Have to use Windows for work (I've asked), the ads have been getting worse and worse on my work laptop. Today got a game ad notification... That's clearly too far, right? Like I have to clear notifications, so I have to see it
Tthe problem is now if you have the store disabled basic shit, like the ability to open .heic files is broken or use stuff people want like sticky notes is broken.
We turn off most of what we can’t but having the store enabled causes all sorts of stuff.
Also windows 11 has ads baked in even with the store disabled. Plug in a Logitech mouse, get a pop up for their software. Open the picture viewer and get an ad to install some video editor that isn’t clear whether it’s a Ms product or not.
No to mention basic things like copy paste and edit are now weird icons because I guess they think most users are illiterate.
Most of the 11 UI changes are not for the better. Having to beta test it for work is frustrating and I run an IT shop.
MS goes out of their way to make shit harder than it needs to be.
For example. The store, they have a store for business where you can simply whitelist known apps buts it’s a PITA to setup AND they have been threatening to decom it for ages
Want to add safety/security features like secuirty keys. Well if you do it on a non domain joined machine you can just sign into a m365 account to enable a passkey or yuibijey as a second factor.
Want to do that in a business environment. Congrats now you have to deploy a windows CA and issue user certificates to tie to this. Even if you are signing the machine into m365 with ADAL.
They go out of their way to add complexity and failure points.
They go out of their way to add complexity and failure points.
I read a thing just the other day about essentially that. Not that specific issue, but the way their timekeeping works (by default) and is a disaster (literally) when it fails.
That is crazy. According to a comment on that article, most BIOS uses UTC (as does Linux, obviously), but Windows uses localtime for some reason, so it converts UTC to localtime after boot, then back to UTC when it needs to do little things like networking or TLS.
It shouldn't even be part of an OS at all. I haven't purchased Windows in probably about twenty years but if I did I would expect that if I pay for software, it's not going to come and try to keep selling me more crap. This is just one of the reasons I use Linux.
And people just get on with it and download these chappy things that turn things off in group policy editor, like u shouldn't need to download an app to not get ads on something u paid for
We only ever buy second hand laptops. When our teen bought his brand new PC, it came installed with Windows. I asked the shop, when enquiring about customisation, if it could come without Windows but was told that it had already been installed and even if we opted to wait for one that wasn't built yet, the mount of money they charge for OEM Windows is very little so we wouldn't save much anyway.
Outside of donating, Linux distros don't cost anything so it's not like paying for an OS on top of paying for an OS.
My point isn't how simple it is to turn off, my point is why is that turn on by default in the first place? Last I checked to join a Window's domain you need a Professional/Enterprise version of Windows. This is software intended for a business environment not only that, it also costs much more as well. Yet here we are by default my Profession Windows install comes with Candy Crush and Game Pass ads. Great job Microsoft you have done it again.
This is the only argument I find makes sense. It would definitely be elementary for Microsoft to have those consumer features turned off by default in the Pro/Pro for Workstations/Enterprise/etc editions.