•  frog 🐸   ( @frog@beehaw.org ) 
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    771 year ago

    Wouldn’t moving Windows into the cloud basically make computers non-functional without internet? Because I can see a few problems with that, particularly for those in rural areas or who are travelling a lot.

    I’ve hesitated to switch over to Linux in recent years, primarily due to concerns about compatibility with software and games, but I’d rather have to find new art software than pay a subscription for an operating system that I can’t even use offline.

  • It does not mean anything for me because I am not a Windows user. For Windows users it means subscription models and renting software. It could also mean eventually booting your computer into a desktop that is in the cloud. I hope to god that does not happen because it may make finding hardware that will run Linux and BSD that much harder.

    • I don’t think it’s possible for them to do so, because that would means killing the gaming aspect of Windows. GPU on cloud is stupidly overpriced and expensive, just look at Standard_NV6 for an example, it easily cost $10,000/yr according to this (Just look for anything that have “N” in it’s name for GPU enabled VM and they are all expensive.)

      If they try to ban everyone from being allowed to use their own computer hardware, I really doubt people would stay on Windows, they most likely would be in the 5 stages of griefs and then contemplate on switching to either Linux or Mac OSX.

  • My take on this Cloud-First-Windows vision that was leaked from a Microsoft presentation with very little details and just a lot of speculation:

    If it actually happens, it will be more similar to a Chromebook, they will provide, likely an ARM based, low specs device with a basic Windows install that perhaps only has the cloud-connector (probably RDP based), One Drive to sync files, and Edge with extensions to run Office365 in offline mode.

    Apps would just be either web-wrapper based apps, or RDP Apps, or you could just deploy your cloud desktop to do some work that requires more power.

    I also think they would still provide an x86_64 based Windows for more powerful PCs for content creators and gamers.

    • In the very late 90s or early 2000s there was a leaked “October papers” or something like that. It detailed Microsoft’s plan to move to Windows as a service. It seems like it is taking longer than they thought, but they’ve been moving this way for a long time.

      I wish I kept a copy or was better at searching the old internet…

  • It means Windows is switching to a subscription model. It could be a good thing for some Linux users, if they need Windows for specific applications and don’t want to spin up a VM. O can’t see a reason for using it beyond that, other than being forced to, because Microsoft kills off yoir local Windows and turns your computer for a bootloader for a cloud system, which is itself a bootloader for your browser, for most people. What a terrible world we live in. Zero privacy guaranteed, a subscription model making Windows more profitable (again).

    ALSO, good luck stripping down Windows, removing bloatware, ads and telemetry. I GUARANTEE you it will be impossible to remove ads and telemetry on Windows in the Cloud. And thus that crap will be FORCED on you!

    •  kent_eh   ( @kent_eh@lemmy.ca ) 
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      151 year ago

      However, since most retail hardware is built to target Windows compatibility, it could mean fewer options for hardware that will be easy to install Linux (or any other OS) on.

      In fact, I would count on Microsift making their hardware spec intentionally be difficult to load anything “unapproved” on.

    •  Rentlar   ( @Rentlar@beehaw.org ) 
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      101 year ago

      Precisely. Putting more of the control onto Microsoft server means this: you do anything that they don’t like? No Windows for you. Oh, now we need more money so now we’re putting in a shitty change, don’t like it? Suck it up.

  • I personally don’t see the “Eureka!” moment that big tech apparently does in moving EVERYTHING to the cloud when they struggle to design safe and reliable services as is. The whole cloud stuff just kind of says “sure it will be a privacy nightmare rife for exploitation from bad actors, but THINK of the money we could earn from it in the long run!”

  •  Deemo   ( @Deemo@lemmy.fmhy.ml ) 
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    131 year ago

    I doubt people will pay for a windows subscription. Most will stay on 10/11 indefinitely and Microsoft will probably backtrack pretty quickly (look at windows 10 to 11 migration) 😉

    • Bingo! Rural in particular is slow and unreliable. Something like this isn’t a practical option even if I was OK with it. I’m already planning to switch to Linux when I get a new PC or when Windows 10 hits EoL. This would make the switch a necessity.

  • I’m not entirely a fan the idea of having my OS run somewhere other than my own computer, unless it’s like a remote lab I use for specific tasks. Like if I could use Linux, and just use this for my classes that run Windows exclusive software, then I’d maybe use it. Otherwise I think it’s a bit weird to have your whole computer basically be in the cloud.

  • That sounds like a horrid decision. Imagine having to troubleshoot a relative’s computer, which isn’t working because their internet is down, or is too slow to support streaming Windows like that.

    It just sounds like a nightmare all-round, both from a Microsoft Standpoint, since they would have to build all the hardware to support it, people who would have to troubleshoot an issue that might show up on either the local or networked version of Windows, but not both, and from a security standpoint, since it seems like it would make it a lot easier to just hijack the whole computer using that kind of mechanism, with the user being none the wiser, for the most part.

  • honestly if not for DirectX and whatever windows specific thing, I would have use linux for a long time cause I am heavy gamer. I know this version of windows OS is probably experimenting offering stuff that are directly on the cloud(like office/team etc), I don’t see them suddenly throw away local OS market and just let whoever wants to take over. (oh, and all the telemetry data, right? )

    •  sfera   ( @sfera@beehaw.org ) 
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      71 year ago

      Telemetry won’t be a topic anymore under such circumstances because will be implicit and the least of your worries. Tracking the input of the users will be part of the service they are paying for.

    • made a switch to linux recently due win11 changing privacy settings with updates and installing tiktok icons. i paid good moeny for this hardware, fuck off satya microsft

      steam on linux supports everything i play but CoD and new BF so not a big loss imho