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Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

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Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#381

Post by SXX »

fodkodrasz wrote: post #294
SXX wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you do have permissions to install packages you can end up with a system in messed up state pretty easily. 1 - Enable wrong ROMFusion because you need these damn video codecs for VLC. I have like 20 years of Linux experience and I still messe up Fedora in 2025 trying to make video work. 2 - Just forget that big update going in background and shutdown system when not appropriate. Boom. On Windows its just much hard…

> Only solution is really distros with immutable root and snapshots. Lucky for you then, as Fedora does have an immutable desktop flavour! https://fedoraproject.org/atomic-desktops/silverblue/

Thanks. Will check it out, but unsure if Asahi have an option for this.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#382

Post by chaz6 »

daemin wrote: post #296

One thing I disagree with the article about is that drives should not be encrypted by default. For the vast majority of people an encrypted drive is just data loss lying in wait. I prefer to use non-encrypted drives so I have the option of popping out the disk and reading it from another system with ease, which also means that I can recover files from drives of otherwise dead systems just as easily. This is a trade o…

When an SSD fails it often reverts to read-only mode. The manufacturers may require you to return the drive to receive a replacement or refund. By which point it is too late. You now have the choice of potentially risking the disclosure of your personal data to a third-party (and your shipment could end up on a lost-parcel auction of it did not get delivered) or missing out on your warranty.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#383

Post by Telaneo »

globular-toast wrote: post #259
VTimofeenko wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Moving 15 years back puts you into glory Win7 days. IIRC, the spam started with win8 which was released ~13 years ago and was very mild at first

Actually it was Vista that made me quit for good, so I might be out of date with my "15 years" claim. It's amazing how things can seem great when looking back at them. I remember when Bush was President of the US and we made fun of him for being "stupid". Now looking back he seemed like a great chap. The good old days...

> It's amazing how things can seem great when looking back at them. I remember when Bush was President of the US and we made fun of him for being "stupid". Now looking back he seemed like a great chap. The good old days...

Things were bad back then too. They're just even worse now (at least on those fronts).

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#384

Post by Telaneo »

neuropacabra wrote: post #265

As much as I avoiding any Microsoft technology at any cost. I do have a gaming rig at home, and yes I have Windows on it. I only use it to launch Steam and GOG, nothing else except the casual web browsing. I have been driving Arch btw and was fine, but these days you CAN install Windows 11 locally without Microsoft account. So I took it a shot for better game compatability. This is not Linux/Window flame. I am trying…

It's certainly possible, but it certainly ain't a happy path. If you have to do shift+F10, strategically disconnect your ethernet cable, or remember to tick a box when making your bootable USB to be able to make local account, something has gone terribly, horribly wrong.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#385

Post by Telaneo »

newtonianrules wrote: post #321
Telaneo wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adobe. Games with kernel anti-cheat. Office 365 (I think this mostly applies to overly complex Excel spreadsheets with lots of macros? There are also a bunch of people here who say LibreOffice has bad UI, or that they (somehow?) have documents that are complex enough that LibreOffice can't display them properly. Openoffice is somewhat better on those fronts, but neither are good enough if it's for actual work).

> Games with kernel anti-cheat. This one’s easy, if they don’t support Steam Deck (basically a proxy for Linux support), I don’t play them.

Tell that to someone with 6000 hours in Rainbow Six Siege and plays it every single day.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#386

Post by hyperman1 »

brookst wrote: post #322
seethishat wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's really about personal privacy. Your computer is likely to be stolen and sold. If you don't want others reading your email, viewing your pictures, seeing your tax returns, etc. then you should encrypt the drive. I call this "The Pawn Shop Threat Model" ;) And, IME it is likely to happen.

For the typical user, this is far far far more likely to happen than that they would “pop out” the drive and read it in another machine. Defaults should be safe for most users. Power users are exactly the people who can deal with changing a setting. It’s constantly surprising to me when technical people insist that defaults should be optimized for technical people.

This is not the correct model. For a typical user, they can bring the laptop to someone knowledgeable, who will pop out the drive for them.

The main question is: What is the biggest risk: theft or data corruption.

