it seemed a necessity.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I discovered that Windows 10 security updates are extendable for another year. (See my earlier blog entry.) So my old workhorse of a ThinkPad still has life in it.

And for the past week, this new machine has been trying, and repeatedly failing, to install a Windows 11 update.

Honestly, troubleshooting the various Linux OS’s I experimented with on old Chromebooks over the past couple of years was no more difficult and time-consuming than troubleshooting this error. I’m currently at the “Open a Command Prompt and type in this code” stage of instruction. You know, like you’d do to fine-tune a Linux installation.

Part of the reason for going to Windows 11 was to save time compared to fine-tuning Linux. So I could focus on publishing and home repairs. But here I am again, scouring the Web for OS solutions.

And all the while with a HAL 9000 version of Clippy interrupting with offers to help me write a query.

I hate intrusive AI. And I hate Microsoft’s prompts to try this service or that, with no option to say, “No.” Just “Skip for now.” Windows 11 sucks.

So my new Web search is, “Best Linux distro for an HP Envy x360.” Ugh.

Actually, you can get another year of Windows 10 support for free.

Lester

Most of my actual writing nowadays is done in Google Docs on a Chromebook. But most of my graphic design and layout over the past several years has been done on a robust Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 10. As you probably know, Windows 10 support is ending in a few days, but my workhorse of a ThinkPad isn’t upgradeable to Windows 11.

Recently Microsoft announced an option for Windows security updates for another year, for $30 + tax. I planned to do just that.

But today I discovered there’s a way to do it for free. There are a couple of prerequisites, which happily already applied to my use of the OS. So, voila, that old ThinkPad is good for another year.

The process is pretty simple, and there are plenty of YouTube videos showing how to do it. Here’s one:

This gives me more time to migrate over to the newish Windows 11 laptop I’m typing on at the moment. And to experiment with running the Affinity Publishing Suite on Linux Mint or some other Linux flavor. (The Steam Deck’s underlying Linux desktop mode made me a convert.)