Note: the MacOS part is false
Why are people like this? If you didn’t like what a company is doing, didn’t use their products.
Because Linux support depends on more people using it. So we have to blow up outrage and make more people mad enough to switch
Because the network effect makes it so we all are forced to use this shit at work.
That’s not the network effect though. It’s a top down decision. If the higher-ups decide you’re switching to Hannah Montana OS, you’re all switching to it, regardless of what people outside the company is using.
Total time delta 🐱
Seriously. I, too, was wondering what rivers had to do with this lol.
Well, is it really an account if you never login to it? (or if you even delete it once you make a local admin account?)
He’s a former Microsoft engineer for those who don’t know
David Plumber is a former Windows engineer, and has a YouTube channel where he shares stories about his time at Microsoft.
Of course he has positive Windows opinions, and of course he yaps about it like he’s an expert: because he is
deleted by creator
He also loves pretending he developed every single Windows dialogue box, tool, application, default software and interface element, when the truth is more like:
He says quite the opposite. He’s pretty open about what he was involved with and how long it’s been since he’s worked for MS. I’ve watched quite a few of his videos. He’s not what you claim.
His “expert” opinion is quite dated
He wrote task manager. I trust him.
The only Microsoft’s app that I used everyday, multiple times a day in the past. Just to avoid the computer from completely crashing.
Really? It seems pretty up to date since he’s talking about something that happened in the last year or so.
I watch his videos from time to time, he stays quite up to date when it comes to the underpinnings of modern software engineering. Mind you, just because he retired doesn’t mean he stopped tinkering and building. By all accounts he is still poking around in a number of projects and contributes his fair share of expertise. I’m not a fan of him not outright calling out Microsoft for their bullshit, but I do respect the sheer amount of expertise he brings to the table. Calling him out of date, particularly with the level of understanding needed to make something like a task manager, doesn’t seem fair.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need to smell shit while eating it.
You do need to get it down your throat, but you can just keep your nose pinched with your fingers, same as MacOS.
After that, throw up as much as you like. It’s what I do. Total calories delta: 100 kcal
This comment is missing the word “Linux”
Doesn’t he think Linux is bad or a disease or something.
wild kink but I don’t judge
much
Claim: you don’t need a Microsoft account to run windows. Here’s how.
Step 1: set up a Microsoft account.
Microsoft will continue to eliminate workarounds. Copilot needs your data for training purposes. Snapshot, Onedrive, mandatory accounts, are all ways of forcing users to give up their data.
I personally think the workarounds are an intentional strategy to drip feed the “power users” and make them stop complaining/switching away. it also probably works to make them feel smart.
like do you seriously fucking believe ms would unintentionally leave
oobe\bypassnroas a command you can type?? this is some Hollywood hacking type shit
All you have to do is a domain join now. No skipping the OOBE via command line, etc.
At this point it’s much easier to just pirate Windows 11 Enterprise with massgrave.dev. But then again, you could also just install any Windows 10 version and sneakily activate ESU without an account. But at that point, it is even easier nowadays to just install Linux.
Dave is amazing, and his content on YouTube is very entertaining. This is a pragmatic answer for those who want or need Windows in some capacity, and then want to go on a use local accounts. Have some decency and recognize good advice when you see it.
It’s useful information for those who need it, but the way it is presented sounds delusional and contradictory.
He says you don’t need a Microsoft account, but goes on to explain actually you do need a Microsoft account.
It just sounds like pure cope.
For some people even needing a burner account is absolutely off the table and in no way a solution, and the fact of the matter is that an account is now required.
It only really works if you maintain access to a burner account, which might be difficult in the long term.
> Content creator who got massive recognition for Windows and used to work for Microsoft
> looks inside
> WindowsI swear the people in this comm behave like Christian missionaries
Yeah I was about to say “since when” about MacOS, good thing you added the note. Windows is objectively just more data hungry than MacOS. The fact that you need to sign in to use the default calendar says it all on Windows
Can confirm. Been using it without an account for several years. It still infuriates me that they ignore default app settings in favor of their own shitty unremovable apps.
I have seen someone change default apps on Win11 recently. I’m a Linux user tho, but if I rememer correctly, it was in the Settings app, which is a bit confusing, because there is also a Control Panel app and both change mostly different settings.
