Bonum Certa Men Certa

Windows and XBOX’s Greenwashing Tactics Fail to Address Real Energy and Security Issues: Why GNU/Linux and Nintendo Offer Better Alternatives

Reprinted with permission from Ryan

microsoft-greenwash

As much as they’d like to project themselves as environmentally conscious, it’s evident that Microsoft is more interested in maintaining their profit margins than conserving resources.



Windows has always been notorious for its resource consumption, poor design, and bloat, making PCs less energy-efficient and contributing to e-waste. Instead of addressing the issue, Microsoft has opted to promote its “carbon awareness” initiative for Windows Update, which doesn’t solve the problem, but merely shifts the time for checking for broken updates to nighttime.



(I mean, who hasn’t experienced the frustration of a Windows update breaking something that was working perfectly fine before? Don’t you love spending hours of your life that you’ll never get back trying helplessly to whack the Troubleshooters, which don’t work?)



To make matters worse, since Windows 10, Windows Update has been transformed into a botnet that siphons off electricity and bandwidth from unsuspecting users worldwide.



So what can users do? They can take control of their PCs and fight back against this bloat and the broken updates that just shift problems around randomly by switching to a GNU/Linux distribution. GNU/Linux distributions are more secure, robust, performant, and energy-efficient than Windows.



With GNU/Linux, there are choices. If the operating system vendor angers you, you can choose a different distribution that doesn’t do those things. If you don’t like the decisions made about the way your desktop shell works, you can change the desktop with extensions or get a different one. Nobody is “on high” telling you how this is going to be. With Windows, in all ways big and small, it is a manipulator.



When I went to try the new Taskbar, in one small annoyance, I even found out that the icon for “Teams” is no ordinary icon. You have to go through some menus and change the Taskbar settings to make the icon go away, and it doesn’t go away just by uninstalling Teams. In fact, it will reinstall it if you’re not careful.



As an example, in my testing, a GNU/Linux system running powertop autotune as a system service is significantly more power-efficient than Windows. On my laptop, which runs on a Core i7 Skylake, Windows 10 hardly ever got deeper than PC3, while GNU/Linux spends time in all of them right down to PC8.



Another problem that has gained attention in recent years is the company’s extensive use of telemetry, a form of spyware that collects data on users’ activities and sends it back to Microsoft.



Not only is this a blatant violation of privacy, but it’s also a significant drain on power and resources. Michael Larabel at Phoronix conducted benchmark testing on Windows 10 with telemetry both on (default) and off, and found that it had a significant impact on the system’s performance.



Why are such basic operations slowed down so much by Telemetry? Because it’s watching and reporting on damned near everything you do with the computer, including your typing, which programs you use, and the contents of your hard drive.



This is bound to have more impact on carbon emissions than Windows Update.



It’s time for users to take a stand and demand better than Microsoft. They should not tolerate this Windows mess any longer. Instead, they should embrace alternatives that are better for the environment, more secure, and efficient. Users should say goodbye to Windows and hello to a brighter, cleaner future.



In addition to their Windows operating system, Microsoft’s XBOX division has also been promoting “carbon awareness”. While this may seem like a positive step, it’s worth noting that gaming consoles in general are notorious for their energy consumption.



It’s difficult to take this “carbon awareness” campaign seriously when the products they’re promoting are contributing to the very problem they claim to be addressing.



It’s worth remembering that this is the same company that has a history of creating poorly designed and unreliable products such as the XBOX 360, which was plagued (to the point of overflowing) with issues like the notorious Red Ring of Death, which rendered the console unusable.



(Humorously, an entire cottage industry went up to make adapters like the Nyko Intercooler 360 to try to add extra fans, but these themselves sometimes caught fire or overloaded and scorched the back of the console, voiding the warranty.)



As someone who personally experienced eight failed consoles due to this issue, I can attest to Microsoft’s inability to create products that work reliably. Even after sending in my console for repair, I would receive a new unit that would soon overheat and fry itself.



It’s clear if you simply watch them and cut through all of the bribed media, that Microsoft has no idea how to build products, and instead tries to brute force their way into markets. Efficiency and sustainability are simply not their forte.



In contrast, companies like Nintendo have always been known for their efficient and conservative engineering. They don’t rely on raw processing power as a crutch and instead focus on innovative game design. Nintendo products have a reputation for being more energy-efficient and reliable than their competitors.



