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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

#531
Our small business needs to use Windows (at this time) for some Windows-only software. We work to configure each box as bare and simple as possible for all the normal reasons. I can’t imagine this will make our work simpler while maintaining our data security.

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

#532
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the lamentations of having to tinker with Linux to get it to work properly are rapidly approaching a nuclear level irony bomb...

There is no comparison. Linux suffers from "not my department" syndrome. If some component in the stack borks the install you are in hell trying to fix it and risk breaking something else. Windows for all its faults still has some semblance of the majority of the OS being developed under one roof so things actually work together.

Post like this mystify me. I’ve been on Ubuntu since 2008 and I’ve never once had a failed install. Now installing redhat from floppies in 1998? Yes that sucked. But it’s been a good experience for a really long time.

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

#533

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 don’t even mind logging in on a personal laptop but we have shared computers at work to operate machines. It does not make any sense to login with your account in one of those.

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

#534
post #359
post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Linux is now the better OS, after the other one got significantly worse than it used to be, and even that is close call depending on what you need Linux to do.

Linux has been better for a long, long time now.

People use Windows because of the software, not because of the operating system itself. The best thing windows can do is not assert itself and hide as much as possible. As soon as you have to start interacting with any windows systems, it becomes clear how hacky and poorly conceptualized the OS is.

The best versions of Windows were the least annoying.

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

#535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows can live in a VM no problem. But, depends on your use case. For GPU heavy usage, you can do GPU passthrough, and that needs a dedicated video card exclusive for the VM. If you only have light usage, like office tools, you can get by the mostly default settings. I suggest that you just try - it's a couple of hours to install Linux and install Windows in a VM. You can try Linux dual-booting, so, no need to impa…

OK, in my case its just boring business & CRUD apps, no GPU stuff nor gaming (btw: I find most business apps, esp. payment & accounting systems, everything else than boring - feel free to flame me for that :-D ) And can I also use MSSQL server? (which I could ditch anyway then, I guess, since we are using mainly ORM and no database-specific features)

I think you in this case, you should definitely try the VM route. Non-3d user interfaces, networking, etc should all work with no problems, MSSQL included. Do a prototype as soon as you're able, because that will answer most of your questions, and raise new ones as well.

To your second point, yes, I imagine that MSSQL could be exchanged to something else like Postgres, MariaDB or MySQL. Although, maybe you can get away with SQLite too, depending heavily on the use case of course.

Good luck!

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

#536

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…

> Or better yet, maybe Microsoft will realize very important parts of Windows are going downhill and remember what made Windows great.

Microsoft have done 180's in the past. I still hope that at some point they'll see the light and what you say here above will suddenly click and become evident to them. Windows, and DOS before that, did not succeed by holding customers as hostages.

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

#537
Every Windows-shipping laptop I review, the very first thing I type up is the process for setting up Windows without setting up a cloud account. It's already a 7-10 step process on existing laptops. If they want to make that a 20-30 step process, I'm A-OK scaring off potential customers writing out a weekend project for them; I don't make money on sales, and people seem to appreciate me taking the time to write this process out.

Do it, bozos!

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

#538
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…

I swear I saw these exact same comments when Windows 8 released.

We were able to wait out Windows 8. Windows 7 was supported through 2020 and Windows 10 came out in 2015.

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

#539

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 1…

I recommend Linux native and a MS Windows VM using livbirt/virt-manager unless you have need for GPU acceleration in your workflow.

This way you can slowly migrate your software to the Linux side and maybe eventually forget to turn on your VM for months.

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

#540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess downvotes come from people that believe vim + grep + printf debugging is peak development environment. Quite amazing that they even go for something such advanced as vim, instead of sticking with ed, for I believe there exists some Linux user claiming that ed doesn't lack anything that VS has.

No you’re just completely ignorant. You can trivially set breakpoints, use conditional breakpoints, watch variables, step over, through, and into in exactly the same way. Hell, even raw-dogging lldb directly on the CLI is incredibly user friendly, fast, and has a ton features you wish were more exposed by common IDEs. Don’t feel like debugging right now? Take a heap snapshot and do it later! Don’t even need to launch…

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