Yes, and that would be great if I was in my teens or those decades. Unfortunately not, the time for “learning” is past for me, no time. It’s all I can do to keep up with changes at work. Barely seem to even find gaming time anymore. That, change them into a database, sure just click a button eh? It’s been on my todo list for years now, actually spent some time last year evaluating playnite and launchbox and others. It takes time, spent a week trying to get some scripting in play it’s to work, which I eventually ditched. Heck end of last year I had a massive clean out. Went through my game collection and stripped it down from 12k+ records to just 6k. That took a couple of weeks, I would really love to go through that list and see what works and doesn’t work on Linux, or what compatability etc. is needed, or find working emulators…

So yes, it’s all well and good saying just ditch everything and start again, if you have the luxury of time and will.

I get that Microsoft still wants to be the Windows in my home, but when they insist on installing the curtains on the outside...

...then I just need to install blinds on the inside. Whilst forcing a Microsoft account renders offline activation via telephone impossible, it should still be possible to protect privacy. If a new computer just needs to be connected to the internet once to activate it, then it's not a major hurdle as there's practically nothing on it other than the OS and device drivers.

My computer can then be left offline indefinitely as I don't use any subscription software: one example being I no longer use Microsoft Office after believing them when they threatened a good while ago to kill off the perpetual versions of Office... a threat I see they haven't yet made good on... but which is no longer relevant to me.

Should I need to install some Windows update in the future, that would also not be a threat to privacy. I'd have to backup my data, reinstall the image made after activating Windows, then connect to the internet, install the download, remove internet, reimage the drive, then reinstall all my applications & data again... which is why it's critical for me to only use DRM-free software: if I kept on reactivating application software, they'd assume piracy rather than privacy, and I'd then have to run through hoops to get software I've paid for working again, assuming they would even understand.

What does worry me though about no longer being able to activate Windows offline is that if I ever need to reinstall an older version of Windows in the future, I'm going to need to find a method to prevent Windows from updating itself but still allow activation to succeed. And of course, the whole point of having an offline PC with an unsupported operating system on it is that it still works, but doesn't place myself or anyone else on the internet at risk. So hopefully Microsoft's endgame is not to enact unavoidable kill switches on all versions of Windows other than the current one: "Whatever you spent money on before, we've just rendered it obsolete! Haaahahahahahaaaaaa!".

...

I could probably say something about how glad I am that I switched to Linux years ago and so I won't be affected by this farce. But I'll probably just get told how smug and elitist I am, because I'm not willing to subject myself to DRM, forced online account, spyware, bloatware, forced updates etc. for the sake of my own convenience.

It's a funny old world, isn't it?

[shrug]

...

Thing is, it adds up over time.
Everytime something like this happens those who are already on the fence switch and the next bunch of people take their place (and are the ones complaining next).
It has yet to reach a point where the average user becomes too fed up with MS so it's only a small number (the average user often doesn't care about most of that stuff, they buy their full setup Laptop at a store and as long as the front works okay(ish) they don't care about the rest, most nevery even heard about linux or in the best case still think of it as the one from over 20 years ago).
That said if MS continues trying to gain full control on the system, it will reach that point eventually. Probably not now or with the next few changes but at latest when they try to turn it into a service instead of a product (subscription for basic functions, always online or something like that).

Not the slightest surprised and Microsoft have always taken away more and more control from the user, but this really is a terrible idea, just like NFTs.

I've lost count of how many I've tried to help RottenApple(tm) users where they've lost access to all their data due to various reasons. I straight up tell them that Apple doesn't respect you as a user or your privacy, so there's noting you nor I can do to retrieve it again and everything is in Apples control. Everyone is much better off with Android (and Linux for that matter).

Actually, same can said about Hotmail and Google. When it's gone it's gone... This is like adding more gas on the flame.

