• AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
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    1 day ago

    I have one old laptop with Windows 10 sitting around, and only because it’s the only way to update the Xbox Series controller I have that randomly bootloops and thus is essentially useless anyway.

    So this begs the question: how much of Windows can I delete and replace with foss stuff, while still having it technically be a Windows OS?

    Soon:

    “I’d just like to interject for a moment. What you’re referring to as Windows, is in fact, GNU/Windows/NT, or as I’ve recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Windows plus NT. Windows is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another nonfree component of a fully functioning free GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX… and whatever NT does.”

    • Zink@programming.dev
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      12 hours ago

      I think better questions to ask first might be things like “Can I pass the controller USB connection to windows in a VM?” which is probably yes, and “Can I just never update this controller?” which I would normally say is a yes, but it sounds like yours has issues.

      • AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
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        10 hours ago

        Yeah after some searches it sounded like updating the controller might fix the bootloop issue. Running the accessories app for the controller through Linux seemed like a no-go, so for me the path of least resistance was putting Windows on an old laptop I don’t generally use anymore.

        Updating fixed the bootloop issue, until it didn’t. The lesson I’m taking from all of this is to not buy Xbox controllers anymore. Currently the DualSense is my main, but I’m looking at the Gulikit ES Pro at some point.

        If I ever find a controller that has a companion app that natively runs on Linux, that’s what I will prefer. But really, controllers needing to be updated is dumb to begin with.

        • Zink@programming.dev
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          45 minutes ago

          Yeah that controller might just have a hardware problem.

          I’ve had pretty good luck with Xbox controllers from multiple generations, but it sounds like a LOT of people have problems with them. Even the elite controllers! It’s a shame because their shape and layout work great for me, and I’m sure the same is true of other people with broken controllers and no spares.

          Controllers needing to be updated is dumb in a way, sure. But as somebody who has worked in the design/manufacture/test of embedded electronics & software systems, I know the development of those dumb little accessories was a massive project, and there’s so much potential for bugs or security issues down the line. After a quick search it looks like MS claims it was over $100 million in R&D for the xbone controller, and that’s 15 years of inflation ago.

          Back around the same time It was part of a $10M project at my job and that thing took over most of the damn company!