Birbla

Join the discussion

Write your take first — we'll ask for email only when you're ready to publish.

Sign in
  • Hacker News
  • This is more a decrapifier than an "anti-spy tool". Yes, it also lets you easily block things like microphone access and disable AI features, but it's not a firewall.

    I started using it with Windows 10 because I could disable most of the crap Microsoft was using with a few clicks. When I reinstalled Windows 11, this was one of the first things I ran because of how much shit there's now (weather, news, recommended apps, ai, etc). I have almost everything disabled.

    We can do the same by following some guides, setting up system policies and go to 20 different menus, but this does the same in 1 or 2 minutes.

    Unfortunately, over the years, ShutUp10 has also suffered from some enshittification itself. Now there's a message tell you to buy the premium version, more branding, etc. I understand why, and considering it still does the job and still runs without having to install it, perhaps I shouldn't complain too much especially when it's free, but it used to be more "bare-bones"... something that I prefer on these tools.

    by celsoazevedo
  • Unless I am doing something wrong, you should also use WPD and Winaero Tweaker, and preferably Windows 8.1 or lower, although that can be debated down to 98.
    by yunaflox
  • I removed my dual boot in 2009, so the last windows I used on a personal computer was Vista. I switched my close family (parents and even my grand mother) to Linux years ago, nevertheless I still am the tech-savyy go-to person for other people and I am completely disconnected from what's going on the Windows world. Is an antivirus still needed there? Are there some good tools that should always be installed on a computer? The only thing I usually do is to put as many free software as I can (Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, VLC, Gimp...) But then what ?
    by flaburgan
  • No source code? No thanks but no thanks.

    There also seems to be a lot of ‘privacy’ tools popping up on github lately. It’s a good time to be wary of any if you don’t trust the author 100%.

    It’s like when HIV emerged in the 80s - the disco days of free love are over. Be wary of who you’re sleeping with, and always wear a condom.

    by afpx
  • - imagine a version of windows made from the ground up with 0 spyware, 0 adware, 0 bloatware

    - 100% minimal designed for absolute performance coded ground up in rust

    - backward compatibility by required drivers on the fly instead of bloating the OS with 30 yrs of support for all the. 456257963423512 hardware device types

    - Its called "Windows Maximal" priced 4x the cost of Windows Home

    - when are we getting this version of windows?

    by vivzkestrel
  • You may also check out https://github.com/flick9000/winscript. It has a GUI, but generates a powershell script.

    https://github.com/ramensoftware/windhawk is also worth mentioning, I use it to unfuck the Taskbar.

    by nilslindemann
  • Open-source alternatives that offer similar functionality:

    - WinScript: https://winscript.cc/

    - Winhance: https://winhance.net/

    I find O&O ShutUp10 easier to use and understand.

    by pentagrama
  • https://schneegans.de/windows/unattend-generator made all those tools obsolete and useless for the most part, "debloating" after it's installed is always bad business.

    https://wpd.app works well too for extra telemetry and https://github.com/builtbybel/privatezilla still works with Windows 11 but again autounattend.xml works magic.

    by eahm

Explore Birbla archives