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Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

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Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#501

Post by aspectmin »

Every time a company does something like this, I remember that I spend more and more time On the Linux side of my Dual Boot, and almost none in Windows (save for some time plying Eve).

Having worked in large enterprises like this, I can also picture some small team, or loud individual with a super ego, pushing for this kind of stuff as if it is a good idea.

For every... say 20 PM/Product Manager/Lead/Devs that actually listen to customers and want to create great software, there’s always Some Dunning Krueger clueless individual who pushes for stuff like this. Often they’re the loudest in the room, while everyone else is suffering from imposter syndrome and afraid to speak up.

[soapbox off].

Sorry. My rant for the month.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#502

Post by bachmeier »

Kuinox wrote: post #491
mastazi wrote: post #63

This is incredibly bad. In general I have a positive opinion about what MS is doing lately, but Windows is a glaring exception, it’s getting worse and worse at an alarming rate. In the last two months we had two consecutive updates that broke basic functionality for users who disabled web results in Windows Search (which is a very common setting among those who care about privacy) https://www.zdnet.com/article/window…

They didn't removed it. The title is misleading, The button is still there, but they renamed the button. It's under "Domain Join Instead" https://i.imgur.com/tA9fo1R.png And there you can create an offline account: https://i.imgur.com/eBLi5cv.png

Is there anyone that even knows what "Domain join" means? If the button was there but hidden, would that count as "still there"? What if it was there but labeled "Click here to brick your computer"?

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#503

Post by fortran77 »

ColinWielga wrote: post #118
JMTQp8lwXL wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people on HN, I would postulate, don't use Windows. We might use VS Code, we might use Azure, but we aren't using Microsoft's operating system.

Quick poll: https://linkto.run/p/NGWCZJO1

And your poll is showing most people here run Windows.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#504

Post by Kuinox »

wayneftw wrote: post #492
Kuinox wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't removed it. The title is misleading, The button is still there, but they renamed the button. It's under "Domain Join Instead" https://i.imgur.com/tA9fo1R.png And there you can create an offline account: https://i.imgur.com/eBLi5cv.png

My initial thought was that they completely removed the option only in the Home version of Windows. Since (I don't think) you can join Windows Home to a Domain, is that true? Is the option for a local account now only available in Windows Pro, unless you install Windows Home disconnected from the Internet?

Ah ! Maybe. I only get Windows Pro editions, so i can't test this. In both case, the outcame is sad: Everyone here felt for something that is not checked(lacking vocabulary for this sentence), or Windows is getting worst for their users.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#505

Post by fortran77 »

jhasse wrote: post #329
AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It might have, if Linux evangelists had pulled their heads out of their asses and actually made what people wanted instead of assuming everyone was too dumb too use a computer and only needed a pretty web kiosk and email. If they had made the OS function in a sane way instead of the Rube Goldberg machine of cobbled together systems that it is. To this day I still hear people blame Linux Desktop's complete and utter f…

Reminds me of Firefox evangelists.

And their cousins, the Rust evangelists.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#506

Post by Kuinox »

Krasnol wrote: post #497
Kuinox wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They didn't removed it. The title is misleading, The button is still there, but they renamed the button. It's under "Domain Join Instead" https://i.imgur.com/tA9fo1R.png And there you can create an offline account: https://i.imgur.com/eBLi5cv.png

Nice...no normal user would click that. This is terrible.

Not as much as the title imply, but yes, it's another one dark pattern.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#507

Post by GordonS »

jmkni wrote: post #87
xeeeeeeeeeeenu wrote: post #41

I don't understand why so many people on HN praise Satya Nadella. I guess good PR is worth much more than actions. Before Nadella, Windows wasn't nearly as user-hostile as it is now. There was no mandatory telemetry, there were no forced updates, end users weren't treated as betatesters and QA wasn't non-existent. And now they are taking away the ability to use Windows without Microsoft Account. Of course there are a…

I use Windows on a day to day basis, and you might sometimes find me defending that. However, I hate stuff like this. You are right, it is user hostile. Windows 10 under the hood is solid, but this kind of thing really pisses me off. It’s the same issue with ads or bing in the start menu, you literally can’t turn it off anymore (you used to be able to with the Registry Editor or GP). I use MacOS as well regularly, an…

I feel the same way - Windows 10 is my daily driver, and mostly I love it!

But I use Pro and Enterprise editions - I would find it really irritating if my Start menu was spammed with ads and apps I didn't install.

And disabling local accounts (or at least making it even harder to use them) is a scummy move.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#508

Post by GordonS »

manigandham wrote: post #112
xeeeeeeeeeeenu wrote: post #41

I don't understand why so many people on HN praise Satya Nadella. I guess good PR is worth much more than actions. Before Nadella, Windows wasn't nearly as user-hostile as it is now. There was no mandatory telemetry, there were no forced updates, end users weren't treated as betatesters and QA wasn't non-existent. And now they are taking away the ability to use Windows without Microsoft Account. Of course there are a…

The very first comment on that Reddit thread shows that this is a UI change. The functionality is not removed but only hidden if you have an active connection. What Microsoft is doing with this dark pattern is bad for everyone, but we must accurately represent the situation.

Agreed, but it is something of a technicality - for typical users, the result is the same as if the option was removed entirely.

Re: Microsoft has removed the “use offline account” option when installing Windows

#510

Post by wolco »

abacadaba wrote: post #471
m0zg wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> getting worse and worse at an alarming rate That's because Windows Division does not exist anymore as a separate business unit within MS. It's now a part of Azure. And Azure doesn't really care all that much about making desktop excellent. It'll just keep it good enough for you to buy more Azure, but not more than that.

Not putting effort into making Windows better is different than telling all the .9 billion Win10 users to go f themselves. But still, if all those .9 billion Windows users still decide that FOSS is too hard, who am I gaf?

If they bought a computer with it installed there wouldn't be an issue. Finding one in bestbuy is.
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