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    Upcoming Windows 11 builds cannot install without internet and Microsoft Account

    (infosec.exchange)
    268 points tech234a | 12 comments | 29 Mar 25 04:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.877s | source | bottom
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    samiv ◴[29 Mar 25 07:00 UTC] No.43513408[source]▶
    I'm also 100% convinced Microsoft will introduce mandatory code signing at some point and make it so that you can only ever install software from Windows Store.

    They are envious of the Google and Apple walled gardens/cashcows and are now determined to turn Windows into one.

    Windows is no longer a product for users, the users of Windows are the product for Microsoft to be shoved into the Azure sales funnel.

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    1. cedws ◴[29 Mar 25 08:19 UTC] No.43513761[source]▶
    That would never work, they would have to have some kind of override. Microsoft doesn’t have that kind of leverage over Windows users because they don’t have tight vertical integration. If Windows 12 enforced that, users would just stay on Windows 11 and MS’ leverage would decrease even further.
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    2. sshine ◴[29 Mar 25 08:28 UTC] No.43513805[source]▶
    I can’t believe people didn’t stay on Windows 7. It seems to have slid into some always-online ad-filled cloud hellhole since. Office365 is worse than Office 2000. This is the OEM strategy still at play. You gotta hand it to Bill Gates for capturing PCs for decades. People truly don’t care how poor their operating system behaves, because your only other option is to buy a Mac.
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    3. PeterStuer ◴[29 Mar 25 08:34 UTC] No.43513821[source]▶
    Windows 12 Enterprise would have the option, Windows 13 Enterpise would remove the option but allow for a signed "legacy" sandbox. Windows 14 Enterprise would have no option.

    They can play the long game.

    replies(1): >>43513905 #
    4. 3np ◴[29 Mar 25 08:47 UTC] No.43513879[source]▶
    Some do, I guess.

    https://github.com/i486girl/win7-sp2

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43445103

    5. jajko ◴[29 Mar 25 08:52 UTC] No.43513905[source]▶
    Sure, if we talk about decade or more, companies can and will adapt. They can run several apps in VM, or just migrate to Unix. I've worked at bank who was through and through completely Linux including all front desk people, in 2010. If rigid banks can do it, everybody can.
    6. jasode ◴[29 Mar 25 09:24 UTC] No.43514044[source]▶
    >I can’t believe people didn’t stay on Windows 7.

    Normal mainstream users can't stay on very old operating systems like Windows 7 because they'll eventually be forced to install newer software that's not compatible with it. Outside actors other than Microsoft force os upgrades.

    - buy a new printer and it only has drivers for newer os like Windows 10/11 and later

    - need for installing newer software like latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe suite, TurboTax 2024, etc. They don't install on Win7. For Windows 7, the last version of Chrome was January 2023. Last version of Firefox was August 2024.

    So setting aside commercial apps like Adobe, TurboTax, etc. -- why can't a user just stay with old version of Mozilla Firefox that's compatible with Win7 and turn off updates?!? Because bank websites like JP Morgan will block the user with an error "You need to upgrade your web browser" because the SSL/TLS encryption algorithms in old Firefox versions are obsolete.

    Deliberately trying to freeze your computer on Windows 7 or Windows XP means relegating it into a "museum piece" that becomes less and less useful for practical real-world tasks. That's ok for an isolated machine that runs old video games but no good for online banking.

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    7. d_tr ◴[29 Mar 25 09:33 UTC] No.43514083[source]▶
    Too much fuss with community hacks to maybe get stuff working and end up having wasted time in any case. There is too much garbage to deal with in modern computing already. And some features are just not available with or without hacks.

    If I want to use a decent OS, I can do most of my development on Fedora or Arch or some other Linux distro at my workplace.

    For proprietary stuff that won't work there, honestly, Windows 11 is not that bad as far as Windows go. I do not get ads, I use a local account without problems and I can do development actually decently with PowerShell, vcpkg, VS Code which Microsoft offers for free and which work on all platforms.

    TL;DR: There are hills with a much better view to die on.

    8. anthk ◴[29 Mar 25 09:53 UTC] No.43514169{3}[source]▶
    Windows XP and 7 have Legacy Update and unnoficial Supermium builds among Serpent browser and friends, and OFC with updated system TLS/SSL certs.

    http://legacyupdate.net

    Also, on more libre software, the community can release LibreOffice and VLC builds like crazy. Ditto with Sumatra PDF, Gimp, Krita...

    9. abanana ◴[29 Mar 25 11:44 UTC] No.43514710{3}[source]▶
    Some of us do! I get fewer problems at home on W7 than at work on W10/11.

    - Printers: the W7 cohort probably overlaps with users of classic HP Laserjets (I know it's not just me!).

    - Chrome: Supermium adds W7 support back into the latest(ish) version.

    - SSL/TLS: does such an issue exist on W7? It's exactly what pushed my mother (at the age of about 65, and hating having to learn anything new) to upgrade to 11 from XP a year or so ago. I do all my Internet banking on W7, via several different banks as I often move around chasing the best interest rates, and never had a problem with any of them. (Vivaldi, Supermium, Firefox 115ESR.)

    - Some software such as Adobe XD: yeah, unfortunately it's not supported. Depends how much it's needed I suppose. I may be forced to "upgrade" sometime this year but I'd really rather not.

    10. schroeding ◴[29 Mar 25 16:55 UTC] No.43516852[source]▶
    Until they need new hardware, for which there will (and can) be no drivers anymore, as Microsoft stops crosssigning them in the Hardware Dev Center after a while for old Windows versions.

    Microsoft does have the leverage in this case, as long as folks want to continue using Windows.

    11. lightedman ◴[29 Mar 25 17:27 UTC] No.43517068[source]▶
    "I can’t believe people didn’t stay on Windows 7."

    Microsoft forced Win10 down people's throats. I had all of my machines Windows Update processes turned off and somehow it STILL got onto my systems. I suspect Skype was the mechanism through which Microsoft did this, as they owned Skype then and I still used it.

    12. gloosx ◴[30 Mar 25 07:14 UTC] No.43522047[source]▶
    Staying on some windows 10 lite-repack for about 8 years now. Automatically activated. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Paint. Windows-7-like start menu. No UWP apps, cortana, onenote, onedrive, even no freaking microsoft Edge. No app store. Not a single moving pixel, ad or notification , or another jumpscaring layout when system starts. Everything installs/works perfectly, perfect system.

    I have no idea why people even consider updating, must be some really weird case.

    There is zero new value in the latest Windows versions, just plain nothing new, there is really no reason to switch.