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Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

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Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#11

Post by RaleyField »

enitihas wrote: post #8
timwis wrote: post #3

So basically the android approach

Nope, windows phone took the Android approach. Anyways, android is usable without signing into a google account. You can use the Amazon app store (which has most of popular apps), or fdroid or download apk files yourself like windows of old. Windows is a paid product, Android is not. Apart from including ridiculous ads and telemetry some of which can't be disabled, Windows seems to be taking user hosting steps every…

That's what you can do, sometimes. Step around dozens of dark patterns. It's not what your less tech-savvy relatives can realistically do.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#12

Post by Erlich_Bachman »

jevgeni wrote: post #9
RaleyField wrote: post #5

I use Linux, I am pretty ambivalent about Windows, I don't like adware and telemetry in my paid-for software but if they really start doing that honestly that will irritate me enough to start pushing people to Ubuntu when that's possible.

Well, if the software is paid in full, there are no ads.

What version of Windows do people need to buy for it to (right after the installation, with no additional tweaking) have the telemetry keylogger turned off and no ads in start menu and no adware or links to other Microsoft's products there? I've been looking for such a version for a long time.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#13

Post by timwis »

enitihas wrote: post #8
timwis wrote: post #3

So basically the android approach

Nope, windows phone took the Android approach. Anyways, android is usable without signing into a google account. You can use the Amazon app store (which has most of popular apps), or fdroid or download apk files yourself like windows of old. Windows is a paid product, Android is not. Apart from including ridiculous ads and telemetry some of which can't be disabled, Windows seems to be taking user hosting steps every…

Hm don’t you need to sign in on android for google play services to work? Which is necessary for a tonne of stuff

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#14

Post by alxlaz »

jevgeni wrote: post #9
RaleyField wrote: post #5

I use Linux, I am pretty ambivalent about Windows, I don't like adware and telemetry in my paid-for software but if they really start doing that honestly that will irritate me enough to start pushing people to Ubuntu when that's possible.

Well, if the software is paid in full, there are no ads.

This is not true. I have Win 10 Pro on my work laptop. It's very much "paid in full". Some of the things I paid in full for include Bubble Witch 3 Saga, Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Friends, and the Start menu came pre-populated with a bunch of ads for similarly useful apps (edit: among other things).

Edit: if someone who's more Windows-savvy than this ol' Unix nerd knows what information I ought to edit out of a screenshot so that I can safely share it, I have the screenshot, too. This "if you pay for Win 10 Pro there are no ads" crap pops up every single damn time so I took a screenshot of my laptop's untouched Win 10 Pro installation.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#16

Post by enitihas »

jevgeni wrote: post #10
enitihas wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, windows phone took the Android approach. Anyways, android is usable without signing into a google account. You can use the Amazon app store (which has most of popular apps), or fdroid or download apk files yourself like windows of old. Windows is a paid product, Android is not. Apart from including ridiculous ads and telemetry some of which can't be disabled, Windows seems to be taking user hosting steps every…

The fact that you have to actively and deliberately fork over cash for Windows, but not for Android, where it's hidden -- that really seems to trip people up.

And it's not hidden in windows, where you have candy crush pre-installed and ads in the start menu. So in windows, you fork over cash, give your data, and then have to seem some ads.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#17

Post by enitihas »

RaleyField wrote: post #11
enitihas wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope, windows phone took the Android approach. Anyways, android is usable without signing into a google account. You can use the Amazon app store (which has most of popular apps), or fdroid or download apk files yourself like windows of old. Windows is a paid product, Android is not. Apart from including ridiculous ads and telemetry some of which can't be disabled, Windows seems to be taking user hosting steps every…

That's what you can do, sometimes. Step around dozens of dark patterns. It's not what your less tech-savvy relatives can realistically do.

So with windows they are even more screwed, as they will have to pay for it, and then see ads. Worse that Android for sure.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#18

Post by pjmlp »

StanislavPetrov wrote: post #2

I've has MS-DOS and/or Windows as one of my boot options on all of my systems for gaming purposes for 30+ years, but the day they mandate a Microsoft account is the day I finally ditch them all together.

You can use the iCloud or Google Play ones instead.

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#19

Post by pjmlp »

alxlaz wrote: post #14
jevgeni wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, if the software is paid in full, there are no ads.

This is not true. I have Win 10 Pro on my work laptop. It's very much "paid in full". Some of the things I paid in full for include Bubble Witch 3 Saga, Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Friends, and the Start menu came pre-populated with a bunch of ads for similarly useful apps (edit: among other things). Edit: if someone who's more Windows-savvy than this ol' Unix nerd knows what information I ought to edit out of a…

Apparently when a GNU/Linux installation shows messages to try out stuff, it is "spreading the good for the community", or has a modified motd, when one gets a couple of links on the start menu, easily removed by right clicking on them, it is "bloody Microsoft".

Re: Microsoft apparently removing ‘Offline Accounts’ for international Windows users

#20

Post by tonyedgecombe »

lstamour wrote: post #4

This might be old news. The “Offline Account” link appears in Windows 10 Pro but not Windows 10 Home. It’s unclear which version this is. https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/222344/microsoft...

At the moment, it's clear what the direction of travel is.
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