Maybe try ReviOS? It’s a “playbook” file you run on a clean Windows 11 install that strips out all of the telemetry and junk, and mostly “just works”. The only big potential pain point, imho, is not getting automatic driver updates from Windows Update.

I just installed CachyOS with virt-manager running ReviOS in a virtual machine. For my needs, it’s amazing. Arch Linux allows for easy updates to the latest versions of software and CachyOS further improves it with optimized, pre-compiled packages, which is particularly relevant for a smooth gaming experience. (Outdated packages aren’t a good mix with new games, and the optimized packages improve performance.)

The only “big” challenge I’ve had with Windows is getting videoconferencing working smoothly (my webcam is flickery), but that’s not a big deal. Zoom in Linux works great, and Teams/Zoom both work well in browser (in Linux). So, most of my work stuff is in the VM, but I have Zoom and a separate browser (for Teams meetings) installed in Linux.

This setup requires a bit of technical skill; you need to be able to find and follow guides. (Ex. I needed to troubleshoot why I couldn’t change the VM resolution, and the fix was to download a set of VM tools in Windows.) If you have light technical skills to search for and read guides, it shouldn’t be too challenging.

(I use Arch, by the way.)

My understanding is that businesses have more rules than individuals.

I looked into this ahead of a meeting with my boss a few years ago about my future employment (my contact was expiring). I wanted to record the meeting in case there was something said that I might want to take to my union. Based on my reading at the time, my understanding is that individuals in Canada can record any of their private communication, with no limits, for personal storage and review.

I think that any individual can record any/all of their personal phone calls made anywhere in Canada without informing anyone else that a recording is being made.

I’m pretty sure this is incorrect. I’m not a lawyer, and the person I’m quoting below likely isn’t either, but this lines up with my understanding:

In Canada we have one party consent, which means you can record a conversation you are part of. Doesn’t matter where the other people are because you are in Canada and Canadian law applies to you at that time.

If the other party is in the USA then US law applies to them and the actions they take must conform with US law… but US law doesn’t dictate what you can do and Canadian law doesn’t dictate what they can do.

However, one party consent has nothing to do with publishing. Releasing these recordings may breach privacy laws or if the information is confidential under an NDA you might be sued for revealing it.

Sure, but even so: that hardware isn’t going to be obsolete or wear out for a long time.

Compared with going to a concert that can be $10K for 2 people to attend a single show.