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Comment by Strom | Hacker News Reader

Apparently the Home edition will require a Microsoft account and an internet connection. [1] Can't say I'm looking forward to this. All my Windows installations are with local accounts and I would like to keep it that way. Microsoft has already made it incredibly obnoxious to achieve this with the latest Windows 10 setups, where you have to make sure your computer is not connected to the internet to even unlock the fallback local account creation option. [2] A sad day indeed if this is no longer possible.

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/24/22548480/windows-11-home-...

[2] https://www.howtogeek.com/442609/confirmed-windows-10-setup-...

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There is a workaround for now: just press Alt-F4

See https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-11-home-requires-interne...

If that's true, then I'll be forced to move many people's PCs to another OS after decades of Windows. I hope they reverse that decision, it's so hostile.

I think a recent version of Windows I had the misfortune of setting up also required a Ms account: no option for a local install. It's also possible that I'm just stupid and didn't see it, but (shrug)

The secret is you have to install Windows 10 with the network disconnected. If it doesn't detect a network connection, it lets you create a local account

You can bypass it by either turning off the network connection prior to a new/clean installation on 20H2/21H1. If you are stuck on the account screen during the installation process, then entering wrong credentials 3 times will present you with a local account option. However, if you have completed installation, then there is an option to turn it into a local account in Settings --> User Accounts --> Change your account type.

It should, even on the latest Window 10 builds, but only if your computer is not connected to the Internet...

They have really obsure stuff going on but I don't actually think they'll deny it even if you're not connected, that'll raise a LOT of legal actions against them.

It sounds like it will, actually, deny access if you aren't connected. This is for Windows 11 Home, not Pro.

Also, as for legal actions, strongly doubt it. Apple has required an Apple ID on their iPhones and iPads for years during setup.

>Apple has required an Apple ID on their iPhones and iPads for years during setup.

No they haven't. The setup process encourages using an Apple ID, but it has never been required.

I don't like that they make it mandatory, but I understand why they want to push users to using MS accounts. When I set up a PC (Android phone) for non-technical users I always make sure they have a MS (Google) account.

Things like backup and password reset are just so convenient that they outweigh the very theoretical privacy risk for most people.

It's a prelude to subscription Windows. Instead of having a family PC that everyone can use, every user with a Microsoft account will need a license. The OS for a family PC is eventually going up 5-10x in price IMO.

Or the use the google model and make people pay the subscription cost psychologically rather than monetarily.

That's a capitalist guarantee.

Everyone already has a windows install, so the only growth is to charge more. It doesn't really matter how; windows will cost more

theoretical … lol

I'll keep using Windows 10 Home then.

Thankfully I only use that machine for gaming.

I replaced Windows with Linux for gaming a couple years ago, due in part to Valve's Proton. It's not perfect, but I estimate 80% of the games I play "just work" and require no tweaking. The state of things for your set of games can be evaluated with https://www.protondb.com.

I've found that a majority of games work on Linux, but they all have drastic performance hits. What can run at 200fps on Windows will be less than 140fps on Linux at the same settings.

> I've found that a majority of games work on Linux, but they all have drastic performance hits

It's probably highly dependent on your graphics drivers in fairness. But with regards to the comments on the 200 -> 140 hz drop, I have a genuine question: how much of an impact does that have unless you have a 240 hz monitor?

Not much, but there are some games where the Windows version is like 80fps and the Linux version becomes unplayable

Me too. Proton is amazing, it’s really lowered the barrier to entry for gaming on Linux. For the most part, people can totally avoid having to mess with wine themselves. Until online multiplayer games make their anti-cheat software work on Linux or vac-banning Linux users stops I think Windows will still have that part of the market.

Does macOS require an Apple account?

Just got a new mac. It doesn't require it, but

- They ask you to when you buy it

- They ask you to in an email after you buy it

- It prompts you during install

- It prompts you right after you installed

- It prompts you when you try and update the non-operating-system software that came with the computer, and doesn't let you upgrade it if you don't create one.

And probably a whole lot more prompts that I missed.

It also uses dark patterns to imply that you must enter payment information for you account. Took me 15 minutes of googling to figure out how to create one without entering payment information.

So... "no".

macOS does that, but I find Windows 10 to be way, way worse. There's an option in one of the setup screens, but good luck finding it. They really make it hard to use a local account (or at least used to - I haven't reinstalled Windows in 2 years).

I'm torn on which is worse, I've helped people set up windows computers on the most recent iteration and was equally unimpressed.

Windows hides the option more, mac holds updating offline apps hostage, safari browser extensions hostage, and tries to trick you into entering payment information.

Both are terrible.

I think you need to not setup internet connection to be able to not use MS account.

No, you don't have to sign in with an Apple ID, but the O/S certainly strongly encourages you to do so upon installation (or first boot of a new Mac)

It sounds like Windows and macOS are similar in this regard, except Apple has more customers who would see this as a "convenience" because their smartphone/tablet world is tied to Apple.

Well that, but also things like "Find my", which are a genuinely valuable and cannot function without some sort of account you can access online.

You could pair devices to each other instead of to an account. There is no reason an account needs to sit at the core of the find my experience.

actually there is plenty of reason. like you lose your backpack with your macbook and iphone in it .

It's damn near as annoying as Microsoft's harassment.

> Apparently the Home edition will require a Microsoft account and an internet connection.

So they will finally get what they couldn't finalize in W10. These folks have no shame.

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