I was discussing MacOS
oh, i see. i thought you meant to confirm that for the calendar in windows. thanks for clearing that up.
I could have been more clear.
It ignores it? Doesn’t really happen for me, I have Smultron for my text editor and cog for music player, never has the default apps popped up instead. Are you sure you didn’t forget to click the “change all” inside the get info for whatever file you’re working on?
Yes. I’ve changed it 17 times. Every media file still wants to opens in QuickTime. Clicking links sometimes opens in Safari.
Does that read as justifying it? It sure seems like he’s providing a workaround, same as all the people who used to point at the simple shortcut to work around the requirement when that worked smoothly.
I mean, I, for one, hadn’t thought about it. It’s not a terrible way to go about it. Doesn’t help me, I need a MS account to do Office stuff so I may as well, but if you’re really hung up on this and can’t avoid Windows it’s a decend solution.
“same as MacOS” is clearly trying to make excuses.
I mean… is it? I’ll take everybody’s word for it that he is incorrect, since I’m not a Mac OS user, but while it certainly makes it sound that Win11 is doing something common he’s still providing a workaround for that thing. He can simultaneously be going “it’s not that uncommon” and “but also, here’s how to work around the problem” in the same post.
Whether MacOS truly also requires an account is irrelevant.
He says it to make the account requirement appear normal. That’s justification. Providing a ‘workaround’ via a ‘burner’ account is simply a way to minimize protests. Even the use of ‘burner’ and ‘workaround’ normalizes the account requirement.
The man has some good videos but he is Microsoft through and through.
…
I mean he used to work there, so yeah?
You saying the accuracy of the account requirement in MacOS is irrelevant makes me wonder if it is incorrect, because… well, no, it’s not irrelevant. I’d like to know. I mean, I will continue to use Windows because I need Windows things, but if I was in a position where I’m mad about this to the point of making me look for a clean break that would be a fairly relevant thing to know.
What I’m hearing here is that people are mad about what he’s saying, not because he’s wrong or because it’s not useful, but because this is a Linux community and people want this problem to be as big as possible to wield it as a dealbreaker to specifically promote the OS they like. Which is, I’m guessing, why you don’t sound stoked about MacOS not having the same issue?
Weird as it is to root for specific pieces of software, I also don’t find that particularly useful because, frankly, people using Windows already know how good or bad Windows is. Trying to overplay it is not particularly constructive to promote alternatives. You can acknowledge the ways in which people can work around annoying Windows stuff and still point out you don’t need any workarounds on Linux, if that’s what you want to do.
I mean he used to work there, so yeah?
He is biased.
The factual accuracy of his statements about MacOS is irrelevant to whether he is making excuses or not. Their relevancy to you switching to another OS is another issue.
I don’t care about MacOS not having the same issue because I don’t own a Mac nor do I plan on buying one. Nobody even asks me to run MacOS software or help them with their Mac. Windows is unfortunately much more pervasive and unavoidable.
The major issue with these workarounds is that they are presented as permanent solutions. They are not, just like Microsoft took away OOBE or whatever they did, they can also disable local accounts in the future. Kicking the can down the road will not work forever.
Nnno? To any of that?
I mean, he’s biased, you’re biased, whatever. The question is whether his information is accurate. Which I’m assuming it is. I haven’t tested it, but nobody seems to be disputing it. I’d personally like to know how much an activated Windows using an offline account phones home, if at all, and what data it shares and stores, but I’ve noticed nobody seems to care about the specifics of that in this fanboy flamewar, which is frustrating.
In any case, accurate information from biased sources is still accurate, and not sharing the same biases you have isn’t deception.
Also, nobody presents these workarounds as permanent anything, he hasn’t made that statement or even implied it. Most people sharing the previous workarounds actively warned that they seemed like an oversight and MS may patch them out at any point. Which they ended up doing.
Again, this seems like you equating caveats with dealbreakers for the sake of pushing an agenda. And as someone who uses both Windows and Linux on the daily I’m just gonna say you’re not helping. Misinformation makes people who notice it less likely to side with you and everybody here can notice it because we’re all tech savvy enough. I guess being the hardcore guy acting all uncompromising makes you feel cool or whatever, but it’s not doing much of use.
Yes to all that!
Everybody is biased but usually the deeper the connection one has to a side the more biased he is. I 've been just a user of Linux since 2010, he worked for Microsoft for longer.
