I get a dialogue from Microsoft defender smart screen that looks mighty similar to this whenever I've done a clean install of Oobabooga's Text Generation WebUI (for running local Large Language Models) with it basically going "are you really sure about running that" for an incredibly niche piece of software. OP seems to have lost the plot if you ask me, because quite frankly Microsoft will only be able to exert the level of influence over our machine if it were in the cloud running on their servers. and even then, they aren't going to kill off the local windows install because funnily enough, the internet ain't that available.
At this point non-internet connected Windows machines are such a niche part of their budget that they're almost but not quite mandating cloud accounts just for installation. They can absolutely force this on people's machines.
As someone who works in the government space, we have a lot of Windows computers that aren't connected to the internet in high security spaces. I wonder what they would do. Make everyone learn Linux?
I made the mistake of connecting my computer to the internet when trying to install Windows on a computer recently, and it doesn’t let you make a local account anymore. I had to unplug the cable and restart the install to even get the option.
true enough that non-internet connected windows machines are an incredibly niche part of the windows user base. however, they still wouldn't be able to exert that influence as you claim as there will come a point where privacy concerns will be brought up, and that will likely kill any possibility of this in Europe for instance and thus set a precedent that will probably be followed around the rest of the world. so I wouldn't be so certain personally.
I also think that the push-back will eventually stop the encroachment of "always online" technology, but I think we'll see Windows take things even further before that happens.
concur, fundamentally the always online functionality is a "nice to have" but it's also shouldn't be something people are made to depend on. thinking on it some more, the only way I can see microsoft ever encroaching upon individual user's privacy is if they were ever made universally liable by a government for how the user/s was/were using the/their computer/s. which basically is a legal impossibility.
It is because of rumors about Windows starting to implement this type of measures that I moved to Ubuntu… That was shortly before Windows Vista came out, back in 2006.
I never went back again, except briefly on an air-gaped machine under 7 to play Skyrim and Grim Dawn.
I swapped to Linux for similar reasons many years ago. The initial idea was to hedge and get familiar with it so I had peace of mind. I ended up staying in the Linux sphere for most of my devices , except for my music production machine that still run windows.
They haven't? Yesterday my computer updated without my permission and started popping up a screen that nags me about how I need to switch to an online Microsoft account in order to continue to use the operating system.
A few weeks ago I tried to disable Windows updates using a test scheduler job and despite being an administrator and going through the command line it told me I do not have the permission to do this.
The restrictions are here and they're getting worse.
Absolutely, with TPM chips now being a requirement to install Windows, it's only a matter of time until DRM becomes a mandatory low-level part of the OS.
True, mostly, but other things have manifested that I'm glad I could avoid:
Extensive intrusive telemetry,
Maliciously reactivating deactivated functions when installing a system update,
Viruses (OK, there probably are some on Linux but not by the same order of magnitude - Never got infected in 15+ years),
Pushing to create a Microsoft account at every install,
Trying to make me pay to play files in FOSS formats (this format is not supported by Windows, click here to buy the plugin),
Refusing to boot if I change a part of my computer Microsoft considers important,
Impossible to deinstall crapware,
Computer getting sluggish over time, pushing me to buy a new one,
Deciding on which machine I am allowed to install based on the CPU model…
When I decided to move to Linux I was at a point where I spent my time fighting the OS on my computer to stop it from doing things I did not ask for or didn't want. And I had to start again after each system update. And the nightmare of individually updating each driver and software - Though I hear this has gotten better on Windows, apparently.
To be fair : not everything is fun and rainbows with Linux. Sometimes something does not work or stops to work and there is a ton of software I would be happy to use but can't for one reason or another. But at the end of the day it fits my needs at 95% and I can live without the rest.
The only things I miss are games, and since I disagree with Steam's walled-garden approach I had to find myself other hobbies, which isn't THAT bad ;p Gardening, preserving foods and sewing are a good real-life alternative to Minecraft.
And I had to start again after each system update. And the nightmare of individually updating each driver and software
I certainly didn’t have a better experience on Linux in this regard. Maybe Windows updates occasionally come with m a nagscreen or unwanted applications nowadays.
However, at least the updates usually install successfully. On Linux, depending on the distro, an update means it’s manual conflict resolution time. For other distros, users generally recommend a clean install over updating.
What I would save in nags screens would seem easily replaced by effort needed to get drivers and basic features to work correctly in Linux. Last I checked, it was still an odyssey to get lag-free 4K playback on YouTube working in the browser.
