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How Microsoft made it harder to create Windows 10 local accounts
If you're thinking about resetting your Windows PC with a local account, save yourself some frustration and consider upgrading to the Windows 10 May 2019 Update first.
Our experiences with the October 2018 Update nearly convinced us that local accounts were gone for good. They're not, thank goodness, but Out-of-the-Box Experience (OOBE) in that version pushes you particularly hard toward using a Microsoft account. We discovered two workarounds, though, to allow you to log in as you wish.
[...] Over time, Microsoft has tacitly encouraged you ever more to create a Microsoft account, but it's never actually blocked you from creating a local one. It comes damn close in the October 2018 Update, however. Even worse, it begs you to connect your PC to the Internet—but never warns you that once you do, the local account option will never be displayed.
In the May 2019 Update, Microsoft seems to have relaxed its tactics. But only a small fraction of users, or about 6 percent, appear to have access to the friendlier version. That estimate comes from AdDuplex, which tracks versioning as part of its ad network. According to AdDuplex, about a third of Windows users remain on the October 2018 Update, also known as 1809.
Microsoft changes up little elements of Windows from time to time, even "A/B" testing some features with some users and not with others. (Generally this happens more often in the Windows 10 Insider program.) PC makers also tweak their own factory-installed builds of Windows 10. In short, Windows 10 experiences differ by user, by PC, and by the version of Windows 10 they've installed.
With many users still stuck on the October 2018 Update or earlier versions, it's worth knowing that you'll probably want to upgrade straight through to the May 2019 Update if you prefer the local account option.
Remember, Microsoft is hoping to attract a billion users to Windows 10, and it's making money by luring them into its services and subscription model. Because a Microsoft account is the best way to do that, it's worth keeping an eye on how Microsoft "encourages" you to sign up and use one.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @03:13AM (6 children)
Previous comment on related article: https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=19/07/22/1539226#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
Once again, people do not fucking know what they are signing away with EULAs and Win 10 -- privacy and your insurance premiums aren't the only things at stake here. With consumers uneducated to the point of not knowing there even EXIST alternatives, I'm willing to argue that Win10 en-masse violates the basic human rights of 71% of computer users. (71% per the steam hardware survey, this misses those that have to use Win 10 at work, or in terminals at stores, etc.). At no point in the history of computers has ANY business pushed THIS hard and THIS effectively to increase quarterly profits by tiny slivers at the cost of customers.
Seriously, what is the fucking point of this data collection? Sure, Microsoft can more effectively "improve" Windows to peddle some ads and install candy crush, but what's the fucking point? They're a monopoly and already control the market! Do they REALLY need it to operate?
The marginal cost of improving profits through this data collection fuckery is gonna give way eventually, but when you're operating at maximum profitable revenue, you tend to have a lot of costs that can't be spun down quickly in case anything happens.
Consider this: I once heard how a small change to add a single entry into a dropdown box in the new Win 10 control panel takes more than a WEEK for two guys to implement. I also heard that you get reprimaned for bugfixing related code when working on something! It's just "not in line" with the "plan" or something. With what I heard so far and the amount of bugs I have to deal with when toying around on this little Win 10 box I got going on? It really does feel like Windows 10 is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own complexity.
Sun-Tzu said: [...] the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.
If and when this project fails WITHOUT winding down the number of programmers? I think they're gonna have an army of men to feed and it might just end rather badly for Microsoft. I know they have income streams other than Windows, but shareholders aren't always the most rational. "Shat ya Nutella" will fucking hang point, mark my fucking words.
On a related note, China has no quarterly financial statements or shareholders to keep it contained. Its social credit system is going to be mandatory in 2020 and god knows where that'll end up. I hope no civil war or god forbid a World War between China and whoever decides to put an end to Auswitz v2.0.
For what it's worth, I usually don't care enough to protest human rights violations, but with this garbage it's my ass on the line as well! I have no idea what my government is gonna do and whether they'll setup a "social credit" system and feed it with leaked data!
I know I've said "I won't buy Windows" numerous times over the last decade, but this time its a whole different game. I significantly worry about the fallout of this 'big data' garbage and where it's gonna end up. I sure hope people will start waking the fuck up over this shit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @03:15AM
My bad, linked the wrong link, here's the right one: https://soylentnews.org/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=32728&page=1&cid=870129#commentwrap [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @03:23AM
And then USA complaints / frets about Russia "strongarming" its companies to work with the govt. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook - the evil(est) and most visible 5 in the cabal. And then you have Palantir and lesser known intruders...
XP starts really looking like a fresh daisy in Springtime. And your software wasn't 'subscription'-only.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @07:03AM (1 child)
"Consider this: I once heard how a small change to add a single entry into a dropdown box in the new Win 10 control panel takes more than a WEEK for two guys to implement. I also heard that you get reprimaned for bugfixing related code when working on something! It's just "not in line" with the "plan" or something. With what I heard so far and the amount of bugs I have to deal with when toying around on this little Win 10 box I got going on? It really does feel like Windows 10 is only a matter of time before it collapses under its own complexity."
Are you referring to this?
https://files.catbox.moe/8009d5.PNG [catbox.moe]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 23 2019, @09:20PM
I was referring to that, yeah.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 23 2019, @10:36AM (1 child)
Sun-Tzu also said "Peoples is dumb. They will take all kinds of shit up their arses AND pay $ for the privilege... because they is DUMB!"
That man was smart, but peoples is dumb and do dumb shit. Only "We few...we happy few, move onto real OS's like Linux".
At BEST, Windows is a gaming box but I'd still not bend over for the privilege of using it to game.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday July 23 2019, @02:50PM
At least half of the people in the world should have ditched Windows by now. I mean, you don't have to be a genius to install it, or to run it. It's much more than a stupid person can accomplish, but average people can do it today. All they have to do, is decide to do so. So, yeah, like you say, peoples is dumb.