Perhaps it’s time for Microsoft to follow in Nintendo’s footsteps and prioritize efficiency and innovation over excessive resource consumption.



The truth is, however, that they are not committed to the future of the XBOX division.



It’s been less than a week, as of this writing, since they sacked basically the entire XBOX marketing division the same day that they gutted the marketing division of Azure and LinkedIn. When you give up trying to convince people to pay for your products, how much time can you really have left?



It’s in light of the bloodletting at Microsoft that the continued pursuit of Activision almost seems like some sort of Kabuki Theater from another dimension.



Users who care about the environment or just having reliable software and gaming machines should consider making the switch to GNU/Linux and Nintendo and embracing the ethos of efficiency and innovation, rather than Microsoft’s empty lip service.



Windows and XBOX are carbon bombs, and in the case of Windows, version 11 is the worst yet. But first and foremost, they’re just awful products.



Saying you’re addressing the Windows carbon problem with the updater is like saying you’re going to eat three plates of dinner at an all-you-can-eat buffet, followed by three slices of cake… and a Diet Pepsi.



Recent Techrights' Posts

Doing My Share to Tackle Online Slop and SPAM
Trying my best to 'fix' the Web
Slopwatch: Fakes, FUD, Duplicates, and Charlatans Galore
The Web as we once know it is collapsing. Some opportunists try to replace it with low-quality slop.
The Register UK Seems to Have Become American and Management is Changing (Microsofter as Editor in Chief)
The Register 'UK' is now controlled by the Directions on Microsoft guy
Microsoft Windows Lost 400 Million Users in a Few Years, Why Does The Register Double Down on Windows With New US Editor?
days ago they hired a new US editor
Links 25/07/2025: NOAA Cuts Endanger Lives, "Europe's Self Inflicted Cloud Crisis"
Links for the day
 