At the end of the day, I feel like it’s a lot of annoyances and effort on either platform. Now that I think about it, probably macOS comes out ahead somewhere in the middle. Less nagware but little exposure to the usual Unix complexity.
Linux Mint reporting in. I've been running it on all my machines for... over 6 years now, not sure how much longer than 6 though. Did not look back, I can do everything I want without issue.
I, too, enjoy having an OS that doesn't fsck with me.
It's just so unbelievably nice when it doesn't ask you to use Microsoft edge, and it doesn't pop up web searches when you try to find an application, and it doesn't update without your permission or pop up a screen about how Windows counts are better than local accounts every two weeks.
They've just added up so many small annoyances that when I switch to Lennox it was a genuine breath of fresh air.
And by all means Linux kind of fucking sucks too, but it sucks because of its own technicality riddled advanced user problems. It's hard to update things, they want you to use cuz the command line for half of the stuff you want to do, and it's really easy to screw up your whole install and never be able to get back.
But it's worth it, the annoyances of linux are now worth it over the annoyances of windows and the annoyances of windows are intentional.
Some research tells me it’s a physical chip that blocks you from opening certain files 😬. I did hear MS was coming with this at some point. Maybe check if this can be disabled in the BIOS
Microsoft Pluton security processor is a chip-to-cloud security technology built with Zero Trust principles at the core. Microsoft Pluton provides hardware-based root of trust, secure identity, secure attestation, and cryptographic services. Pluton technology is a combination of a secure subsystem which is part of the System on Chip (SoC) and Microsoft authored software that runs on this integrated secure subsystem.
Microsoft Pluton is currently available on devices with Ryzen 6000 and Qualcomm Snapdragon® 8cx Gen 3 series processors. Microsoft Pluton can be enabled on devices with Pluton capable processors running Windows 11, version 22H2.
What is Microsoft Pluton?
Designed by Microsoft and built by silicon partners, Microsoft Pluton is a secure crypto-processor built into the CPU for security at the core to ensure code integrity and the latest protection with updates delivered by Microsoft through Windows Update. Pluton protects credentials, identities, personal data and encryption keys. Information is significantly harder to be removed even if an attacker has installed malware or has complete physical possession of the PC.
Microsoft Pluton is designed to provide the functionality of the Trusted Platform Module as well as deliver other security functionality beyond what is possible with the TPM 2.0 specification, and allows for additional Pluton firmware and OS features to be delivered over time via Windows Update. For more information, see Microsoft Pluton as TPM.
I think Netflix doesnt go above 720p on Linux because they are concerned about people ripping all the content..
Also Linux engineers are still trying to figure out what the Pluton chip does its crazy we buy laptops and aren't really allowed to know what the pluton chip is doing
As a Linux Uber-amateur, it feels like we’re basically able to do anything I would want to do on Linux now… the thing where Microsoft tries to not allow you to download stuff because they haven’t paid Microsoft to sign it has always annoyed me. This would be the next level of nope.
One thing that’s kept me on the fence is I like multiplayer games, and I had always heard that battle eye didn’t work on Linux, but with all the proton development and steam deck interest, perhaps this is becoming a non issue?
Except for minor glitches I can play all the games I have on Linux with proton. I bought my computer with dual boot windows on two nvmes and haven't booted windows for months.
My tipping point was actually how trigger-happy Windows Defender is about crack software and how you literally cannot meaningfully disable it without first breaking apart the entire OS. – Only do a temporary turn-off that only lasts until the next time the computer is turned on. Or another less temporary turn-off that lasts until the next system update. Which. Fuck off. I can tell a feature that is working against me from how hard it is for me to get rid of it.
I won’t be one of those liars who tells you “Linux is eaaaaaaaaasy, you’ll get it in no time”
It’s a skillset. You’ll have to learn stuff. You’ll have to browse wikis and ask for help on Discord servers and fucc around a lot. Plus it has this thing that when something works it works really well, and when something doesn’t work, boy are you in for a capital-F-fun afternoon.
But it keeps me happy with how much I can customize my experience to my own personality, and how fast and smooth it is, even on my old, beat-up laptops.
Still keep a windows install around for those days when I need some application that doesn’t exist on Linux, doesn’t have a viable alternative, and won’t play ball with Wine/Proton. But those are becoming rarer and rarer. Maybe one day I’ll be rich enough to have a computer with several GPUs and I’ll virtualize Windows instead of dual-booting it.
I would assume because most people don't have a chip with a Pluton module in it. It looks like it's only in some mobile Ryzen 6000 chips right now. If it does shit like this no one will want one, I would rather not have Microsoft firmware baked right into my CPU
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