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Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

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Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#181
post #103
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FreeTaxUSA is great and web based.

Web-based isn't airgapped? Working in tech, I know what absolute slimeballs pretty much any tech company is about privacy and user data today.

ahhh yes the noted privacy respect of…checks notes…Intuit

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#184

I am getting so tired of this MS push to have me use their systems. I already purchased windows, if I wanted to use their other stuff - I would buy it. Seriously considering the move to Linux - I've heard it's getting better, but it would cost me a bit of time getting used to it. The pain is really starting to seem like a lower cost every day.

Yes I am sick of constantly getting Copilot and One Drive shoved down my throat.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#185
post #88

How will this work for government clients that need a secure environment?

The LTSC edition is unaffected.

You _can_ buy it, but it's a bit of a quest. You need to register as a company and buy at least five Windows licenses (you don't have to use them), and after that you can get a license for an LTSC version.

It works out to about $700, if you want to go down this route.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#186
So many threads but all missing the point.

Windows is not a consumer brand - at least anymore, if it ever was. It is predominantly a business product for enterprises. And their current service model to their clients requires interoperability with cloud services and user profiling for easy authentication and telemetry, which is what they are getting by enforcing Microsoft accounts. That is why there is no contradiction in their POV with this.

Does it suck for you retail "Home" users? Yes, but you were never the target customer base; at best you are a marketing platform. There is a reason why Microsoft has been giving away the product virtually for free has been turning a blind eye to its piracy (heck, MS's own Github hosts multiple cracking tools for it) when it comes to retail customers. They have abandoned you as a serious market segment.

Switch to Linux.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#187
post #157

I do remember to have read a couple of years ago that the Windows Ui team got replaced and now only consists of Mac users, never having used Windows themselves. If that is true, it's now wonder that they do not understand all the value that Windows NT has brought, why having a standard on menu structure, a standard for all UI controls etc made sense. And to understand that while Apple's mission is to provide a walled…

I think this change (and everything in Windows 11) is being driven by the MS Account PM watching telemetry and making number go up.

Their telemetry data didn't seem to help them figure out how important the start menu is for users. I doubt it's going to help them really do anything else either. They might have the data, but they're not using it.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#188
Discovered Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition recently. It's great! It is supposed to get security updates through 2032. It doesn't have Cortana, OneDrive, CoPilot, Edge, etc. (Which is a good thing IMO.) Nor does it require a cloud account to use.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously, though, now that Win10 is being phased out, it’s time for people to wake up and join us in the free world. M$ wants you to throw away your hardware and buy a new computer with Win11. Give them the middle finger, format and install Linux instead.

If you like playing video games with your friends and working in a normal job you'll likely be using Windows 90% of the time even if you loathe it.

Most games run on Linux nowadays thanks to Proton. The blame for the ones that do not squarely falls on publishers like EA who despise the freedom of Linux. They would rather infect Windows computers with rootkits that do little against cheating than allow the community to run their own servers.

Re: Microsoft is plugging more holes that let you use Windows 11 without MS account

#190

Discovered Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC edition recently. It's great! It is supposed to get security updates through 2032. It doesn't have Cortana, OneDrive, CoPilot, Edge, etc. (Which is a good thing IMO.) Nor does it require a cloud account to use.

Are there any limitations with this to be aware of? Are Hypervisor/Docker/WSL2 all supported?

I'm trying to decide if I want to transition my work computer to Linux or Windows 10 LTSC. Most of my day is spent working inside of WSL2. So, it kind of seems like I should just get on with using Linux native, but several decades of sunken cost have kept me on Windows. I don't think I have a desire to 'upgrade' to Windows 11 and Windows 10 Pro is just about EOL.

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