Windows Debloaters with Ben Cybulski
Link: https://freetimetech.com/windows-10-clean-up-debloat-tool-by-ftt/
In May 2020, I went back to school for programming.
I started the diploma in 2017 and gave up and went to do something else.
I returned to programming to grow ‘externally’. I met immigrants in the city of Scarborough (Toronto) while studying healthcare and they made me feel I needed to build myself up externally … Flesh out the external till the end of time … ughhhh …
No one really cared for me studying healthcare (practical nursing) in 2019 – 2020 in Scarborough, Ontario … It wasn’t ‘bad, bad’ … It was actually fun. But no real good ‘zoned out’ feeling doing it for a full South Vietnamese man from An Giang born in Canada.
The problem was stereotyping and categorizing in healthcare … Being Vietnamese in healthcare was a negative for me. No real opportunity for me to think good and feel good in the gradient as there is a hierarchy … BUT …
The work, lunch, dinner, quizzes and homework till 2 – 5 AM in the morning in healthcare is to expand your mind to be the biggest world’s encyclopedia. This is on top of current and past events and your pre-teen son’s soccer practice timetable … That is a great goal. Great goal for life. Very focused and steady for everyone … but it could be very stressful and could break you too …
I may return to do work with people and/or pets …
While in school for programming, I had the idea to write my own software. I created simple easy to use software tweaking apps. They were more basic than the ones out there and I posted them free. I posted on FreeTimeTech.com. My dream when I was young in grade 6 was to create software in the category of system tool utilities.
Ben Cybulski got intrigued and he encouraged me to do more. His idea when he was young was also to create software too I learned later. His vision was a site like FreeTimeTech like it is now when he was younger.
From my YouTube recommendations feed, I saw the topic of Windows debloating.
We decided to try and do something about it too. The problem was that we liked Windows 7 as it was bloatware free back in 2009.
The current debloaters on the market were great but we wanted more customization and better UI.
Then came the radiobutton list interface of Windows 10 Debloater v1.0 by FreeTimeTech.com.
It evolved overtime to include more tabs and more ways to debloat Windows.
The unique addition I did to it was enable the debloaters to read and edit the script on all options. This enabled the users to learn scripting. I struggled learning programming growing up and wanted to help people learn programming.
Also the the functions are updateable through normal text files (.txt). An error can be fixed simply editing a text file. Additional choices can be added through them as well.
It then not only became a debloater but a fun educational tool as well.
We have no longer updated the debloaters because:
- Sophia Script for Windows is possibly a more safer and more updated tool.
- It served a purpose to have many options to debloat and allow users to edit the options. It became a very broad tool and also an educational tool.
- Further updating it would turn it to a ‘Costco’ maybe. It may lose its character (point 2). It possibly will keep growing and become an all-in-one tool requiring so much work and updates which will conflict with other similar tools. Maybe too many same tools and also different tools but that is the true ‘American way’ learning and growing (modding enthusiasts). We decided to focus on Sophia projects because it is just another way to approach things.
Reflection:
Do what you like and see what happens. Work with your friends. Keep growing and doing to see what happens. Be unique. That is life especially in the West. Provide options and play around with ideas and perspectives. Address yourself in the things you do. Make yourself a priority. Remember you need to be OK first. That is something people forget.
Growth:
Life is to grow and do what you like really. If you don’t do what you like then you get sick and angry and sit around doing nothing.
After completing products that addressed and served a problem and purpose then you can focus on other things like different projects that have other motives.
Windows Debloaters on FreeTimeTech.com served to be a broad tuner and allowed for users to custom edit to give freedom and education.
Moving onto Sophia Script for Windows, it’s mission is to be very fine-tuning and possibly safer for customizing Windows.
Analysis:
To go from mainly text based scripts to GUI is quite a jump.
To grow from text based software takes a lot of trial and error.
In Canada, where coloured people born here are expected to do minor roles, this was a huge leap. God helped me including Ben Cybulski and Allan Michael Lane thinking. It took more thinking from Simon Fisher too my brother-in-law. It took a lot.
I don’t know what happened to read files to autofill the controls. I used StackOverflow to connect the dots.
And now we got automation.
I thank God for helping me figure out this dilemma.
I stayed good since 2018 and kept to myself, and God gave me the gift to how to do this.
…
The software is still good.
People use a combination of this tool and others to debloat and streamline their computing.
I think this version is stable and sets the marker for Windows Debloating as it appears as the first image on Google image search most of the time.
So we got a product that is just.
MORE Analysis:
- This software is maybe responsible for Windows 10/11 installs as they know they have this and Sophia as updated software to customize and toy with. Computers are mainly fun for the general public.
- It is more of an aid to help the consumer customize with going through all the windows. Lots of panels have changed since Windows XP (2001).
- It fuses with other software in the ecosystem to Sophia Script for Windows. That is the running river.
- Sophia Script for Windows is maybe the standard for customization of Windows as it is lead by a passionate and altruistic man Dmitry Nefedov/farag2/Sanctuary.
There are other software competing and offering better user experiences but this is what it is. This solution has been working since 2020. This ecosystem pushes Sophia projects which is basically has all the functions + customizable mouse cursors and scheduled tasks. So it has bonus too. Who doesn’t want bonus?
Dilemma:
- Who is responsible for updating Windows Debloaters by FreeTimeTech?
- Who is responsible for fixing bugs in Windows Debloaters by FreeTimeTech?
- Who is responsible for feature updates?
This project is mainly done. Pretty much maxed out so people use Sophia.
But if used, it would be interesting.
You would be responsible for updating it. Thus, requiring you to learn:
- Programming
- Scripting
- Windows Registry
- PowerShell
- Some other Microsoft things
That is a lot to learn and is helpful to learn as now you are a coder.
Aftermath:
Using the Windows 10 Debloater required everyone to learn scripting and PowerShell.
This made lots of Googling this and that. What registry key? Double-checking correct keys from multiple sources.
People learned.
People researched.
People understood how Windows works.
People understood the Windows Registry.
People understand more about Windows.
People understood the dilemma of removing Windows Apps and Defender from other tools.
People are really hesitant. Are they knowledgeable and strong willed enough to perform updates and run scripts???
Hesitant and scared and having fun?
Settings could be saved and reloaded. But is it correct for the right version?
People can share the scripts.
People can collect scripts.
People can share the radiobutton selections.
People can customize for a single computer with one or more OS disks
People can customize for a family of computers in their household.
People can customize 10 – 50 computers with one script which can be manually run too without the GUI.
Increased the IQ of everyone wanting to use it.
3-hit combo : breakfast, lunch and dinner or 3 patty hamburger.
Origin culturally, I made Vietnamese see what I did at 37 years old without a career or family of my own yet. What did Vietnamese do? They had to deal with it. Now every Vietnamese has heighten programming thinking.
Reasoning:
- Prove that something can be done in my years of life.
- Give away software
- Offer to Canada from Vietnamese-Canadians.
- Show appreciation.
- Show intelligence.
- Protection.
- Friendship and Partnership.
- Share.
- New stuff and stuff from it.
- For the World
Development:
I appreciate Canada for allowing Vietnamese from Vietnam to study in Canada. After socializing and befriending them, they lit up my soul, mind and body to develop this.
As a Vietnamese-Canadian (Vietnamese born in Canada) I wanted to show what Canada has done to me and show what I can do for Canada and for Vietnamese from Vietnam if they decide to have children here in Canada.
This is the output you can maybe expect.