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I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

extremetech.com

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Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#421

Post by wrs »

dgan wrote: post #414
AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Non-technical users want a stable system that doesn't constantly change. ...and you're recommending Linux Desktop for that? An operating system famous for breaking compatibility with itself every 2 years or so? Not to mention between distros. I mean, I suppose you can just leave them on some arbitrary un-updated version of Ubuntu forever, but the same could be said for Windows 2000.

This is misleading, as you can always turn on security updates, and turn off applications upgrades. I don't even know that's possible on Windows (I guess answer is a loud and clear NO)

For a few years, until that version stops getting security updates. E.g., about three years for Debian. [0]

[0] https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#422

Post by r00fus »

tinus_hn wrote: post #417
alpaca128 wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft really is one of the worst examples in the dark pattern department that I've ever seen. Same with their email service, where you can register an account without issues and after a few weeks of use I was presented with an unskippable input field for my phone number. Don't want to give MS your phone number? Too bad, better hope you don't need those emails anymore.

Google paved the way for that trick, Gmail does exactly the same.

So is there a way to use Gmail without creating a "Google" account?

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#423

Post by agloeregrets »

toyg wrote: post #358
agloe_dreams wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

....actually you do not need an iCloud account to use a mac or iPhone, but on iPhone you do need an iCloud account to download apps. On mac you can setup and use the machine entirely offline forever. The same irony goes for the Windows 11 CPU support, the next version of macOS supports machines twice as old as Windows 11 supports. Microsoft embraces alt payment methods in the store and supports regulation, Apple does…

> you do not need an iCloud account to use a mac or iPhone ... but you are similarly prompted and dark-patterned to create one anyway. It is just marginally easier to skip the choice, if you don't mind being nagged or diving into the buried option you need to switch it all off. And without an account, loads of features like family Screen Time don't even work. Apple paved the way, while MS was being cautious because o…

Microsoft started the majority of this back in Windows 8 and made it a dark pattern to skip in 10, this isn't really an Apple thing. The whole industry moved this way.

Windows 11 breaks the bar here and requires internet now. It's not a dark pattern or skippable like you are implying here and it's not on remotely the same level as Apple or Google. Microsoft clearly is being the worst of anyone here.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#424

Post by Brakenshire »

arp242 wrote: post #329
BLKNSLVR wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Windows isn't anywhere near as ubiquitous as it used to be. Once W11 requires a MS login I'm not installing it for any friends or family - they're getting on the Linux express or working it out themselves. I won't be party to this BS, this isn't the future I wanted to facilitate.

Both Android and iOS require an account to be practically useful for most people, and have for years. Microsoft is "only" following suit, and I'm afraid that a bunch of hackers here aren't enough to stop the tide :-/

People here can keep an alternative alive.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#425

Post by skohan »

gorjusborg wrote: post #354
skohan wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes exactly - MS does not respect the user's ownership of their own hardware. My favorite thing about Linux is that it does what I tell it to, and that's all it does.

MS is making me sad. I like what they are doing in some areas, like WSL2, but on the other hand, they are taking cues from Apple on how to treat computing customers. The "we'll protect you, but you need to login and install everything through our store" paradigm is an awful trade, in my opinion.

I don't know, I think they are bad in a different way from Apple, and in my opinion this way is worse. Apple enforces what is and isn't allowed on their platform with an "Apple knows best" attitude, but besides this the UX basically respects the user and gets out of your way.

Microsoft uses dark patterns to actively bully the user into doing what they want you to do.

Also WSL2 is fine, but I have the feeling they are only doing this because Windows was becoming the 3rd class development platform behind Linux and Mac. For modern development you need to be able to speak *nix, so MS did not have much of a choice here but to come up with some kind of solution.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#426

Post by DrBazza »

Nexxxeh wrote: post #390
DrBazza wrote: post #284

If it's true that Windows 11 (home or pro) requires me to create an online account, then I'm finally done with Windows at home. I really hope that it isn't, but it does seem like this has been coming since Windows 10. I can understand from a company perspective that this kind of thing reduces piracy (and losses for a $2tn company), potentially improves the Windows upgrade route in future, and has minor benefits to so…

Do Microsoft care about piracy of Windows at the home level? It feels like they just want that sweet recurring Office 365 and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate revenue, and they'll effectively give you Windows to get it. Last I checked, you can still use an old used Windows 7 key to activate 10 on a brand new motherboard. They could stop it, but they don't make more than a token effort.

That's kind of my point. A $2tn company can probably just write off what little piracy there is left, even more so now that everything is "webby". So why they feel the need to add this to a platform they're now effectively giving away for free for the reasons you state is even more bizarre.

I guess data is the next billion dollar department in Microsoft, and this is them harvesting even more of it.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#427

Post by Asooka »

dzdt wrote: post #200
GuB-42 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google does that too.

Twitter also. You can create an account without a phone number but in about 2 weeks it is locked unless you supply and verify one.

In my case they accepted a shady Romanian SMS service account. Had to try several until one worked.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#428

Post by r00fus »

probably_wrong wrote: post #241
GuB-42 wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google does that too.

That's how I lost my GMail account - they demanded a telephone number so I relented and gave them mine, but they refuse to accept it. They won't take my work number either.

What I did: create a Google voice number on my google account, then used that GV# as my Gmail account.

It's an ouroboros of Google.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#429

Post by criddell »

swiley wrote: post #365
criddell wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For most people it would mean giving up far more than they would gain.

It might appear that way but much of the cost of non-community-maintained software is hidden and people don't realize it until long after it becomes expensive to leave. Because of this I'm not sure I agree.

Do you have any examples?

I don't think it's true for most mainstream consumer-level stuff. For example, you're suggestion would mean I can't play console video games, stream movies, or even watch DVDs.

Re: I Will Never Use a Microsoft Account to Log Into My Own PC

#430

Post by macintux »

voakbasda wrote: post #327
elliekelly wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does Apple make it so difficult/borderline impossible to run MacOS on non-apple computers? Would it cut into their computer sales that significantly? I would imagine most people who want (and can afford) a Mac would still buy one.

No, they wouldn’t. My last “Mac” was a PowerComputing clone, because other manufactures were doing hardware better than Apple. Jobs killed the clones, and I became a Linux user that never looked back. Apple maintains their walled garden because they know that their users would quickly realize the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

> Apple maintains their walled garden because they know that their users would quickly realize the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

I've been on both sides of the fence, worked for a Linux company for a few years, and I'm very happy in the walled garden.

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