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People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

windowscentral.com

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Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#361

Post by judah »

OliveMate wrote: post #277

I think the decreasing fondness of Windows can mostly be blamed on Microsoft forcing their internet services on users; with the need for Microsoft accounts being the most recent & damning of the bunch. You had gadgets in Vista & 7, but they could easily be disabled. 8 had live tiles for things like the news (effortlessly removable) and introduced the Microsoft Store (which increasingly needs an account). 8.1 added Bi…

FYI, Microsoft Store doesn't need an account. You can install apps without being signed in to the Store.

Source: I work on the Microsoft Store.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#362

Post by HoldOnAMinute »

grujicd wrote: post #12

This "make Windows better" push is far more political than technological. It's a fight with other divisions about using Windows as a marketing and sales channel for other products and services. It has to be a decision from the very top. I hope they realize that Windows is in significant danger, the majority market share for Desktop OS is not guaranteed anymore. It's not just 10% of revenue, it's a foundation for how…

>> It has to be a decision from the very top

Satya is incentivized to maximize his own pay package, not whatever it is that customers whinge about

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#363

Post by mikkupikku »

branko_d wrote: post #320
Someone1234 wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows' search has been broken for multiple generations now. Some people inside Microsoft seemingly even know , that's why the PowerToys team created "PowerToys Run." A Windows Search that actually basically functions correctly. People act like it sudden was broken in Windows 11 when in reality it never worked correctly in 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 either. Instead of fixing it, they've only made it worse. It seems like nobod…

If memory serves, Windows 2000 was the last version where search worked reliably. It was a simple linear search through files which could take a while on larger folders, but was reliable and predictable since it did not rely on a background indexing service which seems to get stale or just plain wrong most of the time. If I search for “foo”, I’d like to get all files containing “foo” please, without a shadow of a dou…

> It was a simple linear search through files which could take a while on larger folders, but was reliable and predictable since it did not rely on a background indexing service which seems to get stale or just plain wrong most of the time.

It would be easy to have your cake and eat it too. Have the file search default to the index. Allow frustrated users to then click a button that says "search harder" which would initiate the full enumeration of the relevant filesystems. Of course some UX professional will tell me I'm wrong, they don't like anything they didn't think of themselves.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#364

Post by TheDong »

antiframe wrote: post #343
TheDong wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being unable to install an alternate app store or sideload my own apps means I need an apple ID to use the computer I purchased. Again, android phones with GrapheneOS or windows machines with linux let me use my hardware fully without creating any advertising-ridden-evil-corporate-company's account, including building and running my own apps. I can't even build my own code for iOS, let alone run it, without an apple…

> windows machines with linux let me use my hardware fully without creating any advertising-ridden-evil-corporate-company's account Does Windows machines with Linux here mean WSL2 on Windows? I think the problem people have had with Microsoft accounts is exaclty that they need to use a Microsoft account to use their computers and they don't like it. If it instead means Linux machine (not sure what Windows has to do w…

I mean installing linux, not WSL. I can install linux without ever thinking about a MS account on most windows laptops.

Apple restricts their iDevice computers to only run iOS, with no option to install linux.

Microsoft _could_ require that lenovo or dell lock down secureboot such that linux cannot be installed, but they don't (not to mention microsoft surface pros can run linux), so apple is clearly doing more to restrict my freedom with their devices than microsoft is with theirs.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#367

Post by lobf »

fodkodrasz wrote: post #307
weaksauce wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

reading all these comments about windows having better shortcuts and window management features makes me feel like i'm taking crazy pills. windows for me was hands down the worst experience in ux. the shortcuts in macos are so well thought out and consistent. now i'm using kde in linux land and it's the best and most customizable experience. I can't imagine going back to windows ever and would be missing a lot from l…

I give you a well thought out macos shortcut for example. Ok, it is for a niche feature people rarely use... Screenshots, put straight to the clipboard. On windows you have 2 options, bot pretty unintuitive: 1. You can either press PrintScreen button... (OK boomer, who uses a full size keyboard? My RGB clicky-keys 57% keyboard doesn't even have backspace, return, escape or delete, I don't even know when I saw a keybo…

>Meanwhile on the intuitive MacOs to do this you only have to press Command+Option+Shift+4

It's command-shift-4, no option key involved.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#368

Post by mikkupikku »

Arainach wrote: post #304
mikkupikku wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half those aren't even remotely harsh. Saying the raspberry pi wasn't designed to be mained is totally reasonable, what possible objection do you have to somebody saying that?

That my complaints trying to install software have absolutely nothing to do with it being a Raspberry Pi and the experience is identical on any Linux machine. > Half those aren't even remotely harsh. ....and the fact that people consider this to be the case is more evidence of the Linux community's hostility. Linux is like Rick and Morty: I don't mind it, but I never want to be associated with its fans.

If you can't take the mildlest of implied criticisms without feeling offended, this isn't a Linux problem, it's a you wandered out of your safe space hugbox problem.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#369

Post by themafia »

pllbnk wrote: post #339
autoexec wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Makes it easier for them to mine your files for personal data they can use to push ads I guess.

All they (all big tech companies) have been doing for the past decades has been mining data for ads. Yet, they still are pretty much stuck on the same level: - I search for and buy something, they keep showing me ads for the thing I don't need anymore. - I check out some random product, they all think if they just show me one more ad with that product, I will surely buy it. While I am not immune to ads and they help…

- You started watching videos about farm equipment and how repairable it isn't. Now you get ads for farm supplies. You haven't been on a farm in 25 years.

Re: People inside Microsoft are fighting to drop mandatory Microsoft Account

#370

Post by pedalpete »

Of all the things wrong with windows, I don't feel that having a Microsoft account is the worst of them, or the one that needs the most attention.

Is the reasoning that if you don't have a Microsoft account, they'll do less of the ads nonsense which is baked into the OS? Maybe I don't get what the issue is.

I've tried linux, but haven't converted (though I'm tempted), but my mac has a mac account and nobody seems to complain about that, my android has a google account, why is a Microsoft account so much worse.

The things I feel it is more important for Microsoft to get rid of 1) the push for OneDrive everywhere - Mac is as bad if you don't have iCloud 2) updates requiring "set-up" and trying to trick you into adding services in the process 3) Windows Hello moving the "sign in" button down 10px once it recognizes you....WTF!! 4) ads, ads, ads (though if you don't use start button much or Edge, I think this is mostly avoided 5) letting apps add shortcuts to your desktop on an update.

What am I not understanding?

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