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Microsoft gets tired of “Microslop,” bans the word on its Discord, then locks the server after backlash
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this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2026
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So, they’re going to stop pushing AI slop…?
No?
Then they’re not serving you. They’re serving someone else and you’re either the product, or the byproduct. Get a Mac, or switch to Linux, if you’re still running Windows in 2026.
I mean obviously, “buy a whole new machine” is kind of a tall order, but some of us were willing to vote with our wallets. Linux is free and requires virtually no commitment. It’s pretty trivial to go back to Windows if you really want to do — even from within Linux.
Telling people who are sick of mircoslop to get a mac is like telling people who are sick of getting punched in the face to get punched in the throat instead.
I wouldn’t go for a Mac, firstly because I don’t like Macs (never have) but also more importantly, if tradition has shown us anything by now is that Apple likes to wait things out and give it their own spin afterwards.
Oh no, I mean you're right about Apple sitting and waiting (like they did with the iPod 25 years ago, like they're doing with foldable phones now), but Apple has always pushed AI. They just push AI like they push gaming, just enough to say they do to make the investors happy. Siri has always sucked for what people want it to do. Apple Intelligence is a straight-up non-starter. Now the investors are pushing them to release some AI, so they're partnering with Google (Gemini). And that was supposed to be in 26.4 but now it's being pushed back yet again. Essentially, Cupertino is digging its heels with AI. They need to be dragged kicking and screaming by the investors.
Totally fair if you don't like the platform. There have been some straight up trash Macs Apple has never apologised for, it's always "meh, just buy the next one." I struck gold buying in the M2 generation (M2 Pro desktop, M2 base laptop). Everything's trying to support the M1, and I have like a 12% advantage over that, and the power in the M4 and M5 generations is attracting both customers and developers. And all the M-chips are super power efficient, which is great for the laptops. I don't think there are any bad M-series Macs, except the ones with 8GB RAM. And even then...
But yeah, if you already have working hardware, Linux is the better option. Even if you don't, there are cheap PCs that can be had for less than the base Mac mini ($500). And then you can go back to Windows if you aren't ready to jump into the deep end of saying "fuck Microslop." Same is true of Intel Macs, but the M-series, I don't think they can run Windows. They could run Windows for ARM if drivers are available but I'm not sure what the status of that is, or if there would even be a benefit (namely running legacy Windows code, for x86 and x86-64 — if you can't do that, a Linux distro with Proton would be a better option to dual boot into or to replace macOS with if you wanna go that way, but again, you can get to Linux for less).
Siri is excellent for the one usecase I use it for.
Checking open hours while driving.
It work nicely to help me skip song ( or skip time for ads on spotify ) but that pretty much it
That's what's interesting about Microsoft, their customer is usually not the user. It's the hardware vendor. It is the company you work for. They get money for enabling those people to get what they want with only the obligatory effort to make the users accept it. Frequently those customers want to act against the interests of the users, and Microsoft is there for it.
True; we use Windows at work, and I honestly wouldn't recommend they switch to Linux (or Macs, for that matter, though that would be entertaining). I also wouldn't want to be IT if they do switch operating systems. I do feel that both are better, but I've also been using Windows since 3.1 (early 90s), Linux off and on since the late 90s, and macOS since Ventura (2020? 2021? Something like that). So I'm good with whatever. I've talked to people (mostly, Boomers) who tell me they're sick of Microslop's shit, and I've told them "just get a Mac," but using a whole other computer is scary. I bring up Linux and how it being hard to use is mostly an online myth and it'll run on their computer alongside Windows while they learn... they're not willing to jump. Imagine if they were forced to at work. It would not be okay for weeks, if not months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_BSD_operating_systems
Are any of these comparable to Mac?
If it's for general desktop use you'll have an easier time with Linux than BSD. There's more support and a bigger community, which means plenty of distros that just work out of the box. You'll have to do more tuning and configuration for yourself in BSD, and there's more chance of finding some device lacks a driver.
