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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

#311

Post by OccamsMirror »

snailmailman wrote: post #258
somenameforme wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It being the year of Linux is definitely a meme at this point, but Microsoft's trying their hardest to make it a thing. Steam's latest survey [1] shows Windows losing 0.19% marketshare. 3/4 of it went to Mac, 1/4 to Linux. 0.19% over a single month is a fairly significant shift, especially because the Steam survey is biased towards Windows gamers to begin with (Windows has 95.4% marketshare on the Steam survey), so i…

I’ve had multiple friends who are not tech savvy ask me about steam os. Because they basically only use their gaming PC for gaming, and they are frustrated with windows. None have actually switched yet, but also 10 is still supported, and steam os isnt quite ready from what i understand; (nvidia driver issues?) although I assume that’s changing quite quickly. I haven’t looked super recently. Personally I run bazzite…

I don't run Windows at home. My gaming PC is running Ubuntu. Very rarely do games not work perfectly. It's also usually underfunded indie games.

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

#313

Post by Woodi »

snovymgodym wrote: post #167
windows2020 wrote: post #94

Not sure Microsoft realizes the damage they're doing to the Windows brand. My first experience with Windows 11 was figuring out some dumb workaround to use a local account. When I think back to Windows 7, the good feeling isn't nostalgia. It was the last user-focused Windows. Maybe someone will develop a new user-focused OS that's somehow compatible with Windows programs. Or better yet, maybe Microsoft will realize v…

I'm not convinced Microsoft cares about the Windows market share in consumer PCs or the small amount of money they make from selling Windows licenses to regular consumers. If they did, Windows wouldn't be so usable unactivated and the MassGravel activation stuff would have been patched already. They built up their almost-monopoly when it mattered in the 90s and the 2000s, and now their market position is basically se…

> For Microsoft's purposes the main way of making money from Windows is from business and enterprise sales, and those sales will exist pretty much indefinitely.

Yes, and making corporations and smaller businesses donate their stuff via official spyware os, clouded "services" and "agents" is perfect opportunity for spyware creator :) It is hard to blame them for wanting this :) Except that, probably, will explode in their faces...

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

#314

Post by mwest217 »

eimrine wrote: post #291
scrps wrote: post #248

Anyone still using windows should plug that hole and switch to linux or apple. If you are trapped on windows due to a specific piece of software running a virtual machine on linux is your friend. Boot up windows only when you need it and the only thing MS gets is one datastream of your single use of their product and not your entire digital existence. Same also applies for Apple + vm. Either choice on its worst day i…

Is it possible to run anything from apple without any accounts?

Both possible and trivially easy. Just don’t sign into an Apple account.

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

#315

Post by Ekaros »

r00t- wrote: post #108
rowanG077 wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe someone will develop a new user-focused OS that's somehow compatible with Windows programs. Nothing as user focused as linux, and it's mostly compatible with windows programs with wine. Important to note though that user focused is not the same thing as easy to use.

I'm a linux fan but calling linux user-focused is insane.

Only for given value of user...

If user is linux nerd well yes. For more casual users there is way too many weird annoyances and problems. Maybe not with single version, but migrating between or at end of LTS support...

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

#316

Post by cm2187 »

snovymgodym wrote: post #198
hattmall wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>those sales will exist pretty much indefinitely. To an extent sure, but when people that grew up as home consumers not using Windows become business leaders they won't have the brand loyalty to Microsoft that the current aging out generation does. If Google doesn't characteristically fumble the bag their dominance with ChromeOS in schools has potential pay major dividends in 10-15 years. Windows centric software dev…

A striking amount of business software runs on Windows because Microsoft was dominant during the peak PC era (e.g. 1990-2010). The companies running that stuff aren't doing so because old guys think Windows is good, they're running it because it's been built already and there's no real reason to change. The next generation of business leaders already didn't build their companies on Windows or any other PC operating s…

Hum, how much of the success of azure is due to enterprise customers being in the windows ecosystem already? And what happens when the next enterprises are not?

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

#317

Post by potwinkle »

magicalhippo wrote: post #226
exabrial wrote: post #90

Why is _anyone_ still using Windows?

RDP. Simply nothing in the same league on Linux. I prefer having a beefy workstation at home and connect to it remotely from a cheaper laptop, as I find laptops are noisy and weak unless you spend a sizable fortune.

why not just use sunshine/moonlight? RDP (and the other junk like X11 forwarding/VNC) has always been too slow for my use-cases. Movies or gaming would bring it to a halt. Meanwhile Moonlight gives me a clean 4k60fps with only ~25ms latency across the country.

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

#318

Post by mythz »

windows2020 wrote: post #94

Not sure Microsoft realizes the damage they're doing to the Windows brand. My first experience with Windows 11 was figuring out some dumb workaround to use a local account. When I think back to Windows 7, the good feeling isn't nostalgia. It was the last user-focused Windows. Maybe someone will develop a new user-focused OS that's somehow compatible with Windows programs. Or better yet, maybe Microsoft will realize v…

Damage has been done, Windows has become synonymous with user-hostile ad/spyware OS. Everything under the "Windows" brand is meaningless to me now.

Can't think of a single feature Windows could add to get me to switch back from Linux.

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

#319

Post by pezezin »

avazhi wrote: post #66
Havoc wrote: post #7

Had to edit a .docx today to refresh my CV today...and realised oh...I don't have any more windows machines on hand anymore. Interesting how smoothly that faded away psychologically after 20+ years of windows use without me even overtly noticing. Think MS is in for a rough ride on Windows. Short of corporate world - Excel/Sharpoint/AD - there is just no moat. Browsers work fine on all platforms, dev work is better on…

> and gaming on linux is rapidly becoming usable. I hate Microsoft and Windows just as much as the next self-respecting nerd, but this is no less a lol right now than it was 20 years ago. It’s like Linux users all play the same 15 titles that have Linux support and think those 15 games reflect broad ecosystem support.

My home PC runs OpenSuse Tumbleweed. A couple of days ago I bought Doom: The Dark Ages on Steam and guess what? It runs perfectly.

So yeah, even the most recent, graphically-intense AAA games run on Linux thanks to Proton.

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

#320

Post by gambiting »

mythz wrote: post #300

The best thing to happen to Linux Desktop is Windows 11, with perfect timing too as modern Linux has been a joy to use as a daily driver. Normally I'd be unhappy when a sleazy corp forces me to give up on 25 years of muscle memory of using my preferred OS, but I'm thankful they gave me the push I needed to rip off the ad/spyware laced Windows Band-Aid that I only need to do once in my life. It's been over a year sinc…

Sadly, as a developer there is no beating Visual Studio. Microsoft still makes the best developer IDE that unfortunately only runs on their worst OS. But as a C++ developer there is just no substitute(imho). Not to mention some development toolchains only work on windows(for playstation/xbox/switch) so if you work in games there is very little choice.
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