This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
The online requirements are unnerving to me. I feel like Microsoft wants my personal files. I don't think it's to outright steal or scam, but there is something in everyone's data they want. Maybe AI training. Anyway I'm not giving it up willingly.
This is part of why I preach Linux. I don't care what distro, just get away from Microsoft.
I don't care what distro
ChromeOS it is!
Wait no!
Not like that!
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Nah, too much freedom. Use Red Star OS to properly restrict your activities and let NK know what you’re doing.
Do they still do the gulag thing? I've been meaning to get in shape...
That... that isn't really what I meant...
TOO LATE
If I could use Linux and still play multiplayer video games with anti cheat I would be so happy...
Dual boot, and use something like AtlasOS to clean up the BS that comes with windows.
I have a separate drive with windows for solidworks and a few online games I play occasionally. 99% of the time I run Linux though.
That being said I understand if you game online a lot and those games don't work in Linux then that really isn't an option.
At the very least though I would check out something like AtlasOS, it works for both W10 and 11.
That is a dev/publisher issue. A lot of games work now. EAC is just a flip of a switch basically.
Yeah well it's a Dev/Publisher issue with the games I play regularly, so.
Yep its easier than ever to get into it and even works with games via steam now. My computer runs soo much faster than with windows.
There are still lots of reasons why many of us use Windows. Like work machines for example
Sure, but if you have the option, you shouldn't choose it. One reason so many businesses use Windows is that everyone knows Windows. If everyone learns Linux, more companies will use Linux.
Not to mention it will save the penny pinching corporations thousands of dollars in licenses
This is what it comes down to. Nearly every office job pays for the Microsoft enterprise suite and office 365 subscriptions, before tacking on third party tools for monitoring and info. sec. for IT. I would gladly ditch Office 365 for Open Office and Debian, assuming all the higher ups would be willing to take such drastic measures to reduce expenses. I think most employees would balk at learning "an entire new system" regardless of how minor the differences actually are at this point.
I'll give 'em this: Microsoft's model creates very sticky revenue with high switching costs.
I don't think it's to outright steal or scam
It is. They’re a monopoly. It’s illegal and unethical. And, just poor design.
It is way more. It is a means of manipulation and influence over your decisions, and the decisions others make about you. The issue boils down to a fundamental principal of your right to autonomy. If you play out this philosophically, it is an attack on your citizenship and democracy itself. Autonomy is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy. Attacks on autonomy are attacks on democracy.
Does anybody remember back in 2005 when Google had a plugin for windows xp that would index your entire hard drive and give you quick search for your files?
How things have changed.
My buddy’s account got compromised because his kid fell for some kind of Minecraft scam. It was his 365 account that he pays for and Microsoft has told him to pound sand. He’s grateful that he doesn’t use one drive and uses a local login on windows. He’s not even the only person that I know that had this happen to them.
Since they mentioned the workarounds but didn't explain them, I'm copying my comment from another post a couple of weeks ago.
Lemmy probably isn’t the target audience for this, here’s the steps to bypass the MS account requirement when setting up W11:
Configure your keyboard, but before you select your wifi network press Shift+(Fn)+F10 to open Command Prompt.
Type in the following command and press enter. Your computer will reboot: oobe\bypassnro
After the reboot, configure your keyboard and location settings, and click the option at the bottom of the page to say that you don’t want to connect to the internet
Click the link on the next page to “Continue with limited setup”, then follow the prompts to enter a username and password.
or write your windows ISO using rufus and check the "no MS account" checkbox.
That was SO TIGHT when I saw that option recently when I reinstalled windows ❤️
Thr FN part is notable if you have a recent computer. A lot of laptops and keyboards ship out with media keys as the default on the top row now, and you must hold the FN key to use F10. Lot of people don't realize this and think Shift+F10 isn't working.
Possibly an easier option: you can let it connect to the internet, and then when it tells you to set up a Microsoft account, click on "Other sign in options" (or whatever it says beneath the text box). Then select "Domain Join instead". It'll let you use a local account, expecting you to join it to a domain later, then you just...don't join it to a domain.
Always be sure to use something like O&O ShutUp10 or Winaero Tweaker after you reach the desktop, so you can shut off all the bullshit, otherwise it will keep harassing you to make an account. I think you need to uninstall OneDrive too, to stop it hijacking the address bar in file explorer with constant nagging to set it up
Good info, but everyone should know that Windows 11 Home can not join domains, and the option will not be there. Only Pro, Enterprise, and Education versions can do that.
Yes, that's true. But I'm kind of going off the assumption anybody that actually wants to use a local account is somebody who knows better than to use the Home edition. Without group policy and a couple of the other configurable points, I'm not sure how viable it even is to use Home anymore if you want Microsoft off your back.
. A lot of laptops and keyboards ship out with media keys as the default on the top row now
That's always the first setting I disable in the UEFI. I hate it.
Lemmy probably isn’t the target audience for this, here’s the steps to bypass the MS account requirement when setting up W11:
"Install Linux"
I use arch btw
Newer versions won't allow you run the command prompt in the initial setup environment.
Garbage article. Headline interprets like Microsoft slipped or leaked something. The article discusses why the "pros" are actually "cons".
Very common tactic for many of these sites. They're either paid by Microsoft or they're just run-of-the-mill Microsoft boot lickers.
If you search for how to disable or bypass something in Windows, these SEO'd junk articles pop up and trick you into reading them. It's usually a long preamble full of arguments for why you really shouldn't try to disable or bypass the thing, because Microsoft's shit doesn't actually stink, and they know better than you. Then at the bottom they put the generic instructions that may not even work anymore, that you've likely already read.
Here are the main reasons listed by Microsoft:
- A local account is created on the device and doesn't require Internet connectivity to sign in. It's independent of other services, and it's not connected to the cloud. Your settings, files, and applications are limited to that single device
- A Microsoft account, on the other hand, is associated to an email address and password that you use with Outlook.com, Hotmail, Office, OneDrive, Skype, Xbox, and Windows. When you sign in to your PC with a Microsoft account, you’re connected to a Microsoft cloud service, and your settings and files can sync across various devices. You can also use it to access other Microsoft services
It’s apparently not introducing the “benefits”.
"We'll force you to reuse the same username and password for these different functions!"
Someone asked Copilot to come up with that text...
Are you talking about the Support article, or this WindowsCentral article?
Because I would say that's true of both.
This article is heavily inflated/extended with pablum that could come straight from Copilot, and frankly, it seems more concerned with listing the benefits of a Microsoft account than reporting on the support article.
It's AI junk all the way down.
I frankly wouldn't care at all had MS not truncate your home folder to 5 characters when using a Ms account and also didn't make using remote desktop impossible when enabling a passwordless account.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Using a Microsoft account lets you connect your PC to Microsoft cloud services, sync files across devices, and even sync your settings across multiple PCs.
But I believe there are users who would view Microsoft's reasons against using a local account as positives, not negatives.
I use a Microsoft account and sync just about everything across multiple PCs, but I understand that's not the preferred setup for everyone.
The support document does not list a way to set up your PC with a local account.
I wonder how many people cannot use a modern PC because they lack an internet connection for the initial setup process.
Microsoft is certainly aware that many people lack easy access to the web.
The original article contains 497 words, the summary contains 119 words. Saved 76%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
