According to Joel Hruska, editor at ExtremeTech, Windows 11 takes a serious step backward compared to Windows 10. Specifically, Windows 11 Home now requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account login to set up a PC. Meanwhile, Windows 10 Home still lets you install offline with the option to create a local account.
It seems Microsoft is pushing users more and more to do things their way.
“That’s a ridiculous requirement,” Joel Hruska says. You don’t always need internet to use your computer. Sure, internet is essential nowadays, but there’s a clear difference between using a PC and using the internet.
I personally never use a Microsoft account to log into my home PC. I don’t even use a local account or password because I’m the only user, and I want it to boot straight to the desktop without any password prompt.
Using a Microsoft account with a complex password to secure online access just doesn’t fit logging into a personal computer. I don’t need to protect my PC like I protect online accounts, and I have no reason to.
But what bothers Joel Hruska the most is how Microsoft keeps forcing users to follow their rules. Microsoft wants you to upgrade to the latest OS (Windows 10), wants Edge as your default browser, and now wants you to log in with a Microsoft account on your personal PC.
These no longer feel like user choices, but more like demands Microsoft pushes hard for. Since Windows 10 launched, Microsoft has used many tricks to get what they want.
They changed how local accounts are created by hiding the option, making it hard to find. They added a hidden way to install a local account only if you’re offline during setup. The “Get Windows 10” campaign to upgrade was more like malware than a software product from a top company.
The “Get Windows 10″ campaign was a disaster. It was Microsoft’s push to force users to upgrade. They hid the cancel option, so users kept seeing the prompt until they finally upgraded. It was basically spam advertising.”>
When Windows 10 first launched, users could create a local account without signing in online. But by version 1809, Microsoft forced users to sign in online during setup and hid the local account option.
I don’t think logging into a Microsoft online account during Windows setup is bad by itself. The problem is Microsoft forcing it, instead of letting users choose between online or local accounts.
It’s unclear why Microsoft does this. Maybe their new business strategy focuses more on services than software sales, so they want users logged in online to collect data?
Source: extremetech