Links 26/07/2025: 50 Percent Tariffs in Amazon, Dying Intel Offloads Network and Edge Group (NEX)
Links for the day
Blaming Programming Languages for Users' and Developers' Bad Practices
That's like blaming cars for drivers who crash into things
Many People Still Read Techrights Because It Says the Truth, Produces Evidence, and Does Not Self-Censor
Unlike so many other sites
The Register is Desperate for Money, According to The Register
I decided to check how they're doing as a business
Microsoft Finally Finds a Use Case for Slop?
Create low-quality chaff to shift the media's attention?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, July 25, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, July 25, 2025
For Libel Reform One Must First Bring (or Raise) Awareness to the Issues and Their Magnitude
I myself know, from personal experience
Links 26/07/2025: Rationed Meals in the US and TikTok Repels Investments (Too Toxic)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 26/07/2025: "Bloody Google" and New People in Geminispace
Links for the day
Response to Solderpunk (Father of Gemini Protocol) About the Gemini Community
Solderpunk responds to non-sequitur
HTML and the Web Used to be Something a Child Could Learn, "Modern" Web is a Puzzle of Frameworks, Bloat, and Worse
When the Web was more like Gemini Protocol
New US Editor in The Register is 84% Microsoft/Windows Booster
It'll be worrying if it carries on like this
Links 25/07/2025: Slop Blunders and China Has Code of Conduct for Lawmakers in HK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Some Books and Babies and Capital
Links for the day
They Try to Lecture Us on Ethics
They even removed "master" from Microsoft GitHub
The Future of the Web is One Rendering Engine or 'Flavours' of Chrome
The future of the Web does not look bright at all
Best Sites Are Not Optimised for Any Browser, They Work Equally Well With All of Them
Red Hat (IBM) is making rubbish sites
YouTube is a Spamfarm, Slopfarm, and Clickfarm (a Lot of Numbers There Are Fake)
Those who don't fake look unpopular and unimportant
We Don't Do JavaScript and Pages Are Small
Thankfully Gemini Protocol has nothing like JavaScript
'Tech' is Not Technology
Some people use terms like 'Old Tech'
IBM's Debt Rose by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in the Past 6 Months Alone
The "hey hi" circus is coming to an end
Yes, Master
Gaslighting by actual racists
Microsoft Bribes and Buys Politicians to Tell Europe What to Do About Free Software (Which It's Attacking)
Microsoft: we speak for the thing that we are attacking! Follow the money...
Making Backups Quickly and Reliably
Backups are imperative, more so in an age of uncertainty, unpredictable weather, and worsening standards (quality of products going down while prices go up)
Techrights Investigation: Estimating the Point in Time LinuxIac Turned Into LLM Slop (Part of the Time)
Bobby Borisov got lazy
10th Month, Ten Weeks From Now, at Ten AM
In Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, July 24, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, July 24, 2025
A Nadella Memo Distracts From Microsoft's Cheapening Of the Workforce
Right now the "MSM" (mainstream media) is flooded/overwhelmed by garbage pieces that relay lies for Nadella
Vanishing Faces of GNU/Linux
Free software projects do not depend on any one person or company to still exist
Microsoft Says It Lost 400 Million Windows Users, Now It's Waiting for GNU/Linux to Stop Booting on 'Old' PCs
When it comes to Windows, Microsoft is fully aware of the issue and statements it made earlier this summer suggest it lost 400 million Windows users
Slopwatch: LinuxTechLab, linuxsecurity.com, LinuxIac, and More
Also: The Register's Microsoft agenda (new editor)
Gemini Links 25/07/2025: Gemtext Aware Titan Editor and Gemini Protocol Comeback
Links for the day
Links 24/07/2025: Convicted Felon Quits UNESCO, "Vibe Coding Goes Wrong", and Signalgate Gets Worse
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/07/2025: Forgejo Woes and Smolnet Directory Week
Links for the day
Misinformation is Not Intelligence
It's low-grade plagiarism and it fails to show any signs of intelligence
Links 24/07/2025: Storage Tapes Still Kicking, Windows TCO 'on Steroids' (Microsoft-Induced Catastrophes)
Links for the day
Bobby Borisov (LinuxIac) Has Apparently Begun Experimenting With LLM Slop, So We Cannot Trust LinuxIac Anymore
So did LinuxIac become a slopfarm? Maybe not yet, but it's getting there
Informa TechTarget's ITProToday is Becoming a Slopfarm Generated by Microsoft Chatbots
Busted.
'Tech' Gimmicks Are for Advertising, Not for Usability
In the case of Microsoft, they latched onto slop
BetaNews Sacked Brian Fagioli and Deleted His Comments, But He Still Tries to Use the "BetaNews" Brand for Self-Affirmation
Fagioli takes the work of other people
[Meme] Hard to Be a Better Person?
Sooner or later they'll realise that for each pound I spend they need to spend about 1,000 times more
The LLM Con Artists Are Highly Destructive
Who will ever be held accountable for this scam?
Too Bribed by Microsoft to Move to Free Software?
Microsoft lies and Microsoft bribery (in politics)
New US Editor for The Register is a Microsoft Booster
"Avram Piltch has served as US editor for The Register since July 2025."
Microsoft Hiring European Politicians is Another Form of Bribery; There Should be a European Investigation
When Microsoft bribed people in Europe for OOXML (there's no denying this!) a European government delegate said that Microsoft operated like a cult
Reda Demanded That FSF Removes Its Founder, Now Reda Works Directly for Microsoft
A sellout and a traitor, first working for GAFAM, now Microsoft
PCLinuxOS is Raising Money to Support Development After Fire Incident at the Host
PCLinuxOS has not had announcements lately
Speed of the Site Should be Better Now
The "bot attacks" impact the speed of the sister site too
Getting More From AnalogNowhere
Recently we used many images from AnalogNowhere
Microsoft, Microsofters and 'Secure' Boot Shills Already Storming the LWN Report About Expiring Certificate, Shooting the Messenger
LWN has clearly stuck a nerve
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, July 23, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Disable "Secure" Boot Today (the Only Better Time to Do So Was Yesterday)
Don't trust anything Red Hat tells you about security
Links 23/07/2025: Windows Killed Company After 150+ Years, US Government Mimics Russia's Attacks on the Media
Links for the day
Freedom Generally Wins at the End, History Shows (But It's Constantly Attacked, Too)
At the moment people realise "Linux" (e.g. Android) isn't enough to guarantee any freedoms
Over 3 Months Later Brett Wilson LLP Still Unable to Recruit a Media Lawyer?
"Immediate start", but not found... still unfilled