Sure, one can technically modify the install media or alternatively use Enterprise/LTSx version(?). It's certainly been a fun ride since the Win98/ME era, but seriously, how many are really capable of doing that, or even have an interest in doing it?

I have had to use a Win 11 computer. I hacked the setup to avoid the account creation on the first one I have had to use, but it was a pain and annoying. I also expect most won't know how to do it.

The second Win 11 computer interestingly didn't have this requirement (but as it was for work, I had to input an account anyways...so kind of a moot point I suppose). It still reminded me of why I switched to Linux as my main machine at home (and what I am currently writing this post on).

I use a Linux machine but there are difficulties. I don't expect Linux is for everyone. I practically download a ton of games on the Windows machines because 2/3 of the games won't work on my Linux machine without heavily working to try to get them to run (some of it is the Wine libraries, but more of it is that even with the i386 install, getting many of the games, even ones made for Linux, to run on a 64 bit machine/OS is a little harder on Linux than it is on Windows which can be a deterrent).

Finding my latest Linux machine (and it pure Linux, no Windows on it at all) was not as easy for me (and I feel I have a better grasp on what I am doing than many, though I am absolutely a Linux novice) to find. I wanted one where I knew I could have all the drivers in place, could upgrade as I wanted, and be able to use the hardware which I wanted.

Almost everything sold in stores these days are either Windows or Chromebooks. Trying to see if they all have drivers for all the different parts (and trying to make what they have inside at the store is harder these days, as they have a frontend that tries to stop you from looking in the device manager and too eager of a salesman wanting to look over you shoulder so that you can't actually get past the frontend without them intruding) can be a pain.

I have a new Linux machine now (and delighted with it) but I am still troubleshooting a few things with the 20.04.2 LTS version which may put off the more casual user.

I'd love Linux to become easier for everyone to use. Right now I don't think that it is going to be for everyone. I'm not sure what alternatives there are to Windows besides Linux right now for those of us who love gaming though.

I wish I had the solution to the ever increasing intrusive designs by Microsoft with Windows, but I don't. I deal with Windows in my work (and I install games on those computers, luckily it is allowed), but use Linux for most of my home computing, but I don't think it is necessarily a good fit for everyone.

I know I WAS annoyed at the account creation for Windows 11. Even the fact that I had to hack it to avoid it is annoying (So, even if I could get around it, it was STILL annoying that this was what I had to do if I was going to use Win 11). The second machine with an account is an interesting thing though, it doesn't require a password to log in, it requires a pin. It has a password associated (and you can switch to using password instead) but using a PIN is an option.

I still prefer my Linux machine, speaking for myself right now, but I think it may be a royale pain for most people. Windows has almost a virtual monopoly on the Gaming scene right now, and getting games not made for Linux to run on Linux may be a strong enough deterrent that most would become frustrated instead of sticking with it.

No, it's just Windows being buggy or weird. My HD is an SSD so my PC should meet all reqs for upgrade and my laptop that's nowhere near as good can be upgraded to Win11 so there is that. I don't really want to upgrade though since I like Win 10 and it works for gaming.

Eh, we will see.

linux is awful. It has no games, software in general, no backward compatibility and you have to jump through hoops to get things working. It's even worse than mac. There is a reason it only has 1% market share.

Worried about an online requirement and account for install of Win11 Pro? Fair enough, but amateur hour compared to Microsoft's other plans.

Meet the Microsoft Pluton coprocessor which will be on Intel and AMD chips going forward. You'll get that, even if you're on Linux. If it's anything like Intel's Management Engine and AMD's PSP it will also run in the background with network access even if the computer is powered off- which is, of course, completely normal and not suspicious at all.

Absolute nonsense. But I'm not going to waste my energy arguing with you, as you're probably one of those die-hard Windows fanboys who was never going to give Linux a chance.

(besides, _Auster_ has said it all anyway)

This video has some interesting information regarding UEFI (BIOS) and Win 11 as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcafzHL8iBQ

all the more reason to move to another good OS....