If you really are interested in accurate information, you are not very good at it. People are disputing his statements on MacOS in this very thread, on the OP in fact.
Telemetry does not depend on using a remote account, if you don’t disable the relevant settings and services windows will still send data to Microsoft. Obviously a Microsoft account provides more identifying information to Microsoft.
I wonder why most people, according to you at least, warned that Microsoft would disable previous methods but Plummer doesn’t.
As for all that ‘agenda, hardcore, uncompromising’ bullshit, I 've only installed Linux on my own and my immediate family’s computers, cause they are the computers I will have to fix (or fix) if they are not working. I have installed Windows many more times both on my own machines as well on friends etc because that’s what they wanted. There’s no point in pushing stuff on people.
You on the other hand seem to think I should be helping with something, presumably something you are pushing for?
Finally I did not post any misinformation.
But it isn’t a work around it’s just accepting the fact you need a microsoft account to setup windows.
I’m confused. What is “not accepting” a MS account to set up Windows? I mean, if you don’t have to use Windows and that is a dealbreaker for you, then great.
But if you need to use Windows and you want to… you know… work… around… having to be logged in, he’s suggesting a way to do that. That’s what we call in the business “a workaround”.
As I said elsewhere, I get that people want this to be a dealbreaker, or the suggestion to be a pointless defense because this is a Linux community and there is a cultural pressure to pretend that the account problem is a massive dealbreaker (as opposed to most normies just going with it, just like they do on their phones, which is what actually happens), but OSs aren’t football teams. You can both criticise MS for having an online activation requirement, rightfully so, and acknowledge a potentially useful mitigation for anybody who needs or wants to use the OS without being constantly logged in.
It’s a dealbreaker for me. Along with many of MS’s other business decisions.
But I chose to do something about it by switching to Linux, instead of incessantly bitching and moaning about Windows while still using it.
Hell, my work laptop is a Surface 7 running Windows 11 Enterprise. But work pays for and manages it, so I don’t worry about it having issues - I just email IT and they handle it. Not my problem. I’d rather spend hours in a bash terminal than deal with Windows on a personal device ever again.
I am so furious with this at this point.
And the problem is, I also get what’s going on. You all feel cool and proud and self-actualized with the whole thing where you moved to Linux and whatnot. And you really, really, really want to tell somebody about it. I get it. It’s social media.
It’s fine the first few times, but it piles up after a while, you know? You can only have somebody veer sharply to the left towards “I use Linux, by the way” so many times.
Nobody asked if it was a dealbreaker for you. That didn’t happen. And even if someone did it’s not relevant to the conversation we’re having. We know.
Look, again, it’s not you. It’s just that hanging out around this place and trying to engage with the issues can get to be really weird after a while.
I was agreeing with you.
It’s also wrong. MacOS allows you to go through setup with a local account and doesn’t force you to connect to the internet either
I can’t count the times some Linux fanboy has mischaracterized a post to shit on the average Windows user just trying to get by.
I get liking Linux, and I do, but come the fuck on, people.
It’s not an awful take to say something like “Hey, you can get around this requirement by creating a burner account, then creating local accounts”. His wording is a bit off but he’s an odd guy, who also used to scam people, so this isn’t that bad in the grand scheme. He’s also heavily biased to windows.
On the topic of the account, I moved to Linux and I threw an LTSC build of Windows 10 on another nvme drive so I could play a couple games that use anti cheat. I figure by the time that’s no longer supported developers will just accept Linux in their games or i won’t care anymore.
How did he scam people? <citation needed>
https://lemmy.ca/comment/19382367
I’m guessing this is what they’re referring to?
One bummer about ‘burner accounts’ in 2025 is it seems to be increasingly difficult to have a true anonymous burner account that doesn’t involve someone getting your PII. A few short years ago you could just get a disposable email address from a bunch of places and use it to sign up, but now everything seems to be super locked down to where you either need an existing email address or a phone number to create an email account, both of which tend to have ways of being tied back to you.
I don’t know if there’s even any email services left that will just give you an account no questions asked, but I’ll bet if there are they’ll already be rejected as invalid by the big players.
Yeah but the demographic that will do this is like infinitesimally small. It’s fine, techies always know how to stick it to the man, but they succeed with most people so they get what they want. Not a dispute just a comment.
