Windows Updated and is Pushing More Stuff

KrisND@lemmy.world to Mildly Infuriating@lemmy.world – 819 points –

I find this mildly infuriating, I only use Windows for work, I even personally purchased Windows 11. Local account and disabled as much as I could. I personally do not like Windows or Windows in general.

Well, now I do an update and they throw this up like I need to walk thru these steps (again). Not even a "Skip"/"Don't remind me again". Windows is not what it used to be and after disabling half the Microsoft stuff I'd expect not to be bothered again. It's really a built in ad more then anything.

2023-08 Cumulative Update Preview for Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5029351)

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Im going to bat for Microsoft here, coming from someone who uses both for work+home.

How many tech enthusiast/pcgamers are paying customers of Microsoft? I'd bet that most of us are using grey market OEM keys or reusing a license we've had upgraded from a previous install.

Communities like ours love to harpe on about how 95% of people are not bothered by the invasiveness of the telemetry and advertising, yet those are the very same people that are likely subscribing to Office365, not changing their default browser from Edge, and not installing an adblocker.

These are, in a sense, the "paying customer" to whom any profit driven company would be trying to improve experience of. Setting up cloud backup, signing in to your PC with your phone, using an online account are all good things from a general user perspective. I'd bet they have the telemetry to back this up.

I wish MS would release a SKU which was targeted towards the tech enthusiast, but how would they make that profitable? Not to mention I think a lot of us have a few fundamental misunderstandings on the current situation, some examples;

  1. Telemetry is essential to modern software development, people don't submit enough bug reports and nor should they be expected to for things like device drivers.
  2. The store/store apps is a better delivery model for software than going to a website to grab the setup.exe. It enforces standardisation, simplifies the process for devs to push updates and isolates user applications from the underlying operating system.
  3. Even these days you can configure Windows to not include a lot of the stuff people complain about if you're ok with Powershell. At one point in time, being a power user in Windows for both home and work was just about knowing where the GUI buttons are. Now it is about being comfortable in a command line.

I need to purge myself after all that corporate shilling.

The Univ and College where I work are forcing every students and staff to use Office 365, and the MS authentificator app for 2fa. They pay millions every years to Microsoft for this, plus the thousand of licences for windows, etc.

Why in the world would you defend that greedy unethtical corporation that now incorporate advertisment directly in windows and keep pushing more and more of their products with every forced update. They make millions only with schools in my provinces.

How many tech enthusiast

yet those are the very same people that are likely subscribing to Office365, not changing their default browser from Edge, and not installing an adblocker.

Really? Those two things do not seem to go together.

I'd bet that most of us are using grey market OEM keys or reusing a license we've had upgraded from a previous install.

  • It's a hard number to figure out, maybe but I personally don't know anyone since Windows 7 reusing licenses. But overall, a good point.

yet those are the very same people that are likely subscribing to Office365, not changing their default browser from Edge, and not installing an adblocker.

  • This is another number hard to figure out. It seems to me most people who do complain about people being okay about it have at least something implemented which is still better then nothing. At least they are aware, most of the people I come across either A) Don't even think about it, aren't aware or B) They are aware and use at least something to reduce it.

are all good things from a general user perspective.

  • Yes, I agree many of these services may be beneficial to general users who don't have anything already. My issue is this is all covered during setup and I went out of my way to disable all the services possible, especially a Microsoft account but it keeps pushing for it...at least add a "Don't remind me again" or something.

I wish MS would release a SKU which was targeted towards the tech enthusiast

  • Yes, that would be ideal and it may be a product sold but from a business stand point I think most would still stick with using scripts etc for removing/disabling. So I could see why not.

Why do you need telemetry when you can simply do UX studies, which Microsoft can and already does. I've even been part of a few. Microsoft is also moving away from Windows being their flagship product and is focusing more on office services and azure in terms of profit.

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