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Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

infosec.exchange

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

#221
post #45

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. They are envious of the Google and Apple walled gardens/cashcows and are now determined to turn Windows into one. Windows is no longer a product for users, the users of Windows are the product for Microsoft to be shoved into the Azure sales funnel.

This misses how Microsoft makes money from Windows. Taking a cut of apps isn’t that useful because most people don’t install many apps. Of course it’s still welcome revenue, especially for games, but Steam has too much goodwill there, and Epic won’t still idly by (and Adobe etc in other domains). Instead Microsoft is trying to upsell cloud storage, backup and ad-free email (along with Office apps) with Microsoft 365.…

The app-store-only restriction would likely be for home edition. If you want custom apps, you'll need pro or business licenses.

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

#222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only issue with that is when you switch to Linux, alternatives to Azure is much more compelling. I would never use Azure services unless I'm on Windows.

Could you explain this a bit more? I happen to like Azure, probably because I understand it a lot better than the other cloud platforms. What’s the connection to Linux OS?

I use Azure every day at work and I’m honestly baffled anyone could have this opinion. The interface is slow to load, when it works at all. I’ve had my log tails just strait up crash not allowing me to debug for hours. The documentation it ok, but if you want to do anything that’s not c# it’s a fucking nightmare.

I was recently trying to integrate EasyAuth OIDC with a custom IdP and it was a terrible experience. No logs indicating why it wasn’t working. I had to dig down into the configuration xml schema to discover EasyAuth didn’t even support client_secret_basic auth method so we couldn’t use it in the end. Every product is like this. Great if you do everything MS wants you to do exactly, but if you have any requirements not blessed by Microsoft you’re SOL.

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

#223
post #45

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. They are envious of the Google and Apple walled gardens/cashcows and are now determined to turn Windows into one. Windows is no longer a product for users, the users of Windows are the product for Microsoft to be shoved into the Azure sales funnel.

> 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

It's been near a decade of them trying and failing (or over a decade, if one'd look at windows 8 and its apps as part of some plan), that at some point this 'what if they lock everything down!!' thing just sounds like a FUD, which is kinda ironic. And the 'they're locking down installs!!' thing too, every time they make a change it gets to the front page here, and yet it still remains circumventable (just use Rufus). Years have gone by and the actual "locking down" of it still hasn't arrived.

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

#224

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

I actually would consider S Mode if it supported steam and it's games. For serious computing I boot into Linux anyways.

For serious gaming, I use my Linux powered Steam Deck

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

#225

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

"It is very hard to use Android without a Google account."

It depends on what type of user one is. If one wants to be spoon fed and data-raped by Google then your statement is true.

But there are other options that make an Android smartphone both functional and viable without both a Google account and Google apps.

Except for test accounts on test machines sans anything of any use to Google installed, I've never had a Google account and I manage perfectly well, and I've used Android since version 4.

On rooted devices I hack Google to pieces, all Google apps are removed so is just about any other software that communicates with Google. On devices that aren't rooted, I'll disable all Google apps including Google Play Services and the Play Store, make sure a firewall is installed and that all apps except those with explicit permission are blocked from internet access and rerouted via a VPN to a nonexistent network. And so on, and so on….

Everything I want to use works, Google software is replaced with apps from F-Droid and other sources of non-Google origin. Still, I've no trouble viewing YouTube and I do so without ads, also I've no difficulty using the Play Store and downloading apps without a Google account.

There's really nothing that Google can offer me in addition to the third party apps and services that I already use. This phone has 215 apps installed and a second phone has 307—these apps are sourced from both F-Droid and the Play Store. Most apps however are open source/from F-Droid, etc.

For those who don't want to go to the extremes that I have there are many halfway measures one can take to minimize Google's impact.

BTW, in the past I've uploaded stuff to YouTube which I've done with 'dummy' test accounts.

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

#227
post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not in Windows ecosystem for more than 25 years now. But I had to buy couple of windows laptops for sales team at my business. I tried very hard but windows wouldn’t allow me to set it up without first creating Microsoft Account online. I’m in Apple ecosystem, not that they are significantly different but they atleast allow me to use the system albeit in limited capacity. I’m seriously considering going back to L…

We’ve been running our company (6ish people) solely on Fedora and it’s been a breeze, but then we’re a bunch of nerds, so not necessarily a surprise. The real test how much the Linux desktop has matured happened when I set up a fedora laptop for my parents to get around hp desperately coaxing them into some kind of subscription and an endless stream of ads/complaints from Microsoft to buy into a cloud service. After…

Yeah, for anyone with a modicum of technical capacity, the year of linux on the desktop was about five years ago.

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

#228
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, the technology is already there. Just a question of time before they flip the switch for good and force it down everyone's throat and call it "enhanced security and user experience".

Windows S failed hard so they have a new strategy. Every new CPU ships with M$'s Pluton root of trust. For 'security' everything will have to be signed. They consider the user to be the threat actor. Eventually they will charge a percsnt fee for using their signing service.

This sounds like the UEFI Secure Boot FUD from > 10 years ago. That also didn't turn out like they predicted.

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

#229
post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imo just works is an understatement. Many games work better than ever.

I still have a Windows computer for a single reason: PUBG on Steam. If that worked on Linux, I would not longer need Windows at all...

PUBG - the game that must have tried every different AC at some point. Plus layering multiple at the same time.

I am glad they've added bots years ago which made me stop playing so I do not miss it.

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

#230

I'm surprised that they're doing this now, with how strained international relations are. I'm sure their timing will help motivate serious non-us customers to look at linux for desktop use.

I really doubt that if it was, say, the early 90s (with millions of people yet unfamiliar to computing) and MS and Linux was in its current state of development, that the masses wouldn't have found it much more frictionless just to use linux. MS is literally running on hot air, hubris, and lock-in the likes of which I don't think many others cant match, devil incarnate not withstanding.
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