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Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

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Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#151

Post by simoncion »

Propelloni wrote: post #144
hatthew wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do all my development work on linux. I have a self-hosted linux server. I used ubuntu as my main desktop computer OS for a full year, and in that time I struggled with compatibility issues, games that wouldn't run as well as people said they would, driver update issues, necessary tools that simply don't exist on linux, and various configuration failures that simply don't exist on windows. Saying that you can game o…

I have to do all my corporate work on Windows. I have a self-hosted Windows server. I used Windows as my main work computer OS for three years, and in that time I struggled with compatibility issues, applications that wouldn't run as well as people said they would, driver update issues, necessary tools that simply don't exist on Windows, and various configuration failures that simply don't exist on Linux. Saying that…

As someone who grew up with DOS, and later Windows 3.1 through 98, I can confidently say that Windows continues to become an ever-worse shitshow.

I'm so glad that I made Linux my daily-driver OS decades ago and (these days) only boot into Windows when I want to play games that have good HDR support. Valve has done so much good, effective work towards getting games (both major and minor) to work well on Linux. I hope whoever replaces Gabe N. and the other core management is at least as ethical, driven, and farsighted as the current folks running the show are.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#152

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

BandButcher wrote: post #127
WD-42 wrote: post #63

Windows set up is actually insane, I did it in a VM recently to test my app on Windows. I would say not only does it require a Microsoft account but you also have to agree to (at least) 3 EULAs about sharing/selling your data that are unskippable. Pretty sure it also makes you set your ad preferences. Absolutely insane for an OS, I don't know how people put up with it as a daily driver.

Luckily I use my phone for most tasks and can avoid my two remaining windows machines unless necessary. Also I doubt it's just me but every other day when Windows forces an update "restart and update/shutdown and update", upon restarting I am again prompted by Microsofts dark patterns for all the telemetry, defaulted to ON (location, biometrics, etc). Literally every second update windows wants to re ask me and I hav…

Sure your phone doesn't have any google/apple accounts, right?

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#153

Post by anal_reactor »

WD-42 wrote: post #52
glenstein wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it's bald -faced lie but I wouldn't disagree that it's bold. The idea that you need to confirm you're connected to the internet and that creating a Microsoft account is merely for that purpose is preposterous on its face. Not that I was ever a regular on windows, but I think I've at least found there to be a necessity to be on windows for certain desirable games or for PC apps. So I've always kind of recognized…

I'm with you. The very few games I play work great on Linux. As a professional dev, there's absolutely no reason to choose Windows (or any OS, for that matter) over Desktop Linux at this point. I'm convinced Windows is mainly for people that buy computers at Best Buy and corporate IT that are unfortunately funneled into the ecosystem (hats off salute to all you).

1. MS Office doesn't work on Linux, and for many people it's a hard requirement that they specifically need it.

2. Once a month I have a task of checking 100k images for duplicates. Strangely, the only app that actually works is VisiPics from 2013. It does something smarter than just binary comparison, it works very fast. I guess I'll be running a Windows VM forever just for this one app, unless someone explains to me the algorithm it uses, so that I could write a more modern replacement.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#154

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

hippich wrote: post #98
falcor84 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, sales-wise it seems to mostly be driving people towards macbooks, but yes, also linux.

Can you fully use MacBook (install apps, updates) without online account?

Yes, there are few important apps that aren't available without Apple account, like Final Cut Pro or Xcode, but I don't use those.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#155

Post by dhx »

jwoglom wrote: post #3

> We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account. "enhancing security and user experience" -- what a ridiculous, bold-faced lie. Bravo Microsoft.

Windows 11 24H2 enabled BitLocker full disk encryption by default for all new installations (including OEM) after a user has logged in with a Microsoft Account.[1] By default the BitLocker "recovery key" (everything one needs to decrypt a BitLocker device) is surrendered to Microsoft (uploaded automatically for storage with the associated Microsoft Account). This situation is similar to the Clipper chip[2] or Ki key programmed into mobile phone SIM cards during manufacture[3] where a user does not control the key for its full lifetime and has little to no assurance of who else may have a copy of the key.

Recall when Microsoft lost control of a Microsoft Account OpenID token signing key a year and a half ago?[4] I can't find a reference to confirm if attackers could have obtained BitLocker recovery keys by logging into any Microsoft Accounts with an OpenID token signed with the compromised key, but a reasonable assumption would surely lean towards "almost certainly". After this attack, Microsoft still had not conclusively determined 10 months later how the key was compromised, and no further news appears to be published since then.[5]

[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/design/de...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clipper_chip#Key_escrow

[3] https://nickvsnetworking.com/transport-keys-a4-k4-keys-in-ep...

[4] https://msrc.microsoft.com/blog/2023/09/results-of-major-tec...

[5] https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-sti...

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#156

Post by anal_reactor »

colordrops wrote: post #11
jwoglom wrote: post #3

> We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account. "enhancing security and user experience" -- what a ridiculous, bold-faced lie. Bravo Microsoft.

It's standard practice for corporations to lie about their motivations for decisions. Why is this acceptable?

Because it's how the entire society functions. There's an entire class of lies that are not only accepted, but actually expected. Case in point: imagine saying "Hi, how are you?" and someone replying "I hate living like this".

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#157

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

qwerpy wrote: post #15

What is MS's motivation to push so strongly to have everyone on a Microsoft account? I really hope it's not primarily so that they can more effectively target your computer for ads. Or upsell some service subscriptions.

Every Android user has a google (or huawei) account. Androids sell better than Windows. So the thinking is, people love accounts.

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#158

Post by 0xdeafbeef »

anal_reactor wrote: post #153
WD-42 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm with you. The very few games I play work great on Linux. As a professional dev, there's absolutely no reason to choose Windows (or any OS, for that matter) over Desktop Linux at this point. I'm convinced Windows is mainly for people that buy computers at Best Buy and corporate IT that are unfortunately funneled into the ecosystem (hats off salute to all you).

1. MS Office doesn't work on Linux, and for many people it's a hard requirement that they specifically need it. 2. Once a month I have a task of checking 100k images for duplicates. Strangely, the only app that actually works is VisiPics from 2013. It does something smarter than just binary comparison, it works very fast. I guess I'll be running a Windows VM forever just for this one app, unless someone explains to m…

Have you tried https://github.com/qarmin/czkawka?

Re: Windows 11 is closing a loophole that let you skip making a Microsoft account

#159

Post by Numerlor »

WD-42 wrote: post #94
Numerlor wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a dev using Windows, tried Linux multiple times for a couple of months and it always felt like it was getting in my way in daily usage. Dev experience is usually at worst the same as Linux when you use wsl as you don't really need more than the terminal

If all you need is the terminal than windows is definitely getting in your way, WSL is a worse experience. Plus you still have to put up with candy crush in your start menu, Cortana annoying the hell out of you, and the taskbar giving you unwanted updates on the latest news from the Kardashians.

I don't have any of that in Windows. I'm not using the home version but the preinstalled apps can be removed in a minute, I think cortana has been deprecated for a while now, and the only unwanted thing I've seen on the taskbar has been the weather that I've hidden with two clicks.

For wsl, it's just a normal VM that's integrated with Windows. Maybe it'd get in the way of I did development that needed to work closer with the hardware, but I don't at the time

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