Then the parents will continue to overpay for stuff they will never need. I'm not arguing over it. Thanks for that. I just want a (mostly) usable ootb that I can adjust as my personal peculiarities arise.
Not sure I follow. There are plenty of free distros of Linux and BSD, and many are easy enough to use, especially Linux ones. Anyone who doesn't need a particular piece of Windows- or Mac-specific software can set themselves up with one of these for free.
If the concern is making the UI look like Mac, you can find desktop environments and themes for Linux that aim to do that. (I expect you can do it in BSD too since it runs some of the same desktop environments.) There are even Linux distros like ElementaryOS that aim for a Mac-ish feel, though personally I wouldn't choose my whole distro based on a desktop theme since you can tweak that stuff on any distro. If you search for "make linux look like MacOS" you'll find plenty of sites with instructions.
Ohh, I can see how that may have been taken in an unfriendly way! My b. I mean my parental units aren't going to put in the work, and I'm close enough to visit, but have my own things to do before and after work, and on weekends, too. So I don't want to argue them into getting it and argue them into doing any updates and bug fixes, nor give up the five minutes that turns into hours doing it for them when I have my home to clean, meal prep, walking the fur baby, grocery shopping, etc. They want the iOS look and feel, not the effort and at their age, I don't blame them. I don't even know if I want the effort, but windows is almost useless at this point and if I understand correctly, mint looks pretty easy ootb?
Anyway I wrote the post before work and expected you to know exactly what I meant, so I am sorry if it seemed unfriendly/unappreciative. You deserve better. And it will probably happen again at some point, with you or anyone else, but I will try to do better.
Its OK, I didn't find your comment rude, I just felt like I didn't understand. Mint is very easy and does tend to just work. It's a good choice, the only drawback really being that its kernel and some of its packages are not always the latest. But most people won't notice or care about that. I use Mint among other distros on some of my machines.
I agree with your reasoning: switch your own machine to Linux and get to know it. Leave your parents using what they find easiest, if they're not technically inclined. Pushing someone to use something because you think it's a good idea never works if they aren't enthusiastic too. You just end up receiving frustrated messages holding you responsible for every little thing the machine does that they don't like. Better not to insert yourself into the picture.
Thanks, I appreciate you taking my comment in good faith. Wouldn't the kernal/packages not being the latest be a potential security vulnerability? Are there other distros you would recommend to someone not particularly technically inclined? What about firewalls or other security measures? Can I install straight from a USB or is there some prepatory work to be done, besides partitioning? Can Linux handle partitioning for me? By the by, I've also been reading about Windows deleting the Linux partition. Is that preventable? Is there some sort of tutorial for dummies? I may have certain LDs that mess with understanding certain things so it would potentially need to be "for a dummy's dummy." I know that's a lot of questions, and I don't really expect you to answer them all, hence the request for a decent dummy's tutorial. And all those questions are really why I've not yet done it. I really don't want to be without my laptop for a week trying to figure out my mistakes while doing everything else, because after work, my brain wants recuperation. Dealing with people who have their own physical and mental health issues can be rewarding, but extremely tiresome.
Hopefully someone can give you a good answer. I'm not a Linux user, I'm a Mac user, so I can't really say what's what in the world of Linux.
I do know that generally the GNOME desktop environment favours the look/feel of macOS and the KDE desktop environment favours the look and feel of Windows, but they're both so much more than that, and they are very much their own thing. It's not really fair to compare them. It's more of a starting point. But the idea of a dock at the bottom (or sometimes on the left) and a persistent menu bar on top has been a GNOME thing, and only having the one bar (typically on the bottom) and something resembling a Start menu has been a KDE thing. But you can get GNOME or KDE with just about any distro.
Something tells me that's not quite what you were looking for, though.
Thank you for honestly answering. I'm looking to get my "mature" and not particularly technologically-inclined self off Windows and elderly parents off iOS.
mac is technically a bsd, so yes
It's actually a certified UNIX even