2.5 Admins 293: Reduced Flicker
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In this episode of Late Night Linux Family's Two and a Half Admins, hosts Joe, Jim, and Alan dive into Microsoft's recent Windows Insider blog post promising a 'less shit' Windows 11 experience, focusing on reducing AI bloat, improving File Explorer performance, and making updates less disruptive. The trio expresses skepticism about Microsoft's claims, particularly around 'reduced flicker' in File Explorer—calling it a meaningless buzzword—and criticizes the persistent issues with Windows Update, including slow installation, forced reboots, and performance hogging. They contrast this with the seamless, background-driven update model of Linux and macOS, highlighting how Linux users rarely face update-related downtime. The discussion then shifts to a real-world case of a cyberattack on Intoxalock, a company providing court-ordered ignition interlock devices, which left drivers stranded when servers went offline—exemplifying the dangers of over-reliance on internet-connected devices. The hosts warn against virtualizing critical infrastructure like routers and NAS systems, especially with nested ZFS, advocating instead for bare-metal deployment of TrueNAS and Proxmox for reliability and performance. They conclude with a strong endorsement of learning core system administration over relying on specialized, high-level interfaces.
Windows updates should be installable in the background without forcing reboots; Linux and macOS already do this effectively.
Avoid virtualizing critical network infrastructure like routers and NAS systems—run them on bare metal for reliability.
Nested ZFS (ZFS inside a VM) introduces performance issues and is generally not recommended.
Microsoft's 'reduced flicker' claim in File Explorer is dismissed as marketing jargon with no real user impact.
The Intoxalock cyberattack shows the risks of internet-dependent safety systems with no fail-safes.
…and 2 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Introduction and Patron Support
The hosts introduce the episode and thank Patreon supporters, promoting ad-free access and early releases via latenightlinux.com/support.
Microsoft's Windows 11 Quality Promise
“It's like, oh, you know, we're going to reduce all the unnecessary entry points when like still when I look at Office 365 admin panel now, it's like it's not the Office 365 admin panel. You've got to get through Copilot to get to Office 365.”
Critique of Windows Update Experience
“I've seen brand new systems deploy. And, you know, when you start them up, when the Windows update process fires up in the background and gets that first big glug of updates. I have seen those updates come in at a rate rapidly enough to overwhelm, you know, even a decent like i5 or i7 laptop with solid state drive to the point that it's entirely unusable for like 90 freaking minutes.”
The 'Reduced Flicker' Controversy
“I don't know about y'all, but I can't really say that any of the issues I've ever had with File Explorer is, oh no, it's flickery on the screen. What the hell does that even mean?”
Cyberattack on Intoxalock and IoT Risks
“It seems like one of those things where there should be a fail-safe. I understand that to prevent tampering, it couldn't be forever that if it can't talk to the cloud, you can still start your car, but it seems... that they really didn't ever consider that the internet is unreliable.”
“I've seen brand new systems deploy. And, you know, when you start them up, when the Windows update process fires up in the background and gets that first big glug of updates. I have seen those updates come in at a rate rapidly enough to overwhelm, you know, even a decent like i5 or i7 laptop with solid state drive to the point that it's entirely unusable for like 90 freaking minutes.”
“I don't know about y'all, but I can't really say that any of the issues I've ever had with File Explorer is, oh no, it's flickery on the screen. What the hell does that even mean?”
“It seems like one of those things where there should be a fail-safe. I understand that to prevent tampering, it couldn't be forever that if it can't talk to the cloud, you can still start your car, but it seems... that they really didn't ever consider that the internet is unreliable.”
Hosts
Windows 11
product
Alan
person
Microsoft
organization
Linux
product
Jim
person
Joe
person
File Explorer
product
Intoxalock
organization
TrueNAS
product
Task Manager
product
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