Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

According to the linked discussion, the underlying setting that the script set still exists, so this simply makes it less convenient.

It should absolutely be taken as a warning sign, though. Seriously, if at this point you're installing Windows and relying on the existence of that setting, you should be seeking alternatives.

I've been saying the writing was on the wall for a long time. Any time someone says how easy it is to simply avoid MS account registration I've argued that it's not going to last much longer.

Even Microsoft's current Storage Spaces Direct won't let you start a locally hosted Hyper-V VM without an Azure connection.

What if there's an outage or somewhere you don't have reliable internet?

Then this isn't the operating system for you.

>Fuck people that live in very rural areas!

-Microsoft, apparently

If you're running Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct/AzHCI and there's no internet for an extended period you can't start on premise servers.

Reminds me back at the Xbox One launch where notoriously an employee arrogantly said that always online DRM is fine and defended it when pressed by saying why would anyone want to live in an area with unreliable internet. He left Microsoft after the backlash.

Was it Don Mattrick, the head of Xbox at the time who left Microsoft two months after unveiling the Xbox One?

https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/e3/a489371/microsoft-e...

> Microsoft executive Don Mattrick told GameTrailers in an interview that was filmed just before E3 that he understood why some people are frustrated at their policies.

> "Fortunately, we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity," he said. "It's called Xbox 360.

> "If you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device."

It was Adam Orth (aka 'Sweet Billy') but clearly others shared similar views.

Sony capitalized on the larger always online controversy with a low budget ad poking fun at the concept[1], which was great marketing.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA

Recently Sony PSN was down for days because of a DDoS. Centralizing failure points is always a bad idea.