11–20 of 35 posts
Oh, no it's a thin client. Everyone, get the pitchforks.
Conceptually, it’s somewhat not entirely unlike those weird printers that require a subscription to work. No clue who in their sane mind would buy something like that, but turns out some people actually do.
They have existed in the past. They will exist in the future. The fact that it's locked to one particular server is irrelevant. If you don't want to use that service - don't buy it!
I didn't get the impression that this was meant for home, or even most office use. I don't think it would make sense in either setting because each would have more complex user requirements and weird edge cases. Maybe the author is right in the long run? I'm sure MS would love mote control and a monthly subscription fee from every customer...I just don't see MS being nearly so candid, as they are in this video. I'd expect way more cheesy stock footage, mixed in with ominous warnings about "darkweb" and ransomware. The video in question was more like "This makes your job easier" not a "This makes your life better". Heck, they didn't even mention some cheesy AI-gimmick tie-in.
Oh, no it's a thin client. Everyone, get the pitchforks.
I don’t think the author (or anyone else) has issues with thin clients. My understanding is that the issue is rather with how this particular thin client is designed. Conceptually, it’s somewhat not entirely unlike those weird printers that require a subscription to work. No clue who in their sane mind would buy something like that, but turns out some people actually do.
Sounds like a good product. Definitely not a fan of free software's monotonous take on proprietary software. Yes, we get it, it's proprietary, anything else to say?
Is it a product though? What can you do with it after you buy it besides paying Microsoft monthly for the rest of its lifetime to actually do something with it? I'm pretty sure this is just part of a service.
For enterprise IT, it's got some potential. Devices users can't muck with facilitate standard operating environments, hot desks, and similar practices that are already user hostile. In that setting, there's no big deal here. It's even got the chance to be less awfully intrusive than existing SOE software.
It's also, IMO, a bit of a leveraging of a monopoly position to crowd out those SOE vendors. Microsoft's the only one who can make this device; anyone else is stuck at best making a browser-only thin client and hoping 365 works well on it for long enough to recoup R&D costs and make bank on top. Not a fan of SOE vendors, but not a fan of monopoly control either.
Coming full circle from Terminal connected to mainframe, to a PC on every desk, back to a terminal connected to the cloud.
This is functionally no different than Chromebooks and Google ”imprisoning” hundreds of school districts.
Besides, “the enterprise” has been “imprisoned” by Microsoft for decades. They were never going to switch over to Linux or anything else en masse.
Even companies that did have Macs were still buying Microsoft Office since before Office was even available for Windows.
Also, IT departments love locked down computers and I’ve seen plenty of places that use Citrix with terminals.