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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

#341

Post by jeroenhd »

mindslight wrote: post #4

Is there a worry that torrent packagers won't be able to work around these, or what's the actual concern here? I mean if you're using Windows for anything beyond a VM binary compatibility layer for some software you must use, aren't you kind of asking to be abused at this point?

I don't get why you'd want to get your OS images over torrents. You can download Windows for free from Microsoft's website. You don't even need to buy a key if you know how to set up a KMS server on a pihole or something.

There are trusted tools out there, like Rufus, that will enable workarounds for you if you tell them to create bootable media. Tools with developers you can look up, rather than anonymous pirates.

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

#342

Post by Ekaros »

mattmaroon wrote: post #304

Amazing how many people in here don’t understand how the non-tech section of the business world works. Windows is in no danger of being replaced and age of the decision makers has nothing to do with it. You use Windows because you live in Teams and Outlook. You use Windows because you, your suppliers, and your customers are all using CRMs that don’t run on Mac and your employees of any age sure as hell don’t know how…

Also from corporate perspective Entra, AD and Identity Platform is very good thing. Single sing on linked to laptop or desktop to every single service. In best case it is automatic. Ensure whatever you want on OS level.

Centralised management and control. Exactly what enterprises want. Local accounts is more what they do not want.

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

#343

Post by luke727 »

zuminator wrote: post #278
maltalex wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They probably know exactly what your thoughts are about this change.

I'm more curious about what their thoughts are. They have to know what the community thinks about these moves. What do they intend to accomplish? I'd like to hear the roadmap from the lion's mouth, so to speak, if they have some kind of justification that would make sense to the skeptical observer.

The justification is money. Microsoft doesn't make any money off of offline accounts.

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

#344

Post by naldb »

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…

The best thing to happen to Linux Desktop is not that it has improved but that its biggest competitor has dropped the ball? That’s not really praising it.

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

#345

Post by popopo73 »

MathMonkeyMan wrote: post #296
jrnng wrote: post #84

Time for me to go all in on Linux. Ubuntu has been my daily driver on dual boot with windows since MS started using dark patterns to opt in to OneDrive. My next build will be solo boot! My work machine is a Mac though I don't get any say in that.

I just upgraded my recently bought X1 Carbon Gen 12 from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. And now the sound stutters occasionally :( My guess is it's something with Pipewire replacing PulseAudio, where some apps now use a PulseAudio shim on top of Pipewire. Or maybe drivers I dunno. But the fingerprint scanner works. The fingerprint scanner works! Everything else has been fine.

Are you using FDE? Check your caching settings.

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

#347

Post by renegat0x0 »

Two things:

- I wanted to install minecraft for my boy. I couldn't just start a game. It required me to tie in account to the system. First I don't like that. Second is that we have lost pin, and could not remember password or something, so we have gone through maze of xbox, microsoft online settings and whatnots. On Linux? Pass account, and password, we are set to go

- The second encounter was with playing a older FIFA game. After launching it complained about some dll file. Turned out it was missing VC redistributable. You had to manually find, and visit, Microsoft page, download old type installer, which my kid was not familiar with (Next, Next, C: program files, I accept).

After so many occasions I see that linux is even easier than Windows. I use bottles to play Warhammer Boltgun. Sure it stutters some times, but not that much. The pros and cons of having Linux looks better every day.

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

#348

Post by andai »

renegat0x0 wrote: post #347

Two things: - I wanted to install minecraft for my boy. I couldn't just start a game. It required me to tie in account to the system. First I don't like that. Second is that we have lost pin, and could not remember password or something, so we have gone through maze of xbox, microsoft online settings and whatnots. On Linux? Pass account, and password, we are set to go - The second encounter was with playing a older F…

I had the same experience, except I DID remember my password, but it wanted me to merge my Mojang and Microsoft account, and I went thru some broken login loop for like 20 minutes before I had appeased the gods...

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

#350

Post by mythz »

naldb wrote: post #344
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…

The best thing to happen to Linux Desktop is not that it has improved but that its biggest competitor has dropped the ball? That’s not really praising it.

Linux is the better OS. Windows 11 just forces people to evaluate other OS's to experience the latest Linux for themselves.

I didn't have the time as a working Adult for distro hopping and Gentoo compiles, but the thought of having to live with Windows 11 made me try out modern linux again, glad I did.

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