As much as I like many Windows versions, the corporate idiocy of the company behind the OS is indeed something else.
I grew up with Microsoft and now you have to pay me to use their products. I would never choose their OS for product hosting. Even their embedded / IoT is trying to force a Microsoft account and push against local user.
Desktops existed before punching in your credit card numbers was a common thing, that history is hard to shrug.
Xbox for gamers, mobile for everyone else and business editions of windows for the enterprise.
and, unfortunately, they are not alone. Google has been doing this for years and Apple is slowly following suit.
Minimum 50% of cases (in anything). Probably higher
Math is hard.
Says who? I did a gap year service project and graduated at age 23. My business partner did a 3-2 program and graduated at 23.
Plus, anyone working as an engineer then has a 8 figure net worth and the overwhelming majority moved on long ago.
Nvidia is doing something similar where they're just extracting as much as possible out of AI companies and not caring one bit about consumers.
How does whatever microsoft is doing to windows line up with that?
It's just a different way to say "you're the product, not the customer" if you look at the statement from a neutral perspective - the whale being the actual customer, who changes all the time depending on what Microsoft MBAs think might have the highest potential value they can extract.
Who's the "whale" in this context? Windows users who subscribe to copilot? Enterprise? Advertisers?
So consumers are mostly ignored, except as a testbed to shove AI and ads.
The only positive is all the interest in Linux and software optimization though.
Then again, I get the biological desire to put food on the table for one's family and therein lies the problem
They don't make money (put bread on the table) by selling Windows any more. That is soooo 2000s.
Income is from data mining and from subscriptions to cloudy offerings that are mostly MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
Oh, and hyping their perceived value to the point that the term "meme stock" is no longer just a joke.
Yes, they do. Unfortunately even MS employees are powerless to do anything about the crap that gets shoved into Windows by other employees working at the company, and the ones who complain about it are quietly shown the door or have already left of their own will, leaving only those who are completely apathetic or...
Then again, I get the biological desire to put food on the table for one's family and therein lies the problem
Exactly. That and the desire to remain in the country --- part of the reason why companies like H-1Bs so much is because they are going to be far more docile and less willing to resist doing things they feel are wrong.