In my experience, corruption and ransomware is more common so FDE should be off for households desktops or laptops, as these rarely leave the house. A business tends to have managed devices and data loss is a legal nightmare, so FDE should be on. The main thing is: people should be able to choose.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#387

Post by amlib »

Grimm665 wrote: post #331
Grombobulous wrote: post #283

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other potentially obvious question is why bother using an OS that’s out of support when Linux is so good? I left Windows 11. The last straw wasn’t Microsoft accounts or Windows updates. I actually thought the OS was fine, most OS updates actually added great new features, and anything I considered an annoyance was easy to disable permanently. Toss your Windows 11 ISO into Rufus and disabling things like Microsoft…

> The other potentially obvious question is why bother using an OS that’s out of support when Linux is so good? I'm in the process of setting up a Linux desktop to replace my Win10 one, and for me it's these (if anyone has suggestions for migration or replacement, I'd love some opinions!) - Lightroom. If anyone knows how to either run this under Linux, or migrate an entirely catalog of photos (plus edits) to somethin…

> - MusicBee. There just does not seem to be a good music manager for Linux that can replace MusicBee. I rarely use it as a music player, there are dozens of great options for Linux music players, but MusicBee feeds my Airsonic instance, and I have not found a good way to manage music graphically in a way that maintains this setup.

For a traditional "all batteries included" collection management music player try Strawberry and Quod Libet. You should also look into the MuiscBrainz Picard tagger, it's a bit unwieldy to use but is very powerful once you learn it's wonky workflow.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#388

Post by memcg »

Jordan-117 wrote: post #367
memcg wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Windows+also+in+%22S+mode%22 "Switching Out of S Mode If you find that S mode is too restrictive, you can switch out of it for free. However, according to Microsoft Support, doing this is a one-way street—once you leave S mode, you cannot go back without completely reinstalling Windows.To switch out of S mode:Open the Start Menu and click Settings.Navigate to System > Activation.Look f…

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48537350

I responded because your solution was to use Linux Mint which I have installed a few times on older hardware. My experience getting older relatives to use Mint has not gone well. The most common is their reliance on Microsoft Office. Windows S mode and having to use the Microsoft Store might save me time supporting them.

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#389

Post by spikej »

jasode wrote: post #194
sviruz wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Running Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC still gives you updates until 2031 with the added benefit of no app store. I run it as my main OS since last October and have yet to encounter any issues.

>Running Windows 10 Enterprise IoT LTSC [...] have yet to encounter any issues. It depends on the type of software a user runs. I installed Windows 10 LTSC on a friend's computer last year thinking she could run it for at least 5 more years and just ignore the newer Windows 11/12/whatever. But she needed Intuit TurboTax 2025 and it requires Windows 11 and it's a hard requirement. The installer aborts on Windows 10. I…

Those one-offs can always be in a separate VM (in Hyper-V or something)

Re: Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything

#390

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

hellojesus wrote: post #374
ryandrake wrote: post #366

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious: Are you specifically worried about a robber who is targeting your tax information in particular? Home breakins are relatively rare, and when they do happen, for the vast majority of them, the robber grabs whatever cash, jewelry, and other small, easy-to-pawn valuables, and are probably not going to care about computers. And for those rare robbers who actually grab your computer, what percentage of them are r…

Maybe I am the fool. :) I think about crime in the way I would do it, which is to grab the valuables police are unlikely to care about (hard drives) that allow me to quickly clone and encrypt myself, so I can destroy the tangible evidence, and then I have unlimited time to crack and review the information, and then even more time to execute my malicious attack against identities or whatever other I information I do f…

Thieves are typically not technical people. If they were, they'd be using their technical skills at a legitimate job, not relying on burglarizing to make a quick buck.

They also are interested in getting in and out as quickly as possible. They're not going to take the time to disassemble a computer to remove just the hard drive, they're gonna steal the entire computer.

> Maybe I should read about these actual crimes

You should, especially on the kidnapping front. The extreme majority of kidnappings are from a relative or someone the child knows who will run off with them during the day, not break in at night.

...

Not sure that actually will make you feel better, tbh.

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