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Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

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Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#201

Post by daveoc64 »

khaledh wrote: post #119

Microsoft knew they were losing the client device market to iPhone and Android (after their Windows Phone flopped). So they essentially gave up on improving Windows, and decided to turn it into a thin client for Microsoft cloud services. For this model to work well, they need to force users to have a stable identification, aka Microsoft account, in order to login to the thin client. Windows is over. I moved to Apple…

>Windows is over. I moved to Apple silicon a while ago and never looked back. Even though macOS has its warts, it's not hostile to its users.

It's also very naggy about signing up to iCloud and using an Apple Account.

It doesn't force you - but it's still annoying.

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#202

Post by theandrewbailey »

aboringusername wrote: post #121
janwillemb wrote: post #31

It is very hard to use Android without a Google account. Most people accept that. They must have learnt from that.

This isn't true at all. Getting a Pixel and GrapheneOS running requires no Google account (but does require the internet initially to enable OEM unlocking). Once GrapheneOS is installed, no further interaction with Google is required. You can happily and easily use a main profile without play services/Gapps (and Graphene allows you to block 'network' at the socket layer if you do need to use apps). You could then hav…

I've been running LineageOS without MindTheGapps for about 2 months. (I was using LineageOS + MindTheGapps for several years on the same phone, but recently reflashed it.) My "app stores" are Fdroid and Aptoide. Not only what I have is usable, it feels faster and doesn't slow down after a week without rebooting.

My brother is stunned that I'm still using such an old phone (8 year old Moto). Unfortunately, no recent model Moto phones can run Lineage. My next phone will probably be a Pixel with Graphene or Lineage.

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#203

Post by samiv »

swat535 wrote: post #197
donnachangstein wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm also 100% convinced Microsoft will introduce mandatory code signing at some point and make it so that you can only ever install software from Windows Store 2017 called. It wants Windows S Mode back. Needless to say it still isn't very popular. But this has been around for 8 years now

Where is the EU when you need it? It’s only a matter of time before Microsoft forces everyone with local accounts to switch to a Microsoft Account just to access their own machines. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, local accounts are completely disabled, except maybe on specialized enterprise versions of the OS. I'm exhausted by the anti-consumer behavior of American companies, constantly restricting user c…

Profit?

You mean "enhanced security and user experience"? /s

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#204

Post by freehorse »

Nab443 wrote: post #113
freehorse wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you install anything from the windows store without a Microsoft account, or from google play without a google one? I assume this is already the state of affairs since ever, but except iOS all the rest allow you to install stuff outside their stores.

Just a matter of time. Look at where their interest are. Apple will probably be second on this, but if it happens it will be for both and the argument of security will be cried out loud at whoever complains.

It is not all a bad outcome, then anybody who wants to do any serious work on a computer will be forced to use linux.

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#205

Post by astrobase_go »

nobodyandproud wrote: post #154
eru wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apropos, running Steam on my Archlinux Desktop with Windows compatibility turned on works really, really well. Much better than what I remembered from the bad old days of trying to get stuff running in Wine.

Linux Mint with Lutris and Wine. I completely removed Windows from all of my personal notebooks and workstations.

I game using Steam on Pop_OS![1] with a home-built AMD machine and, while I know there are some background processes (Proton) that run to establish and maintain a compatibility layer, it's nearly seamless to me as a user. The most I really see is a progress bar that appears before some games where Vulcan shaders have to be pre-rendered. In my experience everything needed for Windows-native games to run on Linux is handled automatically, without any configuration, runtime flags, or anything else.

Early on I consulted ProtonDB to see if my games would run, but honestly now I don't even look at it any more. While YMMV depending on the games you play, I haven't encountered really any major bugs and zero crashes. The most I found was some strange shadow texture rendering artifacting in Baldur's Gate 3, but it was contained to a particular part of a particular map.

A decade ago it was kind of rough, but now? I am never going back to Windows for gaming. Playing games on Linux is light-years better than what it used to be. If you're curious but haven't tried it because you had bad experiences in the past, I'd encourage anyone to give it another go.

1: https://system76.com/pop/

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#206

Post by nosioptar »

freehorse wrote: post #84
djaychela wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Until you need to download something from the app store (happened to me the other day on a mac I wiped and then needed to bring on holiday so now I need to go through the process again afterwards)

Can you install anything from the windows store without a Microsoft account, or from google play without a google one? I assume this is already the state of affairs since ever, but except iOS all the rest allow you to install stuff outside their stores.

Yes, you can install shit off the play store without a google account. I use the Aurora Store to do so.

(Aurora store might log in to a google account behind the scenes, but I don't have to have a google account to use it.)

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#207

Post by dharmab »

jmclnx wrote: post #190
Kab1r wrote: post #47

Is there a good reason (other than licensing and Linux as an alternative) I shouldn't use Windows Server 202X as a Desktop OS?

These days there is no reason to use Windows at home. Just move to a distro like Mint or Ubuntu. It will save you money and help stop filling up Landfills. I am on a 10+ year old Laptop with Slackware, for desktop use it is just as fast as any modern Laptop with Windows, I would even say it is faster. Also you will find Libreoffice is just as good as M/S Office. Just ignore the fud. FWIW, I believe many foreign count…

> These days there is no reason to use Windows at home.

I have two, sadly.

1. I use my Windows PC for flight simulators. While many simulators will indeed run under proton, the hardware devices (VR, joysticks, throttles, pedals, panels, etc.) usually will not, or at best run with minimal functionality.

2. I develop cross-platform software and need a Windows PC to test that environment.

A third for some people:

3. There is no great alternative to certain visual media software. e.g. Affinity Photo/Adobe Photoshop has no equivalent on Linux. No, GIMP is not anywhere near equivalent- in the same way that Nano is not equivalent to Visual Studio Code.

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#208

Post by grishka »

theandrewbailey wrote: post #198
grishka wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mandatory code signing is meaningless without secure boot though, which can't be made mandatory on x86 systems.

I was under the impression that Secure Boot was a lot of the reason behind Windows 11's TPM 2.0 requirement.

That requirement isn't technical though. It's purely a marketing one. You can still install Windows 11 on a TPM-less machine and, for all intents and purposes, it'll work just fine.

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#209

Post by hilbert42 »

grishka wrote: post #148
bsdetector wrote: post #10

In October when Windows 10 support ends it'll finally be the year of desktop linux.

I'd like to remind you that there are still millions of people around the world using Windows 7 daily. The fact that some software is no longer supported by its developer doesn't mean it stops working somehow, or becomes radioactive.

"I'd like to remind you that there are still millions of people around the world using Windows 7 daily"

Correct, and I am one of them!

Re: Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

#210

Post by kasabali »

sgjohnson wrote: post #75
Kab1r wrote: post #47

Is there a good reason (other than licensing and Linux as an alternative) I shouldn't use Windows Server 202X as a Desktop OS?

You don’t need to use the Server SKU. LTSC exists. It’s basically the Server version, but without any of the Server stuff.

To be pedantic, Server 2022 is a newer build than any Windows 10 version.
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