I mean, sorry, but I consider that malicious. The OS can create a local account but doesn't give you that option specifically to make you create a windows Live account. That is almost textbook definition of malicious for me.
Then the outrage comes in full force, as a kind of culture shock, whenever some external situation requires you to do something like set up a proprietary desktop operating system.
> I hope there's a future (or alternate universe) where dark patterns, such as this, result in economic loss rather than economic gain.
I agree. I wonder whether that can actually be achieved through end-user savviness alone.
Sure there are probably was a way to skip most of the requirements (except iTunes itself) but around that time I helped a friend to activate an iPad.
I was forced to register an Apple account AND give it a credit card to activate that iPad.
You can blame MS all you want, but MS IS LATE FOR THE PARTY WITH ALL THAT SHIT.
And just because other manufacturers do it, isn't a reason not to blame MS for what MS did. Nobody forced them to do this and it's not even common practice. The OS wasn't "built with online accounts in mind". It's something nobody asked for and everyone lived happily without before.
Windows 11: lay-users can do literally nothing of value with their computer without signing in to an account they probably don't want
MacOS: lay-users can use the internet and download software provided outside of the app store without signing into an account that they probably don't want
Calling these equivalent would be quite an exaggeration.
Like, my point is that these devices are fully functional out of the box even without an account(but yes, it sucks that you need one to unlock it fully)
> Please don't use uppercase for emphasis. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase, put asterisks around it and it will get italicized.
Welcome to microsoft ecosystem