Microsoft has gone decades doing everything they can to ensure Windows is what people think of when they think of computers and its worked.

I agree, I think Google has done an even better job brainwashing people to the point that any search online is considered ‘Googling’, still makes me cringe to hear ppl unknowingly shill for a corporate monopoly without even consciously knowing they are a walking advert for Alphabet’s data harvesting empire.

Kodi seems like your best bet, it’s very accessible across many devices, you could use an older PC, Raspberry Pi or even an Xbox if you wanted to save money by repurposing a device you may already have.

Libertarianism is a broad ideology that means different things depending on who you ask. The notion that an authoritarian government can be controlled by billionaires and corporations is certainly viable. Undermining those forces and resisting their control by by not paying for content and controlling your access to said content by having your media library is exercising personal liberty.

The comment I made was quite nuanced and I mentioned that I’m personally more inclined to socialism and liberal views, but hopefully not too ideological that I can’t see value in different ideas.

If you care so much about avoiding analytics and advertising why on earth are you “googling” your questions on the world’s largest advertising and analytics website?

Piracy is being proliferated by government’s inability to enforce anti-trust laws and protect consumers. We need another Roosevelt to come in and break up the monopolies corrupted by power and greed. When the government is too weak and corrupt to represent people’s interest they find another way to take care of themselves. I’m personally quite liberal and inclined to socialism, but I as write this comment I can feel some connection to the libertarian creed of not depending on a centralized authority to take care of things that could be handled more effectively at the individual or community level.

Pirating gives me the option not to support shit corporations that fuck over consumers with no business ethics. I can pirate the content I choose and pay for it when I want to support creators.

Historically, pirating and underground markets for good and services begin to proliferate in a society as a sign that their economic system is failing. IMHO, unbridled capitalism and corporate shitification in the US is turning the Internet into a hellscape with 5 companies basically controlling the entire Internet with so much lobbying muscle behind them they remain untouchable through what remains of the democratic system.